Unit 5 home ideas

For unit 5 we will be reading books and talking about shadows and reflections. We hope you'll take some time to notice shadows and reflections and talk about them at home, too.

The following activities are things you can do to help your child learn. Please try to complete some of the activities. The activities can be done in any order that works for your family.

Thought for the month:
Children learn about language through conversations. How much are your talking with your child?

Sit still together and observe birds or other animals. Talk about what you see.

On a sunny day, play with a small mirror indoors. Show how it can reflect light.

Observe an ant or other insects closely. Talk about what it looks like and what it's doing.

Play Simon Says. Use animal movements. Hop like a grasshopper and swim like a fish.

On a sunny day, place a plant or other interesting shapes on the windowsill. Use paper and a crayon to trace the shadow shape it casts.

Turn off the lights and play flashlight tag. Use two flashlights, name an object and see who can hit it first with a flashlight beam.

Look at clouds together and talk about the shapes you see.

Have your child hunt for shinny things in your home. Talk about how well you can see your reflection in them.

Look in a mirror together and ske your child to describe what he or she see. Talk about shapes, colors, and how many.

Reminder

Just a few reminders for this week:

Picture make up day is Wednesday March 31. Picture make up day is for new students and students that were absent on picture day.

There is no school on Friday April 2nd.

Alternative ideas for Easter Baskets

With Easter around the corner I would like to offer some ideas on how to fill the perfect preschool Easter Basket. The following list are suggestions/ideas of things to put in your child's Easter Basket that are not only fun but will work on development of fine, gross and oral motor skills. All of these items can be found at discount stores such as Target, Walmart and the Christmas Tree Shop.

Bubbles are a lot of fun and work on development of oral motor skills.

Side walk chalk is a great outdoor toy. If you don't mind a mess, sidewalk chalk can be used in the driveway to create fun drawings. This is a great tool for fine motor development.

Play doh and cookie cutters fit perfectly in an Easter Basket and are another great tool for fine motor development.
(There was a post a while back with a play doh recipe)

Silly Putty is also a great alternative and perfect for fine motor development.

Coloring books and crayons will work on development of fine motor skills.

Water color paints and paper will also work on fine motor.

Sand and water toys can be a lot of fun. Perfect tools for motor and sensory development. This is a great idea if you have a sandbox in the yard.

Small books are also perfect for an alternative gift. (The other day in the dollar bins at Target were some great board books.)

Jump ropes and hula hoops are great spring time toys and will work on development of gross motor skills.

Of course, Easter wouldn't be the same without a small chocolate bunny.

Happy shopping!

Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats

One of the books the children will be exposed to this week is "Peter's Chair" by Ezra Jack Keats. Peter is a character that the students have meet earlier in the year. He was the main character in the book the "Snowy Day" also by Ezra Jack Keats. Ask your child about Peter and see if they can recall what other book they met him in. Ask them about the author of both the "Snowy Day" and "Peter's Chair" see if they can make any connections between the two books.
Here are some ideas for a story discussion:
Share with your child that sometimes parents paint furniture to make it new again. Ask your child if they think this was why Peter's father painted Peter's old furniture pink, or if there might be another reason. Guide your chiild towards the understanding that blue and pink are traditional colors for boys and girls; discuss the variey of colors available to both boys and girls.

Reading with Elmo

The following video is of Elmo exploring his neighborhood and learning about print in his environment. As you take your child outside to enjoy the nice weather point out print in their environment. I'm always amazed by how quickly children learn to read stop signs and the signs to their favorite stores. As your pointing out print in their environment focus on beginning sounds to words and exaggerate the beginning sound. This will help your child begin to make sound symbol connections. What a fun way to work on beginning reading skills while enjoying the beautiful weather.