Kites

Today we learned about kites! We talked about kite flying as a hobby, something you can do for fun. We talked about the many shapes, sizes, and appearances kites come in and watched some video of kite flying. We noticed that a kite has a tail, and flies in the sky, and might even look like a bird, but it is not alive. 

We made blue, diamond shaped kites which the children had great fun decorating. They took a lot of time selecting the decorations and where to put them, so praise them for that! We put tails and bows on our kites. Notice it has 5 bows. 

We held up our kites and I told them to take it home and say, "Look at my kite. It's a blue diamond and has 5 bows. Let me count them. 1...2...3...4...5. Now in spanish...." If your child does not start this conversation, initiate it and they will probably remember. 

Kindness

We have been learning about the letters J and K. Last week, we learned about Kangaroos and Joeys. We colored some pictures, had discussions, listened to stories, and watched some National Geographic video on them too! 


We have been reinforcing the number 5 and I introduced the song Five Little Speckled Frogs. Look for a project we're doing related to this fun song!


In our opposites, we are talking about being kind and mean. I talk about nice and kind interchangeably because the children comprehend the word nice more, but are beginning to see what kind means too. We have a kindness chart that the children will bring home. I am recognizing their kindness. We heard a story about all the kind things a little girl does. First, she decided to be kind right when she woke up. She made her bed, helped with breakfast, smiled, shared, helped friends, etc. We talked about all the kind things we can do for our families and friends. The children decided that helping to clean and sharing were kind things they could do this week. If you notice kindness in your child, praise it! 
While it's best to praise the positive way more than point out the negative, meanness does need to be addresses. If I hear a rude tone or comment I say, "Is that the kind way to say that?" Often, the children will simply say it a nicer way or add manners, depending on the situation. Sometimes, I need to explain and demonstrate the difference between the way it was said and how it could be said in a kind way. Other times, if a child hits, takes something from someone, or any of the other things like this, I will say, "Is that very kind?" or "Do you want to be kind or mean right now?" and "What could you do that's nicer?" 


We must remember that children learn most from watching us. If we want our children to learn kindness, then we must be kind. Open the door for people, use manners, show patience and grace with our family and the public, smile and say "hello", help people out for no ulterior motives, and so many other things. A friend of mine was out to dinner at a restaurant (not a cheap one) and the were told that an anonymous stranger paid for their meal. I know we can't all afford that, but small acts of kindness can go a really long way in life. Another friend of mine paid for a woman's entire grocery cart full of groceries because her debit card was rejected. The woman was so shocked by a stranger's kindness that she couldn't believe it and walked away without her groceries and my friend had to convince her they were really paid for. She first chose not to be irritated, which is an act of kindness in itself. Remember, everyone has a story. We all do many acts of kindness already and I can see this reflected in the children, and I'm proud of what kind children they already are. Just keep up the kindness and so will they!

Diamonds and other things...

Today we are learning about the shape diamonds. The kids are doing a few worksheets with diamonds. There is a baseball diamond and also a sheet where I have the children find diamonds amongst other various shapes. We will also be taking two triangles to make a diamond. The children love the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which has the line "like a diamond in the sky". I am taking a star in the night sky, in the shape of a diamond, and having the children put it on a craft stick so that when we sing the song, they can hold it up. I will send it home at the end of the week so you can do this at home too! 

We reviewed a few shapes and colors that we've learned over the last several months, but we are focusing on the color blue. Here are a  couple of links to the color blue, including one of the Blue Man Group making music with some "letter J" piping. 

The Color Blue

The Blue Man Group

Yesterday the kids made a blue jacket out of some blue letter Js. Did you notice the 4 Js on the jacket? I also sent home the rhyme of Jack and Jill and we will be saying this during circle time this week.

Potty

Every day, we have our basic routine that we follow. We have breakfast, snacks, and lunch at the same times. We also go outside most days. Because breakfast is at 8, snack at 10, lunch at 11:30, and snack around 3ish, those are good times to reinforce our routine of going potty. I say, "It's almost snack time. What do we need to do?" The children know that they clean up, then get in line to go potty, wash their hands, then sit down at the table. I'm trying to make it so that I  am not saying "go to the bathroom." all the time, but simply, "What do we do?" so they take the initiative to realize that it's been awhile, so it's time to go. It's not the same as realizing the need to go and getting up and going, but it's a step in the right direction. They also go as soon as rest time as over and before going outside. I keep having them practice saying, "Kelli, I have to go potty!" so they feel comfortable with that phrase and excited to say it.

This was some wise words of advice from my doctor and a few others who noted that children love routine and to know what is expected of them. I thought it would help to let you know what we do here, so that you might want to try something similar at home. Additionally, if you find something that works well at home, let me know!

Jobs

Today, we reviewed the letter J briefly and then talked about jobs. One job is a janitor, which also starts with J. We talked about how there are many, many jobs. Some jobs help us earn money, some we have to do (like chores), and some are to be helpers. I asked the children a job they would like when they grow up. Here are their answers:

Braden: A doctor and a teacher

Deeken: A daddy

Branden: A mommy (we discussed how mommies are women, but that he could be a daddy which is the same idea!) 

The children did a sheet where they drew a line from the person to the job. We did discuss how men and women can be nurses, construction builders, firefighters, bakers, etc. I always stress how a job does not have to be for a certain type of person.

We also talked about how it's the kids' job to learn. They are students. They also have the jobs of picking up toys, going to bed on time, using listening ears, and being good helpers to their parents. 

To reinforce this at home, you can give jobs. You can say, "I have a job for you." You can point out people doing their jobs, like the cashier or butcher at the store, the barber when getting a haircut, the bus driver on the street, the server or cook at the restaurant, the doctor and nurse at the doctor's office, the dentist, the receptionist, and so forth. You can talk about your jobs to them and what you do there and why it is important. 

Last Week

Last week, we learned a lot! First, we introduced the letter J! Check out these favorite "J" videos of the kids... they would love to see them at home, too!

Letter J

J Train- Sesame Street

We learned about exercise for health. This just seems to flow with the New Year's Resolutions, but also is important because in the winter we tend to slow down. One of the exercises we discussed was "jump" which begins with J. The children came up with their own, like skiing and basketball. They also stated their favorite, which is on the sheet from that day. 

On January 5, we learned about the number 5. January starts with J, so this day just worked out great for two of our subjects! 

Gimme Five- Sesame Street

Animated 5- Sesame St.

We also celebrated Deeken's 3rd birthday today! 

Next, we spoke about joy. This is a Christian message, but also an everyday message. We learned the song, Joy in my Heart, which I sent the words home with so you can sing at home. We continue to sing this song many days of the week. We only learned the first verse to keep it simple for now. If you don't know this song, check out this link! Kittens are singing Joy in My Heart which is cute, but we will also be learning about kittens later this month.

Kittens singing Joy in my Heart

On Friday, we learned about the color blue. Everyone wore blue. We are often using blue to color our pictures, so point that out or better yet, ask, "What color is this?" Point out blue wherever you notice it. 

We colored a picture of Blue from Blue's Clues and glued her to a paper bag. I then set out several blue things, like yarn, stickers, and pictures from magazines on a table. I also put out some items that were not blue. The children took turns finding 5 blue clues from the table (see how we incorporated 5 into our lesson about blue?). 

Happy New Year!

Well, we had a very busy few weeks! Over the holiday weeks we spent a lot of time making crafts and getting Christmas presents ready. We also sang songs. A favorite of the kids is Jingle Bells (of course) but we also sang Away in the Manger, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. I bought a toy Nativity set for the kids this year and we talked about the song away in the manger in relation to it. We also discussed stars as a shape, but as a part of the Christmas story and the three wise men who followed the star to find Jesus. Did you know that Jesus was probably a toddler by the time they got there, and were not there immediately after the birth? The Three Wise Men were astronomers and traveled in extremely harsh conditions for two years, risking their lives, because they knew the boy named Jesus was so special?

We are starting the new year off and have many exciting things in store. The children have been wound up since Christmas, so we are working on getting back into our routine. Routine is something that comes naturally for some and not as naturally for others, but children crave it. Here, I alternate between quiet or sitting time and active time. This means that if we have story time we will next have free play or dancing, then craft time, then outdoor time, then meal or snack time, etc. This would be a good rule to follow at home too. Very young children cannot sit for too long and stay focused, so it's important to give them time to let them have activity. However, if they are always allowed to have free play and are constantly stimulated with activity, then they get overwhelmed. Children can react in a variety of ways to this.

January's Cirriculum

Letters: J&K

Number: 5

Colors: Blue & White

Shape: diamond

Animals: joeys and kangaroos, kittens

Occupations and hobbies: jobs, exercise, king, kazoos, kites

Food: healthy grains

Christian messages: joy, Jesus, Jonah and the Whale, kindness

Opposites: kind/cruel

Other: MLK Day, Popcorn Day, Inspire Your Heart with Art Day (a perfect segue to February and Valentines :))

We will sing songs, go over the calendar, and practice all of our previously learned material as we go along. Keep practicing at home, too!