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 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 do you do at night?
SLEEP 🛌/ DREAM 💭/ PLAY 🧸/ SING 🎶
Making Letter Q Shape:
- 2 big curves and 1 little line for capital Q/ 1 little curve and one little line for Lowercase q. Your child use a finger to trace the letter starting at the top, going down, around from left to right and back up (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9NkEIHv190) 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
More practice sheets https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/dino/trace-zb/q.gif
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 Q (Quack, quarrelsome, quarter, queen, question, queue, quick, quiet, quill, quilt, quite, quiz, Quincy, quail, quinoa.) You might want to add a picture of an owl, so that your child can say that owl does not start with Q! Here is a book of Q word pictures: https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap1/q.gif Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter Q every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
The Chinook Indian tribe used dugout canoes by hollowing out cedar of fir logs to trade, fish and hunt. I encourage you and your child to construct a paper canoe that floats. For this Birch Bark Canoe Project, you need (1) brown construction paper or brown paper, (2) scissors, (3) yarn, (4) crayons/markers/tempera paint with brush, (5) hole punch, (6) a bowl of water.
Instructions:
- Fold the piece of construction paper/brown paper the long side.
- Make 2 other folds on each side of the fold line, at about 1/2 inch of the fold line. The folds look like a W and is the bottom of the canoe.
- Draw a canoe shape on the paper side, rounding the edges.
- Draw/decorate canoe sides with crayons, markers or paint.
- Cut out the canoe shape and hole punch at each end, about 4-5 holes.
- Cut 2 pieces of yarn to lace each end. Lace each end with yarn pieces.
- Push the canoe folded floor flat so that the canoe can sit.
- Put canoe in bowl of water to see if it floats. Ask your child what happens?
- Picture https://enchantedlearning.com/crafts/na/canoe/
Let’s show your child the Northwest region of the United States where the Chinooks live.
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
Native American literature often describes positive human qualities, our humanity, and how to preserve it. Here is more Native American Writers and illustrators:
1. Bowwow Powwow by Brenda Child (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpBfWk46JA4.
2. Sweetest Kulu (Inuit from Artic Region), A Bedtime Poem by Celina Kallu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKAgPR-sGFI
3. Totem Tale by Deb Vanasse (non-native of Alaska) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkqrk-qMmMA.
4. How Coyote and Eagle Stole the Sun and Moon by Erica Pretty Eagle (oral tradition) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGXRSfdObag
After viewing a book/oral story, encourage your child to tell you what the story was about and brainstorm with your child what is the same or different with your family traditions.
For older children:
Skysisters by Jan Boudreau Waboose (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzxObMfvFCY
Math
Let’s review patterning with your child https://twistynoodle.com/draw-the-face-that-comes-next-coloring-page/
All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers by Julie Flett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_lTapLk_UY.
Native American/ Apache Counting Song 1-20 (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFCAlBVO9Qs
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 Totem Pole Art Project after reading Totem Tale mentioned above, you need (1) scissors, (2) empty paper towel roll, (3) construction paper, (4) markers/crayons and paint with brush, (5) glue, and (6) googly eyes.
Directions:
- The empty paper towel roll is your totem pole to decorate.
- Cut 4 strips different color construction paper (to cover paper towel roll) that are 4 animal faces.
- Design 4 different faces gluing googly eyes, drawing with markers/crayons, painting, on each strip of color construction paper.
- Glue strips around paper towel roll. Cut and glue wings/ears if animal is a bird or….
- Picture (more sophisticated) https://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/na/totempole/
Dream Catcher, Animated Short Film, is very colorful and introduces nicely our art project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KxBB5Xih64 The underlying theme of loneliness is also worth exploring with your child.
For Dream catcher Art Project, you need (1) small paper plate, (2) yarn, (3) hole punch, (4) scissors, (5) beads, (6) feathers, (7) blue tempera paint and brush, and (8) tape.
Directions:
- Cut the inside of paper plate leaving a wide rimmed O to paint with blue tempera paint and brush.
- Punch 5-10 holes around the rim, 3 holes together at the bottom of circle and 1 hole to hang it at the top.
- Cut long piece of yarn, attach one end to the rim and put a piece of tape around the other end to make it stiff and easier to lace.
- Lace in and out, adding 2-4 pearls on the yarn and crossing the center the rim. Once done, attach end.
- Cut three short pieces of yarn to attach to the three holes together at the bottom of the rim. Bead each piece of yarn with a feather attached at the other end of yarn. Repeat 3 times.
- Cut 1 short piece of yarn to pass through the one hole to make a loop for hanging the dream catcher.
- Picture http://www.freepreschoolcrafts.com/paper-plate-dreamcatcher/
Small Motor Skills
Canoe Coloring Page https://www.coloring.ws/canoe.htm
Totem Coloring Page https://www.bestcoloringpagesforkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Free-Printable-Totem-Pole-Coloring-Pages.jpg
Dream Catcher Coloring Page http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/native-american-dreamcatcher
Cut and Paste Letter Q https://twistynoodle.com/cut-and-paste-the-letter-q-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.
If you and your child have the possibility to go canoeing or boating on a nearby lake, the experience of paddling is chalkenging but enriching.
Social-Emotional Development
We all feel differently every day. This Native American writer, Danielle Daniel, associates feelings with surrounding animals in Sometimes I feel Like a Fox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-9CjUA9-Xg After viewing the book, share “Today, I feel like a…….” and have your child do the same.