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.
Which word starts with the letter S?
QUEEN 👸/ SNAKE 🐍/ Snow ❄️/ GOAT 🐐
Let’s start with Sammy Snake from Letterland and listen to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frLPWGdq3Kk After listening to the song, have your child trace a capital S and a lower case s, starting at the top (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJnZePnDo-U) and go down (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bdV4U1tsGc.)
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 S (sad, sand, sandals, sausage, school, scissors, seaside, seesaw, sister, six, sky, sleep, small, snail, snake, soup, soap, socks, sound, snack, special, spider, star, start, summer, sun, sweets.) You might want to add a picture of an Goat, so that your child can say that Goat does not start with S! Here is a book of S word pictures: https://twistynoodle.com/the-s-book-2-minibook/ Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter S every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
Winter is around the corner! Brainstorm with your child what animals do in winter. Where do bears, frogs, squirrels and snakes go in winter? What did you discover together? Some animals sleep during the winter; it’s called hibernation. Let’s learn more with Why do Animals hibernate? by David Martin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHclJXhj6DQ
Your child can explore further with Animals in Winter (advanced) by Henrietta Bancroft and Richard G. Van Gelder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLDbjt_FiTM and discover animals can hibernate, migrate or stay in winter.
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.
Science Kitchen
How about putting together a Bear Snack? For it, you need, (1) big square of graham cracker (2 rectangles), (2) chocolate chips, (3) plate, and (4) small marshmallows. On a plate, put the big square of graham cracker for bear’s face, two chocolate chips for eyes, 2 squished small marshmallows for ears, 1 chocolate chip for nose, and 2 small squashed marshmallows together for mouth. Bon Appétit!
Language Arts
Focusing on hibernation, here are 3 fun books:
- Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFmhMt7JDZ0
- Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCkRtyXq-fg
- Hibernation Station by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdbfXs1JbIQ
After viewing a book, help your child to sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. The major theme all three books is hibernation. With a sheet of paper divided into 2 columns with headers, winter sleep and no sleep, brainstorm and fill the columns with the animal names with the help of your child.
Note: I put snakes and other reptiles with the hibernating animals. They actually brumate (brumation) or stop moving to preserve energy and maintain body temperature in the winter. There do not fall into deep sleep like hibernating animals!
Hibernating Animals Song (“Do you Know the Muffin Man?” Tune)
Do you know who hibernates? (3x)
Do you know who hibernates? It’s the great big bear!
Other verses: slithering snake, buzzing bee, black bat, groundhog,…..
Who is Sleeping? Song (“Are You Sleeping?” tune)
Bear is sleeping; bear is sleeping
In its cave, in its cave.
I wonder when it’ll come out; I wonder when it’ll come out.
In the spring; in the spring!
Other verses: frog in the mud, bat in its cave, squirrel in a tree, snake in burrows,…..
5 Little Bears Fingerplay
One little bear not knowing what to do.
Along came another one, and then there were two.
Two little bears climbing up a tree.
Along came another one, and then there were three.
Three little bears ate apple cores.
Along came another one, and then there were four.
Four little bears found honey in a hive.
Along came another one, and then there were five.
Math
Your child can do an Hibernating Animals Sort you can find at https://wiseowlcathy.blogspot.com/2014/12/december-day-16-hibernating-animals.html or print the page with hibernating animals twice to use them in a memory game: all animals are facing down and your child has to turn two of the same animal to win.
If you have different color plastic teddy bears, have your child do a sorting by color exercise with cups or just a patterning exercise (ABAB, ABBA, AABAA,….)
November is still here for one day! 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 Hibernating Bear Art Project, you need (1) a paper bag, (2) scissors, (3) crayons/markers, (4) bear print out https://twistynoodle.com/cut-and-paste-the-letters-b-e-a-r-coloring-page/, (5) cotton balls, and (6) glue.
Directions:
1. Open the paper bag so it can sit on a surface.
2. Cut a half-circle at the bottom of paper bag to be the entrance to the den.
3. Color the bear print out with crayons/markers.
4. Glue cotton balls on paper bag and decorate with crayons/markers with drawing pine trees and rocks.
5. Picture http://www.literaryhoots.com/2016/10/15-extension-activities-for-mother-bruce.html
For Simple Bear Mask Art Project, you need (1) brown paint and brush, (2) dark brown construction paper, (3) scissors, (4) stapler, (5) big paper plate, (6) popsicle, and (7) marker.
Directions:
1. Cut inside of big paper plate and keep the rim for mask.
2. Paint rim with brush and brown tempera paint.
3. Cut big brown construction paper circle and cut it into 2 for 2 bear’s ears.
4. Staple bear’s ears on the top of paper plate rim and popsicle at the bottom.
5. Draw a big circle with black marker on the bottom of rim for bear’s nose.
6. If your child does not want the mask, paint the whole paper plate brown and nose and eyes with marker.
Small Motor Skills
Bears in Pairs Book https://twistynoodle.com/bears-in-pairs-minibook/
Letter S Activity Book https://twistynoodle.com/letter-s-activity-book-minibook/
Letter S Dot Painting https://twistynoodle.com/letter-s-dot-painting-4-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.
Like a bear, help your child to build a bear’s den with elements from your home. You can use chairs, tables with blankets, tablecloths or bed sheets. If your child has stuffed animals, bring them in your den to sleep!
The Bear went over the Mountain Song and Movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCLjdL8g-8s
The bear went over the mountain/ across the river/ through the forest/climbed up the big tree,
To see what it could see (3x)
Was the other side of the mountain/river/forest/the mountain, river and forest,
That’s all that it could see! (2x)
Social-Emotional Development
One Winter’s Day by Christina Butler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBKfbo60jlI is a story of kindness, and how a community is coming together through the hardship of winter. Brainstorm with your child how you can help others and animals during the winter. There are some suggestions for helping animals with food in the science section.