Phoneme: /h/
Transition Song: H-E-A-R-T by the Kiboomers
Materials: 6 potatoes
Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: hot, potato, He/She, same/different, Who-questions, I do/I don’t, “me”, move, hand, in front/behind, my turn, go/stop, plural
-s, present progressing -ing, my turn, fast/slow
This week Miss Carrie brought potatoes into the classroom. They weren't cooked and they weren't hot. There were sweet potatoes and white potatoes. She taught us a game called Hot Potato. We had to pretend the potatoes were hot. We practiced saying:
Hot potato, hot potato, hot-hot-hot!
Miss Carrie asked everyone to sit in a circle. We practiced passing potatoes around the circle. (Note to parents: In occupational therapy this is called crossing midline. It's an important skill.) We had to constantly be looking to see our friends passing us the potatoes. We chanted "Hot potato, hot potato, hot-hot-hot!". When Miss Carrie called out "STOP!", if we had a potato, we held it. Miss Carrie would call out "Who has a potato?" If we had one, we held it up and said "I do!". Then Miss Carrie asked "Who doesn't have a potato?" If our hands were empty, we held them both up and shook them while saying "I don't!" We practiced over and over so everyone had a chance to hold a potato. We passed in front of us and we passed behind us. We passed left and right and sometimes both ways. Learning negation (I do/I don't) is a step beyond yes/no. We were laughing whether or not we ended up with the potato. We problem solved when we thought our friends were not passing the potato and trying to hold onto it.
DO THIS AT HOME: play games! Practice I do/I don't phrases, My turn/Your turn phrases, problem solve, and celebrate who has a good turn. Narrate what is happening throughout the game. Look for games where you sit and face each other and communicate back and forth. Rolling a a ball between you, a water fight, blowing bubbles, board game, passing items. It is a great way to spend time with your child.
