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.
For whom are you making valentines for?
MOM/ DAD / FRIEND / GRANDMA / GRANDPA / SIBLINGS
Your child started with Munching Mike from Letterland and listened to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GWUmOADKvk After listening to the song, your child traced 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
Now, let’s listen to the story from the Letterland Corner: Munching Mike and the Moon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FTdQ71Rzys After listening to the story, help your child retell the story using lots of M 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 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 book: https://twistynoodle.com/m-is-for-mouse-3-minibook/
Science
For young learners, you need for Ice and Salt Experiment: (1) water, (2) food coloring, (3) plastic container or a heart-shaped silicone, (4) plastic tub, and (5) rock salt. Ask: What happens when you put rock salt on ice?
Directions:
1. Pour water in container and a few drops of food coloring. Freeze overnight.
2. Once frozen, put frozen container of water under running water to detach the ice.
3. Put ice block in plastic tub.
4. Drop some rock salt on the ice. What is happening, what do you hear when you listen closely? Encourage your child to observe and draw conclusions.
For advanced learners, I would recommend a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) Activity: Heart-Shaped Marshmallow Structure Building. You need a bag of small heart-shaped marshmallows and toothpicks. Encourage your child to explore, ask what your child would like to build and explore!
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. Hedgehogs by Steve Wilton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24M7I1KaAh4.
2. Pete the Cat – Valentine’s Day is Cool! By Kimberley and James Dean (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntXvVxOlg04
3. I Love You Already by Jo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw10xFcuRV4
4. Dear Dragon by Josh Funk (very advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCXLzHWkAro.
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.
”5 Little Valentines” Fingerplay
5 little valentines all in a row,
The first one said, “I love you so!”
The second one said, “Will you be my Valentine?”
The third one said, “I will if you’ll be mine.”
The fourth one said, “I will always be your friend.”
The fifth one said, “We’ll friend until the end.”
”I’m a Little Valentine” Song (“I’m a Little Teapot” tune)
I’m a little Valentine, red and white,
With ribbons and lace. What a beautiful sight!
I can say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day,
Just put me in an envelope and give me away!
Valentine’s are Fun to Share” Song (“London Bridge” tune)
Valentines are fun to share, fun to share, fun to share.
Valentines are fun to share with all my friends around me.
And you’re a special friend of mine, friend of mine, friend of mine.
And you’re a special friend of mine.
Please be my Valentine!
Math
Valentine’s Tic-Tac-Toe https://twistynoodle.com/valentines-day-tic-tac-toe-coloring-page/ See, when you and your child take turn coloring one heart, if you or your child can color three hearts in a row and win!
More Math Pattern Practice: Heart Pattern https://twistynoodle.com/valentines-day-tic-tac-toe-coloring-page/
If you have a box of heart candy, your child can explore patterning further (ABAB, ABCABC, AABB, ABBA,….) Also, if you have a deck of cards, take out 1-10 heart numbers and encourage your child to put heart candy on heart number cards for one-to-one correspondence.
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 Thumb-ody loves you! Card Project, you need (1) color card stock, (2) scissors, (3) glue, (4) heart small cookie cutters, (5) small heart doilies, (6) paint, (7) small paper plates, (8) pink construction paper, (9) glitter (optional)..
Directions:
1. Cut card stock card size and fold.
2. Pour purple or pink paint on small paper plates.
3. Use heart cookie cutter as a stamp and cover with glitter.
4. Cut small heart out of pink construction paper and glue doily with paper heart on top.
5. Dip child thumb in paint and print on paper heart.
6. Write or print “Thumb-ody loves you!” and “It’s me. Happy Valentine’s Day!”
With different color and size construction paper hearts, your child can build different animals: a Valentine mouse, a Valentine caterpillar, a Valentine owl, a Valentine penguin, a Valentine panda bear, a Valentine cat, a Valentine bee, …
Small Motor Skills
Happy Heart Day! https://twistynoodle.com/happy-heart-day-10-coloring-page/.
Heart Cutting Practice https://twistynoodle.com/heart-cutting-practice-coloring-page/.
Letter M Puzzle https://twistynoodle.com/letter-m-puzzle-2-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.