November Week 1: Food or Not Food?

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts:  familiar and unfamiliar food items (pizza apples, carrots, tomatoes, doughnuts, spaghetti, legos, markers, glue, toy people, cars, Potato Head feet, stacker rings), not, like/don't like, food/not food.

Transition Song: Gobble Gobble by Nooshi

Note:  We're only singing the first verse and much more slowly than this is sung.  We're also beating a pattern of knees-clap-knees-clap while we sing.  We show the foods that may be typical at Thanksgiving and talk about them.  I emphasize "If I don't know if I like it or I think I won't like it, I still try a tiny bit.  Just in case I changed my mind."

This week, Miss Carrie brought box full of toy food and toys.  We took turns pulling it out of the box with our eyes closed.  We talked about what it was and if it was food or not food.

If it was food: do we like it or don't like it?  It is okay if my friends don't like something but I do like it.  Everyone loved french fries and watermelon.  Some people didn't like eggs.  Some people liked pizza.  We learned that spaghetti could also be called noodles or pasta.  We still don't put pretend food in our mouths.  We hold it away from our mouths and pretend to eat it.

If it wasn't food, we discussed if we could still put it in our mouths.  NOOOOO! Miss Jeana and Miss Kazia would have to wash it and they do not want to wash any more toys.

DO THIS AT HOME:  talk about the foods at dinner and if you like it or don't like it.  Do you want to try a little bit to see if you changed your mind?  That's what Miss Carrie does.  She keeps trying peanut butter or peas to see if she changed her mind. (No, she hasn't changed her mind yet.)

 

November Week 1: FOOD!

phoneme: /t/

Transition Song:  Gobble Gobble (The Thanksgiving Song) by Nooshi

We're learning this song without the music first so we can take it slower than the recording.  Also, we are only learning the first two verses.  This is a song that will get stuck in your head!

Materials: pictures of foods and classroom items, laminated letter T, pictures of turkey, pilgrim, and traditional Thanksgiving foods.

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts: familiar and unfamiliar food items (pizza, apples, carrots, tomatoes, doughnuts, spaghetti, play dough, blocks, crayons, paint, not, like/don’t like, food/not food.

Pre-literacy:  Let's draw the letter T.  "Draw top to bottom.  Now back to the top.  Draw left to right and then we stop."  Let's make the sound /t,t,t,t,t,t,t/.  Who has a /t/ sound in their name? What else has the /t/ sound?  Top, bottom, left, right, time, table.

This month we are talking about about food and Thanksgiving.  Miss Carrie brought out a lot of pictures of foods and items around the classroom (paint, playdough, crayons, blocks) and things from outside (rocks).  We talked with our teachers and friends and Miss Carrie about the pictures.  Was the picture was food or not food?  Do you like it?  Miss Carrie likes tomatoes, broccoli, peaches, spaghetti, and fries.  Miss Carrie does not like peas.  What happens if we put Miss Jen's or Miss Jeana's blocks or crayons or playdough in our mouths?  We would have to wash the blocks.  We would have to throw away the playdough.

DO THIS AT HOME:  Talk about the foods you are eating at mealtimes together.  Do you like it?  What foods do you not like?

Miss Jen is signing 'milk'.

Other things that happened in the classroom:

We're signing a cast!

November Week 3: Thanksgiving

Since we are in the classroom 2 days this week, we're just reviewing favorite songs and dancing with scarves.  We're also What (What do you like to eat?) and Who (Who are you going to see at Thanksgiving) all day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November Week 2: Yummy Yucky

Phoneme: /t/

Transition Song: What Does The Turkey Say (Gobble, Gobble) by Nooshi

Materials:  Laminated Letter T, binder with pictures for What Does The Turkey Say song.  Book Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli.

Vocabulary and Basic Concepts:  top/bottom, left/right, yummy/yucky, food/not food.

We're learning a song about Thanksgiving and the food we might eat.  We talked about stuffing, pumpkin pie, rolls, and mashed potatoes.  Do you eat these foods?  What do you eat at home.  We talked about favorite foods.  Some of us like mashed potatoes and pizza.  Some like curry and rice.  Some of us like tacos.  Some of us like peanut butter sandwiches (but not Miss Carrie, she HATES peanut butter.  Miss Carrie loves to eat sushi). We're also talking about family and who we might see during Thanksgiving this year.  Miss Carrie is having dinner with her side of the family.  Grandmas, moms and dads, aunts and uncles, and cousins. We looked at a picture of Miss Carrie's family.  Her dog was in the picture, too!

Pre-Literacy:  Let's draw the letter T.  

"Draw top to bottom.  Now back to the top.  Draw left to right and then we stop."

Make the /t/ sound.  Who has a name with that sound?  What other words have that sound?  turkey, toes, tickle, little, top, bottom.

Activity:  This week we are reading the book Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli.  This is one of my favorite books because it covers a lot of items.  Last week (I was there Monday before I had to stay home sick), we were discussing what is food (corn, grapes, spaghetti, potatoes, chips, soup, french fries) and  not food (playground covering, toys, paper, glue, marbles).  This week we ready about the baby who keeps eating things that are yummy (cookies, chocolate sauce, ice cream, soup, sandwiches) and things that are yucky (worms, sand, mud pies, boogers - oh yes, we went there!)  This was a great opportunity to talk about what we liked to eat and what we shouldn't eat.  

DO THIS AT HOME:  talk about what is good to eat, what you like to eat, and what you do not like to eat. Talk about what you like to eat on special occasions.  What foods are traditional for your family celebrations?  This is a great way to get the entire family talking together, especially around the dinner table.

And some pictures of what happened in class.  I'm sorry I wasn't able to get all of the classes this week.  I've been making up the treatment time I missed when I was sick.

Miss Jeana's classroom is discussing the book Rosie's Walk this week.

They also learned the vocabulary words "flip" and "turn" and they discussed ways to manipulate objects and look at them from a different angle.

One of our birthday kids brought Birthday Oreos to share for snack time in Miss Jeana's classroom.

Miss Jen's class has been learning all about the concept of under and they hid under the box with flashlights and then popped out.  The kids loved this and requested it over and over while Miss Jen sang "Who is under the box".

November Week 4: Thanksgiving Foods

Large  Group Activity

Date:  November Week 4

Title:  Thanksgiving

Phoneme: /t/

Pre-Literacy:  Trace the Letter T.  “Top to Bottom.  Now Back to the Top.  Left to Right and now we STOP.”  Talk about words that have the /t/ sound.  Tongue, Teeth, Toes, Turkey, Tomato. Tickle, Two. Does anyone have a name with the /t/ sound?

Materials required:  Laminated Letter T, Gobble Gobble picture binder

Book:  Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli

Concepts:  What is food and what is not food.  What is good to eat.  Trying new foods

Transition activity:  Song:  Gobble Gobble (What Does The Turkey Say) by Nooshi.

Discussion:  Thanksgiving is a time where we eat a special meal.

Let’s talk about what is yummy and what we shouldn’t eat.  We're reading the book Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli and talking about what is good to eat and what we shouldn't eat.  Then we will segue to Thanksgiving foods and find out what the children like to eat and what they don't like.  Thumbs up if you like the food - thumbs down if you don't.  Guess what? Miss Heather doesn't like potatoes of any kind (she gave a thumbs down)!  Miss Suzanne likes sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top (thumbs up!).  Miss Carrie doesn't like marshmallows on her sweet potatoes (thumbs down!)

We looked at pictures of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing/dressing, cranberry sauce, grapes, hot rolls, sweet potatoes, green beans with almonds, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and a plate loaded with all of these foods for Thanksgiving.

Ask the children what they are excited to eat at Thanksgiving.