February Week 3: Children, Children What Did You Hear?

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

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: What-questions, various animals, various weather, various household items, various vehicles.

App: Soundtouch I and II

This week we played a game.  Miss Carrie has apps on her iPad that make different sounds.  She played the sound and we used our listening ears to guess what the sound was.  We listened and looked at farm animals, zoo animals, insects, birds, vehicle sounds like trains and fire engines, weather like lightning/thunder or rain.  We listened to a parent kissing their baby, a person snoring, and a person sneezing.  Everyone had fun guessing.  It was very difficult to guess frogs, zebras, peacocks, and bats.

DO THIS AT HOME:  You don't need the app.  Go for a walk and use your "listening ears: (as we call them in preschool) and guess what you hear.  Do it around the house. Guess with family where everyone takes a turn providing a sound or guessing.  While driving in the car, if you hear a siren or familiar sounds, narrate what you hear to your child. "I hear a siren!  I wonder if it a police car or a fire truck?  Look around and tell me if you see it."  You might hear the train coming, horns honking, music playing.  AT home, listen to see if someone is sleeping.  What does a blender sound like?  What does water running sound like?  Opening the bag of chips?  There are a lot of sounds to try.

 

February Week 2: Going On An H Hunt

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

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: Where-questions, helicopter, heart, hot dog, hamburger, horseshoe crab, harmonica, hanger, hair, hippo, house, helmet, hat, honey, hammock, hand, hammer, Humpty Dumpty, help.

This week we went on an H hunt.  We practiced our H sound.  Miss Carrie had taped a lot of pictures that start with the H sound around the room.  She put the same pictures on the floor.  Everybody picked one picture and when to find the match.  When they found it, they came back and chose another picture to find.  If they couldn't find a picture, they could ask a friend to help them.

When we came back to the run, we talked about the pictures we knew and the pictures we didn't.  No one knew what a Horseshoe Crab was, so Miss Carrie showed this video about horseshoe crabs.

Then we discovered that most people didn't know what a harmonica was, so Miss Carrie showed us a video of a kid playing the harmonica.

DO THIS AT HOME:  Pick a letter and go on a hunt.  Take a picture of the items you are hunting for in advance.  They could all be the same sound, the same color, or another theme.  Try to keep them in the same room.  Then give your child the pictures (or your phone) and go on the hunt with them.  Follow their lead.  Talk about what you are looking for (color/shape/size) and ask a family member for help if you need it.  Talk about words that may not be familiar to your child.  This is really fun to do outside as well.

February Week 1: Hiding Phil

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

Note: we only sing the first verse, but we sing it 3 times.  The children have been practicing how to make a heart with their hands.  We talk a lot about knuckles and thumbs. 

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts:  Who questions, Where questions, under/on top, next to, behind, hide, elephant, dog, blanket, dog house, leaves, sneeze.

Miss Carrie read us one of her favorite books.  Hiding Phil by Eric Barclay.

Phil is an elephant who comes to play.  Everything is going great until the children realize that Mom and Dad might not want an elephant to come home with them.  UH-OH!  Where is Phil going to hide?  Under a lot of things.

Then we decided to hide and Miss Carrie could find us.  When she found us, she took our picture and said "I found you!"  We went back to the rug and Miss Carrie showed the pictures she took on the big screen.  She asked "Who is that?" and "Where are they hiding?"  We had so much fun doing this activity, that we asked do hide again.

DO THIS AT HOME:  grab your camera and go play hide and seek with the whole family.  Keep it limited to one or two rooms so it isn't too hard to find everyone.  Take their picture.  Look at them together and talk about WHO is in the picture and WHERE are they hiding.  Under?  Next to? Behind? In front? On top?

Where did the kids hide?