February Week 3: H-H-H

Transition Song: H-E-A-R-T by the Kiboomers

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: Who/What/Where questions, big/little, labeling, describing words, have, yes/no, Heart, house, hippo, horse, hand, horseshoe crab, helicopter, honey, hamburger, hotdog, harmonica, hair, hammer, hat, hammock, hanger, helmet, Humpty Dumpty.

This week Miss Carrie taped pictures all around the room.  All the pictures started with the /h/ sound.  We practiced on our hands so we could feel the air moving out of our mouths.  /h-h-h/. We were going on a hunt for /h/ pictures!

Everyone pretended to hold binoculars to their face and said this: "Binoculars up! I have a picture and it starts with /h/."  Then we found the pictures around the room.  What is it?  Where have I seen it before?  Who has one at their house?  Do you like it or don't like it?  Is it big or little?  If there was time, Miss Carrie gave us pictures to match with the pictures we were hunting.

We knew most of the words but we didn't know horseshoe crab or harmonica. Miss Carrie showed us a video of horseshoe crabs.  She really likes horseshoe crabs.

Then Miss Carrie showed us a video of a 6 year old kid playing the harmonica.  We noticed that he was blowing so his cheeks puffed out.  We noticed that sometimes he moved his hand to make the sound different.

DO THIS AT HOME:  Go on a hunt for pictures and objects around your house, around the park, around the store, or where ever your are. Pick a sound. What can you find?  Talk about the picture/object.  Ask What/Where/Who questions, describe it (big, yellow, small, bumpy, soft), Do you like it/don't like it. Make sure you repeat the sound over and over during play to reinforce it. Picking the first sound in your family names is a good place to start.

February Week 2: 'H' Hunt

phoneme: /h/

Transition song: H-E-A-R-T by the Kiboomers.  (Note: we clap and sing all the letters every verse and sing the verse 4 times.  The children have had fun trying to make 'hearts' with their fingers.

Materials:  Laminated letter H, laminated pictures of /h/ words, some physical items (hats, toy horse, toy hippo, beanbag with letter H on it)

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: Who/What/Where questions, big/little, labeling, describing words, have, yes/no, Heart, house, hippo, horse, hand, horseshoe crab, helicopter, honey, hamburger, hotdog, harmonica, hair, hammer, hat, hammock, hanger, helmet, Humpty Dumpty.

Pre-Literacy:  Draw the Letter H. (see last week for directions)

This week we went on a hunt for /h/ sounds.  We practiced clapping and saying "I have a picture and it starts with /h/."  When we said the /h/ sound, we held our hands up in front of our mouths so we could feel our breath.  Once we had the phrase down, we got up in groups and went hunting around the room.  Every time we found a new picture we clapped and said "I have a picture and it starts with /h/."  Then we talked about What is it?  Where can we find it?  Who has one at their house, or likes it, or has seen it out in the community.  For the children who needed something more concrete, we had items like hats, toy horses, toy hippo, and a honey jar that they could hold and compare.

DO THIS AT HOME:  Draw a large capital letter on a piece of paper.  Practice the sound together.  Then go on a hunt around your home or neighborhood and look for items that have that sound.  This is also a great activity to do at the grocery store, when you have such a captive audience.

October Week 4: Out In the Jungle

Phoneme: /g/

Transition Song: Five Little Ghosts

Materials: pictures of different animals/birds/bugs with /g/ in their name.

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: jungle, animals, birds, bugs, loud/quiet, gopher, grasshopper, seagull, eagle, penguin, dog, goat, goldfish, gecko, glow worm, gazelle, grouse, earwig, grison, sea slug, wart hog, gorilla, pig, frog, flamingo, I like/don’t like, Where questions, What questions.

Pre-Literacy: we skipped drawing the letter G this week in order to have enough time for the main activity.

This week in Large Group, Miss Carrie introduced a new game called Out In The Jungle.  It's based off one of her favorite songs called Safari Song from Preschool Of Rock - Everything Makes A Sound.  Miss Carrie adapted it to the large group goals.

Miss Carrie put up pictures around the room of animals we knew and animals we did not know.

Clockwise from top left: grouse, dog, frog, gazelle, earwig, gorilla

clockwise from top left: eagle, goat, pig, flamingo, penguin, sea slugs

clockwise from top: wart hog, seagull, gold fish, grasshopper, glow worm.  Missing: grison, gecko, gopher. 

 First, Miss Carrie would call out "Binoculars UP!"  Everyone help up their hands to pretend they were looking through binoculars.  Then we would chant:

Out in the jungle,
what did I see?
(then everyone drummed on their legs while chanting)

 I....Saw...A....

Then Miss Carrie would call out a classmate's name.  That person would point to an animal and name it.  Everyone came to look.  Miss Carrie would ask What is it?  Where does it live?  What does it move like?  What does it sound like?  Every took turns naming the animal/bird/bug.  We looked at the animal to determine what it moved like : fins to swim, four legs, two legs, wings, no legs?  We tried to figure out what the animal/bird/bug sounded like.  We talked about if the animal/bird/bug lived on a farm, in the jungle, in the water, in the air, underground, or in caves.

Last was the fun part: WE ACTED LIKE THE ANIMAL!  Everyone, even the teachers!  We crawled, hopped, flew, walked on four legs, slithered, and swam.  We barked, grunted, chirped, oinked, blurped (apparently that is what goldfish do according to preschoolers in the know), and chittered.  We balanced on one leg like flamingos.  At the end, Miss Carrie had a turn and said "I....Saw....A....HUMAN!"  Wait.  What is a human?  Hmmm.  Every class figured out that we are all humans so we walked like humans back to the rug.

DO THIS AT HOME:  Use a book of animals and take turn pretending to be the animals. Get on the ground with your child and follow their lead.  Where do they live?  What do they sound like?  What do they move like?  Go to the library and find more books about animals and where they live.  Go see live animals if you are near them.  If you have a favorite animal do some research together to learn more about that animal.

Look at what else happened this week:

February Week 4: Out in the Jungle, What Do You HEAR?

phoneme: /h/

Transition Song: H-E-A-R-T by the Kiboomers.

Materials: Laminated Letter H.  Soundtouch and Soundtouch2 Apps.

Vocabulary and basic Concepts:  Hear, quiet/loud, high/low, jump, crawl, slither, animal sounds, What questions, Where questions.

Pre-literacy:  This was our last time for the letter H.  We are now able to find them around the room and think up words with the /h/ sound.

Activity:  We LOVE playing Out In The Jungle based on the Safari Song from Preschool of Rock - Everything Makes A Sound. Miss Carrie used her SoundTouch App and changed the words of the song:

Binoculars up!
Out in the jungle
What do I HEAR?
I....hear....a....


Then Miss Carrie played an animal sound.  We would guess the sound and then figure out to move and sound like the animal.  WHERE does the animal live? (farm, jungle, zoo, mountains, ocean).  WHAT does the animal sound like?  WHAT does the animal look like?  We discussed if the animal had legs, wings, or fins.  It was so much fun to move like monkeys, snakes, pigs, dogs, cats, lions, elephants, seals, zebras, dolphins, peacocks, owls, and bats. We jumped, walked, crawled, slithered, flew, and tried to hang upside down.

DO THIS AT HOME.  Get down on the floor with your child.  Let them pick the animal.  (if your child is nonverbal or needs extra help, have them point to pictures of animals they want to choose).  then everyone pretends to be that animal.  Follow your child's lead and do what they do. Visit the zoo or local farm and talk about the animals you see.  Check out library books about different animals to read together.

February Week 3: Heart, Happy, Horse....Harmonica?

phoneme: /h/

Transition Song: H-E-A-R-T by the Kiboomers

Materials: Laminated Letter H, pictures of /h/ words.

Vocabulary and basic concepts: hunt, hat, honey, heart, hippo, hair, hotdog, hug, horse, harmonica, hanger, fish hooks, hands, hammer, happy, Halloween, hummingbird, Humpty Dumpty, hero, house, horn, helicopter, hamburger, hide, Mr. Potato Head, What questions, Who questions, Where questions, First, Next, Last, prepositions.

Pre-literacy: This week we handed out our letter H and the children took over telling the teachers about it.  They thought up of /h/ words, talked about how to draw the letter H using first, next, and last. We put the letters behind us, in front of us, on top of us, and under our knees.

This week Miss Carrie taped 24 /h/ word pictures around the room.  First we went on a hunt to find the words.  Everyone brought back two or three words.  Miss Carrie taught us a new phrase.  We pat our knees and clapped in a pattern while we said it.  Pat-clap-pat-clap-pat-clap.

I have a picture

and it starts with /h-h-h-h-/.

When we said /h/, we blew into our hands so we could feel our breath as we said it.

Then each friend held up a picture and told the class what it was.  Miss Carrie asked us what it was, who had one or had seen one before, and where could we find it (home, outside, park, etc).  Then we put the picture on the wall.  We said the phrase again while we pat-clap-pat-clap and the next friend would get to tell us about their picture.  Some of us had not seen a hummingbird before.  Miss Jen held one before and had a picture to show us.  

No one knew what a harmonica was so Miss Carrie showed a video of someone playing a harmonica.  

We talked about dressing up like a super hero, if we had ridden a horse before, who had a hat at their house or in their backpack, and who saw the hippos  at the zoo.  We had a lot of exposure to practicing our /h/ sound as well as new vocabulary words.

DO THIS AT HOME: Look around for things at home or during errands that have the /h/ sound. practice the /h/ sound by holding your hand in front of your mouth as you exaggerate the sound so you can feel your breath.  Practice the sound in front of the bathroom mirror and let your breath fog up the mirror.

February Week 2: HEAR the popcorn. Watch it POP!

phoneme/h/

Transition Song: H-E-A-R-T by the Kiboomers.

Materials: Laminated Letter H.

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: quiet/loud, up/down, across, pop, hear, pour, sprinkle, put on, turn, sizzle, jump, stop

Pre-literacy: week looked at the letter H and talked about up/down and across.  What words have the /h/ sound? Hear, head, hair, hands, house, hot, hop, hide.

The Popcorn Game: We played a preschool version of this game.  I simplified the vocabulary from the original.  First let's look at the original:

We simplified the words a bit so our children would be able to verbalize as many of the words as possible  Two people crouch down in the middle to pretend to be popcorn. Start it out very soft.

Pour on the oil. (the children that make up the circle pretend to pour oil)

Sprinkle in the popcorn. (everyone sprinkles the popcorn)

Put on the lid. (mimic putting on the lid)

Turn up the heat. (mimic turning up the heat)

(now everyone rubs their hands together.....)

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle

sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle

Sizzle, Sizzle, SIZZLE, SIZZLE

POP! (clap hands for the remainder)

Hear the popcorn, watch it pop.

Hear the popcorn, watch it pop.

Hear the popcorn, watch it pop.

Hear the popcorn, watch it pop.

POP, POP, POP, POP

NOW WE STOP!

Now here are two examples of how we do it in preschool:

Play the Popcorn Game at home.  When children know the next words coming, they can focus less on what they are going to say and more on articulation.  Having actions allows even our nonverbal children the ability to get in on the fun. Plus, jumping is hilarious, especially if grownups are jumping, too!

Other things that happened in school this week:

Technically this was last week, but I forgot to post it.  The children and I made a LOOOONG chain during Work Time.  Then the kids wanted to measure it against other things to see which was longer.  We measured tables, we measured the space between our door and the next hallway, we measured lunch tables.  I bombarded long/longer and short/shorter throughout the activity.

Miss Jeana's classroom has been reading Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann.  This time they were looking for something they didn't see before.  They especially loved looking for the mouse with the banana or the floating balloon on every page.

Miss Jen's classes have been reading Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony.  Miss Jen then brought doughnuts for Snack Time and the children practiced using KIND words to ask for doughnuts. 

December Week 2: Singing in The Soup Opera

phoneme: /s/

Materials: Laminated letter S, props for The Soup Opera

Concepts and Vocabulary: What-questions, loud/soft, big/little, opera, sing, waiter, menu, chef, ladle, policeman (or policewoman), badge, mayor, pen, President of the United States, prop, costume, applause, curtain

Transition Song: Must Be Santa.  This time, we're singing it without the build-a-Santa prop.  We're practicing to go caroling next week. See November Week 4 for the link to this song.

This week we're all about singing The Soup Opera by Jim Gill.  This is a book you can find in your local library with a CD.  But Jim Gill also has it on Vimeo.  It has the soundtrack and the book pages. Or you can see it performed live with audience volunteers, an orchestra, and two opera singers on this video:

Back to our preschool performances.  First we read the book and learned the lines we needed to sing.  Then we dispersed around the preschool room to find costumes and props in order to look like our characters.  What does a waiter need?  What does a chef need?  What is a mayor?  Some of us chose puppets that looked like our characters.  Some of us found costumes and props.  Everyone came back to the rug and we performed it again. We talked about how on a stage there is a big curtain that goes up and down.  We talked about clapping and learned the word applause.  We got up to sing our parts and everyone sang if someone was shy about singing their part.  For our kids who were nonverbal, we had a button for them to push that would play a recording of everyone singing the line "I can't eat my soup!"  After the performance we applauded and shouted "Bravo!" which is what people shout when they like the opera.

DO THIS AT HOME:  Put on an opera at home.  It could be The Soup Opera practiced and performed for family members.  Or make up silly lines that you can sing repetitively during every day tasks.  Sing familiar songs.  Singing and choral recitation (where everyone says the same line such as "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!" in the book of the same name) is a great way for our kids struggling with language to work on articulation and phrase expansion when they don't have to plan what to say but can focus on how to articulate it or how to put all the words in the phrase together.  Kids who are not struggling with language get excited about the different parts and the new vocabulary.  The best part about an activity like this is that it involves families in an activity they can do together.  

When we do this again next month, the children will be directing, performing, narrating, leading the music, and even considering other characters than those mentioned in the book.  The children will be in charge.  Will the story have a different ending?  Will the music change? Wait and see.....

October Week 3: Safari (AKA I saw a GORILLA!)

phoneme: /g/

Transition Song: Five Little Ghosts from the Kiboomers

Materials:  Laminated letter G, Preschool of Rock album

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: see, look, animal sounds, gorilla, snake, lion, mosquito, stomping, choose, He/She, binoculars, safari, waiting, jungle.

Pre-Literacy: Draw the letter G.  Discuss what words have that /g/ sound.

Activity: We're having some fun with animal sounds.  This activity has a lot of looking around, pretending to find animals.  The first time we do it I use the music from Preschool Of Rock.

These African drum sounds are fun!  We're looking around and listening for the animal sounds, guessing what they are, and then pretending to make those sounds.  We're moving like gorillas, lions, snakes, and mosquitos.

Later when we approach this game again, I don't use the music.  We do it ourselves and the children pick the animals.  I've had to ask what a unicorn sounds like. Depending on the season, some kids find bats or reindeer on their safari. We ask the kids to give us just the animal sound and everyone guesses what animal makes that sound.

Do This At Home: play the game at home, or perhaps go to the zoo and learn some new animal sounds. Go to the library and check out books with a jungle or safari theme to read together and learn about new animal sounds.

Aug/Sept Week 4: Who's Behind The.......

phoneme:/b/

Transition Song:  Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy

Materials: Laminated letter B, poster of birthday cake

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts:  Who questions, behind/in front, up/down, simple pronoun - Me, birthday cake, candles, jump.

Preliteracy:  Let's look at the letter B.  I see a straight line that goes up and down.  I see two curvy lines that look like bouncing. Let's trace the letter B.  "Start at the top and draw down.  Go back to the top and bounce around." What words have that sound?  Bumble bee, ball, basket, elbow, cowboy, rub, crab.

This week we're talking about Who questions and the concept of behind.  Who is wearing red today?  who is wearing blue today?  Who is wearing shoes today? Everyone is wearing shoes today!  Miss Carrie has a big picture of a birthday cake.  We know it is a birthday cake because it has candles on top.  Miss Carrie hid behind the birthday cake.  Then we all sang and clapped the beat or tapped our knees

Who's behind the cake?
Who's behind the cake?
Who's behind the cake?
(Everyone put their hands in the air and said loudly)
Come out now!

(Miss Jen changed the final line to counting 1-2-3-4-5! because she had some children who needed that skill.)

Miss Carrie jumped up and threw her hands in the air and said "ME!  I'm behind the cake!" Everyone wanted a turn! Everyone got a turn to hide behind the cake while the class sang.  Miss Carrie would ask "Who is behind the cake!" and everyone had a chance to jump up and say "ME!"

Hiding BEHIND the birthday cake.

Jumping up to say "It's ME!"

DO THIS AT HOME:  Start asking who questions about people in the room.  Who is wearing shoes?  Who has long hair? Who is the mommy/daddy?  Who likes spaghetti (or whatever you're having for dinner)?  Look for items around the house.  Your shoes are behind the door.  Who is behind mommy/daddy?

And now, more pictures from Small Group, Work Time, and Outside Time.