Let’s sing together our song “Rise and Shine – Welcome to School Today” by Dr. Jean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyAD2OoFuoY and our greeting song “Hello to all the children of the world”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nYjGy_ZUG8
My favorite Closing Song sung on “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” tune with movement:
Twinkle, twinkle little stars! Time is over and we say goodbye. (Open and close hands)
We had fun with all our friends. Let’s come back and do it again! (Arm moved up and back)
Twinkle, twinkle, little stars! What a wonderful bunch you are! (Blow kisses)
For the writing/reading process, have your child trace or copy (advanced skill) daily his/her name on paper/dry eraser board/ mini blackboard (kindergarten handwriting page) starting at the top of each letter (you could draw 🙂) either in all uppercase letters or just first letter in uppercase and the rest in lowercase.
I realize that you might have to survey other members of your family for the question of the day so that your child have enough tally marks to count or have your child put more than one tally mark.
Which word starts with the letter I ?
ISLAND 🌴/ IGUANA 🦎 / DOOR 🚪 / INSECT 🐜
The letter I is fairly easy to write starting at the top and going straight down, but the focus is on the two sounds. There are the short /I/ sound like in insect and the long /I/ sound like ice. It is important to point it out. Here is the Letterland Impy Ink song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_NKwwr4ccU After listening, show your child how to write a capital I and a lower case i, and have your child trace the letter I and i. The story of Impy Ink is also fun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFyU49A6W-w
A whole week activity:
For the phonetic part, have a big yogurt container with a lid filled with small objects or pictures that start with the letter I (infant, ink, insect, invitation, itch, ill, in, if, into, inside for short /I/ and I, ice cream, idea, iron, island and ivy for long /I/.) You might want to add a picture of a door, so that your child can say that door does not start with I! Here is a book of I word pictures: https://twistynoodle.com/my-letter-i-minibook/ Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter I every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
With the sun lower in the sky, children can see lots of shadows. What is a shadow? Here is The Day I Met My Shadow by Melissa Brun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L52xSUtJNg After viewing the book, take a walk with your child on a sunny day and look at your shadows. You can also use flashlights in a dark room at home and make shadow puppets.
On the tune of “Oh, my Darling Clementine”, we can sing: what’s the weather, what’s the weather, what’s the weather like today? Is it cloudy, is it rainy, is it sunny, is it cold? (You can also change the weather words).
Let your child check the weather and tell you about it. You might want to ask your child to do a weather drawing that you can label. Some activities will be repetitive to create a routine that brings comfort to your child.
Language Arts
Witches, witches, witches!
10 Busy Brooms by Carole Gerber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnL81kbQ26o
Room on the Broom by Juliet Donaldson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L52xSUtJNg (advanced)
After viewing a book, help your child to sequence the story: what happened first, next, …. and at the end. You can do a story sequence template (rectangles linked by arrows) on paper that your child can decorate with drawings. Both stories are also about helping others. Brainstorm with your child how you help your family and others (help do dishes, set the table,…)
5 Little Witches Fingerplay
Five little witches flying through the sky.
The first one said, “I’m flying really high!”
The second one said, “I’m flying really low!”
The third one said, “I’m flying really slow!”
The fourth one said, “I’m flying really fast!”
The fifth one said, “It just won’t last….”.
Then out came the moon to light up the night.
And the five little witches flew out of sight!
“10 Little Witches” Song
1 little, 2 little, 3 little witches,
4 little, 5 little, 6 little witches,
7 little, 8 little, 9 little witches,
10 little witches flying in the sky!
“The Witch Rides Tonight” Song (“The Farmer in the Dell” tune)
The witch rides tonight, yeah!
The witch rides tonight, yeah!
Heigh-ho! It’s Halloween!
The witch rides tonight!
The witch takes a cat…
The cat takes a bat…
The bat takes a spider…
The spider takes a goblin…
The goblin takes a skeleton…
The skeleton takes a ghost…
The ghost scares them all…
Math
For this memory game, you need Halloween small objects. You can have 5 to 10 depending on your child’s memory skills. Lay the objects on a flat surface and cover them with a towel/blanket. Take one object or more from under the blanket without your child seeing the object(s). Uncover the objects and ask your child which object(s) is missing. You can play this game many times and take turns!
The last week of October! The calendar is a daily activity to do with your child that develop number and pattern recognition. Here is the link to print a calendar to update daily with your child. The set has a weather component, if you like. https://www.themailbox.com/magazines/october-calendar-setbr4-pages/october-calendar-set-3
Daily counting of tally marks and show your child a number card or write the number down to show your child. The numbers of the tallies will be different every day. Extend the concept by comparing numbers: which has more? Which has fewer? Which are the same? How many more (count with fingers)?
Art
For this Paper Bag Witch Art Project, you need (1) scissors, (2) paper bag, (3) green and orange paint, (4) brush, (5) stapler, (6) black and green construction paper, (7) googly eyes, (8) glue, (9) marker and (10) newspaper.
Directions:
1. Stuff paper bag with newspaper.
2. Paint with brush the paper bag bottom green and 4 inch from the top orange.
3. Once dry, cut the orange painted top in strips leaving them attached to the paper bag.
4. Fold the orange strips down on the green painted part or orange hair on the green face.
5. Staple the orange hair on the green face.
6. Cut a black construction paper hat and glue on orange hair (can be stapled too)
7. Cut a green construction paper oval nose.
8. Glue googly eyes and green nose on witch’s green face.
9. Draw a smile or …… with marker.
10. Picture https://iheartcraftythings.com/?s=Witch
For Egg Carton Witch Art Project, you need (1) bottom of egg carton, (2) green paint and brush, (3) black marker, (4) black (dark colored) yarn, (5) black construction paper, (6) scissors and (7) glue.
Directions:
- Picture http://www.preschoolactivities.us/witches-crafts-for-halloween/egg-carton-witch-craft/.
- Cut the egg carton holding cups so that you have 2 rows of 2 egg cups with the rim of egg carton on one side. The rim is the witch’s forehead and the first two cups are the eyes!
- Paint all the inside in green and let it dry.
- Cut long strands of yarn for hair.
- Cut a big black construction paper circle the size of the cut egg carton rim and a long black construction paper triangle. Both are for the witch’s hat.
- Make a little fold at the bottom of the long black construction paper triangle to glue to the black construction paper circle. It makes a hat!
- Glue the long strands of yarn hair on the cut egg carton rim and the black construction hat on top of hair.
- Draw two circles with black marker in the first row of 2 egg carton cups just under the rim.
Small Motor Skills
Letter I Activity Book https://twistynoodle.com/letter-i-activity-book-minibook/
Witch’s Hat Dot Painting https://twistynoodle.com/witchs-hat-dot-painting-coloring-page/
Halloween Pattern https://twistynoodle.com/halloween-patterns-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.
Social-Emotional Development
Stress Relief for children – Tapping for kids with Alison – What is tapping? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0NUNNhosPU
For more information about tapping https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s99M8eJV4sk