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 makes a good friend?
A FRIEND: IS KIND / CARES / HUGS / GIVES A TURN
Making Letter A Shape:
- 2 big lines and 1 little line for capital A/ 1 little line and 1 little curve for Lowercase a. Your child use a finger to trace the letter starting at the top, going down, jump back up, going down and line across. (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
Make Number 4 Shape: use 1 big line and 2 little lines. For writing number 4: start at the top, go down and across, jump back up and go straight down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9R17dbAfQ8 Encourage your child to trace with pointer finger.
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 A (add, address, adventure, alligator, alphabet, ambulance, an, and, animal, ant, apple, arrow, as, at, avenue, axe, apron, April, age, acorn). You might want to add a picture of a kite, so that your child can say kite does not start with A! Here is a book of A word pictures: https://twistynoodle.com/my-letter-a-minibook/. Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter A every day and let your child explore the container all through the week. More K words: https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap4_zb_tracers/clown/apple.gif
Kitchen Science
In Belgium and France, people get together in February to eat crepes for “La Chandeleur” (tradition similar to Groundhog Day and weather predictions)! For the easy Crepe Recipe, you need (1) bowl with spoon, (2) 2 eggs, (3) 1 cup of all-purpose flour, (4) pinch of salt, (5) 1 1/2 cups of milk, (6) whisk, (7) pan, (8) oil or butter, (9) spatula and (10) jams or sugars. You can also add 1-2 tbsp of vanilla sugar for taste.
Directions:
1. Mix and whisk all ingredients together.
2. Heat a tbsp of butter or oil in pan.
3. Spread about 1/2 cup of batter in pan by turning pan around.
4. Once golden brown, flip the crepe and cook until golden brown.
5. Roll crepes with jam or sugar. Bon Appétit!
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.
Language Arts
Friendship Literature:
1. Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFORvXhub28.
2. Rainbow Fish to the Rescue! by Marcus Pfister https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-2qP257Epo.
3. I need a Hug by Aaron Blakey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quOxSWBSyk8.
4. Who Wants a Hug? by Jeff Mack (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T0yjHBDQHM with activity.
After viewing a book, help your child sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. Brainstorm with your child what it means to be a friend, to have friends, and who is a friend/are friends.
For an advanced activity, have your child fill in a simple story map. Take a sheet of paper and divide it into 3 equal size parts. Write “Beginning”, “Middle”, and “End” and encourage your child to make a drawing about the beginning, the middle and the end of the story.
on the theme of friendship, I usually send an Activity Note to parents with 5 paper heart cut-outs. The note to parents says:
“Dear Parents,
Please observe ways in which your child is kind to others. Write each act of kindness of a different heart cut-out. Then return the cut-outs to school by …..
Thank you very much! Mrs. Powers”
At home, you can display heart cut-outs or make a mobile with hearts hanging with strings from a clothes hanger!
“Friends, Friends: 1, 2, 3” Song
Friends, Friends: 1, 2, 3.
All my friends are here with me!
You’re my friend (point to a person). You’re my friend (point to a person).
You’re my friend (point to a person). You’re my friend (point to a person).
Friends, Friends: 1, 2, 3.
All my friends are here with me!
”Make New Friends” Song
Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver and the other is gold.
Like a circle which has no end.
That is why we’ll always be friend!
“My Friends Go Marching” Song (“The Ants go Marching” tune).
My friends go marching one by one. Hurrah, hurrah!
My friends go marching one by one. Hurrah, hurrah!
My friends go marching one by one and the little one stops to suck his thumb.
And we all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain.
Pom, Pom, Pom, Pom!
Pom, Pom, Pom, Pom!
My friends go marching two by two. Hurrah, hurrah! (2x).
My friends go marching two by two and the little one stops to tie his shoes.
And we all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain.
Pom, Pom, Pom, Pom!
Pom, Pom, Pom, Pom!
My friends go marching three by three…..
Math
More Sorting about big or small https://twistynoodle.com/big-or-small-9-coloring-page/
For Making a Friendship Bracelet or Necklace, you need (1) color plastic beads and (2) pipe cleaners or yarn. You can also use clay beads (purchased polymer or others) or dried salt dough beads. Encourage your child to develop a pattern while assembling the bracelet or necklace or give a pattern to follow. For salt dough beads, recipe is found in “Winter Holiday Celebration – Decorations”.
February is here to stay! 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/february-calendar-setbr-4-pages/february-calendar-set-3
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 Painting with a Friend or Family Member Art Project, you need (1) big pink construction paper sheet, (2) scissors, (3) tempera paint (brush if needed), and black marker.
Directions:
1. Cut double hearts out of pink construction paper.
2. Paint with your hands or brush with a friend. Once dry, add any decoration you like.
3. Label with black marker: “I painted with my friend (brother, sister, mom, dad,….)
Small Motor Skills
I like to Share https://twistynoodle.com/i-like-to-share-coloring-page/.
The Fish Book https://twistynoodle.com/my-fish-2-minibook/.
Rainbow Puzzle https://twistynoodle.com/rainbow-puzzle-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.