Preschool Week 19: Our Heritage

Monday with Arielle

Theme - Our Heritage! - DENMARK

Opening Activity: Letter/Phonics worksheets. Play with LEGOs (because they’re from Denmark!)

Circle Time:

• Date/Weather/Time
• Watch “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Emperor's New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen

Snack: Danish Apple Charlotte

Wiggle Time: Dance like a mermaid to “Under the Sea”, stomp like a viking to the theme from “How to Train Your Dragon” (playlist.com)

Lesson: Map Skills - Where did we come from? Look for Denmark on the map. Denmark was the home of author Hans Christian Andersen who wrote many beloved children's stories. We looked at pictures of Denmark's little mermaid statue, LegoLand, and Viking ships.

Craft: Make an “ugly duckling” from a paper plate (Pinterest).

Wednesday with Naomi

Theme - Our Heritage! - HAWAII

Opening Activity: Blending sounds (on dry erase board) and Dry erase Math cards in rotations

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather
• Sing songs with the Ukulele
• Read 2 Hawaiian books about counting in Hawaiian and about Hawaiian language 

Snack: Ask a student to bring a snack that reflects their heritage

Wiggle Time: Dance Puka Pants (a Hawaiian Hula learned earlier in the year)

Lesson: What does Heritage mean? What is my Heritage? What do I love about my heritage?

Craft: Heritage Collages

Preschool Week 18: Martin Luther King Jr.

Monday with Arielle

Opening Activity: math skills - adding and subtracting “people”, letter worksheets.

Circle Time: 

• Date/Weather/Time
• What is “peace”? 
• What is a “hero”? 
• What is a “dream”? 

Snack: make trail mix using foods that each taste good but look different.

Wiggle Time: marching, wiggle block

Lesson: Discuss Dr. MLK, Jr. Look at eggs that are different on the outside but have the same things on the inside.

Craft: color book about Dr. MLK, Jr.

Wednesday with Naomi

Opening Activity: Blending sounds (on dry erase board) and Dry erase Math cards in rotations

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather
• Sing 5 fingers five toes. 
• Read the "I have a dream" speech and explain it. 

Snack: Stained glass Jello!

(Click HERE for image source and recipe)

Wiggle Time: The ants go marching one by one on the Wii. Nickelodeon Wii fit for kids

Lesson: What is peace? I feel peaceful when? I can create peace by...?
 (3 things paint page)

Craft: Peace Dove stained glass window craft

(Click HERE for image source)

Preschool Week 17: Transportation

Monday with Arielle

MLS LITERACY BAG FROM LIBRARY! 

Opening Activity: MLS bag- transportation puzzle. Use counters (Purple card) - sort vehicles by color, size, and type. Letter worksheets.

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather
• Sing row, row, row your boat, Wheels on the Bus, read “Bear On A Bike”, listen to CD and identify different vehicle sounds. 

Snack: build a race car with crackers, pb, raisins, and teddy graham drivers :)

Wiggle Time: We can be like the Wright brothers and fly paper airplanes!

Lesson: (use green card from MLS bag) Review vehicle pictures. Discuss past modes of transportation from around the world including horse-drawn carriages, hot air balloons, wagons, canoes, camel caravans, gondolas, rickshaws, elephants, sailboats, etc.

Craft: (MLS orange card) use finger paint to make tracks using cars and trace different types of vehicles.

Wednesday with Naomi

Opening Activity: Transportation file folder games for counting and patterns

Circle Time: 

• Date/Time/Weather 
• Review songs sung on Monday, 
• Read the story “People Go” Have kids re-read the book themselves. 

Snack: Talk about vehicles needing fuel. Tell them that our bodies are vehicles that also need to be fueled. Make a snack using all 5 food groups to fuel our bodies for wiggle time. (Spinach-pineapple-apple juice, whole wheat toast, string cheese, almonds)

Yes, it looks disgusting, and yes, I made them try it, and yes, they absolutely LOVED all of it and ate every last bite and drank every last sip!

Wiggle Time: Draw vehicle words from a jar to practice reading. Then pretend to be the type of vehicle you drew whilst running a race!

Lesson: How do hot air balloons work?

Craft: Make “hot air balloons” out of yarn, Popsicle sticks, and balloons!

Preschool Week 16: A New Year!

Monday with Arielle

Opening Activity: game - “race to trace” math/writing skills worksheet. (pinterest)

Circle Time: 

• Date/Time/Weather
• read “Roberto, the Insect Architect” 

Snack: applesauce, crackers, “can’t”aloupe

Wiggle Time: wiggle block

Lesson: Discuss difference between a wish and a goal.
http://suite101.com/article/goal-setting-lesson-plan-a11204
http://www.momeomagazine.com/tag/teaching-kids-goal-setting/

Craft: Visualize Our Goals - Illustrate Goals for This Week, This Year, In Fifteen Years. Make a chart to show progress for one weekly goal daily (chores, reading a book, helping someone, etc.)

Wednesday with Naomi

Opening Activity:

• Class pet responsibility (feed rats, clean their cage, give them baths)
• Math (numbers 4-5)
• Alphabet (G) workbooks 

Circle Time: 

• Date/Time/Weather
• Read "Malia and Baby Brother" and talk about setting a goal this year to learn how to read. 
• Sing alphabet songs. 

Snack: String cheese, almonds, oranges

Wiggle Time: Bowling! Learning number recognition and subtraction

Lesson: What does it mean to start a “NEW YEAR”? Talk about hours into days, into weeks, into months, into years using envelopes to demonstrate. (Tuck 7 little tags with week days written on them into 4 small envelopes labeled "weeks". Then stuff 4 "week" envelopes into each of 12 larger envelopes labeled with the names of each month. Then tuck all 12 "month" envelopes into a large envelop labeled "year".)

Craft: Discuss how some cultures celebrate New Years at a different time than us. Talk about Chinese New Year and then make a Chinese dragon craft!

Preschool Week 15: Christmas

Thanks again to many sick children, we didn't actually get to have preschool this week, however, we thought it would be nice to post our ideas for next year :)

Monday with Arielle

Opening Activity: “Fresh From the Oven” worksheet (Mailbox pack) Nativity Puzzle

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather
• Christmas/Holiday Songs 

Snack: strawberry/banana slices into shape of candy cane. red/green applesauce.

Wiggle Time: dance to Holiday Songs (jingle bell rock, etc), holiday wiggle block.

 Lesson: Read Christmas Story

Craft: Christmas Tree picture (Pinterest) - sort strips largest to smallest then decorate!

Wednesday with Naomi

Opening Activity: Cardboard Christmas Tree decorating party!

Circle Time: 

• Date/Time/Weather 
• Christmas songs! 
• Christmas books from the Library 

Snack: Microwave popcorn balls and apple cider

Wiggle Time: Reindeer Races (Red light green light, Santa says, Freeze Tag!)

Lesson: The story of saint nick and how it relates to the Savior’s birth.

Craft: Craft Stick Christmas Nativity and Craft stick Santa ornament and snowman ornament

Preschool Week 14: WINTER!

Monday with Arielle

Opening Activity:: season sort activity, practice writing words.

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather
• Winter songs
• Read “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats 

Snack: snow cones, snowflake crackers, and hot cocoa with marshmallows!

Wiggle Time: snowball race and snowball fight game.

Lesson: Discuss how animals protect themselves from winter’s cold. Discuss hibernation and migration.

Craft: Make a snowman and dress him up!

Wednesday with Naomi

Opening Activity: Snowman and Snowflake

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather 
• Winter Songs
• Read "We're Going on a Bear Hunt!"

Snack: Popcorn balls and hot cocoa

Wiggle Time: Play outside and look for signs of Winter. Possible snow painting.

Lesson: Seasons and what they do for the earth

Craft: Snow globes!

Preschool Weeks 12-13: Around the World in 6 Days

Monday with Arielle

Hand out passports - after each activity we do they can glue in a “stamp”

Opening Activity: Letter “K” worksheets.

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather
• Listen to music from a didgeridoo
• Learn Australian words
• Read “Wombat Stew"

Snack:  Sangers and Biscuits (sandwiches and crackers)

Wiggle Time: Emotional Animals (of Australia) Dice. Australian Animals Dance Video (Pinterest)

Lesson: Australian Animals and national symbols. Find Australia on the map.

Craft: Make a Koala!

Wednesday with Naomi

Opening Activity: Japanese Fans and Cherry Blossom Art

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather 
• Story- How Koi Become Dragons 

Snack: Dorayaki Pancakes and Herbal Tea

Wiggle Time: Japanese Fan Dancing and Marshal Arts

Lesson: All About Japan Book

Craft: Painted Zori Sandals

FIELD TRIP FRIDAY:

We visited the Australia exhibit at the zoo, watched "The Rescuers Down Under", and ate treats from Australia. (And in case you were wondering, authentic Australian Root Beer does NOT taste like American root beer!)

Monday with Arielle

Opening Activity: Dora Number Worksheets.

Circle Time: 

• Date/Time/Weather
• Listen to music from Mexico.
• Learn some Spanish words!
• Learn “Feliz Navidad”. 

Snack: Quesadillas.

Wiggle Time: Emotional Animal Dice. Mexican Hat Dance and Conga!

Lesson: Discuss climate and landscapes of Mexico. Look at pictures of rain forest, desert, coastal, and mountain regions and animals found there.

Craft: Cactus Art.

Wednesday with Naomi

Opening Activity: Create your own Russian Architecture

Circle Time:

• Date/Time/Weather 
• The story of the Matryoshka doll 

Snack: Tvorozhniki

Wiggle Time: Russian dance

Lesson: All About Russia Book

Craft: Matryoshka Dolls

FIELD TRIP FRIDAY:  

Watch the Movie Anastasia whilst eating Oreshki!

Preschool Week 11: Thanksgiving Continued...

Monday at Arielle's

Due to lots of sick little kiddies, we actually had to cancel all our activities for this week so there will be no pictures, but I thought I would leave up the plan incase anyone wanted to reuse the ideas in the future.

Combined Pilgrims and Indians Lunch Party!

• Cornucopia with fruit, cheese, and crackers, inside
• Turkey dogs in a blanket
• Apple Cider
• Pumpkin Pie in a Jar

Turkey Crafts while watching Thanksgiving Movie

Wednesday at Naomi's

CANCELED for Thanksgiving Break!