November - Fall/Food
One of my favorite times of the year is Thanksgiving. It is a time to remember what is important, a time to be grateful for all that we have and all that we share with our family, friends, and community. To extend learning at home this month, spend time with your little one, getting them involved in preparing for whatever traditions your family honor. Have them help make a cute centerpiece or set the table with you (counting out plates, napkins, and utensils is a great skill builder). It will be these memories they will cherish throughout their lives.
Parents often ask, "What can we do at home to help our child learn?" Well, there are a lot of answers to that but the most helpful answer I can give is, spend time with them and get them involved in doing things that help with the family. Things like bringing in bags of groceries, handing you tools, putting away little things like their socks or shoes are all things they can do and if you ask/show them the way, it will give them tremendous confidence that they are helping out. Don't underestimate them. Teaching them to do these tasks may take a bit longer than just doing them yourself, but it will help your child develop problem solving and lifeskills that they will use forever. Take advantage of their willingness to help, accept it with a grateful heart.
Stories we will read in November:
Ten Red Apples
Stuck in the Mud
Run, Turkey, Run
Letters we will focus on: A, H, T, P
Number/math concepts we will focus on: counting to 20, subtraction (using objects and "taking away"), addition and bar graphs
October - Weather/Fall
The weather is getting cooler (hopefully) and the season is changing...so, what better time to learn about weather and Fall? It is a great time to teach your child about nature and what changes happen through the year because there are a lot of significant changes in the environment. To extend your child's learning, you can take them to a park and talk about what the trees look like, how they are changing, what the animals are doing. Talking about what rain is and explaining why it is important is just one of the things we will be doing this month. If it is sprinkling rain, you can take a walk in the rain and talk about what kind of things you can use when it is raining (umbrella, rain boots, rain coat, etc.). Jumping in puddles is fun and will get your kiddo giggling (and encourage talking) for sure!
Stories we will read in October:
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Walter's Wonderful Web
The Little Old Lady Who was Not Afraid of Anything
The Busy Little Squirrel
Apples and Pumpkins
Letters we will focus on in September: I, W, N, and A
Numbers we will be counting in September: 1-15.
Other Math concepts we will cover include: left and right (positional words) and shapes.
September - Zoo/Weather
Oooh Oooh Ahhh Ahhh! Learning about animals is FUN! We are learning about all kinds of wild animals like the kind you find in a zoo. To extend learning at home, you can take your child on a nature walk and look for animals...do you see any that might be in a zoo? You can also watch videos about trips to the zoo on YouTube or take a trip to a real zoo! We will also be learning about numbers, counting from 0-10. It is always a good practice to have your child count things in their environment. How many plates do you need for dinner? Have your child count as you place the plates or let your child count out and place the plates on the table if they are able (paper plates are great for this practice).
Our water day was so successful last year, we have another one planned on September 11th. This is a day that we will be outside most of the day...learning about weather and water. Please send your child to school with their bathing suit under their regular clothes. Please send a towel and a change of clothes. Please apply sunscreen to your child before they come to school. Sunscreen cannot be applied at school.
Stories we will read in September:
Still A Gorilla
Wild About Us
Boom, Boom, Boom!
Letters we will focus on in September: K and C (also, we will work on drawing diagonal lines)
Numbers we will be counting in September: 1-10.
August - Back to School/Zoo
Welcome to Pre-K! This month we will be focused on learning the rules of the classroom and school. Getting into the classroom routine is an essential part of learning. We learn about how we get to school...some come by car and some by bus. We learn about what to do and how to behave in a fire drill. We even learn about how to choose what we want to eat in the cafeteria. At the end of the month we will be switching to a Zoo theme that will be lots of fun!
Stories we will read in August:
Llama Llama Misses Mama
The Seals on the Bus
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Letters we will focus on in August: L, S, B, and E
Numbers we will be counting in August: 1-10.
April 2018 - Baby Animals/Pond/Insects
April showers bring...LEARNING FUN!! Pre-K is learning about baby animals, pond environments and insects during this month! We will even get a chance to observe the life cycle of butterflies! To extend learning at home, you can read books about animals and their babies, talking about what baby's need from their mothers (food, shelter, protection, etc.). You can visit a pond with your child and discuss what you see (frogs, dragon flies, grasses, fish, etc.). Color pictures of butterflies with your child and talk about the colorful wings. The main idea is to talk constantly with your child about things in the environment, even if they cannot yet verbalize, you can talk and they will listen and learn from these conversations. As always, count things in the home and environment and encourage your child to count with you. This is critical to building vocabulary and math skills. Enjoy learning together!
February 2018 - Weather/Valentine's/Space
February is full of fun!! We are learning about the weather, Valentine's day (what it means to be a friend) and space. To extend learning at home, you can continue to talk about the weather...maybe watch a weather report with your child and compare it to what the weather does for the day. For Valentine's, we are talking about what it means to be a friend and how we can be better friends to each other. You can also talk about these concepts and use relationships with siblings to promote kindness. Have your child do something nice for a sibling or cousin, even if it is just sharing a toy. Finally, we are doing a space theme at the end of the month. You can take your child outside and look at the moon and stars and talk to them about which stars are brighter...you can recite "Star Light, Star Bright" to promote language and try to get your child to repeat some of the phrases. You can help your child build a rocket out of things around the house or some Legos! It is all about having fun and promoting language!
Stories we will read in February:
Boom Boom Boom!
Valentine Mice
Aliens Love Underpants
Letters we will focus on in February: Q, R, and U
Numbers we will be counting in February: 19, 20, and 21.
January 2018 - Winter/Weather
Oh the weather outside is frightful! But Pre-K is soooo delightful!! In January we will be learning about winter and weather. You can extend learning at home by talking to your child as you plan what to wear for the day and how it will protect them in the weather. When you go outside, ask “is it sunny or cloudy?” and discuss the temperature (is it hot or cold or warm)…just have fun chatting about the weather. You can draw pictures together of the different kinds of weather and talk about it. Discuss what you need when it rains (umbrella, rain boots, rain coat, etc.). Most of all, make talking about things in the environment (inside or outside) part of your daily routine with your child. This helps them develop language, math concepts, literacy, science skills and more!
Stories we will read in January:
Ten on the Sled
Snowmen at Night
Snowmen at Work
Who Will See Their Shadow This Year?
Letters we will focus on in January: D, W, and K
Numbers we will be counting in January: 15, 16, 17 and 18.
December 2017 - Fairy Tales
December is full of holiday cheer and we are reading fairy tales! Fairy tales teach lots of lessons and are just plain fun! You can extend learning at home by reading fairy tales to your child. Ask them to point to different pictures in a book...this helps build vocabulary and creates interest in the books you are reading. Point to each word as you read to teach your child that words have meaning and which direction the words should be read. Ask questions about the story you read. Even if your child cannot answer, you can guide them with an answer to teach them what you are expecting when you ask questions. Above all, have fun with your child and know that they are always learning!
Stories we will read in December:
Chicken Little
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Gingerbread Man
Letters we will focus on in December: L, B, and X
Numbers we will be counting in December: 14, 15, and 16
November 2017 - Food
Yummy, Yummy, Yummy! Thanksgiving is right around the corner and this month we are learning all about food! This time of year we think about how thankful we are for our family, friends, food, home and more! To extend your child's learning at home you can talk about what you are thankful for and have your child name things they like or love and let them know that it is important to be grateful for all we have. Also, you can take your child on a grocery shopping trip. They can help you create a list for the store. Ask them what you will need to get for a specific meal...like spaghetti or macaroni and cheese (make sure it is something they like and eat often enough that they know some of the food that goes with it). At the store, talk to your child about what you are choosing and what you will make with it. You can talk about produce and how it is grown on a farm. You can talk about making healthy choices such as eating fruit instead of sugary candies and snacks. You can count out how many items you need from the shelf or how many items are in a package. You can talk about different categories of food such as fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, and sugars/fats. There is sooo much that can be learned from foods! Remember to enjoy your time with your child and make learning fun!
Letters we will focus on in November: Y and M
Numbers we will focus on in November: 11, 12, & 13
Books we will read in November: There's a Giraffe in My Soup; There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie; Mouse Mess
October 2017 - Farm/Feelings
We have had a wonderful time learning about the farm and we finish our farm unit the second week of October then we will be learning all about feelings! Emotions are something that we deal with every day and this month we will learn how to manage all those feelings in a positive way. Some of our favorite characters will help us including MY personal favorite...Pete the Cat!! Pete has a great positive attitude about dealing with disappointment, sadness, and even loss!
If you would like to extend learning at home, you can talk to your child about how you are feeling and ask them about how they are feeling and help/encourage them to express those feelings with words (i.e. "It makes me so happy when..." "Are you happy or sad this morning?" "What makes you happy/sad/mad...etc.") You can read a book with your child and talk about how the characters are feeling (take cues from the pictures). You can draw pictures of faces with your child and ask them to make the face happy/ sad/ mad ect....then you can do more difficult drawings such as sick or tired and have them guess the feeling. As always, make these activities a fun time to share with your child...if they are not interested in an activity, move on to something else but always try to spend at least few minutes a day talking, reading and sharing together. This will build your child's vocabulary and help them feel closer to you!
Letters we will be focusing on in October - Upper case A, lower case a, N, and V
Numbers we will be focusing on in October - 7, 8, 9, 10
Books for this month include: Ten Red Apples, Harvest Party, Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, Where's My Mummy
September 2017- Farm
Old MacDonald had a farm...and we are learning all about it!! Farm animals and crops are our focus this month. We are learning about things that grow out of the ground and animals that can be found on the farm. To extend learning at home, you and your child can watch a video on what animals live on the farm or you can help them plant vegetables and observe them grow. This is a continuation of what we covered in the spring, so if your child was in our class this should reinforce prior learning! If it is new... you can talk to your child about what plants need to grow (sun, soil and water)...and let them explore the ground outside with trowels, shovels and pails. An old spoon can make a great tool for digging in the dirt too! Let them tell you about what they notice (i.e. grass is green, some flowers are big and some are small, worms crawl in the dirt). Talking about how our food is grown and where it comes from is a wonderful lesson and easy to reinforce when talking to your child in the store or at home at the dinner table. Remember that even if your child does not answer your questions verbally, it is important to talk to them frequently, asking yes or no questions such as "Do you like broccoli?" or "Is the carrot crunchy?" can help your child gain valuable language skills. If your child has more language, ask them things that can expand on what they already know and can answer...things like "Where do we get our food?" If they say the store, you can expand that and tell them about how the food is grown on the farm and then shipped to the store so you can buy it there. You can also talk about how it is important to have a balanced diet that includes things that are from plants such as fruits and veggetables, nuts and grains.
Letter of the week:
September 4-9: lower case "e"
September 11-15: upper case "H"
September 18-22: lower case "h"
Numbers we are learning in September: 4, 5, and 6
Books for this month include: Old MacDonald had a Truck by Steve Goetz; Stuck in the Mud by Jane Clarke; I Know a Wee Piggy by Kim Norman
April 2017- Spring/Garden
Spring has sprung! Flowers, rabbits, butterflies, fruits and vegetables are our focus this month. We are learning about things that grow out of the ground and animals that we see in the spring. To extend learning at home, you and your child can plant some flowers, fruits or vegetables and observe them grow. Talk to your child about what plants need to grow (sun, soil and water)...and let them explore the ground outside with trowels, shovels and pails. Let them tell you about what they notice (i.e. grass is green, some flowers are big and some are small, worms crawl in the dirt). You can also visit the grocery store and talk about the differences in fruits and vegetables. There are so many wonderful things to expore with your child in the Spring, just remember to have fun with them and talk with them as much as possible. Even if they do not answer your questions you can guide them with answers and this will help build their vocabulary.
January 2017- Winter & Community Helpers
January is an exciting month and we are focused on winter weather for the first part of the month. The second part of the month we will focus on community helpers and jobs people do. To extend learning at home you can talk to your child about the weather and ask what kind of clothing they need to wear. This is a great activity for getting their clothes ready for the next day. You can watch the local weather report and then talk about what the tempature will be (i.e. if the temp is 70 degrees you can say "It will be warm so do you need a heavy coat or a sweater?"
December 12-21, 2016 - Fairy Tales
The Three Little Pigs is our book of this week and a half before the holiday break! What an exciting adventure these pigs have and we will be focusing on story sequencing with the book. You can extend learning at home by reading fairy tales to your little one and asking "wh-" questions (what, where, why, when, who). Try reenacting a favorite story help your child remember what happened first, next and last. Use whatever you have at hand for props for the story! Most of all have fun being with your little one and talking to them, this builds language skills and will make great memories for the future! :)
December 5, 2016 - Fairy Tales
Last week we read Three Billy Goats Gruff and this week we will continue our fairy tale unit with Goldilocks and the Three Bears ...that is a lot of fun for all! We are working on sequencing and counting as well as numeral identification. If you would like to work on these skills at home, try having your child find numbers in the environment. See if they can find a number that you name. You can also cut pictures out of a magazine or draw a picture and then cut it into pieces and number each piece, see if your student can put the pieces in order to reassemble the picture.
November 21-25, 2016 - Thanksgiving break
November 14, 2016 - Farm (continued)
It is almost Thanksgiving! To get in the spirit of the holiday, our book will be Run Turkey, Run! by Diane Mayr. This book is a favorite of mine and it always gets the kids excited! We talk about how turkey is nervous about Thanksgiving and all the ways he tries to hide from the farmer...will he fool the farmer and be safe on Thanksgiving? I don't want to spoil the fun! If you want to extend learning this week, talk to your child about the holiday and how (or if) you celebrate. Tell them where you will be going and what you will be eating...you may even let them help with a recipe or two! Recipes are great for learning how to follow directions, talking about the order of steps, and learning new words from the kitchen (such as: spatula, measuring cups/spoons, stir, pour, mix and so much more!). Counting as part of the cooking experience is always a great skill builder as well. If you do not celebrate, you can talk about what you will be doing this week and maybe plan an outing to the park for a picnic or just for playing on the playground. Any time you can spend time and talk to your little one about what you are doing, it builds their vocabulary and helps them understand just how important they are to you!
The letter of the week is "T" and the number is "10". The color of the month is orange. The shape of the week is square.
November 7, 2016 - Farm (continued)
The book of the week is Stuck in the Mud. We will continue to talk about animals found on the farm this week. If you wish to extend learning at home, you can look at a book about farm animals and ask your child to point to animals in the book that you name (i.e. "point to the cow"). You can also ask your child "what animal lays eggs?" or "what animal wakes up the farm (rooster)?" It is great to play outside with your child. Experiment with pouring water in the dirt and mixing with sticks or spoons. They can use small plastic toys to make tracks in the mud or draw letters or shapes in the mud. There is so much that they can do to use their imaginations!
We will review the letters and the numbers from 1-9 this week. We will also review the color orange and shapes (circle, oval, heart, square).
October 31, 2016 - Farm
The book of the week is The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson. During our farm unit we will talk about what animals live on a farm and discuss differences between farm animals and woodland creatures. We will also continue to work on counting...I have made a counting cookies game that I am really excited for the kids to play! If you have a chance, this is the time of the year when you can often visit a pumpkin patch or a farm for a corn maze. I recommend these activities so students can make connections with what we are reading and real life! Plus, these outings can be a great family adventure and build memories for years to come!
Our letter of the week is "C" and our number of the week is "9". The color is "brown" and the shape is "circle.
Some websites that you may find helpful for age appropriate preschool activities include:
www.lil-fingers.com (online stories/games)
www.storyplace.org (online stories w/ wrap-up activity)
www.learningplanet.com (activities for pre-k)
www.magickeys.com (online stories)
www.preschoolprintables.com (file folder games-numbers, colors, shapes and letters)
www.starfall.com (letters, sounds and words)
www.kidzone.com (preschool, kindergarten readiness)
www.dltk-teach.com/minibooks (alphabet books for children)
October 24, 2016 - Monsters/Halloween (continued)
The book of the week is Where's My Mummy? We will be talking a lot about routines such as bedtime rituals (i.e. reading bedtime stories, brushing teeth, washing face, etc.). To extend this learning at home, you can talk to your child about what they do before bed. Ask them questions like "what is your favorite book to read before bed?" or "what color is your toothbrush?"
Our letter of the week is "V" and our number of the week is "8". The color of the week is "orange" and the shape of the week is "triangle". Try finding the letter, color, or shape as you go about your day with your child. See if they can find the letter "V", a "triangle" or something "orange" when you are looking at a book or walking through a store. You can also have your child count "8" pieces of cereal, toy cars, or blocks...anything really! The key is making it a fun game. :)
October 17, 2016 - Conference Week
I am really looking forward to conference week so I can tell you all the wonderful things that your children are learning! They are the BEST! Please remember that we will be dismissing half-day students (students who normally leave at 12:00) at 10:50. Also, full day students (students who normally leave at 2:10) will be dismissed at 12:10. Thanks for all you do!
October 10, 2016 - Monsters/Halloween
No scary monsters allowed...we are reading Go Away, Big, Green Monster!. This is a cute book that focuses on the facial features such as eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. If you want to extend learning at home, play peek-a-boo or have your child point to parts of their face/head and repeat the parts to you such as "eyes" or "nose". See how many they can name on their own!
Our letter of the week is "U", our number is "7" and our color is green.
October 3, 2016 - Feelings (continued)
I hope everyone had a wonderful break and got to enjoy some fantastic family time! This week we are continuing to talk about feelings with the book How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad?.
The Number of the week is 6, the color is green, and the shape is circle. You can work to build recognition with your child by counting to 6 before doing a task, counting 6 pieces of cereal at breakfast, count 6 cars in the grocery store parking lot...there are so many simple things that can build this skill and these are only a few.
Remember that building language requires asking your child questions and waiting for an answer whether it is completely verbal or a simple gesture. Talking to your child lets them know that communication is important and builds their vocabulary.
September 19, 2016 - Feelings
The book for the week is Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson. We will be focused on feelings and what they mean. You can give your child a mirror and have them make faces to show feelings. This is a fun, silly activity that reinforces the lessons at school.
The letter of the week is "N", the number is "5", the shape is "oval" and the color is "green".
September 6, 2016 - REVIEW (due to the Labor Day holiday, we will review what we have learned so far)
The book for the week is The Napping House and our focus will be on positional words (such as: up, down, top, bottom, in, out, beside etc.). To work with your child at home, you can ask your child to bring you things in the environment. For instance, place a ball next to a chair and ask your child to bring you the ball that is beside the chair. This can be done with any item and you can try different positional words such as top, bottom, under, over, on... If your child has difficulty, take them to the item and point to it while repeating your request emphasising the positional word. If your child is a fast learner, you can place a few of the same items around the room and they have to find the one that meets your request (i.e. the ball that is under the table, instead of the one on the chair)This helps your child learn to follow directions and increases their vocabulary at the same time! :) Enjoy spending time with your child and have a wonderful week!
August 29, 2016 - My Five Senses -
Our book this week is My Five Senses by Aliki. We will talk about things we can see, touch, hear, taste and smell. If you want to extend learning at home, you can play games like "I Spy" or "What's that Sound".
The letter of the week is "E", the number of the week is "4", the color of the week is "gray", and the shape of the week is "star". Ask your child to count out forks to put on the dinner table (this develops counting skill and one-to-one correspondence skill). You can also ask your child what things start with the letter "E" (give suggestions, as needed).
August 22, 2016 - All About Me
Our theme this week is "All About Me". We will talk about things we can do, as well as differences and similiarities with peers. The book of the week is All By Myself by Aliki. If you wish, please send in pictures of your student and other family members so we can discuss our families.
The letter of the week is "F", the number is "3", and the shape is "rectangle". Play with your child by looking for "F" or rectangles in the environment. You can also count out 3 cookies, cereal pieces, or crackers. Show your child how to count out three blocks and stack them in different ways. These are all simple ways to help your child generalize information into their daily life. Have a great week!
August 15, 2016 - Colors and All About Me...
This week we are continuing to learn about colors and about individual similarities and differences. The book of the week is I Ain't Gonna Paint No More and we will be doing a lot of painting projects! We will also do our first science experiement using baking soda and colored vinegar to observe a chemical reaction! It's going to be super exciting!!
The letter of the week is "B" (continued from last week), the number is "2" (continued from last week) and the shape is "square".
August 8, 2016 - Great 1st week!
We had a great first week and the students are learning the classroom routines and rules really well! They did an amazing job with our first fire drill and no one cried (which is very rare)!
Our theme this week is "Colors". We will be reading the book Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson. The letter of the week is "B", the number is "2", the shape is "circle" and the color is "red" (reviewed from last week).
August 1, 2016 - Welcome to Pre-K!
Welcome to Pre-K! We are very excited about this school year! Please check our blog weekly for updates about the exciting things we will be learning. I will try to post what letter, number and shape we are working on each week so you can also work on identifying these at home and in the community as you are out and about. :)
This week our letter of the week is "L" (our ZooPhonics character is Lizzy Lizard but since our book this week is Llama Llama Misses Mama, we will do a Llama craft). Our number of the week is "1" and our shape is "heart".
Please check your child's take home folder daily as I send a sheet home each day to let you know how well your kiddo did in class. Please sign the sheets at the bottom where indicated and return them to school in your child's folder.
If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected].
June 8, 2016 - Outdoor Summer Fun & Learning
Check out this link for some easy, educational outdoor activities to do with your kiddo! Have a wonderful summer!!
10-ideas-get-you-and-your-child-exploring-outdoors.htm