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 are parts of a train?
LOCOMOTIVE / CABOOSE / WAGON / CAR
Make Letter X Shape:
- 2 big lines for capital X/ 2 little lines for Lowercase x. Your child use a finger to trace the letter starting at the top, going diagonally down, and then jump back up, going diagonally the other way. (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 9 Shape: start at the top, go around back up and straight down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p217hhl9nY0 Encourage your child to trace with pointer finger. More practice https://twistynoodle.com/practice-writing-the-number-9-coloring-page/
A whole week activity:
For the phonetic part, have a big yogurt container with a lid filled with small objects or pictures that have the letter X (box, exit, fix, Fox, mix, mixture, next, six, sixteen, sixty, taxi, wax). You might want to add a picture of a whale, so that your child can say Whale does not start with X! Here is a book of X word pictures: https://www.first-school.ws/t.asp?t=http://www.first-school.ws/images/alpha/ap1/x.gif or https://twistynoodle.com/letter-x-minibook/ Also, you can add new objects/pictures starting with the letter X every day and let your child explore the container all through the week.
Science
Make a Whistle with recyclables! Have recyclables available for your child and encourage your child to make a sound by:
1. Blowing into a bottle;
2. Rubbing wet fingers around a rim of a glass or jar; or
3. Attaching 10 straws together and cutting them at different lengths like a Peruvian zampona.
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
Train Literature:
1. Freight Train by Donald Crews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSGPFwXoKMU.
2. Pete the Cat’s Train Trip by James Dean (advanced) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AON2z4hc0Aw.
3. I Love Trains by Philemon Sturges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXb3HPjBcJE.
4. The Little Engine that Could by Watta Piper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdFm7eekQZY
5.I have Been Working on the Railroad by Nadine Bernard Westcott https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yoHMeG7sXY
6. Magic Train Ride by Barefoot Books Singelong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eSxrPzoZY0
After viewing a book, help your child sequence the story: what happened first, next,… at the end. Brainstorm with your child what you know about trains. Discuss how/when your child can go on a train. The theme in The Little Engine that Could is about helping others. Brainstorm with your child how you and your child help others.
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.
“Train on the Track” Fingerplay
This is the engine on the tracks. (Thumb)
This is the tender, just in back. (Pointer)
This is the box car, to carry freight. (Middle)
This is the tanker car, don’t be late. (Ring finger).
Way back at the end of the train,
Rides the caboose through sun and rain! (Pinkie)
Math
With many trains and wagons, your child can do different kinds of sorting (Color, size and shape) and patterning (ABAB, AABB, ABBA, AABAA,…)
Spring is in the air in March! 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/march-calendar-set/march-calendar-set-4
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
Make a Paper Train https://twistynoodle.com/make-a-train-coloring-page/
For Painting a Train Art Project, you need (1) large white paper, (2) sponges, (3) different colors tempera paint, (4) empty spool of threat, (5) paper plates, (6) scissors, and (7) black markers.
Directions:
1. Cut sponges into shapes like squares, rectangles, triangles, . ……
2. Pour different paint in paper plates.
3. Dip sponges in different color paint and print them on large white paper to make different parts or wagons of a train.
4. Dip spool in color (black or others) tempera paint and print on paper for wheels.
5. Draw train tracks with black markers or glue black construction paper tracks.
Small Motor Skills
Train Coloring Page https://twistynoodle.com/train-coloring-page/.
Railway Crossing Coloring Page https://twistynoodle.com/railroad-crossing-coloring-page/
Train Number Tracing https://twistynoodle.com/train-number-tracing-coloring-page/.
Train Tracing https://twistynoodle.com/train-tracing-coloring-page/
Gross Motor Skills
Outside time with climbing, jumping, bicycling, running, walking are great ways to develop the whole child.
Your child and the family can pretend being a train moving around inside or outside with coordinated arms/legs movements and horn sounds.