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 D?
DOG 🐶/ UNICORN 🦄/ DEER 🦌/ GIFT 🎁
Making Letter D Shape:
- 1 big line, 1 big curve for capital D/1 big line and 1 little curve for Lowercase d. Your child use a finger to trace the letter starting at the top, going down and jump back up. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4BFXYlOT8k) 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
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.
Kitchen Science
For the Mason Jar Cookie Mix Gift, you need (1) 1 pint mason jar with lid, (2) all-purpose flour, (3) baking soda, (4) salt, (5) white granulated sugar, (6) brown sugar, (7) semi-sweet chocolate morsels or alternatives, (8) measuring cups and spoons, (9) holiday ribbon, (10) rubber band, (11) square of holiday fabric, (12) recipe card to print.
Directions:
1. Layer in mason jar:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2. Close jar with lid.
3. Cover lid with square of holiday fabric (use pinking shears to cut square)
4. Use a rubber band to fix the fabric square on lid.
5. Tie holiday ribbon around lid.
6. Print recipe to attach to mason jar:
“Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Combine mix with one egg and
4 tablespoons of butter.
Bake at 375F for 9 minutes.
Let cool!”
Science
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
Literature about giving:
1. “Giving is Better” – The Little Arrow Story and Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdgALI_UgUg
2. Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf by Greg Wolfe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HIQzZC1ejA.
3. A Little Spot of Giving by Diane Alber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkpemB0z6KY or A Little Spot for Christmas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfU47F9EWyg
After viewing a book, help your child sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. One theme is gift giving. Brainstorm with your child how you give and receive any kind of gifts in your home and what more can you and your child do.
”Simple Gifts” Song (Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aQXvbjfAGE)
‘Tis the gift to be simple
‘Tis the gift to be free
‘Tis the gift to come down
Where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves
In the place just right
‘Twill be in the valley
Of love and delight
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend
We shall not be ashamed
To turn, turn
Will be our delight
‘Till by turning, turning
We come round right.
”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!!
“10 Little Gifts” Fingerplay
1 little, 2 little, 3 little gifts,
4 little, 5 little, 6 little gifts,
7 little, 8 little, 9 little gifts,
10 little gifts to share for you and me!
Math
Math activities with a bag of colorful gift bows:
1. Sort bows by color.
2. 1-to-1 correspondence with number cards and bows.
3. Making shapes with bows and counting how many.
4. with blue tape, build a bar graph and have your child sort bows by color in the columns.
Independent Math Activities:
Presents Count and Match https://twistynoodle.com/present-count-and-match-coloring-page/
Present Patterns https://twistynoodle.com/present-patterns-coloring-page/
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 Holiday Hand Wreath Art Project, you need (1) piece of white fabric, (2) scissors (pinking shears), (3) green and red tempera paint and brush, (4) black marker, (5) paper, (6) tape, (7) piece of twine, (8) small wooden rod, and (9) glue.
Directions:
1. Cut around the piece of fabric.
2. Cut a circle of white paper and tape the back in the center of fabric piece. (You can use a large paper plate too.)
3. Paint your child’s hands and print them in a circle around the white paper circle to make a hand wreath.
4. Once dry, remove paper circle and dip your child’s fingertip in red tempera paint to print bunches of 3 berries on the wreath.
5. Write your child’s name and year.
6. Fold top and glue leaving space to slide rod through.
7. Attach both ends of rod with piece of twine to hang gift.
For Picture Ornament Art Project, you need (1) picture of your child, (2) glue, (3) wooden frame (or cardboard circle painted and cut), (4) colored rice, (5) piece of holiday ribbon, (5) felt, (6) little decorations, and (7) black marker.
Directions:
1. Cut picture to fit frame and cut circle of felt to cover back of picture.
2. Loop ribbon on top of frame.
4. Glue picture on frame, ribbon at back on top, and circle of felt on top of picture and looped ribbon at the back.
5. Glue rice on frame and any other decoration.
6. Write child’s name and date at the back with marker.
For simple Doily Fingertip Reindeer Ornament Art Project, you need (1) small white doily, (2) white and red construction paper, (3) scissors, (4) glue, (5) black and red markers, (6) brown tempera paint, and (7) holiday ribbon.
Directions:
1. Cut a red paper circle that fits the inside of doily.
2. Cut white paper circle smaller than red circle.
3. Take white doily and glue red circle on it and white circle on red one.
4. Dip your child’s finger and print on white circle.
5. Once dry, draw antlers and eyes with black marker and nose with red marker.
6. Write child’s name and date on white circle.
7. Loop holiday ribbon and knot for hanging ornament.
Small Motor Skills
Holiday Gift Tag Coloring Page https://twistynoodle.com/holiday-gift-tags-coloring-page/
Present Dot Painting https://twistynoodle.com/present-dot-painting-coloring-page/.
D Writing Practice https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/dino/trace-zb/d.gif
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.