Summer Fun Part #2 - Learning with Water

These 3 simple activities will keep your kids cool and have fun while learning!

1.  Water Target - Use Splash Balls to target throw onto letters, numbers, or sight words written on the ground with sidewalk chalk (Splash Balls are soft and can be used again and again vs. water balloons)

2. Water Painting - Using paint brushes and a bucket of water to get creative and draw on the ground or a fence. Great way to practice writing names. 

3.  Spray Away - Write letters, numbers, or sight words on a wall with sidewalk chalk and use a spray bottle to squirt and aim.  We had fun making addition problems and racing to see who could hit the correct numbers/answers first. 

As always, all my activities shared are super easy. You can focus on skills you are working on and they will keep your kids happy and cool this Summer!  

Summer Fun and Learning Part #1

Summer Learning and Fun

Here are 3 super simple and fun activities you can do today to keep your kids busy while learning the basics this summer!  They can play independently or with a group.

All activities can be adapted to develop the skills your child is working on, from learning letters and sounds, numbers or sight words.

#1 The Alpha Ball - Take a beach ball and write with a Sharpie letters, numbers OR sight words.  Toss or roll the ball.  Wherever you catch the ball, name the letter (number) closest to your thumb.










#2 Solo Cup Challenge - Create and build a structure OR write letters or numbers on the cups and stack the ones you can name.  Cup building is a fun activity for any age and is a free time favorite activity!

#3 Lego Build Hunt - Have your children find 26  2x4 Lego bricks and have them stack into a single tower.  Write a letter of the alphabet on each brick with a Sharpie.  Take the bricks apart and scatter them around the yard.  Have your children hunt for the Lego bricks and put the tower back together again in ABC order.  You can do with with letters or numbers #1-20.

Let me know how your kids like these simple activities!

Happy Summer

Kindergarten Year End Goals...distance learning

This is not exactly the way we envisioned ending the school year, however, like all teachers, parents, and students, we are making the best of the situation.

I wanted to give parents something to work through with their kids that would be meaningful and simple.  All the activities on this tic-tac-toe board were taken from the end-of-year report card (standards-based).  I don't expect all students to have mastery of all these skills now but at least they know what they can continue to work on as they head into First Grade!

End-of-Year Goals for Kindergarten

Name and Numbers Post-It Note Fun

I love Post-It Notes!
I took out some Post-it notes and added tape paper for my 3-year-old...time to work on name and numbers.  One of my favorite activities!
I taped it to our refrigerator and let him match the letters and numbers.  I did this with my firstborn son and it stayed on his wall forever, and he used it a lot.  Well, my second son has already crumpled up a letter.  Yet another way my boys are so different.  We used it as a learning experience.  I asked him what letter he needed and he told me.  He really wanted his name to be "complete".  He has not crumpled up another letter, yet...
For more Post-It note ideas check out: http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2011/08/post-it-notes-why-i-love-them.html?m=0

Back to School with Pete the Cat

I am super excited about ROCKING the start of our Kindergarten year off with Pete the Cat!  It is always a favorite with my students and MUSIC is a topic we will be exploring as a school during the first semester.

Before school started I made a large Pete the Cat for my bulletin board and made colored high tops shoes to hang above my student work tables.

On the first day of school we read the book, Pete the Cat, Rocking in my School Shoes by Eric Litwin and danced around the room as we listened to the audio.

On the second day of school, we reread the book, this time there was a clue at the end of the book for us to search for Pete the Cat.  We toured the school in search of Pete as we met some very important people and places on our campus.  We sang as we walked from place to place.  We ended in the auditorium where we met our music teacher as we sang and danced in our school shoes.

All day they were looking for clues to find Pete.

We made our first class book where each student decorated their own school shoe and completed the sentence frame:  Here comes _(name)______rocking in his/her __________ shoes.

We ended the day with making musical shakers from old pill bottles and filled them with beans and lentils.
Next week we will continue to have fun with Pete the Cat singing, dancing, reading and decorating our wall with more unique shoes.

WE LOVE PETE THE CAT!  It was a fun, engaging and memorable way to start the school year!!!!

Link to the story: http://www.petethecatbooks.com/9780061910241/pete-the-cat-rocking-in-my-school-shoes/

Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-n6c6Ggs-Q

TShirts - I purchased on https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-cm-licensed-pete-the-cat-tees

Summer MUST HAVES

Pool Noodle Bat

Sidewalk chalk ABC's

Looking for ways to keep the kids busy....  As a parent, it is always a challenge to finds ways to keep the kids active and having fun, while stimulating their brains.  Here is a list of must-haves this Summer and the best part is that the materials can be found at your local Dollar Tree store!  (The following activities can be modified to meet the academic needs or level of your kids. They focus on fine and gross motor skills as well as basic math and phonemic awareness.).

#1 Sidewalk Chalk:  Besides just drawing there are lots of ways to use chalk.  Create an extra large race track to run, hop, or ride bikes.

Try drawing shapes, letters or numbers.  Have kids line up, call out a letter, number, or shape and kids race to find and stand on the correct spot.  Try throwing a beanbag to their target letter or number. Write the ABC’s in random order on the ground and have the kids go on a beginning sound hunt by finding things in the yard that begin with that letter sound.

#2.  Paint Brushes and a Bucket of Water:  Paint shapes, letters, numbers, or sight words on the ground with water and watch them disappear!

#3.  Spray Bottles:  I am not a fan of water guns, and have found that spray bottles work great!  They are easy to refill and hold a lot more water.  Try having target practice with letters or numbers.  Using Post-It notes or chalk, write letters or numbers and place on the garage door or fence.  Call out a letter/number and have the kids spray/hit it.

#4.  Pool Noodles:  They are not just used for the pool anymore.  Cut them in half and turn them into a bat or sword.  It is fun to use them to “ninja” pop the bubbles or hang a ball from a string on a tree branch and hit the ball with the noodle.

#5. Beach Ball:  I turn my beach ball into an “Alpha-Ball”.  Using a permanent pen, write the letters of the alphabet on the ball.  Roll, toss or bounce the ball to a friend.  When you catch the ball, call out the letter where your thumb lands.  You can create different balls using sight words, numbers, addition or multiplication problems,  etc…

I hope this list gives you some new ideas to get your kids active and having fun this Summer!  My 18 month old on up to our 12 year old neighbor enjoy these outdoor activities.

Alphabet Toss

A fun way to review the letters of the alphabet...toss letter bean bags into a bin once you have named the letter Or letter sound.   We counted bean bags that landed inside and outside the container.  Our goal was to keep going until all the bean bags landed inside.

Alphabet Toss and Determination

Writing Numbers can be FUN!

My son was turning 4 so we were looking at different ways to show the number 4!  We counted fingers and toes, Goldfish, crackers, and rocks at the beach.  He wanted to write the number so I showed him as I said my number rhyme.  He immediately learned the rhyme and was making fours.  (I wasn't focusing on the pencil grip, I wanted him to feel successful making the number.)

"Down, over, out the door.  That's the way you make a four!"
There are rhymes for all the numbers that are catchy and easy to learn.
Tips: There are all sorts of surfaces to practice writing letters and numbers.  We love "back writing" with your finger.  Practice writing on mom's back.  Or go outside and write with a paintbrush in a bucket of water.

Trick or Treat Sight Word Game

 

Halloween may be over, but I had to post this game.  It was a hit at the Halloween party and we have played it again and again at home too!
 Prep:
Cut out approx. 40 white ghosts.  I used index cards so they were sturdy.  Write 30 sight words with silly eyes on the ghosts, 5 ghosts write the word "BOO!" and 5 ghosts write "Trick or Treat!".  Shuffle up the ghosts and place them in a bag or spooky cauldron.
Ready to play:  Place all the cards in your cauldron.  Have players take turns pulling out one card.  If they can read the word,  they keep it.  If they pull the word "BOO", they have to put all their cards back in the cauldron.  If they pull the word, "Trick or Treat", all the other players give them their cards.  Keep going until all the words are gone.  The player with the most words wins.
Hint:  Keep "Boo" and "Trick or Treat" cards out of the cauldron once pulled by the players or the game will go on and on forever.  Have fun!  You can also do this with numbers or letters, depending on what skill you are working on with your little ones.
This game would be great for practicing letters or numbers, depending on what your child is focusing on.

Kindergarten Readiness Workshops

ABC Hunt

This is an exciting time for you and your child. As an experienced kindergarten teacher and parent of a kindergarten student myself, I know there are many questions and concerns:  “Is my child ready?  Will they know anyone?  What can I do to make this a smooth transition---socially and academically?”  

I will come to your Playgroup and lead fun, interactive activities that focus on a variety of basic phonemic awareness skills (letters, sounds, name recognition, etc), and math concepts.  You will take home parent-friendly ideas to reinforce Kindergarten readiness skills over the Summer.  This is a great opportunity for your group to have fun learning together and begin to build new friendships.  

Please feel free to contact me for more information: dcodaniels@gmail.com

*Child/Parent Workshop: 1.5 hours/$25, materials included  
All activities are based on skills necessary for Kindergarten.
1.  Welcome activity - names
2.  Circle  and whole group activity - story, song, name game
3.  Center activities - letter, sounds, and numbers
4.  Closing
5.  Parent Q&A

Be sure to check out some of my other Kindergarten Readiness Posts for more fun activities to get you child ready!

Rainbow Writing Names and Sight Words

Here is what parents had to say after the Kindergarten Workshop:

“I think it was a nice "taste of kindergarten" and q&a  for us nervous parents.”  Amy

Just wanted to let you know that Tyler and I loved the workshop. I got ideas to work on over the summer and Tyler's apprehension about starting kindergarten is diminished.

Your patience and enthusiasm was wonderful.

Thanks,  Julie Duncan

"The class was definitely informative and it is a great first step to get our children more familiar and comfortable with kindergarten. Yes, my son was excited about K after we left and asked when we get to go back.  It was great, informative, well organized, and fun! Thank you!   Loretta Goltara

"I just wanted to let you know that Max told me after the class that he's not nervous about starting kindergarten anymore, only excited! I was so happy to hear that. I think the class was really helpful in making him feel more comfortable."

Thanks!  Rhonda Lauterbach

100 Lego Pieces

The 100th day of school homework assignment:  Bring in 100 like items in a bag. Easy...time to count out some Lego pieces. The first step was creating a 10x10 grid from a folded piece of construction paper.  Use a ruler to draw in the lines.Count each line and write the 10's numbers. Then place one Lego in each square to show your collection of 100!
One of my favorite stories about the 100th day of school is 100th Day Worries by Margery Cuyler.  Happy counting!

YEAH for Arts and Crafts

 

Never too late to post a Halloween project.  Getting my five year old to "do crafts" with me has never been his favorite thing.  However, he had fun adding the stitches and using the silver permanent marker.  Here is my one and five year old footprint.  Definitely, a keeper!

After reading this article, Arts and Crafts in Childhood Predict Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Adulthood, I hope my son will thank me when he grows up.    http://www.parents.com/blogs/red-hot-parenting/2013/10/31/health/arts-and-crafts-in-childhood-predict-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-in-adulthood/

New Favorite Article

There are so many rewarding moments we experience with our kids.  We are so blessed as moms to be able to watch our children learn and grow, as well as our husbands!  :)  Enjoy this article that was sent to me by another mom.   I felt that I needed to share it with my friends and other moms.  It is a must read! 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-macy-stafford/six-words-you-should-say-today_b_3863643.html

I love...

MORE Ideas...Countdown to Kindergarten

Countdown to Kindergarten

This is an exciting time for both students and parents.  You play the most important role in getting your child off to a good start in kindergarten. Children love to learn. Be sure to give your child plenty of praise and encouragement without pressure. Remember that children learn best through "hands-on" activities and participation. Here are a few activities that you can do at home to help your child prepare for that First Day of Kindergarten.  Enjoy the journey together!

*I-Spy - This game can be done anywhere: the car, the dinner table, the park, the doctor's office and can be fun for all students.  You can "spy" for letters, beginning sounds, rhyming words, numbers, shapes, colors, etc.

*Rainbow Write - Have your child trace pre-written words many times using a different color.  REMEMBER to START YOUR LETTERS AT THE TOP!

*Environmental Print - Cut out and glue words that your child can read on a poster.  This includes popular logos, restaurant names, etc.

*Sorting and Patterning- These are valuable skills.  Be sure to have your child explain their reasoning.

*Name Puzzle - Cut out their name or important words and have our child put them in the correct order.

*Back Writing Letters and Numbers - Need some relaxing time...practice letters, numbers, or words by "writing" with your fingertips on someone's back and have them guess that you wrote.

*Concepts of Print - Show and tell how to use a book correctly, tracking from left to right and use your finger to point to the words as you read.  Spend time looking at the book to look for the title, how many words or letters on this page, where is the front of the book, and rhyming words.

*Create a book together.  Making books or writing a story even by drawing pictures helps your child practice reading, writing, listening and speaking. These are important skills for success in school.

*TALK to your child about what they see, what they do and what they are thinking about.

*READ, READ, READ - Set a good example by encouraging a love of stories and books!  AND visit the library!

Countdown to Kindergarten

Countdown to Kindergarten

Tomorrow marks - 10 days until school begins.  Make a paper chain to help countdown to the big day!  Tear off one link each day.

Make pattern, write numbers, ...

then, staple together to make chain

Here are some things you can do to prepare for that first day:
*adjust your body clock to fit your new school schedule
*talk about healthy choices for lunch/snack
*make sure your name is on your backpack and lunch box
*check supply list
*find your classroom and playground
*say your new teacher's name 3 times (when you find out)
*discuss drop-off and pick-up procedures
*pick out your first day outfit
*don't forget to take a first day of school picture
*SMILE and have a great day!


For more fun first day of school ideas, check out: http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/search/label/first%20day%20of%20school

ABC Puzzles

 I suppose you could go to Lakeshore Learning and purchase something like this, but I chose to make this ABC puzzle.  Using sentence strips, I wrote the alphabet, Capital A then lower case a from A-Z leaving a small amount of space between each letter.  Then I cut a squiggly lines between each letter.  I used regular and fun shaped scissors to get different cuts.

Initially, I gave my son the letters A-G and had him put the matching letters together.  I didn't want him to get overwhelmed by the whole alphabet.  It was interesting to see his thought process.  He checked each pair to make sure they were a match and would sing the ABC song to figure out what letter came next.  When he was successful with the first set of letters, I asked him if he was ready for more of a challenge.  He was ready!  When he was finished, we sang the ABC song as he pointed to the letters and we counted to see how many letters make up the alphabet.  Doing this activity, I realized that he still skips the letter Nn when saying the alphabet.  This allowed us to slow down and look at each letter as he sang the song.

*For younger kids, only start off with a few letters and build.  For older kids, you could make puzzles for practicing names and sight words.

Kindergarten Readiness Workshops Information:  http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5912000420279799351#editor/target=post;postID=2253512591600044146;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=5;src=postname

Have fun!

NAME Cheer

Our names are special, our names are unique.  There is a sense of pride when your child learns to spell their name.  I started "cheering" my son's name from day one.  I had a framed picture above his changing table and I would cheer his name all the time. 

Cheer:  S-H-A-Y, Go Shay Go, Go Shay Go, GOOOOOOO Shay!

As he got older, I moved the picture so it faced the toilet.  As he was potty training and spending some time there, he started "cheering" his name.  Then, when people asked him his name, he would spell it first, then say his name.  He was so proud of himself and people were impressed when they saw this little boy spell out his name.  After years of his first name, we moved to his last name.  It is a bit longer, so I had to get creative and find a way that would teach him the spelling.  That's when I found a tune and changed the words to the letters in his name.  In the video below is Shay at age 5, but he learned the song when he turned four and still loves to sing his name!

Anyone can cheer or sing their name.  You just have to find a tune that works.  Here is what I have come up with so far.

3 letter names: The tune of 3 blind mice (B-E-N, B-E-N, Ben is my name)
4 letter names: Spell out the letters for a cheer (see picture above)
5 letter names: The tune of BINGO (There was a boy/girl who had a name and ____was his name-o)
6 letter names: The Mickey Mouse song (H-U-N,T-E-R, Hunter is my name)
7 letter names: The tune of BINGO again, but start right out with the spelling (J-A-C-K-S-O-N and Jackson is my name-o)
8 letter names: The tune of Joy to the World (see video)
9 letter names:  (Sorry Francesca, Auntie is still thinking of a song...stay tuned!)

 

In the beginning it is important to have your child see their name written as they sing their name.  You can write it on a plain piece of paper and have your child decorate it or glue pictures of themselves around it.  I wrote the name on a piece of paper and also on post-it notes.  My son had to cover the letters with the post-it notes.  See this post for reasons why I love post-it notes. http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2011/08/post-it-notes-why-i-love-them.html

Have fun and let me know how it worked with your kids!  They will love singing and cheering their name!!!

*Find out about Kindergarten Readiness Workshops: 

http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2013/04/kindergarten-readiness-workshop.html 

Beginning Sounds Game

Beginning Sound Game

Like most kids, we have a large collection of plastic animals, cars, and toys.  I had my son collect 20 animals and put them in a small tub.  While he was busy collecting his toys, I took a piece of construction paper and divided it into 24 squares.  I wrote the alphabet letters in the top of each square.  (Letters U/V and X/Y shared a box.)  When he was done, he recounted the animals and then the game began.  He had to place the animal in the correct box depending on the beginning sound of the animal.  For example:  Spider, what sound do you hear when you say spider?  He would place it on the letter Ss.  When he was done, I asked him to find other toys that would fit into the empty boxes.  We looked at which box had the most toys.  It was a fun and educational way to play with his toys!
For a challenge:  Do the ending sounds of the animals and toys!

Kindergarten Readiness

After my discussion with the Lamorinda Mom's Club on Kindergarten Readiness, I wanted to share some websites I found that have a lot of great information.
* In the end, remember that all our children will "bloom".  Enjoy the journey!
Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus
Kindergarten Readiness: http://www.education.com/topic/kindergarten-readiness/

http://www.googobits.com/articles/p0-1650-is-your-child-kindergartenready-what-you-need-to-know.html

http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/ready-for-kindergarten

Transitional Kindergarten: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/em/kinderfaq.asp
http://www.preschoolcalifornia.org/our-issues/transitional-kindergarten/tk-101.html
Please email me with any questions!  I am available to come to play groups to work with your kids as well as give parents new ideas.  dcodaniels@gmail.com