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.
Which word starts with the letter M?
APPLE 🍎 / UNICORN 🦄/ MOON 🌙 / MOMMY
Let’s start with Munching Mike from Letterland and listen to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GWUmOADKvk After listening to the song, have your child trace a capital M and a lower case m, starting at the top (song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJnZePnDo-U), go down, do a diagonal line down, do a diagonal line up, and a straight line down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtB4hdDWUec
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 M (magnet, mouse, man, mat, me, meet, melon, metal, milk, miss, mix, monkey, monster, morning, most, mug, mummy, mushroom, my). You might want to add a picture of an Apple, so that your child can say apple does not start with M! Here is a book of M word pictures: https://twistynoodle.com/my-letter-m-minibook/ . Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter M every day and let your child explore the container all through the week. More M words: https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap1/m.gif
Science
For Valentine’s Week, your child will do lots of activities with hearts, symbol of the feeling of love and representation of a physical organ. For young learners, we will observe a foam growing heart capsule soaked in water. Ask your child what will happen to the content of a foam growing heart if you put it in the water? Encourage your child to observe and explain the transformation (Expands).
For advanced learners, your child will build a simplified representation of the physical organ. Ask your child what he/she knows about a functioning heart first. For this science activity, you need (1) small glass jar, (2) 2 straws, (3) balloon, (4) scissors, (5) tape/glue, (6) water, (7) red food coloring, (8) toothpick, and (9) sink or plastic tub.
1. Fill jar halfway with water and drops of red food coloring (blood).
2. Cut neck of balloon and cover the opening of jar tight.
3. Use toothpick to make 2 holes and push straws through. Use tape to secure straws through balloon.
4. Wrap around 1 end of 1 straw with neck of balloon and tape.
5. Once you push down (with 2 fingers) on the balloon cover on the jar, the pressure will push the red water up the straw. Use a tub or sink to avoid splashes!
Explain to your child that a heart is a muscle, a pump that pushes blood through arteries and veins.
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
Valentine Literature:
1. Clifford We Love You by Norman Bridwell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yss2cuRo2pQ
2. The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg1fFOf2YBs
3. The Jolly Postman and Other People’s Letters by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpeo_0yoD0k
After viewing a book, help your child sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. Brainstorm with your child to whom you and your child will send valentine’s cards.
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.
In my preschool, children rehearse three songs per class for the Valentine Day Concert scheduled for all families. In the classroom, I have added a play based on a book to celebrate children too (I suggested books on my Reader’s Theater page). Your child can sing any of the songs to family members on Valentine’s Day!
- “This Little Light of Mine” Song
This little light of mine, I’m going to make it shine (2x).
This little light of mine, I’m going to make it shine, make it shine, make it shine, make it shine! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RToFkl5kuA4 - “Skidamarink a-dink a-dink” Song.
Skidamarink a-dink a-dink, Skidamarink a-doo, I love you (2x).
I love you in the morning, and in the afternoon.
I love you in the evening and underneath the moon.
Oh, Skidamarink a-dink a-dink, Skidamarink a-doo, I love you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6916kVhbEZw - “Love Grows” Song with sign language
Love (cross your arms on your front) grows (move one hand through the circle made by fingers of the other hand)
One by one (show 1 finger of each hand in front of you)
And two by two (show 2 fingers of each hand)
And four by four (show 4 fingers of each hand).
Love grows round like a circle (draw a circle with 1 hand)
And comes back knocking on your front door!” (Bang your fist on the palm of the other hand). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MMAkzLDzUU
Math
Fun with Letter M Memory Game! https://twistynoodle.com/letter-m-memory-game-coloring-page/ Cut out cards, lay them face down and have each player turn over 2 cards and see if they make a pair. If yes, take them and if not, turn them back face down. Take turn until there are no more cards.
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
On “Friendship Mail – Letter A(5)”, you made paper with your child. Once dry, you can cut with scissors into cards. You can address the card with envelope and encourage your child to decorate the card with markers/pencils, paper or sticker hearts,…. (If you have seeds in the paper, add a notice to the recipient to explain which seeds are in the paper and how to plant it).
For Letterland Letter M for Mouse Art Project, you need (1) M template https://twistynoodle.com/my-letter-m-2-coloring-page/, (2) grey, black and pink construction paper, (3) scissors, (4) glue, (5) googly eyes.
Directions:
1. Cut template from grey construction paper and glue on a sheet of paper.
2. Cut 2 medium grey circles and 2 pink small circles for ears, 1 little pink circle for nose.
3. Cut strips of black construction paper for mouse’s whiskers (or black pipe cleaners).
4. Glue mouse’s ears on letter M two humps, googly eyes on diagonals, nose and whiskers.
Small Motor Skills
M for Monkey Coloring Page https://twistynoodle.com/m-is-for-monkey-11-coloring-page/
I can trace and color letter M https://twistynoodle.com/i-can-trace-and-color-the-letter-m-coloring-page/.
Printable Class Valentine Book https://twistynoodle.com/printable-class-valentine-minibook/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.