Let’s look at another colorful reptile with this video from National Geographic: https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/magazine/0000014e-e6c9-dd38-ab4e-ffcdcdde0000 What did we learn? Chameleons (1) have rotating eyes, (2) lay eggs, (3) Change colors, (4) camouflage, (5) have a very long tongue, and (6) eat insects.
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 an emoji 🙂) either in all uppercase letters or just first letter in capital/uppercase and the rest in lowercase. If your child is starting to write on paper, you can write your child’s name with a highlighter and your child can use a crayon to trace it.
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.
What are the colors of a chameleon?
RED / GREEN / BLUE / YELLOW
Make Letter Y Shape:
- 1 big line and 1 little line for capital Y/ 2 little lines for Lowercase y. Your child use a finger to trace the letter starting at the top, going diagonally down, and then jump back up, going diagonally the other way. (In order to start learning letters, your child will need a set of big curves, little curves, big lines and little lines in wood. You can purchase them at https://www.lwtears.com or make them your self. Here is a picture: http://cdn.lwtears.com/images/uploads/1_787_large.png)
- Wet-Dry-Try on small chalkboard (Handwriting Without Tears) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6p4LUEGbwM
- Play dough with small chalkboard (recipe: https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/playdough-recipe/) or you can purchase the Roll-A-Dough Set from Handwriting without Tears https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spjVLDXDixI
For writing Number 10 Shape: start at the top, go straight down and start at top and go around back up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW3lD7VgHY4 Encourage your child to trace with pointer finger. More practice https://twistynoodle.com/practice-writing-the-number-10-3-coloring-page/
A whole week activity:
For the phonetic part, have a big yogurt container with a lid filled with small objects or pictures that have the letter Y (yacht, yawn, year, yell, yellow, yes, yesterday, yo-yo, yogurt, yolk, you, your). You might want to add a picture of a xylophone, so that your child can say Xylophone does not start with Y! Here is a book of Y word pictures: https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap1/y.gif Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter Y every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
For the Chameleon Color Experiment, you need (1) sandwich ziplock bag, (2) black marker, (3) color tempera paint, and (4) template (print https://www.themailbox.com/magazines/color-chameleon-patterns/chameleon And have your child cut around it).
Directions:
1. Draw the outline of a chameleon with black marker on a ziplock sandwich bag.
2. Drop tempera paint of various colors.
3. Mix colors inside by rubbing the plastic bag. Review color science and the difference between the primary and secondary colors.
If you have a nature journal, make a journal entry inviting your child to tell you which primary colors combined make which new color and let your child show you using markers/crayons.
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.
Language Arts
Chameleons are so colorful. You can see it on the cover of:
1. The Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4eDzxlRBnk.
2. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8rab-HcTN0.
3. Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Crowley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1s7VXViV_E.
4. Neon Leon by Jane Clarke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9d-zFAUy3s
After viewing a book, help your child sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. Brainstorm with your child what you know about Chameleons. Discuss how your child and your family can see chameleons (zoo, pet store, …). One major theme is how to be with other children, family members and friends. Brainstorm with your child how your child and you are interacting with others.
For an advanced activity, have your child fill in a simple story map. Take a sheet of paper and divide it into 3 equal size parts. Write “Beginning”, “Middle”, and “End” and encourage your child to make a drawing about the beginning, the middle and the end of the story.
Chameleon Song (“Do your hears hang low” tune)
Do you have green skin?
Do you shed the skin you’re in?
Can you change the color too?
Turn from green to red to blue.
Do you leave among the trees?
Blending in with sticks and leaves.
Then you are a chameleon!
Math
How to feed a chameleon flies? You need: (1) a jar on which you can glue a picture of a chameleon, (2) Small black Pom poms, and (3) a clothespin. Your child can pick up Pom poms with the clothespin and drop them in the jar or chameleon’s mouth while counting them. You can time it too! How many can your child pick up in ten seconds!
Spring is in the air in March! 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/march-calendar-set/march-calendar-set-4
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 the Corn Syrup Chameleon Art Project, you need (1) tempera paint, (2) corn syrup, (3) template, (4) scissors, (5) cups, (6) spoon. (https://www.themailbox.com/magazines/chameleon-craft/corn-syrup-chameleon).
Directions:
1. Pour different color tempera paint in each cup.
2. Mix some corn syrup in each cup with spoon.
3. Cut chameleon template and hang it on a board or put it on covered table.
4. Dip fingers in different paint and paint chameleon.
5. Option: use the pattern with watercolor and a brush instead of fingers.
6. Option: glue little squares of tissue or construction paper (cut or torn) on chameleon’s template.
Small Motor Skills
Chameleon Coloring Page https://www.momjunction.com/print-coloring-image/98763/print/2014/10/The-group-of-chameleons/
Camouflaged Chameleon Book https://twistynoodle.com/camouflaged-chameleons-2-minibook/
Reptile Counting https://twistynoodle.com/reptile-counting-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Let’s count and dance with Jack Hartman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MVzXKfr6e8
Hokey Pokey Song and Dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9JPJ8nQTIw
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.