Kindergarten Quarter Learning

Super Fun Mama is getting ready to have a revamp. My daughter is now in kindergarten and we have been doing evening lessons for enrichment. The following is what we have been working on as well as our plans:
Monday Math Day:
*Math Stories using numbers (3 little pigs, story of the six swans, story of the seven ravens
*Pracice writing numbers
*Learning Roman Numerals
* Montessori Math on the Computer
*#Verses Waldorf Style
*Waldorf Math Gnomes
*Montesori Math Counting Game
*playdoh numbers
*beanbag number fun
*Even/odd
Reading/Writing
*letter art
*Nonmenclature
*Copy work
Sciencje
*studying mammals
studying sun movement
making a sun clock
studying mushrooms
Handwork
*waldorf drawing
wet felting
fingerknitting
knot baby
wet on welt watercoloring
Stories Zhana came up with

Er-u-di-tion

I am so pleased to tell you all about a wonderful game called Er-u-di-tion.  It helps preschoolers-school aged children learn to read.  Children learn the letters of the alphabet and eventually 284 sight words while moving through literacy land.  For every correct identification, they earn a bonus roll.  The first player to reach the library wins.

The game cards comprise up to 90% of beginner level reading material and over 50% of all English text. Er-u-di-tion helps children recognize these high frequency words, recognize phonetically irregular words, your children will learn definitions of the words, and most of all is actually fun!

Learning games have to look fun and appeal visually to children and this fun game does just that.  It reminds me a bit of candy land, which all children love! This game isn’t just for readers, but preschoolers learning the letters of the alphabet as well.  There are different sets of cards for the varying reading levels, meaning the whole family can play together. 

This is the perfect activity to teach little ones to read because it has easy set up, is fun, and does produce results.  I couldn’t be happier with this wonderful game.  I’m not the only one who loves this game as it has won several awards including Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year, Teacher’s Choice Award for the Classroom, National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and Parent’s Choice Award. 

This is is definite hit at my house. I’m so pleased to hear my daughter begging for “just one more game” of er-u-di-tion, because I know it is helping her learn how to read. 

If you want to get your own game, it is $24.99 at http://www.sightwordsgame.com/

Alphabet Fishing

Last week, in my favorite links of the week post, I wrote about ABC fishing from the IzzieMacandMe blog.  Start by cutting out 26 fish…yes that is right 26.  If you google  “Alphabet Fish Template” you should be able to find fish with the letters already on them. So this will save you time.  Then, you are going to want something metal to attach to the fish.  I was out of paperclips so I just stapled each fish.  Then lay them upside down onto a blue towel. 

Other blogs mention making a rod out of a wooden spoon, yarn, and a magnet.  We, however, already had a magnet fishing pole.  This is her bathtub magnet fishing pole but it worked wonderful for this activity. 

Your little one will fish up a letter and then have to say the letter to keep the fish.  If they get the letter wrong, they have to throw it back. 

We LOVED this activity.

 

 

Product Review: Whimsical Walney

I posted the review on this company a few days ago but decided to repost it with an update about the giveaway.

When you visit the Whimsical Walney website, there is a little poem on their website that I feel is a very good introduction to their company:

let children play

let naptime become optional

let their cheeks become red delicious from endless hours of play

let them color the cows purple and the sky green

let children play.

This company was established in 2004 and has sense brightened up the world of child products by designing products that let children play. Each piece they design is meant to "foster a child's sense of wonder and adventure."

This company has a really neat line of clothing called Use Your Words. It was created to expand a child's vocabulary. I love the idea of clothing that teaches! Currently, the line features English and Spanish and will soon be adding French words as well.

I was given the opportunity to review the "Blow Bubbles" shirt by Whimsical Walney. First, let me point out that the shirt is extra-soft interlock cotton and feels so good! This is the most perfect shirt for my daughter-this is one that I'll be keeping for her tee-shirt memory quilt that I'll make someday. So, why is this shirt so special? I have a little girl obsessed with bubbles. I hear the phrase, "Blow Bubbles" at least five times a day (usually more). There has actually been an incident where she awoke at 3 am to ask me if she could blow bubbles! So, I can honestly say that I can imagine no shirt better summing up who she is right now, at the moment! Here are a few pics of her in her new favorite shirt:

Okay, so there were more than just a few but how can I resist when she is playing with her favorite thing and wearing a shirt totally encompassing the moment? The shirts sell for $32.00. They come in sizes 6 months to 10 years. There are several other Use Your Words shirts in categories of Fruits and Vegetables, Professionals and Whimsical. As previously explained, the "Blow Bubbles" shirt is my favorite but a couple of others that I think are darling include:

Strawberry/ La Fresa

let's conga/Soy Rumbero

I'm an Angler

This store offers another clothing line called World Flags. Categories included in this line are Countries, States and Cities, and Whimsical.

The company has a line of fabric books for children. These books are great for kids because of the visual and tactile stimulation they bring. I love that these books can be machine washed and dried. Book themes include: Out of this World, Spring Blooms, Under the Sea, Sea, Land, and Space. They also have black and white patterned books for newborns. I love this idea!

Finally, the company offers the Sol Protector Blanket. This blanket isn't just a regular old blanket but has Solarweave® fabric which provides protection at UPF 40–50. This is a lightweight blanket that is great for sunny days.

I really like this company because of its focus on multiculturalism and language. I think this is a unique concept and is wonderful for parents teaching a second language to their children. However, even if you aren't teaching your children a second language, the products are bright and beautiful and makes a terrific clothing item.

The owner of the company answered a few interview questions I had for her-

Q: If you could give a one line phrase to describe your business what would it be?Let Children Play

Q: What do you think makes your store unique?At Whimsical Walney, we design products that promote a child’s curiosity and creativity. Each product is meant to cater to children’s needs at different stages in their development. Many of these products can also grow with your child. The Use Your Words™ clothing line, for example, starts with a child pointing to the picture and signing or saying the word when they’re toddlers. As they grow, it becomes a conversation about the object and what it is, how it’s used, etc. They may even be telling you what it is in Spanish or French if you’ve purchased one of those designs!

Q: Where do you get ideas for designs?It varies. Sometimes it’s a line in a song (like Soy pescador/I’m an angler which I explain in my blog) or as simple as a child’s everyday favorite things (blow bubbles). For the Use Your Words™ line the word has to be something fun or interesting to say.

Q: What are your top sellers?People seem most enamored of the artichoke, blow bubbles, and let’s conga/soy rumbero from the Use Your Words™ line. The CA state flag is also quite popular.

Q: Do you have a favorite line? It’s hard to pick a “favorite” really. I am still enchanted with the illustrations in the Use Your Words™ line but also know how much I enjoy creating the fabric story a child reads in a Telanovela™. Who doesn’t want to be able to read a book and eat it too?

Q: If you would like to add anything else about your business too, that would be great!If you have a minute, stop by the company blog (The Adventures of Whimsical Walney). We’ll be focusing on some great community organizations across the US, as well as online stories and language resources that benefit children and parents. We also welcome comments and feedback - so drop us a line at any time.

Here is a link to the website: http://www.whimsicalwalney.com/index.htm

Wow, I just love http://www.childcareland.com/ ideas! Here are just a few I've borrowed and use with my daughter...

• Playdough Math Skills: (See picture below).

• Letter and number feely bag:You will need something to use as a "feely" bag (it should be something the children can not see through) and magnetic letters and numbers. Basically children put their hand in the bag and try to guess what it is from feeling.


• Finger painting bags: You will need sandwhich size zip lock bags (the kind that you snap together ... not the zipper kind) and finger paint. Open zip lock bags and put between 1/2 to 1/3 cup of finger paint in each bag. Lay bag flat and smooth finger paint flat in bag (this pushes the air out).... making sure not to get too close to the opening of the bag. Close zip lock bag making sure that it is close all the way across the top. Children use their finger to draw and write on the top of the bag. They can erase what they made by smoothing out the fingerpaint in the bag. Be sure to tell the children that the bags are not to be opened otherwise the finger paint will come out of the bag.
• Shaving creme writing: I put a mound of shaving cream on each tray and let the children smooth the shaving cream all over the cookie sheet. They love the feeling of the shaving cream (be sure to tell the children not to touch their face or put mouth with their hands once they have shaving cream on them) and I let them free play with it for a while. Later the children each took turns calling out a letter ... number ... shape .... word ... that they wanted everyone to write in the shaving cream.
• Discovery Bottles: 1) Ocean: To make the ocean bottle I filled the bottle with half water and half baby oil. I then added 5 drops of blue food coloring. The water and oil stay separate in the bottle giving the liquid an ocean wave effect when the bottle is tipped sided to side. 2)To make the slow motion confetti bottle I filled the one fourth of the bottle with confetti and filled the rest of the bottle with clear corn syrup. The confetti pieces move very slowly through the bottle. FOR ALL DISCOVERY BOTTLES SEAL WITH HOT GLUE GUN.
• Music Instruments: 1)Rhythm sticks-I purchased wood dowels from Wal-Mart for 94 cents each (you can get them in craft stores as well). The dowels are three feet in length and come in various circumferences .... I recommend the 1/2 inch size. I cut the dowels to 13 inches in length and sanded the ends so that they were smooth and then painted the dowels with various colors of acrylic paint. 2)I purchased Hefty Serve 'n' Store Interlocking Large Plates (they are not paper but rather a plastic type material). A package of 16 plates cost around 2.36 at Wal-Mart. You will also need jingle bells (found in the craft section). I put six jingle bells in one of the plates and then put glue around the edge of the plate. I took another plate and turned it upside down and pressed it onto the other plate. The plates themselves fit together really nice. I let the glue dry and then carefully punched wholes around the edge of the plate and tied ribbons on to the plate. I also painted the plate top and bottom with acrylic paint.3)You will need empty pringles cans that have been wiped out with paper towels. You will also need rice and dried beans (I used a 12 bean soup mix bag that has different sizes of beans in it). I poured a little of the bean mix in the pringles can and then added a little rice. I replaced the cover of the can and held on to both ends while turning the can up an down and added more rice until the can made the sound that I wanted. I then cut a piece of tin foil a little bit larger than the opening of the can and glued it over the can opening and then glued the can cover over the tin foil. I covered the can in construction paper and decorated it.
• Play dough counting cards and play dough alphabet cards. On the counting cards the children put the number of balls the number card represents. On alphabet cards, the children use play dough to make the letter on the card.
• Alphabet folders: You'll need 26 folders and inside each one glue pictures of items that begin with the letter of that particular folder. For example to the letter Aa folder you would glue pictures of things that begin with the letter A.
• Matching Sticks are very easy and inexpensive to make and they can be used for many developing skills. You will need craft sticks (these can be found in any crafts store) ... white paint ... and markers. The first step is to paint the craft sticks white and let them dry ... then use a marker to write on the skills you are working on.
  We use these for letters... colors ... shapes ... numbers ... sight words ... addition ... name recognition etc. Children are given the sticks to match and they can sit on the floor or at the table and match the sticks together. You can also but velcro on the back and use on a felt board or magnets and use on a magnet board.
• Pom Pom counting book: You will need to buy pom poms and velcro self-adhesive dots. You can download the pom pom counting book template here. Print the book pages on cardstock paper and laminate. Bind the book together. Put velcro dots on the circles of each page and on pom poms. Children put the correct number of pom poms on each page. We do one page a time and then remove the pom poms before going on to a new page.
• Pom Pom Alphabet Book: The Pom Pom Alphabet Book is made the same way as the pom pom counting book pictured above.You can download the Pom Pom Alphabet Book template here. Print the book pages on cardstock paper and laminate. Bind the book together. Put velcro dots on the circles of each page and on pom poms. Children put a pom pom on the blank circles of the letter. This activity is great for fine motor skill development as well as letter identification. We do one page a time and then remove the pom poms before going on to a new page.
• Make your own lacing beads: You can make your own lacing beads using a super easy clay recipe. You will need:
  1 cup of salt1 cup of corn starch1 1/2 cups of flour1 cup of water (added in small increments)
  You will also need:
  plastic straws wax papercookie sheetstempera paintpaint brushes
  You will start by putting the salt ... flour .... and cornstarch in a bowl. Add small amounts of water to the mixture until you are able to knead the dough into a ball. You need to be careful with the amount of water you put in ... too much will make it to sticky and too little will make it dry and crack. It is important that you advise children that this is not a dough for eating.
  After you have the dough in the right consistency break off small pieces and roll into balls. Place the dough balls on a cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper. Push a straw into the center of each dough ball making sure the straw goes through to the other side. Let dry (the time it will take to dry the beads depends on the size of the beads ... usually 48-72 hours). You will need to flip the bead over periodically so both the top and the bottom of the beads get exposed to air.
  Once the beads are dry you can paint them with tempera paint. Paint one side at a time and let dry. You can string the beads with laces ... or use them for sorting and making patterns. Use your imagination and have fun!!
  
• Sensory Tub: If you are not lucky enough to have a large sensory tub (sand and water table) in you early learning environment you can make your own individual sensory tubs using dish pans. Children develop fine motor skills ... muscle control ... as well as social and cognitive skills. Some things you can include in a sensory tub include:
  SandWaterNoodlesRiceShaving CreamCotton BallsFeathersToy CarsSmall Toy AnimalsYou will also need things that can be used for measuring ... pouring ... and digging. The possibilities are really endless!!
• Pipe cleaner bead lacing: Simply lace beads onto a pipe cleaner.
• Cereal box puzzles: for the younger children I cut them in to 4-8 even sized pieces. I then stored the puzzle pieces in zip lock bags.
• She has so many wonderful free downloads. She has different ones for every holiday and season. Look under free printables.
• Winter sensory table: Instant Potato Flakes ,Cotton Balls. Shaving Cream With Glitter ,Snow.Cars and trucks can be added to drive around in the “snow”.
  Packing peanuts are great for a January sensory table. It's pretend
  snow.We get a piece of the foam insulation cut to fit the top of your
  sensory table (I cut mine to fit snugly in the top so it rests inside the table
  but only on the top) and cut two holes in it about 5 or 6 inches round then
  cover all the foam with foil put magnetic fish in the table place the foam ice
  on top and magnetic poles and let them ice fish.
• She even has flash learning!!!!

Anyway this is a wonderful site you can get lost in for hours!

alphabet song video

Here's a cute alphabet song video

Alphabet flashcards

Here's a you tube video of alphabet flashcards.

Language station

This area has ideas for introducing letter symbols to students in different multi-sensory ways. Introduce letters in different sequences, just insert the letter(s) that is (are) being introduced and change out the letter(s) as needed. Below are examples of how daily tray tasks may be set up in language/literacy centers.

Can you find the letter?
Bowl of foam letters and a work mat that is labeled, “Can you find letter A?”

Sand Letters
Small, shallow container of sand and stencil. Student traces letter in sand. Stencil is removed and student tries to write letter in the sand.

Letter rubbings
Half sheet of paper, crayons ,and commercial letter rubbing plate.

Playdough letters
Playdough and a work mat with capital and lowercase letter on it. Have student use play- dough to construct the letter.

Letter jars
This jar has the letter on the outside and pictures in the jar of items that begin with the letter.

Dot letters
Half sheet of paper and dot markers for student to make the letter.

Letter puzzles
Commercial puzzle that has letter, picture, and spellings of items that begin with the letter

Gel or white board
Gel board or marker board and picture card. Student experiments with writing the letter.

Letter game
Commercial letter game where children match letter to letter.

A site I use every week

A site I use on a weekly basis to help prepare my weekly curriculum is http://www.letteroftheweek.com/preparatory_weeklythemes.html. I love this site because they offer a free, age appropriate, online curriculum. The website describes a learning poster which is something I do weekly. On the poster there is a space for the weekly theme, vocabulary word, shape/color, letter, number, and nursery rhyme each week. By keeping this poster in a highly visible place, your child will be reminded often of the concepts you are trying to teach. There are different curriculums according to age-but here is the curriculum for 2 year olds and the one I follow:
Week 1 - Lesson # 1: cows, calf, square, A, 1, Hey Diddle Diddle
Week 2 - Lesson # 2: jungle, vines, green, B, 2, I Had a Little Nut Tree
Week 3 - Lesson # 3: kittens, claws, diamond, C, 3, Pussy-Cat Pussy-Cat
Week 4 - Lesson # 4: eyes, iris, blue, D, 4, Lavender's Blue
Week 5 - Lesson # 5: lighthouses, beacon, octagon, E, 5, Bobby Shaftoe
Week 6 - Lesson # 6: rainbows, prism, red, F, 6, Humpty Dumpty
Week 7 - Lesson # 7: stars, twinkle, star, G, 7, Wee Willie Winkie
Week 8 - Lesson # 8: sun, ray, yellow, H, 8, Hickory, Dickory, Dock
Week 9 - Lesson # 9: cookies, dough, circle, I, 9, The Queen of Hearts
Week 10 - Lesson # 10: trains, engine, black, J, 10, Little Boy Blue
Week 11 - Lesson # 11: moon, full (moon), crescent, K, 11, The Man in the Moon
Week 12 - Lesson # 12: ducks, duckling, white, L, 12, Curly Locks
Week 13 - Lesson # 13: cars/trucks, gasoline, rectangle, M, 13, See-Saw Margery Daw
Week 14 - Lesson # 14: horses, mane, brown, N, 14, Ride a Cock Horse
Week 15 - Lesson # 15: rain, downpour, oval, O, 15, Doctor Foster
Week 16 - Lesson # 16: butterflies, antennae, purple, P, 16, Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Week 17 - Lesson # 17: sheep, wool, heart, Q, 17, Baa Baa Black Sheep
Week 18 - Lesson # 18: ears, noise, pink, R, 18, Jack and Jill
Week 19 - Lesson # 19: boats, sail, triangle, S, 19, Rub-a-Dub-Dub
Week 20 - Lesson # 20: balloons, helium, orange, T, 20, Hot Cross Buns
Week 21 - Lesson # 21: wind, gust, pentagon, U, 21, The North Wind Doth Blow
Week 22 - Lesson # 22: seasons, autumn, lavender, V, 22, Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
Week 23 - Lesson # 23: snow, flake, hexagon, W, 23, Little Miss Muffet
Week 24 - Lesson # 24: dogs, leash, tan, X, 24, Old Mother Hubbard
Week 25 - Lesson # 25: rabbits, whiskers, parallelogram, Y, 25, Jack Be Nimble
Week 26 - Lesson # 26: airplanes, contrail, grey, Z, 100, Old King Cole

Reading flashcards

International Parenting Association has some other great things on the website as well. First off, there is the Child Genius Magazine. There are also flashcards on the site to aid in reading and math at http://www.internationalparentingassociation.org/Materials/index.html. A downside is that they don't seem to update often.

Another theme resource

Another site with free themes and curriculum is http://www.kidsparkz.citymax.com/themes.html. What I like about this site is it is preschool themes so everything is at the age I'm looking for.

Another Resource

This is a FABULOUS site. It has a lot of resources for learning the alphabet and writing. It also has themes. It is just a great site! The link is http://carlscorner.us.com/

Starfall.com

I think most moms probably know about starfall.com but just in case someone doesn't, I thought I would post about the site. It is really great for the little ones learning how to read. They also have some great printouts.