This week's theme is Order

It is so important to start teaching kids about order young, before it gets harder to teach

Start by explaining what order means and why it is so important to you, your life and your child's.

Let them hunt around the house for things that are out of order.

Praise them when they pick up and help around the house.

Have an order and rythmn to their day. Kids don't like confusion, they want to know what is next. For my kids their is a morning routine chart and an evening routine dial. The afternoons are more flexible but I try not to veer to far from routines, especially napping and eating.

Help them organize their rooms and possesions. Give toys away if they have too many. Give away outgrown clothes or store them for future children. There are two good resources below about organizing kid's rooms.

Teach them how to make their beds, clear the table, help fold laundry, and take care of pets.

Teach them how to break down a job. For example: to clean the kid's room the two of you could make the bed, pick up all the clothes, then books, then toys, then trash, then dust and vacuum.

Don't be nitpicky, they are just learning.

Remind them about taking only one set of toys out at a time.

Make a chore chart or some other chore system so your child knows exactly what is expected of him or her. Use pictures next to the words for pre-readers. You can use stickers or something as rewards if you want although I usually don't.

Before the kids go to bed, take them on a trip of all the rooms in the house so they can put all their things in a laundry basket to bring to their room to put away.

Every Sunday (or whatever day you pick) sit down as a family and discuss next weeks plans. Let your kids help plan the week. Listen to their suggestions of "long story time" and "playing games" and try to add them to your plans.

Set up a system for maintaining the kid's room, like cleaning up every night before bed or cleaning time every Tuesday and Friday. Whatever you feel is right.

Order on the Internet

Serving and Sharing

Bake cookies together for someone, like a college student

Sponser a Child

Write a letter to grandma and go to the post office together to mail it

Go through the closets together and sort through the unused clothes and toys. Pack them in a box and have your preschooler go with you to the Salvation Army or Goodwill

Brainstorm together of nice things to do for your family and do some of them

Count the money to give to the church offering

Find some good deeds that you and your child can do together

Trace hands and make friends forever sign for friend

Do a service project together, like picking up litter at a park. My son calls this our "garbage bag walk."

Write I love you notes to each other

Feed each other

Have an older preschooler help you out with the baby

Make a chore chart so kids know what their responsiblities are

Have the kids help take care of the pets

Draw pictures and art projects for far away relatives

Sing a song to Daddy

Tell the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet

Have kids clear their own place from the table

Have them help you sort and fold laundry

Serving and Sharing on the Internet

IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

Grab two jars and fill with popcorn kernals-one more than the other. Then ask child to guess which has more. Dump each jar and count them together, then discuss child's choice.

Measure things at home with the tape measure. Find which things are bigger. How many things are one inch, like an inchworm? Then measure them.

Find all the toys with wheels. (I don't know about you, but we have tons.) Count them. Notice the wheels. What shape are they? Have the kids draw wheels on paper and cut them out.

Find some traffic signs. What shapes are they? What do the signs mean? What shapes are the lights in a stop light?

Trace different size lids and the bottom of different cups. Have the kids trace in order from littlest to biggest.

Lie down on a blanket on the grass. Look up at the sky. Ask what kinds of shapes and designs the children see.

Cut out cardboard shapes. Then punch holes around the outside area with a hole puncher. Have the kids lace around the shape with a shoelace. Be sure to tell them what the shape is.

Blow bubbles. See all the circles. Besides it's fun.

Play hide the object. Have someone hide something then the other person has to guess by asking questions. Is it big? What is its shape? What color is it?

Cut out shapes from some material and have kids make a shape collage by pasting them to paper.

Colorforms with lots of shapes are also fun. Good experience in getting kids to pick up all the little pieces at the end, too.

Or cut out shapes in felt. Paste another piece of felt in a different color on the lid of a shoebox. Then kids can store the pieces in the box and put the shapes on the lid when they want to make designs. Felt sticks to felt. It is also great to take on long car rides.

Play hopscotch. Show the kids how each of the numbers is a sqare.

There are lots of computer games on the market to help with shapes. Brea likes Jumpstart Preschool.

String different size wooden bead on a shoelace.

Get a bunch of boxes and have the kids make towers. They learn pretty fast that the big ones have to be at the bottom. We got a lot of our boxes from our grocery store.

Don't forget to just point out different shapes and sizes as you go throughout the day. The tiniest moments can be great learning experiences.

Shapes and Sizes on the Internet

Autumn

Take fall walks to gather fall items like leaves and twigs

Make a fall book. Paste your treasures on construction paper. Write down the fun fall things you do during the next few months.

Go out during the full moon.

Use paper and crayons to make leaf and tree rubbings.

Collect leaves and make a collage.

Gather leaves from different trees. Have kids sort by type or color.

Read books on different types of trees.

Read books on autumn.

Make leaf prints. Take freshly fallen leaves and use finger or tempera paint to coat them. Then stamp paper or other materials.

If the leaves have already fallen a lot, make sure you jump in the leaves. (You too mom and dad) If not make sure you do leaf jumping when the leaves are ready.

Drink apple cider.

Visit a pumpkin farm.

Watch harvest time at a farm.

Sketch trees.

Count how many trees are in your yard.

Count how many different kinds of trees there are.

Ask the kids what they want to do this fall.

Tell the kids some of your favorite autumn memories.

Do an acorn toss. Lay out a stick on the ground. See how close you can get to the line. (From 365 Outdoor Activities by Steve and Ruth Bennett)

Put away summer clothes and get out winter clothes. Try them on.

Autumn on the Internet

APPLES

Read Johnny Appleseed and visit the sites below

Make homemade applesauce or apple pie or apple betty

Teach counting and addition using apples

Have the kids tell a story about an apple and a tree

Have peanut butter apples or caramel apples for snacks

Go to the cider mill

Visit an apple orchard

Cut an apple in half and have the kids stamp T-shirts or paper, using paint

Teach them how to wash apples

Teach them how apples fit into good nutrition, show them the food pyramid (found on any cereal box)

Examine the different types of apples at the grocery store, tell them the names, ask what is different about each kind, ask them to describe them

Try apple bowling with apples and pop bottles

Guess how many appleseeds are in an apple, then count them together

Teach the letter A for apple, point it out, use letter magnets

Way up high (point up)
in the apple tree
Two little apples (hold up two fingers)
smiled down on me. (look down and smile)
I shook that tree (pretend to shake a tree)
as hard as I could
and down came the apples(fall down)
MMM MMM good (pat tummy)
-from Gryphon Books

Apples on the Internet

Math Exploration

Each child will be at a different level in math so just do what they are ready for

Sort different objects like beans or blocks by color, size or shape

Play a memory game like concentration

Work with puzzles

Play with shape sorters

Match shape names to shapes

Draw different shapes

Measure hand or foot

Measure kids height. Keep a growth chart

Weigh each other

Line up objects and ask which is the biggest, shortest, etc.

Learn the names of penny, nickel, dime, quarter and dollar

Lace beads

Do simple addition with buttons

Practice counting to 10

Play with blocks and sort them

Sort clothes by lights and darks

Use shape and number magnets

Use stacking bowls or nesting cups

Keep track of the temperature outside every day

Make a number book by writing the numbers and coloring in the same number of objects

Math on the Internet

August 11, 1997
Courage

Read stories of courage like David and Goliath and Daniel in the Lion's Den

Check out VegieTales videos. They have many of the Bible stories in an entertaining video. My kids love them

Discuss what they are afraid of and think of solutions together

Have them draw pictures of themselves in different situations-during a storm, when people are arguing, at nightime

Praise them when they try new things and are courageous

Have your kids ride a bike, try rollerblading or something else they haven't done before

Read stories of brave people, especially children. There are some in the internet resources below

Don't criticize their attempts to be creative and do things unusually

Discuss what it means to be courageous

Model courage yourself

Courage on the Internet

August 4, 1997
Exploring the Library

Jonathan just turned five so we are going to take him to the library this week to get him his very own library card

Teach your kids how to be quiet and not run in the library

Show them where the bathrooms and drinking fountains are

Introduce them to the librarians

You may want to make a few short trips to the library this week

Take a little tour around the library

Let them play with the puzzles and other toys if your library has them

Have the kids pick out some books from the kids section

Read to them 30 minutes a day

See if your library has videotapes to rent and rent some fun movies

Check out some cassette tapes and dance to the music with your kids

Introduce them to classical music

Have your kids pick out a book with some to do's in it like a craft or science experiement book

Do the projects with them

Show them the computers at the library and play some of the games they have

Get some kids magazines out like Sesame Street Magazine and Family Fun

Enjoy the quiet and try to have some quiet time in your home to

Libraries on the Internet

July 28, 1997

Mother Goose

All these are activities to do after reading the rhymes. All these are found in "The Real Mother Goose" from Checkerboard Press.

Make sheep out of construction paper and paste cotton balls on it for "Little Bo Peep"

Blow horns like "Little Boy Blue" should have

Place an unlit candle on the floor and see if they can jump as far as "Jack"

Jump rope to "Pease Porridge Hot"

Count eggs like in "Humpty Dumpty"

Show where London is -the setting for "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat"

Take kids shopping with you as in "This Little Piggy"

Do the actions to "The Mulberry Bush"

Discuss night, bedtime, and wear pajamas all day for "Wee Willie Winkie"

Do the actions to "Where is Thumpkin?"

Play "Ring Around the Rosie"

See if you can say "Peter Piper" really fast

Make some tarts like the Knave of Hearts stole from the Queen of Hearts

Play "London Bridge"

Show them different times on a clock for "Hickory Dickory Dock". Don't forget 1:00.

Read lots of different nursery rhymes and see if they can memorize any. It helps if you use music for some.

Mother Goose on the Internet

Make Way for Ducklings

First if you don't have the book by Robert McCloskey, take a trip to the library to get it

Read "Make Way for Ducklings" every day

Later in the week see if the kids can tell you the story

Show them where Boston is on a globe or in an atlas

Make some ducks out of construction paper

Play duck, duck, goose

Pretend to be ducks, quacking and waddling

Dress up as police and pretend to direct traffic to let the ducks across. Blow whistles if you have them

Take a bike ride together. Show them the right way to ride bikes, unlike the boy in the book

Take them fishing like the ducks fished for breakfast

If there is a boat or a ferry nearby, take them on a ride

Introduce the letter D this week

Have the kids pretend to be on an island surrounded by water

Go to the park and feed the ducks

Go to the zoo or a farm and watch the eggs hatch

Make a pond out of a box. Put an oval piece of foil in the box. Add leaves, twigs and rocks you find on a walk. Add rubber frogs and lizards.

Go swimming

Play follow the leader (the leader is the mother duck)

Ducks on the Internet

Transportation

Have kids help wash the car or have them wash their bikes

Put up the race track and let them play cars

Make a train out of boxes

Take them to the airport to watch the planes take off

Show your kids the engine of your car

Ask kids for different ways of travel (skating, cars, boats, etc.)

If you live by a lake go on a boat ride

Have kids cut out pictures of transporation vehicles and make a collage from them

Have kids make wheels out of paper

Go to a stable to visit the horses

Sing "The Wheels on the Bus"

Ride bikes or big wheels together

Make tire prints on paper with toy cars

Make license plates out of cardboard for the kids bikes

Have a bike parade

Set up chairs like a plane cabin and take a flight

Sail some toy boats in the bathtub

July 7, 1997

Summer

This week we will relax a bit.

Teach your kids how to fish.

Run through the sprinkler.

Take lots of evening walks.

Learn the months that are in summer.

Make putting sunscreen and helmets on, habits.

Pick berries and make jam together.

Cut out suns from construction paper and color.

Take a trip to the beach. Collect sea shells.

Make frozen bananas and popsicles.

Pick wildflowers from the backyard. Put them in vases.

Plant tomatoes or flowers in a small garden.

Look at the stars late at night.

Toss water balloons.

Go to the park.

Blow bubbles.

Ride bikes or big wheels.

Go rollerskating or roller blading.

Go shopping together for some cool sunglasses.

Show them the joy of summer.

Summer on the Internet

Preschool Archives

June 16, 1997

In the Kitchen

Teach them how to snap beans, wash berries and husk corn.

Let them be involved in preparing meals. Some great kid recipe links below.

Teach them kitchen safety like washing hands, pot handles in, what to do in case of fire, what to do if you cut yourself, etc.

Have them set and clear the table

Make pretty centerpieces for the table out of wildflowers

Have a candlelight dinner one night as a family

Teach them dinner manners

Let them try washing dishes

Bake something and show them how to measure, etc.

Make a pizza together and let them put anything they want on their part

Teach them how to make sandwhiches

Have them put the clean silverware away

Teach them about the food pyramid and how bread and fruits are better for you than fats and sweets

Make homemade chicken noodle soup together

Show them how to crack an egg as you bake

Show them how to use various cooking utensils

Go grocery shopping together. Have them help. Show different prices.

Have them help plan a meal.

Kid Cooking on the Internet

June 9, 1997

The Body

Point and ask what different parts of the body are.

Play Simon Says and do the Hokey Poky.

Use a computer program or books designed to teach small children anatomy.

Do a puzzle made up of the human body. Use posterboard and a magazine picture if you don't have a puzzle.

Each day focus on a different sense:Monday-seeing, Tuesday-hearing Wednesday-tasting Thursday-Touching and Friday-smelling.

Take a walk and ask kids to tell what they see.

Play instruments to hear and dance to some music.

Sing songs together.

Try to identify different sounds.

Put different things in a bag and ask kids to feel and guess the objects.

Fingerpaint.

Count fingers and toes.

Take turns smelling different items like cinammon, flowers, etc. Ask what their favorites are.

Have kids cook with you and of course taste test everything.

Practice different body movements like twisting, rolling, marching, catching.

Make an obscatcle course for the kids to go through using boxes, big wheels, old tires, whatever you can find.

Go to the park and use all the equipment.

Show how the body needs to be taken care of by washing, fueling up with good food and resting. Just like a car.

Help them decide which is healthful food and which is sometimes food.

Make a list of how far they can jump, run, how high they can climb, how many baskets they can make and other activities so they can see their improvement as they get older.

The Body on the Internet

Farm Life

Field Trip: To a farm, petting zoo or county fair
Wear overalls and bandanas one day
Cut out pink pigs from construction paper
Make animal sounds together
Show kids what kinds of things come from a farm like corn, eggs, and milk
Husk corn for dinner one night
Make pigs in the blanket for a snack
Draw baby chicks and have them count them
Make a corn print by rolling a corn cob through paint on paper
Mold playdoh into different animals
Make collages by cutting out different farm animals from magazines and pasting them to paper
Tell kids what happens during harvest time
Play guess the farm animal I am thinking of

Farms on the Internet

Space

May 22, 1997 is Space Day. See if you have any special events at your planetarium this week or weekend.
Show them pictures of the planets, moon, stars, etc.
Have them color paper with crayons, then color over with black crayon. Let them take a tooth pick and draw stars and planets in the black crayon. Beautiful multicolored picture.
Use a flashlight to simulate sunlight on a ball to show how the earth revolves around the sun, explaining night and day.
Have a meteorite shower with newspaper shaped into balls.
Learn about circles, show the shapes of the planets.
Decorate the house in cutout stars, moons and planets.
Have kids count the planets in a book.
Learn the names of the planets.
Have a star hunt, where kids looks for star cut outs throughout the house.
Sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
Make a space ship out of a box and have kids pretend to be astronauts.
Read stories about space, including the creation story.
Visit the two internet sites below.

Space on the internet

May 12, 1997 I decided to add this archive for old preschool lessons.

Spiders

Go on a spider hunt. Don't forget the magnifying glass
Have kids count spider legs of a daddylong leg
Have kids make a spider web by pulling apart cotton to make string like webs. Paste to construction paper
Crawl around like spiders
Sing the itsy bitsy spider
Read spider books. Below is a spider book on the internet
Discuss different spiders and their characteristics, show pictures of spiders
Learn about the letter S this week
Make a big spider web on the floor with yarn
Play with toy spiders
Wear those plastic spider rings
Make spiders out of egg cartons cups and pipe cleaners

Spiders on the Internet

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