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 is your favorite decoration?
WREATH / TINSELS / STOCKING / ORNAMENT
Your child started with Dippy Duck from Letterland and listened to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF8_lX45z2k After listening to the song, your child traced a capital D and a lower case d, starting at the top (song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJnZePnDo-U), go down and jump back up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4BFXYlOT8k
Now, let’s listen to the story from the Letterland Corner: Dippy Duck and the Dentist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18lZw5zFfk After listening to the story, help your child retell the story using lots of D words.
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 D (daddy, daffodil, daisy, dance, day, dinner, dish, doctor, dog, doll, donkey, door, down, draw, dress, dolphin, dinosaur, drink, drum, duck.) You might want to add a picture of a Jaguar, so that your child can say Jaguar that does not start with D! Here is a book of D word pictures: https://twistynoodle.com/letter-d-minibook/ and https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap1/d.gif Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter D every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
For Engineering an Ice Candle Holder, you need (1) 1 small transparent plastic cup, (2) 1 big plastic cup (Polo cup), (3) tape, (4) rocks, (5) color pipe cleaner or tinsel, (6) small color pompoms or beads, (7) food coloring, (8) water, (9) glue/glue gun (adult only), and (10) electric tea light.
Directions:
1. Wrap and glue pipe cleaner around small cup as well as small pompoms/beads. Let dry.
2. Tape bottom of clear plastic cup to bottom inside the big plastic cup, and put 4 rocks in the clear plastic cup to hold it down.
2. Pour water between two cups inside each other and drops of food coloring.
3. Put in freezer for 4-6 hours, until water is well frozen.
4. Cut the big plastic cup and peel it off the clear plastic cup.
5. Cut the top old clear plastic cup not cover by ice.
6. Put the electric tea candle in and keep it in a cold place/outside.
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
How to decorate for the Holidays?
1. The Special Christmas Tree by Catherine Walters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZHG7Hd5RGI&t=99s.
2. Is It Hunakkah Yet? by Chris Barash https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QALgX4HIuk.
3. Hanukkah! by Roni Schotter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deuh4GN5N_Q
3. The Broken Ornament by Tony Diterlizzi (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM1di7h7ypA
After viewing a book, help your child sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. One theme is decorating for the holidays. Brainstorm with your child how you decorate your home and what other traditions do.
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Christmas Star” Song and Movement (“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” tune)
Twinkle, twinkle, Christmas star, (Open and close hands)
Way up high, that’s where you are. (arms together forming a star above head)
Up above our lovely tree,
Shining there for all to see!
Twinkle, twinkle, Christmas star,
Finding comfort where you are! (hug oneself)
“Menorah Light” Song and Movement (“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” tune)
Twinkle 8 candles in the night, (show 8 fingers)
Standing tall on the Menorah bright.
Burning oh so slow, we know.
Burning light for all to show. (open up arms)
Twinkle candles in the night,
Standing tall on the Menorah bright.
”Light the Candles Bright” (Hanukkah) / “Light the Tree Bright” (Christmas) Song
(“The Farmer in the Dell” tune)
Oh, light the candles bright!/ Oh, light the tree lights bright!
And dance around with joy.
Heigh-ho the derry-oh.
It’s Hanukkah night!/It’s Christmas delight!!
Math
Independent Activities:
1. Ornament Matching https://twistynoodle.com/ornament-matching-coloring-page/
2. Ornament Color Sorting https://twistynoodle.com/ornament-color-sorting-coloring-page/.
3. Color and Count Ornaments (advanced) https://twistynoodle.com/color-and-count-the-ornaments-coloring-page/ (write number with a highlighter for your child to trace.)
December is here now! 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/december-calendar-set/december-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 Letterland Dippy Duck Art Project, you need (1) white, yellow and orange construction paper, (2) scissors, (3) glue, (4) 1 googly eye, (5) feathers, and (6) marker.
Directions:
1. Cut letter D, a circle (head), and a heart (tail) out of yellow construction paper (template: ), 2 hearts out of orange construction paper for beak and feet.
2. Glue letter D on white construction paper as well as hearts and googly eyes.
3. Glue feathers on letter D.
For the Salt Dough Star Ornament Art Project, you need (1) bowl and spoon, (2) 1 cup of salt, (3) 2 cups of flour, (4) 1 cup of water, (5) 1 pencil, (6) acrylic paint with brush, (7) piece of ribbon, and (8) cookie cutters like star, dreidel, tree, candy cane,
Directions:
1. Mix salt and flour, slowly add water and form a dough ball. If the dough is too sticky, add some more flour. But, if the dough is too dry, add some water. Knead it for 5 minutes.
2. Roll out the salt dough and use cookie cutter of choice and remember to put a little hole at the top with back of pencil for ribbon.
3. Let air dry for 24 hours or oven dry at 90-110 degrees for 4-6 hours.
4. Decorate with paint.
For the Plastic/Glass Painted Ornament Art Project, you need (1) plastic/glass ornament with a top like a ball, a Star, a dreidel,…. (2) acrylic paint, (3) a plastic cup, and (4) piece of ribbon.
Directions:
1. Take the top off the ornament and drop some acrylic paint (3-4 drops) in it.
2. Put top back on and shake paint in the ornament.
3. Repeat dropping a different color acrylic paint and shake. Excess paint goes in the cup.
4. Let dry and loop a piece of ribbon to hang.
5. Other creative ways to decorate below.
Small Motor Skills
Ornament Puzzle https://twistynoodle.com/ornament-puzzle-coloring-page/
Ornament Dot Painting https://twistynoodle.com/ornament-dot-painting-2-coloring-page/
Ornament Maze https://twistynoodle.com/ornament-maze-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.