Day Ten... K and Kick Backs!

Most of the learning methods I use are rotated from week to week. For example, for each letter I will have the children draw the letter inside my bubble letter on my Ikea board. Sometimes it is chalk, sometimes it is dry erase markers.

Each child takes a turn singing while pointing to the ABC chart.  We have started to each day put up ABC cards on the wall for recognition and letter sounds.

We add our Zoo Phonic cards to our book and then trace the letters with our fingers using the animal's body shapes on the cards as starting and stopping points. (um there is a lot of talk about bums during this time. As my directions usually sound like this. "Start at the top of his head. Go down his back." Giggles... "You mean to his butt!")


Somedays I introduce something new. Today we sang "Row Row your Boat" from this book I found. It has many cleaver verses about loosing a paddle, falling in the river, going around a beaver dam, stopping for lunch, hiding from a storm. We acted the whole book out.

We played our drums to the book with monkey's and drums. We are getting quite good at the beat... Dum Ditty Dum Ditty Dum Dum Dum.

But today was fun because it was windy. So we made Kites for the letter K during Individual Time. The kids taped down all the straws and ribbons. They held down the paper for the final taping. Then we went outside and flew our kites while I sang... Let's Go Fly a Kite.

We ended the day with acting out the K portion of Dr. Suess's ABC Book. Big K, Little K. Kitten Kangaroo. Kick a Kettle, kite and a King's Kerchoo!

Wonderful videos from this day. I am excited to make a video... Just need more time.

Keep Kicking those Letter sounds at those Keepers!!!

Day Nine.... J... Just a Day!

Today we had a reading comprehension time. I have a book that has several stories in it. The stories have pictures where the words go so the children can help read the book. Each child read with me for 3 minutes. 

Carter helped me cut rubberbands for our Jelly Fish and I had the kids work on them at the kitchen table while I made PB & J. We had Juice as well. The kids were not hungry, but the dogs sure enjoyed lunch. We added our "Inny the Inchworm and Jerry the Jelly Fish" to our Zoo Phonic's book and we made new ABC pictures for the wall. 

With our remaining time, the kids could play downstairs. But instead they all got sucked into "Baby Signing Time." Who can help it? Those songs are so catchy!

Day Eight... H.... Hero's in the End

"Big H, Little H. Hungry Horse Hay Hen in a Hat Hooray Hooray. We started day 8 downstairs with individual learning time. I think we did the rhyming game. We picked a horse and went to the kitchen table to look through a H book for names for our horses. We ended up with Helicopter, Honey, Happy Rosa, and High and (Goodness I can't remember) We ate Hot Cakes and Hashbrowns. (do not buy the 0.55 pancake mix at Walmart. As Liberty pointed out... They are not very good.) We also rode the green horse... Please forgive me Grandma.

They had to say Honey Horse + H sound to get off. We took our horses we named and made them a chalk home at Happy Horse Ranch.

But my favorite part of the day was when on their own they cheered on an underdog....








We had enough time left over to jump on the tramp. I had let little Stuart join us this day. He was afraid to get on the tramp with all the big kids jumping. Liberty tried to help him up several times. She even asked and convinced the other kids to stop jumping. Stuart was still scared. All the kids started chanting his name.... "Stuart, Stuart, Stuart," as they jumped in a circle. It made my heart so proud. And in my eyes made these preschoolers into Heros!

Um.... Lost track of the Days... But Today was Good!

If Monday was Fun... Today was Good. On Monday, we started with a turn taking learning technique I use to have the kids not get bored with answering boring question or repeating boring things. The kids line up. (That took some teaching) Each kid is presented something to say or do depending on the best learning style. So the boys guessed the names of the Zoo Phonics Animals, or repeated the letter sounds, or both, and my girl... started with the word family AT.

We moved on to the basement with this simple gameboard created with tape. I placed toys in each square and asked questions and had the kids take turns throwing a bean bag into the square for the answer. What does it begin with? or I am thinking of something that begins with F and it hops. With the same game board we matched letters to objects too. 

There were snacks that began with F. Like Fruit Snacks and Frankenberry Cereal. We discovered that we all need practice with the scissors as we made a duck. And we added some Zoo Phonic Animals to our Book and who knows what else. 

Wednesday started with a little trading game to help us review the A-G Zoo Phonic Animals and the Letter Sounds. Each kid had a card and an animal. We would take turns asking a person for one of their cards until each of us had the card and animal that matched. Lots of People skills there!

We headed down stairs for individual one on one learning time. The kids each took a turn rhyming and then looking at and tracing the letter G. For snack, we had Cheese Quesadillas, Green Beans (Which no one ate), Fruit Cocktail and Chocolate Milk. Some Diego and a G-O racing game ended the day.....

But my favorite part of the whole day 

was listening to your children during free time. They are so cute together. One child was upset because someone swiped the toy he was playing with. I encouraged him to boldly take the toy back and say 'I was playing with that. Please don't take my toys." Others felt like people were not being friendly or that they didn't like them. I would just say we are all still trying to learn how to get along and be friends. Hugs were given at the end of the day between these two children. They all are so fun to be around. They are learning great people skills. Thanks again for letting me spend the afternoon with your children.

Day Four... C is for Cookie and many more things!

We started the day with puzzles in the Learning Center. We quickly moved on to the Pledge of Alliance, The Hat Song, and the Zoo Phonics Song. We headed downstairs with our timers for one on one rhyming time. The children picked an object out of the sock tube and found the object on the table that rhymed.

Pan and Man!

After goats in a boat and bugs in a mug, we went up to the kitchen to learn about the letter C. I asked the children to draw a C inside the C on the C worksheet. It may not have happened. They were distracted by all yummy things that begin with the letter C. 

We then began the letter C feast... talking about all the things that begin with the letter C. 

Crackers, cookies, chips, cream soda, and chocolate milk, candy.... and CARROTs. (not everyone wanted one of those!) We talked about corn Chex Cereal all beginning with C. 

We had some play time outside and then we went inside to add two animals to our Zoo Phonics Books.... Catina Cat and Dee Dee Deer. 

Everyone should have received a rhyming car game. Rhyming is an important pre-reading skill. If you can help teach your kids to rhyme... they will be better readers. 

Happy C Day!

Day Three: Two more for me! and the Letter B.

So today was the crazy day. But we still had fun.. I hope. We added two more children for a full house. We had a little review with a follow the leader on the house tour. Alex led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. We placed the Zoo Phonic Animals in a Zoo and played with toys.
My attempt for the kids to run a little obstacle course then answer a question was too advance for the boys... (Liberty was all over that! We will try again in the Spring!) So we scraped that and had the Animal Hunt and matched the animals to their Zoo Phonic Card.

The kids really wanted to play with toys... So we moved to the downstairs playroom with our timers for one on one time. While they played, I reviewed the Zoo Phonics Animals and sounds with each child. We moved back upstairs for snack time. I love listening to these sweet kid conversation. Kid one... "Come on let's sit by each other." Kid two... "Are we friends?" Yes they are friends!

My two new students started their Zoo Phonic Books. These books will include all the animals names. As soon as they are completed, they will go home so you can practice.

We then took turns tracing the Letter B on the chalkboard.

 We completed a Letter B object paper... Blue, brown, bell, brad, balloon, bee, and Barbie Band-Aid with a Bow!

It would be so awesome if you could reinforce the Letter B at home. Anytime you say a word that begins with B... say... And that begins with a.... See if your child will say B. and then repeat it.

Thanks for bringing your kids to me so we could learn the letter B.

Welcome little Animals... To the first day of Class

The day started as planned. We came into Q's Learning Center and played with the toys in that room while we waited for everyone to arrive. Once everyone was there we played follow the leader while I sang... "We're following the leader..." We explored the house learning where the bathroom, living room, kitchen, and downstair toy room. We learned which rooms we could play in and which rooms we would not. Next we ran through a safety drill. (We did not climb through the window like my last class.)

We introduced ourselves with the Hat song. Then it was time for my favorite teaching tool.... Zoo Phonics. I hid the animals around the living room and had the kids hunt for them. It took a while for them to get into the game. I guess it wasn't as exciting as actual Easter Egg Hunts. (We will have to try again.) They actually liked matching the animals to the Zoo Phonic cards just as well.

I always try start the year by encouraging the kids to participate rather than require. Each child responded really well to this preferred method. ( I don't want to have to pull a "Miss Nelson is Missing.")

We had singing time today. The "Do as I am Doing" song with the scarves went great. The black bird song was not a hit. We ended singing time with "Tap your Spoon" which in turn turned into a drum session. Two out of Three kids liked that.

For snack we continued with the animal theme. Animal Crackers, a couple Animal Cookies, and Animal themed Fruit Snacks with Chocolate milk to drink. (love me some capital letters in that sentence.) During snack time I read two Clifford books and sang the Zoo Phonic names and sounds.

We cleaned up the toys and brought out our personal timers for basement toy time and personal learning time with me. They liked the timers. That surprised me. I wish I was quicker on the fly. I had a hard time thinking how to set the timers quickly so that it worked. (homework for me) At the same time, I was able to question the kids knowledge of their ABC's and colors individually.

We had about 7 minutes to spare... so we headed outside to jump on the tramp. (Tossed a bunch of foam letters and numbers on there.)

Thank you so much for bringing your children to me. I love them!