It's that time of year when children bundle up to protect themselves from the cold and snow. Use all that time you help with zippers and mittens in your classroom as a discovery lesson.
Show pictures of children playing in the summer. Discuss with children the kinds of clothing we need in hot weather. Then show pictures of children in the snow and ice. Have children share the clothing that is needed to stay warm.
You can help your young learners to consider the skill of contrasting by laying down two hula hoops. Use photos of summer clothing and winter clothing (or even actual clothing items) in each hula hoop. This is a wonderful visual to help children understand the school readiness skill of contrast.
Later on, use the clothing, photos, and hula hoops as a center so that every child has a hands-on opportunity to contrast items.
Then talk about types of materials. Have examples ready like wool, cotton, felt, leather, silk, etc. (You can get small pieces of these materials by visiting a local fabric or craft store.) Encourage children to look at, feel, and smell each piece of material.
Ask children to state which material they like best and to give at least one reason why this material is preferred. The goal of this kind of question is to encourage children to describe the material, not necessarily to find out who likes what material. The observation is then meaningful as children are asked to state a detail about the fabric. Being able to support a conclusion is another school readiness skill.
Discuss the kinds of material that keep people warm in the winter and those that keep us comfortable in the summer.
Conclude the lesson by having children look at their coats, hats, and mittens. Ask children if they can identify the materials used to create each clothing item.
Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.B.04., 2.D.03., 2.G.04.
Head Start - IV.C., V.B., VIII.B., XI.B.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Devloping Verbal Skills: Winter Trees
This week, our printable weekly activity highlights a strange plant. We use this fruit to teach math concepts. If you haven't signed up to receive these free activities, please do so in the box to the right.
Staying on the theme of plants, we know you talk with children about the ways plants, animals, and trees change with the seasons. Use the idea that some kinds of trees lose their leaves in the winter to help children describe nature and their response to it. If you have classroom windows or can go outside to see deciduous trees, ask children to tell about that type of tree. You can always show photos of these trees, too.
Ask children to use their senses to talk about deciduous trees. Provide guiding questions such as:
Finally, one numeral that can be difficult for children is zero. Use this concept freely when talking about the number of leaves on a winter tree. "There are 0 leaves." Have children use the term in other fun ways in the classroom, too. "We see 0 monkeys in that tree!" Encourage families to say zero when discussing what children learned during the day.
Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.D.03, 2.F.02, & 2.G.03
Head Start - VIII.B.1 & 2, X.A.1, & XI.B.1.
Staying on the theme of plants, we know you talk with children about the ways plants, animals, and trees change with the seasons. Use the idea that some kinds of trees lose their leaves in the winter to help children describe nature and their response to it. If you have classroom windows or can go outside to see deciduous trees, ask children to tell about that type of tree. You can always show photos of these trees, too.
Ask children to use their senses to talk about deciduous trees. Provide guiding questions such as:
- How does the tree look?
- Do you think this tree smells different in the winter (no buds, leaves, flowers, etc.)?
- Might the tree sound different when the wind blows through it? (Children should understand that since there are no leaves, there will not be a rustling sound).
Finally, one numeral that can be difficult for children is zero. Use this concept freely when talking about the number of leaves on a winter tree. "There are 0 leaves." Have children use the term in other fun ways in the classroom, too. "We see 0 monkeys in that tree!" Encourage families to say zero when discussing what children learned during the day.
Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.D.03, 2.F.02, & 2.G.03
Head Start - VIII.B.1 & 2, X.A.1, & XI.B.1.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Teaching Correct Use of Vocabulary
Preschoolers easily confuse many words including plurals of
common vocabulary such as sheep, goose, etc. How do we handle
situations like this? We want children to use vocabulary correctly but we also
don’t want them to stop experimenting with new words. Here is one method we’ve found helpful.
We keep short notes on words we see children using
incorrectly. Then we make it a point to model the correct use of these words.
This helps children learn to listen to others and make changes in their use of
words.
For example, a child might say, “ I see lots of childrens on
that page.” You could rephrase the child’s statement and say, “Yes, there are a
lot of children on the page.” Reinforce the word, children.
Later as you talk about the book, ask the child how many
children are on this page:
Count as a group. Reinforce there are 7 children. At that
point you can even say, “We always say children when there is more than
one child. We don’t say childrens.” Have the class repeat it together,
while making eye contact and smiling at the child who had trouble.
Talk with any children still having trouble and ask what
they learned about saying the word children. Applaud them for being good
listeners and learning from what you said. This way children learn to learn –
and that’s important!
Illustrations are from the book, Is There Really A Human Race?
by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. This is a wonderful book to use to
encourage rhyming skills!
Standards
Alignment:
NAEYC – 2.B.01; 2.D.01,
Head Start – IV. A.; V.III. A & B.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Teach Rhyming: The Zone of Proximal Development
When a child doesn't know how to rhyme, the task of teaching this skill can seem overwhelming. The usual answer is to read books that contain rhymes, but this doesn't always help. Then we need to help children get in the "zone of proximal development." This means we break the task down into small components and moving the child, slowly, to our objective, in this case rhyming on their own.
For rhyming, we suggest playing a game with two words. Simply say, "Do bat and cat rhyme?"
Give lots of examples that do rhyme. Children can clap or jump...anything to indicate that two words rhyme. Reinforce by saying, "Yes, because the words sound alike at the end."
When children have the sound of rhyming words in their head, give two words that do not rhyme like book and kitchen. Get excited when they say," No, those words do not rhyme." We encourage children to use silly voices to indicate a resounding no for non-rhyming words. This makes the "game" fun!
Sometimes children think words like spoon and fork rhyme because they are focusing on the meaning of words. This means you have to play the "game" a lot and reinforce that rhyming is about the sound of the words - the ending sound.
For more, view our video explanation.
Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.E.04, 2.E.06
Head Start - VII. A & B
For rhyming, we suggest playing a game with two words. Simply say, "Do bat and cat rhyme?"
Give lots of examples that do rhyme. Children can clap or jump...anything to indicate that two words rhyme. Reinforce by saying, "Yes, because the words sound alike at the end."
When children have the sound of rhyming words in their head, give two words that do not rhyme like book and kitchen. Get excited when they say," No, those words do not rhyme." We encourage children to use silly voices to indicate a resounding no for non-rhyming words. This makes the "game" fun!
Sometimes children think words like spoon and fork rhyme because they are focusing on the meaning of words. This means you have to play the "game" a lot and reinforce that rhyming is about the sound of the words - the ending sound.
For more, view our video explanation.
NAEYC - 2.E.04, 2.E.06
Head Start - VII. A & B
Monday, December 21, 2015
Teaching Respect
Encourage
independent thoughts in children by remembering to ask them their opinions. It
is always heartening to listen to parents not only ask young children, “What do
you think?” but then to have them follow up with the all-important word, “Why?”
Children
learn that their opinions matter when we encourage them to tell us what they
like or dislike. They should learn that it is perfectly fine to say, in a
polite way, that they do not like something.
Teachers often ask children to give a thumbs up or down after listening
to a book. Accepting that not all books are enjoyed by everyone is a way we can
show our children that people have different opinions and these need to be
respected.
One of the
keys is asking children to state reasons for their opinions. You may need to give them sentence starters
like the following:
I liked it
because it was funny when __________________
I liked it because
the picture of the was __________________
I liked the
ending because ________________________
I did not
like it when _______________________
I did not
like the character when it _________________________
I did not
think it was funny when ____________________
This
applies to many experiences. Listening
patiently to children as they tell whether or not they like something and their
reasoning is an important learning experience. It not only teaches them that
their opinions matter but it models for them that we all must listen and
respect the ideas of others.
Standards Alignment:
NAEYC – 2.B.02.,
2.B.07., 2.D.03.
Head Start
– II.C., VIII.B.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Helping Children Organize!
This post might be helpful
for your classrooms, but it is sure to please families, especially at this time
of year when many children will be home and messes are sure to abound. Toys can
take over a house (or classroom) and weary families often struggle with
constantly cleaning up. The refrain, “Pick up your toys” is often a favorite
but unfortunately may not yield the results we want. There are a few ways we can avoid the
constant struggle that disorganization brings.
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This child was not happy with the disorganization of his toys. He often complained about it but did not know how to fix it. |
Children must be included in
organizing a room. This means that adults should not quickly clean when
children are sleeping or at school. Small children are usually eager to help.
While having their help may take a bit longer, the results are worth it.
Children who are invested in organizing and have a hand in deciding where
things will be kept are more likely to find those spots again when asked to
clean.
Another important component
of cleaning and organizing is getting rid of toys, books, and games that children
have outgrown. Have special boxes for these. Discuss with children where these
should go (a neighbor, friend, relative, organization, or yard sale). When
children can name the place their toys will end up, they are often more likely
to part with them.
Finally, labeling bins,
boxes, or even spots on the wall can help children as they return toys to
correct places. The bonus? It helps preschoolers understand that words
have meaning. They may even develop sight vocabulary!
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When he was involved in organizing, the child knew where everything should be put away. After having friends over, he cleaned up his room in less than 20 minutes with no complaints. |
Involving your children in
all aspects of cleaning and organizing will pay off!
Standards Alignment:
NAEYC – 3.E.03, 2.L.02
Head Start – II.B, VII.D.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Traditional Games = Key Learning
Sometimes
teachers are always looking for the ‘latest and greatest.’ I constantly need to remind myself that often
what seems old to us is NEW to a young child! Nursery rhymes teach the all-important
phonemic awareness skill of rhyming. And…those games your parents and
grandparents enjoyed develop necessary skills.
There are
many versions of Memory available today. You can even make a personalized game from a
set of pictures. With digital cameras, it would be easy to create Memory cards
showing interesting neighborhood environmental sights such as evergreen trees, deciduous
trees, flowers, etc. You may want to make a Memory game that shows favorite
books. There are so many possibilities!
Grandparents
will likely recall the old favorite, Drop the Clothespin in the Bottle. Children
still love this game! It develops hand/eye coordination in ways computers and
other electronic devices cannot!
Board games
like Monopoly teach children about counting. My four year-old friend in the photo,
was counting by 5s as he gave me the play 5 dollar bills! He counted the dots
on the dice and moved that number on the board. He thought about strategy such
as what might be best to buy. And he learned about winning and losing. What a
lot of lessons!
Sometimes games are more than games!
Standards Alignment:
NAEYC – 2.A.11
Head Start –
IV.C.
Please share
this post with families!
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