fun with chalk

I got these sweet little chalkboards at a yard sale for .50...I love them :)

 I chose to write a few letters from Stella's name that's still a little tricky. 

She loved it :)

make it easy:  Trace over the letter, paint a picture :)
make it hard:  Paint the letter that makes the sound /m/ 

craft sticks

Thanks to pinterest and those who are willing to share their ideas to help others, I've found some really neat, easy, and inexpensive ways for little ones to learn.  This was an activity we worked on together.  Stella painted some craft sticks...once they were dry, I hot glued small round magnets on the back on both ends, then we took them to their new home...the fridge! :)

I have this activity pinned on my "learning corner" pinboard here if you'd like to take a look at the site where this idea came from..and even more neat ideas! :)

Tuesdays Tune

I just posted about Musical Shapes, so today's tune goes right along with shapes :)

It's called "Spy a Shape" (tune: Do you know the Muffin Man?)

Do you spy a circle, circle, circle?
Do you spy a circle in the room?
Yes, I spy a circle, circle, circle.
Yes, I spy a circle in the room

Can you draw a circle, circle, cirlce?
Can you draw a circle, nice and round?
I can draw a circle, circle, circle
I can draw a circle, nice and round.

Square...4 equal sides
Triangle...3 sides than slant
Rectangle..2 long and 2 short sides

Have children draw shapes in the air, with their feet, on paper, in sand, etc.  Have fun!

Written by: Dr. Jean

Musical Shapes

The weather is nice outside, and even though we love outdoors...sometimes the same toys and scenery gets "boring" for the kids.  So, I've put on my thinking cap (and searched pinterest, too) to add some variety to our outdoor playtime.

A couple weeks ago, Stella found this princess CD player...the perfect tool for my musical shapes!

I demonstrated to her how to play the game...jump to a shape, skip around the shapes, walk, etc.  then when the music stops...you stop!  Then...you tell me what shape you are on!

She loved this, and even asked to do it again a few days later. :)

make it easy:  musical shapes, color shapes

make it hard:  musical letters: say the letter, say the sound of the letter

musical numbers:  identify the number or add 1 to the number you land on...so many possibilities!

Tuesday's Tune

Every  morning in Pre-K, Kindergarten and First grade, we always sang a weather song.  Now, I sing it with Stella and Sawyer at home.  There are many versions of the weather song, but this one is one is short and sweet. :)
This tune comes from the one and only Dr. Jean. :)

The Weather Song

What will the weather, weather, weather be?

what will the weather be today?

it is sunny, sunny, sunny?

S-U-N-N-Y today!

(repeat with cloudy, windy, snowy, rainy, etc, and spell)

You can also print the book out from Dr. Jeans page, for free!  (If you want the document, let me know, and I'll send you the Word Document I have saved on my computer...or you can search Dr. Jeans site)  

Tuesday's Tune

Mother's day is only a few days away!  Here's a cute little song to sing to your special one...mom, aunt, grandma, mimi, nana, and more :) 

I love you Mommy
(Original Author Unknown, Sung to: "You are my sunshine")
I love you mommy
My dearest mommy
You make me happy
When I am sad
I want to tell you
I really love you!
When I'm with you I am so glad!

find more songs here

special dates

We all have fun days we look forward to, especially in the summer.  In our house we are counting down until we see May 18th!  I chose to do a countdown, this time, so that Stella could tell me how many days left before we leave...instead of having to count something out everyday.  I like countdowns...it gives us something to look forward to! :)  

make it easy:  number recognition: mark off a number everyday (what number are we crossing out today?  how many days left until we leave?)

make it hard:  what number comes before 19?  after we mark 18 off, how many will we have left?

Even though this appears to be all math and numbers, it's also a pre-reading skill.  Being able to identify before and after are preparing little minds to comprehend parts of a story...beginning, middle and end. 

What are you looking forward to this summer?