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 pet is your favorite?
DOG 🐶/ CAT 🐈 / FISH 🐠/ HAMSTER 🐹 / OTHERS
Make Letter N Shape:
- 3 big lines for capital N/ 1 big line, 1 little curve and 1 little line for Lowercase n. Your child use a finger to trace the letter starting at the top, going down, jump back up, going around and down, go straight up and around and down. (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
For writing Number 6 Shape: start at the top, go down and around. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCDve755QNo 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 N (nails, name, nap, near, neck, need, needle, nest net, never, new, next, nice, night, nine, no, noise, nose, not, now, number, nurse, nursery, nuts). You might want to add a picture of an Mouse, so that your child can say mouse does not start with N! Here is a book of N word pictures: https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap1/n.gif Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter N every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
What is a hamster/guinea pig habitat? In one of my pre-k classrooms, we had a pet guinea pig and we discussed what kind of habitat and food it needed. Brainstorm with your child what a guinea pig/hamster would need to live. You might list: a cage, a house, toys, water and food. Here is a book about hamster care by Julie Murray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaYDvmMYgs0 After viewing, explain your child will build a pretend habitat for a pretend hamster. For a Hamster Habitat Building, you need (1) cardboard (box cover, small box, empty toilet paper rolls), (2) scissors, (3) tape, (4) pretend hamster toy, and (5) markers.
Directions:
1. Use printing paper box cover for cage or other box.
2. Attach a smaller box inside with a hole as a house for pretend hamster.
3. Use empty toilet paper rolls as tunnels for pretend hamster to play in.
4. Use cardboard to make a ramp. How would you build a wheel?
5. Enjoy observing your child telling you how his/her hamster is playing!
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
Hamster/Guinea Pig Literature:
1. Hammy the Hamster by T. Albert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-84JMbl9GY
2. Guinea Pigs Add Up by Marjury Cuyler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XmouxHA-7w
3. Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania by Cynthia Lord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TmwzJ0zE4Y
After viewing a book, help your child sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. Brainstorm with your child what a pet needs to live (bed, cage, food, collar,….)
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.
Bingo Song (change hamster for dog)
There was a farmer who had a hamster and Bingo was its name-o.
B I N G O, B I N G O, B I N G O (say each letter individually)
And Bingo was its name-o!
Other Nursery Rhymes:
“Hickory, Dickory, Dock”
Hickory, Dickory, Dock, the mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one, The mouse ran down.
Hickory, Dickory, Dock.
”Three Blind Mice” (adapted to age group)
Three blind mice, three blind mice!
Look how they run. Look how they run.
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who hid their tails out of sight.
Did you ever see such a sight in your life?
As three blind mice, three blind mice.
Math
Letter N Memory Game https://twistynoodle.com/letter-n-memory-game-coloring-page/. Cut out cards and turn them face down. Each player takes turn turning over 2 cards. If both cards are the same, the player can keep them. Otherwise, turn the cards face down and the next player tries. The game is over when 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
For Paper Bag Hamster Puppet Art Project, you need (1) brown paper bag, (2) glue, (3) scissors, (4) template https://www.dltk-kids.com/t.asp?t=https://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/image/bpaperhamster.gif, and (5) markers/crayons.
Directions:
1. cut out template and color it.
2. Glue pieces on paper bag.
This Hamster template is used with an empty toilet paper roll https://www.dltk-kids.com/t.asp?t=https://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/image/b-cuddle-hamster.gif.
For the Cotton Balls Guinea Pig Art Project, you need (1) small plastic water bottle, (2) cotton balls, (3) glue (hot glue-adult), (4) pompoms: 2 brown, 2 black and 1 pink.
Directions:
1. Glue cotton balls all over the small plastic bottle for body of guinea pig.
2. Glue 2 black pompoms for eyes, 2 brown pompoms for ears and 1 pink pompom for nose.
Small Motor Skills
Guinea Pig Coloring Page http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/mammals/guinea-pig.
Hamster Coloring Page http://www.supercoloring.com/coloring-pages/mammals/hamsters.
Letter N Dot Painting https://twistynoodle.com/letter-n-dot-painting-2-coloring-page/.
Number 6 Puzzle https://twistynoodle.com/number-6-puzzle-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.