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 an emoji 🙂) 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 winter clothing do you have?
BOOTS 🥾/ SNOW PANTS / EARMUFFS / GLOVES 🧤
Yesterday, your child started with Bouncy Ben from Letterland and listened to the song:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDwj_529HjI After listening to the song, your child traced a capital B and a lower case b, starting at the top (song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJnZePnDo-U), go down, jump back up and do a curve line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1MfdgzzdHo
Now, Now, let’s listen to the story from the Letterland Corner: Bouncy Ben on his Bike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKyUI2eSfpk After listening to the story, help your child retell the story using lots of B 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 B (baby, bad, balance, ball, bar, beautiful, bed, bee, big, bird, birthday,biscuit, blue, boat, bounce, bread, breakfast, bridge, brown, bubble, bun, bus, butter, butterfly.) You might want to add a picture of a pig, so that your child can say Dog that does not start with B! Here is a book of B word pictures: https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap1/b.gif Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter B every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
Do animals wear clothes in the winter? Animals have fur, scales or feather that cover their bodies. Take a sheet of paper and draw 3 columns titles “Animals with fur”, “Animals with scales” and “Animals with feather.” Brainstorm with your child the animals you know and in which column would you put their names (bear, dog, cat, bird, eagle, snake, penguin..)
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.
Language Arts
Winter Hat Literature:
1. A Snowy Rescue by M. Christina Butler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv27uuPt3uc.
2. The Hat by Jan Brett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HQCKghkI_8
3. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaal3PCBO8w
After viewing a book, help your child sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. The major theme is hat. Brainstorm with your child what types of hats you have seen: wool winter hat, tall hat in Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, French beret,…
Here is one activity for The Hat by Jan Brett on her website: https://www.janbrett.com/hat_animal_masks_main.htm Print either the masks or a the small images of each animal the hedgehog met. The images can work as props to help your child sequence the story. Your child will create a pocket as an art project to put the small images in.
“Winter Clothes” Song (“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” tune)
Hat, coats, snow pants and boots, snow pants and boots. (2x)
Scarf, socks, mittens or gloves.
Hat, coats, snow pants and boots, snow pants and boots.
”Warm Clothes” Song (“If You’re Happy and You Know It” tune) with Movement
If you’re cold and you know it, wear your hat (clap, clap).
If you’re cold and you know it, wear your hat (clap, clap).
If you know you’re cold, if you know you’re cold,
If you know you’re cold, wear your hat. (clap, clap).
Other verses: scarf, boots, mittens, jacket, snow pants,….
Math
Independent Math Activities:
1. Winter Hat Color by Number https://twistynoodle.com/winter-hat-color-by-number-coloring-page/
2. Hat Patterns https://twistynoodle.com/hat-patterns-coloring-page/
3. Sort the Hat https://twistynoodle.com/sort-the-hats-coloring-page/
For the Memory Game Activity, you need 5 hats (10 advanced – can be other winter clothes) and a small blanket. Show your child the hats and encourage your child to describe them. Then, cover hats with small blanket and take one hat away. Uncover the hats and ask your child which hat is missing and ask your child to describe it. Repeat the activity 5 (or 10 times.)
Matching Animals Game: https://www.janbrett.com/games/matching_animals_game_main.htm
January just started. 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/january-calendar-set/january-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 Paper Hat Art Project, you need (1) construction paper, (2) scissors, (3) dot painting, (4) glue, (5) cotton balls, (6) pompoms, (7) buttons, (8) yarn, and (9) other decorations.
Directions:
1. Cut a half-circle in construction paper of your choice or this template:
2. Dot Paint with any color.
3. Glue cotton balls on bottom rim and top, pompoms, buttons, yarn pieces, and other decorations of your choice.
Make a Winter Hat Template https://twistynoodle.com/make-a-winter-hat-coloring-page/
For Brett’s The Hat Pocket Art Project, you need (1) construction paper, (2) scissors, (3) yarn, (4) tape, (5) hole puncher, (6) decorations, (7) glue, (8) black marker.
Directions:
1. Cut 2 half-circles or twice template above out or construction paper for hat pocket.
2. Place paper hats on top of each other and hole punch around hat.
3. Cut long piece of yarn. Attach one end to paper hats and a piece of tape around the other end to make it stiff.
4. Sew around the paper hats together.
5. Write “The Hat by Jan Brett” and decorate hats.
Small Motor Skills
Colorful Hats Book https://twistynoodle.com/colorful-hats-2-minibook/
Trace the Winter Hat https://twistynoodle.com/trace-the-winter-hat-coloring-page/
Finish the Hat https://twistynoodle.com/finish-the-hat-coloring-page/.
Hat Dot Painting https://twistynoodle.com/hat-dot-painting-coloring-page/
Letter B Activity Book https://twistynoodle.com/letter-b-activity-book-minibook/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.