Wednesday, November 28, 2012


Kid’s Corner

{Week 5: Cooking}

Theme: Thanksgiving           Color of the Month: Brown

Note: Please visit the link Kid’s Corner to learn how easy it is to complete our lessons with your child! Our Kid’s Corner lessons are guaranteed to have you and your child learning together, growing together, and having fun together.  Enjoy!

Daily Opener:  

  1. Prayer {Say a prayer with your child}
  2. Calendar {Click on the link to learn how to use the calendar}.
  3. ABC / 123 Song {Sing the ABC’s with your child & sing numbers 1-10 with your child}.

Activity : Turkey Sandwich {Lesson by Briana} 
Note: The Dubien's blog is a great family blog filled with creative ideas...check it out when you get a chance!

Description:  Children will create a turkey-shaped sandwich.


Materials:
  • Bread
  • 1 Carrot
  • 2 raisins
  • Apples {Red, yellowish, green}.
  • Your child’s favorite sandwich filling
  • {Makes one sandwich}

Directions:
  1. Prep the ingredients for your child: Slice the apples with skin on.  Cut the bread and fillings into a circle.  Cut a small triangle out of a carrot for the turkey beak.  Cut the carrot into two vertical strips to make the turkey legs.
  2. Lay out all ingredients for your child.  Count all of the ingredients.  Discuss each ingredient.
  3. Have your child create a turkey sandwich by arranging the ingredients on the plate to make a turkey shaped:  Make the Turkey body with the sandwich, then add the apple slices above the circle to make the feathers.  Next, add the raisins to the sandwich to make the eyes.  Then, add the triangle carrot to the sandwich to make the turkey’s beak.  Add the carrot pieces to the bottom of the sandwich to make the turkey legs.  When your child is finished, dig-in and enjoy!

Learning Opportunity: Rhyming
  1. Your child will learn the names of the ingredients, and can practice counting the ingredients.
  2. Your child will learn how to be independent and confident thinkers while they create their turkey sandwich.

Read Aloud:

       Turkey’s All Around                                
Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Turkeys, turkeys all around,
On the fence, and on the ground,

On the Haystack, on the chair,
All around, everywhere,

Turkeys, turkeys all around,
Gobble, gobble what a sound!

   {By: Jean Warren from  http://www.preschoolexpress.com/ }          

Daily Craft: Activity Jar {Click on the link to learn about using the activity jar}

Congratulations: You and your child finished the lesson for the day! What did you thinkg about the lesson today, and what did your child learn?  We’d love to hear your thoughts!           

*Stallone Tested and Approved: {We are so lucky to have Stallone, Annie’s son, test out all of our lessons that we create for you.  We want the lessons to be enjoyable for children, so after each lesson we will post how Stallone did with the lesson in italics under the title, Stallone Tested and Approved}:

Stallone really enjoyed making his sandwich.  He had a lot of fun arranging the apples and counting them at the same time.  He said the turkey was "yummy!"



Monday, October 22, 2012


Kid’s Corner

{Week 3: Phonics}

                         Activity: Letter G is for Grapes
       
                                                                  Lesson by Annie


Theme: Halloween      Color: Black

Please visit the link Kid’s Corner to learn how easy it is to complete our lessons with your child!

Daily Opener:  
1.             Prayer {Say a prayer with your child}
2.            Calendar {Click on the link to learn how to use the calendar}.
3.      ABC / 123 Song {Sing the ABC’s with your child & sing numbers 1-10 with your child}. 

Description: Your child will learn the letter G while completing a creative activity.

Materials:
  • Purple and Green Construction Paper
  • White Piece of paper
  • Paper Plate
  • Scissors
  • Glue
Directions:
1.   Trace and cut out a large upper case “G” out of the paper plate. Cut out different sizes of circles using the purple construction paper and two medium-sized leafs out of the green construction paper {make sure you have enough circles to cover the entire “G”}.
2.  Explain to your child that they will be making a cluster of grapes today and grapes starts with the letter “G.” Have your child glue the purple circles all over the letter “G,” and lastly glue the two leaves at the top of the letter.
3.  Grape facts to share with your child:
  • Grapes come in many colors from deep purple to bright green.
  • Grapes are tart yet sweet and always juicy!
  • Grapes grow on vines in a cluster.
  • Grapes are grown July– September
  • Grapes are full of Vitamin K and Vitamin C.

4.   Cut out a “word strip” and write the phrase: G is for Grapes, attach to the bottom of the cluster of grapes.
5.   Have your child trace the letter “G” with their index finger, and practice saying the sound that the letter G makes.

Learning Opportunity: 
1.             Your child will learn the letter G and its phonemic sound.
2.            Your child will learn about grape facts.
3.            Your child will have gained confidence while completing this activity.

Read Aloud: 
Annie’s Book Recommendation:
Title: go, go Grapes!
By: April Pulley Sayre



Daily Craft: Activity Jar {Click on the link to learn about using the activity jar}

Stallone Tested & Approved: TBA

Grape Facts found at:

Wednesday, October 17, 2012


Kid’s Corner

{Week 2: Music}

                         Activity: Itsy Bitsy Spider
       
                                                       Lesson by Briana


Theme: Halloween      Color: Black

Please visit the link Kid’s Corner to learn how easy it is to complete our lessons with your child!

Daily Opener:  
1.             Prayer {Say a prayer with your child}
2.            Calendar {Click on the link to learn how to use the calendar}.
3.      ABC / 123 Song {Sing the ABC’s with your child & sing numbers 1-10 with your child}. 

Description: Your child will learn the legendary song “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” while learning the hand movements to this fun and enjoyable tune.

Materials:
  • Your Enthusiasm and Voice
Directions:
      1.   Sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider and use your hands to make the spider movement:

The itsy bitsy spider
Went up the water spout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again

2. Sing again, and have child copy your hand movements.

Learning Opportunity: 
1.             Your child will learn new words with the song.
2.            Your child will learn movement by practicing the song.
3.            Your child will have gained confidence while completing this activity.

Read Aloud: 
Trustworthy Poem

I am trustworthy yes I am
I tell the truth, every chance I can
I am trustworthy, yes I am
I follow the rules, every chance I can
I am trustworthy, yes I am
I do what I say I do, every chance I can.


Daily Craft: Activity Jar {Click on the link to learn about using the activity jar}

Stallone Tested & Approved: Who doesn’t love singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider? What a great song to teach your little one, if you have not already done so! It fits so well with our “Halloween” themed month, and doing the hand movements makes the song that much better! Have fun teaching your little a “preschool classic!”



Monday, October 15, 2012


Kid’s Corner

{Week 2: Self Esteem}

                         Activity: Pumpkin Finger Paint
       
                                      Lesson by Briana


Theme: Halloween      Color: Black

Please visit the link Kid’s Corner to learn how easy it is to complete our lessons with your child!

Daily Opener:  
1.             Prayer {Say a prayer with your child}
2.            Calendar {Click on the link to learn how to use the calendar}.
3.      ABC / 123 Song {Sing the ABC’s with your child & sing numbers 1-10 with your child}. 

Description: Your child will gain self esteem with the help of an adult’s encouraging words while completing this activity.

Materials:
  • 2 White pieces of Construction Paper
  • Orange, Black, & Brown Paint
  • Paper Plate
  • Sharpie

Directions:
1.   Place each color of paint on paper plates, place on table.
2.  Using a sharpie, draw a large circle and a stem on each of the white pieces of paper.
3.  Mold to your child how to use their thumb to finger paint and create a pumpkin: Dip your finger in the orange paint and begin painting the body of the pumpkin. Use the brown paint and finally use the black paint for the face.
4.  While child is painting use encouraging words to build self esteem like, “You’re doing a great job” “Fantasic!”
5.  When they are finished praise them and place their painting where the whole family can see it!

Learning Opportunity: 
1.             Your child will learn how finger paint a pumpkin.
2.            Your child will practice using three different Fall colors to create a Halloween masterpiece!
3.            Your child will have gained confidence while completing this activity.

Read Aloud: 
Ten Little Fingers

I have ten little fingers
And they all belong to me
I can make them do things, would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight.
I can open them up wide.
I can put them together
And I can make them all hide.
I can put them up high
I can put them down low
I can fold them together
And hold them just so
{Give your child’s hand’s a kiss
and tell them you love them}

http:ref.org/kids/leadingtoread/en/babiestoddlers/fingerplays/tenlittlefingers.htlm 

Daily Craft: Activity Jar {Click on the link to learn about using the activity jar}


Stallone Tested & Approved: This is a fun activity if your child likes to finger paint~and loves the spooky holiday of Halloween! The pictures you see were taken one year ago, boy has my son changed in so many ways! Creative Minds has been a blessing to us and to him, he has become such a bright young child!


Stallone's finished piece one year ago {Oct. 2011}


Materials Needed


He was so little!








Wednesday, October 10, 2012


Kid’s Corner

{Week 2: Language}

                                    Activity: Bat Talk
       
              
                                                                         Lesson by Briana


Theme: Halloween      Color: Black

Please visit the link Kid’s Corner to learn how easy it is to complete our lessons with your child!

Daily Opener:  
1.             Prayer {Say a prayer with your child}
2.            Calendar {Click on the link to learn how to use the calendar}.
3.      ABC / 123 Song {Sing the ABC’s with your child & sing numbers 1-10 with your child}. 

Description: Your child will practice saying and spelling the Halloween word “Bat,” while completing a creative activity.

Materials:
  • 3 Plastic or Stirofoam Cups
  • Sharpie
  • Construction Paper
  • Drawing or a Photo of a Bat
Directions:
1.   Place 3 plastic cups on a table, write one letter on each cup to spell the word BAT.
2.  Cut out 15 squares of various shapes and sizes. On 5 squares write the letter B {using upper and lower case letters}. Repeat for A and T.
3.   Place all the squares on the table in front of the BAT cups. Be sure to mix them up.
4.   Have your child find each letter and place it in the cup.
5.  Ask your child how to spell BAT? Have your child point to the BAT picture and ask them questions about what they see {example: The bat is black, it has two wings..}.

Learning Opportunity: 
1.             Your child will learn the word BAT.
2.            Your child will practice saying, spelling, and learn facts about a bat.
3.            Your child will have gained confidence in the alphabet while completing this activity.

Read Aloud: 
Bats

Bats have shiny leather wings.
Bats do many clever things.
Bats doze upside down by day.
Bats come out at night to play.
Bats aerobatic in the sky.
Bats catch each bug they spy.


Daily Craft: Activity Jar {Click on the link to learn about using the activity jar}

Stallone Tested & Approved: We did this activity a year ago, and boy what a year does. It was simple for Stallone, he was able to sort the letters right away. He had a little problem thinking the lower case "a" was a "p," but other than that easy! I had him name the shapes that the letters were written on as well..great activity!


"A goes in here!"



Materials Needed

Letters and Cups all ready to go.

Loves Sorting