AUGUST

August 25-27, 2020

Hope you enjoyed our lessons from last week. Here we go, on to week 2!

Tuesday, August 25

▸ Calendar Video

Note: Please see the “Hey Diddle, Diddle” poem page in this week’s printables. Print it out, and after your child colors the picture, practice the poem each day.

▸ Activity 1 – Beginning Writing

PRINT: First Writing – Child to School

We are focusing on holding your pencil or crayon correctly (pinch, pinchy). Please ask your child to show you how to hold their favorite color crayon using pinchy, pinchy and ask them to help the student find his way home on the worksheet.

▸ Activity #2 – Decorate Your Letter

PRINT: Only the page with the first letter of your child’s name from Letter Outlines A to Z.

It’s time to start learning the letters in our names! We like to start by making sure our students are very familiar with the letter hi/her name begins with.

Help your child trace his/her letter with their finger and practice telling you the name of the letter. Then find a creative way to decorate your child’s letter. You could use paint, glue on buttons, fun-shaped pasta, anything goes! Be creative!

▸ Activity #3 – What Goes In Our Backpack

PRINT: Backpack Page and Backpack Items

Last week we cut paper and decorated our backpacks. This week we are talking about what items we should bring with us in our backpacks. Discuss with your child some of the items that they might put in a backpack, then help them use their scissors to cut out the items on the attached activity page. Help your child decide which items they should glue on the backpack to bring to school.

Feel free to re-watch the “How to Hold Your Scissors” video from last week if you need help remembering how to hold those scissors!

Wednesday, August 26

▸ Calendar Video

▸ Activity 1 – Beginning Writing

PRINT: First Writing – Frog to Pond

▸ Activity #2 – Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar

We love to make new friends at preschool! And we love to play games! After you watch the“Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar” video, sit in a circle and play a round as a family.Feel free to print the attached cookie picture to pass around, find your own “cookie” from around the house, or even just play without one!

▸ Activity #3 – I Went Walking

PRINT: I Went Walking

Read the story, “I Went Walking”. If you don’t have a copy at home, this would be a great opportunity to visit the library for a quick outing, or search for a read-along on YouTube.

After you read or listen to the story take a short walk around your neighborhood, backyard, or even around your house. Print the attached worksheet and help your child finish the sentence with what they saw on your walk. Using pinchy, pinchy have your child draw and color a picture of what they saw on your walk.

Thursday, August 27

▸ Calendar Video

▸ Activity 1 – Beginning Writing

PRINT: First Writing – Dog to Doghouse

▸ Activity #2 – Fine Motor Practice

Practice those fine motor skills! Find a fun, creative way to practice fine motor skills at home. Below are some ideas:

Roll PlayDoh into “worms” and cut into small pieces
Use a clothespin or chop sticks to pinch pompoms and move them from one bowl to another
Punch holes in a piece of paper and practice lacing yarn through the holes
Cut coupons with Mom
Hide small objects in a bowl of rice and have your child dig through for them (challenge: ask your child to tell you what sound each object begins with)

▸ Activity #3 – Letter Scavenger Hunt

Have your child go on their own “scavenger hunt” around the house and find 3-5 objects that begin with the same first letter as their name. Ask them to tell you the object and what letter it starts with. Help them make the connection that it is the same first letter as their name!

▸Bonus Activity – Letter Search and Find

Print out the Letter Search Page and have your child find the letter that begins their name. They can circle it, stamp it, or place a sticker on it. If this is too easy, have them find all the letters in their name! Remind them that these letters are playing hide and seek and are not in ABC order.

Have a Great Week!

August 18-20, 2020

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year!

We are so glad you are here with your preschooler to learn today. Our format will look a little bit different these first two weeks as this is the time when we are focusing on key foundations that we will build on throughout the school year. While, to us adults, these activities may seem repetitive and over-simplified, we believe the stronger their foundations the more successful their school year will be.

First, let’s get started by printing all the materials your child will need for this week’s lessons. Every week, look for the green button below to download and print the materials.

Once you’ve got everything printed, let’s get started!

Tuesday, August 18

▸ Calendar Video

▸ Pencil Grip Training

▸ Morning Work
For the next 2 weeks we will be focusing on good pencil grip. For Morning Work, your child will be asked to complete a coloring page. (Be sure to watch the pencil grip video each day and remind your student even when coloring we use correct grip, “Pinchy,pinchy”). As they color encourage them to:

Stay as close to in the lines as they can (verses scribbling all over the page)
Use more than one color
Fill in the white spaces

You child may not have all these yet, that’s ok! We will work a lot on hand strength and fine motor skills this year, and we will practice coloring all year long!

▸ Activity #1 – Hand Washing

After the video, pour a small amount of olive oil on your child’s hands, and have them wipe it all over! Then sprinkle a small amount of cinnamon on the oiled hands. Have your child wash their hands (try not to give them much guidance the first time).

After your child has washed, look at his/her hands together. How did they do? If they did great, point out the things they did that made them successful. If they missed some, ask them leading questions to help them think of what they could have done better.

Did you use soap?

Was the water warm?

Did you rub all over front and back and in between?

Did you sing the song Ms. Heidi taught you in the video?

Celebrate once your hands are all clean, and talk with your child about making this type of handwashing the new normal. You can print the Handwashing Song and post it by a sink or in the bathroom!

▸ Activity #2 – Wash Before…
Print out the “Wash Before” Worksheet.

We are talking all about germs and good hand washing this month. Begin by talking about the pictures your child sees. Then ask your child, what the child in the picture should do first (we are trying to get the students to see that they should wash their hands before they go to school, eat, or return to their desk after they cough or sneeze).

Once you’ve discussed what each child should do, have your child draw a line to the thing the child should do first (remembering to use your pinchy, pinchy pencil grip)! Talk about other times that it is good to wash your hands!

▸ Activity #3 – Backpack Mosaic

Now it’s your turn to cut. Print out the picture of the backpack and have your child cut small squares out of construction paper. We often start out by giving students a strip of paper so they only have to make one ‘chop’; with their scissors and they have a square. When you are done cutting the squares, have your child glue the squares inside the backpack.

Wednesday, August 19

▸ Calendar Video

▸ Morning Work
Color a back to school coloring page focusing on good pencil grip and good coloring mechanics.

▸ Activity #1- Water Bottle Mosaic

Rewatch and/or review the “Scissor Safety Video”

Now it’s your turn to cut. Print out the picture of the water bottle and have your child cut small squares out of construction paper. We often start out by giving students a strip of paper so they only have to make one ‘chop’; with their scissors and they have a square. When you are done cutting the squares, have your child glue the squares inside the water bottle.

▸ Activity #2 – Eat the Rainbow

Rewatch and/or review the “Pencil Grip Video”

Part of our health and hygiene unit is to talk about eating foods that are good for us. Talk about how we want to eat fruits and vegetables that are all different colors because they all have different vitamins and minerals that we need. Eating good food is one way we can stay healthy. Color the fruits and vegetables different colors, if your child doesn’t not know all of their colors use this opportunity to have them identify specific colors. For example, “color the carrots and pumpkin orange.”

▸ Activity #3 – Hand Washing Song
Review the hand washing song from yesterday’s video. Sing it together a few times. Ask your child if they washed his/her hands today without being reminded.

Thursday, August 20

▸ Calendar Video

▸ Morning Work
Color a back to school coloring page focusing on good pencil grip and good coloring mechanics.

▸ Activity #1 –The Wheels on the Bus
Rewatch and/or review the “Scissor Safety Video”

Now it’s your turn to cut. Print out the picture of the school bus and have your child cut small squares out of construction paper, yellow if you have it. We often start out by giving students a strip of paper so they only have to make one ‘chop’; with their scissors and they have a square.

When you are done cutting the squares, have your child glue the squares inside the school bus. This is a great time to sing the song, “The Wheels on the Bus!”

▸ Activity #2- Rhyming Book
Find a good rhyming book at home or the library and take some time to read. Be sure to discuss these important parts of all books:

Title – The name of the story
Author – The person who writes the words
Illustrator – The person who draws the pictures