Friendship – Play – Letter A(4)

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 do you like to play with a friend?
PLAY WITH: DUPLOS-LEGOS/ KITCHEN / DOLLS / CARS-TRUCKS

Make 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/a7.gif

Science

On your nature walk, pick up some pinecones with your child. For the Pinecone Science Experiment, you need (1) water, (2) 2 pinecones, and (3) 2 tall water glasses. What will happen to pinecones in different temperature water?
Directions:
1. Put 1 pinecone in a tall water glass and another in another water glass.
2. Fill 1 water glass with hot water (adult only) and 1 with cold water.
3. Let pinecones soak for 5-10 minutes. Observe what happens to each pinecone and share your findings.

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. Pete the Kitty and the Groovy Playdate by Kimberley and James Dean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7aGAlPVzEg&list=PL0ve-Sfe3tIOq6XeYng8yN6-ao5EziSJD
2. Just My Friend and Me by Mercer Mayer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlxtC0dVDbo.
3. How Do Dinosaurs Stay Friends? by Jane Yolen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyaXjZFKFHw.
4. Charlie Clownfish and Annie A. A Tale of Best Friends by Suzanne Tate

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.

“The More We Get Together” Song
The more we get together, together, together.
The more we get together the happier we’ll be.
‘Cause your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends.
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be!

“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!

“I Love You” Song
I love you and you love me.
We’re as happy as can be.
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you.
Won’t you say you love me too!

Math

More Opposite Practice Activity with big and small: https://twistynoodle.com/big-or-small-9-coloring-page/

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

Be a caring friend for birds! For Making a Bird Feeder, you need (1) yarn, (2) pinecones, (3) peanut butter or margarine, (4) bird seeds, (5) scissors, (6) spoon or tongue depressor, and (7) paper plate.
Directions:
1. Cut piece of yarn to attach to pinecone for hanging.
2. Spread peanut butter or margarine on pinecone.
3. Pour some bird seeds on paper plate.
4. Roll covered pinecone in bird seeds.
5. Hang pinecone feeder on a tree branch.

As an alternative for pinecone, you can use an empty toilet paper roll, a paper plate, a paper cup, a small water bottle, a mesh bag (from onions bought in grocery store), ….

You can use a pint milk carton or quart milk carton, cut big rectangles out of 4 sides keeping the bottom attached and fill with bird seeds. You child can paint the container with tempera paint or decorate with stickers.

Small Motor Skills

A Words Book https://twistynoodle.com/a-words-minibook/.
Practice Writing Letter A Book https://twistynoodle.com/practice-writing-the-letter-a-coloring-page/.
Cut and paste Letter a https://twistynoodle.com/cut-and-paste-the-letter-a-coloring-page/

Gross Motor Skills

Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.

Let’s have you and your child dancing with Go Noodle. Trolls: Can’t stop the feeling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhfkYzUwYFk Or use any favorite song!