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.
What can you harvest in the fall?
SQUASH 🎃 / CHERRIES 🍒/ ACORNS / TOMATOES 🍅/ APPLE 🍏
Let us start with Clever Cat from Letterland and listen to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY4vqYK8ohM After listening, show your child how to write a capital C and a lower case c (advanced) starting at the top (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJnZePnDo-U). Have your child first trace the letter(s) you wrote with one finger or trace C on the screen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpM6EcggWcM
Magic C is introducing curves that are important for uppercase and lowercase letters (C, O, Q, G, S, J, D, P, B, a, b, c, d, e, g, o, p, q, s.) Here is Magic C Rap Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo8-3Lar4os
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 C (cake, car, cat, candle, cap, castle, clean, clever, climb, clock, clothes, cold, color, come, cook, count, cross, cuddle, cup, custard, cut.) You might want to add a picture of a unicorn, so that your child can say that unicorn does not start with C! Here is a book of C word pictures: https://twistynoodle.com/my-letter-c-minibook/ Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter C every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
Tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are are in the news and children hear those words without fully comprehending them. This Tornado in a Bottle Experiment will explain basic physics to your child. You need (1) water, (2) empty 2 liter bottle, (3) dish detergent, and (4) colored glitter. Pour the water in bottle with 2-3 drops of dish detergent and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of colored glitter. Give a strong shake and a twirl. What happens? Here is a video of the experiment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF2ZByWaUMI
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
Many different types of nuts are harvested every year for consumption. Children can see it concretely with squirrels in nature. Here are 2 books:
- Nuts to you by Lois Ehlert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhInjisjQfg
- The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vk0hEfDMiQ
After viewing a book with your child, sequence the story: what happened first, next,… and at the end. In the fall, there are lots of squirrels scurrying around in yards. Observe them with your child at a distance for safety reasons. What do you notice?
“The Frisky Little Squirrel” Song and Movement (“The Grand Old Duke of York” tune)
Oh, the frisky little squirrel,
It gathers nuts and seeds.
It hides them for the winter months.
So, it’ll have all what it needs.
Oh, up and up it goes,
And down and down it comes.
It runs around, is up and down.
Its work is never done!
“5 Little Squirrels” Fingerplay and Movement
Five little squirrels are sitting in a tree.
The first squirrel said, “These nuts are for me.”
The second squirrel said, “I like nuts to eat.”
The third squirrel said, “Nuts are a treat.”
The fourth squirrel said, “Do you want some?”
The fifth squirrel said, “You may have one.”
The five little squirrels went bob, bob, bob. (Jump.)
The five little squirrels went nod, nod, nod. (Nod head.)
The five little squirrels went patter, patter, patter. (Wiggle.)
The five little squirrels went chatter, chatter, chatter. (Open fingers in talking motion.)
The five little squirrels scolded you and me (Shake head.)
As they sat and ate the nuts on the big, tall tree. (Pretend to eat nuts.)
“I am a Squirrel” Action Rhyme
I am a squirrel in a tall, tall tree. (Stretch arms up.)
I like to look around you see! (Pretend you are holding binoculars.)
I am picking nuts to munch, munch, munch. (Pretend picking nuts.)
I love the way they crunch, crunch, crunch. (Make noise with mouth.)
Sometimes, I stretch my arms up wide. (Stretch arms wide.)
Take a leap and start to fly! (Jump and pretend to fly.)
Math
Children love to stack objects. For the Number Tower Building Activity, you need a different kind of nuts, hex nuts 🔩 (big enough for a pencil to go through), and a pencil. Show your child how to stack hex nuts by sliding the pencil through a nut at a time. Your child will use both hands at first and with practice move to one hand only. This activity is also helping to develop strong small motor skills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvp7T4b3m_Q
November is here! 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/november-calendar-setbr4-pages/november-calendar-set-2
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 Squirrel in Tree Art Project, you need (1) empty paper towel roll, (2) scissors, (3) glue, (4) little squares of tissue paper in yellow, orange and red, (5) piece of cardboard, (6) tape, and (7) paper squirrels and acorns to cut out https://twistynoodle.com/help-the-squirrel-get-the-acorn-coloring-page/
Directions:
- Cut strips on one end of paper towel roll to form branches on a tree and fold them outward.
- Cut an oval hole in the center of the paper towel roll/tree for the squirrel’s nest.
- Color 1 paper squirrel and glue it inside the hole or nest.
- Attach the paper towel roll with tape to the piece of cardboard to ground the tree.
- Crumple the little squares of colored tissue paper and glue them on paper towel roll strips or tree branches and on the cardboard as fallen leaves.
- Cut and color the acorns to glue on cardboard around, on or inside the tree. Your child can decorate the cardboard or foot of the squirrel tree as creatively as your child wants.
For Blow Painting with Straws Art Project, you need (1) paper, (2) watercolor with brush, and (3) straw. Apply a big blob of water color on paper and blow on it with a straw. Here is a picture https://artfulparent.com/blow-painting-with-straws/
Small Motor Skills
Squirrel Gather Nuts Coloring Page https://twistynoodle.com/squirrels-gather-nuts-3-coloring-page/ and your child can draw a background too.
Acorn Maze https://twistynoodle.com/acorn-maze-coloring-page/
Letter C Puzzle https://twistynoodle.com/letter-c-puzzle-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.
Children can learn to relax doing simple yoga poses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XCQfYsFa3Q