'Z' is For Zebra

Can you believe we have made it all the way to Letter 'Z' !?!?  I am so excited!  I am going to put all of Jay's coloring pages into three folders with brads to make an alphabet book, a shape book, and a number book.  And be sure to keep using your alphabet memory cards!  After this week, you'll have a complete set of them!  :0) 

This week we will cover:
The letter 'Z'
'Z' is for Zebra
The number 0
Crosses
The color Green
Completing Patterns

Monday: The Letter 'Z'
-color a Letter 'Z' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'Z' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Green construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'Z' memory cards (one with a Letter 'Z' on it, and the other with a picture of a Zebra on it)
-go through the Letter 'Z' section of Starfall
-make some Zucchini bread
-Zigzag Art (The letter 'Z' is a zigzag shape, so practice making zigzag shapes in all different colors on a piece of paper.  Make some of them big, some of them small etc.  you can also glue straws, toothpicks, pretzel sticks, etc, in the shape of the letter 'Z' on your picture)

Tuesday: 'Z' is for Zebra
-color a Zebra coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Green construction paper and hang it on the wall
-do this cute online Zebra Puzzle
-check out the pictures and video of Zebras on the National Geographic website
-make a cute Zebra paper bag puppet

Wednesday:  Zoo Day!
-today Jay and I are going to head over to spend some time watching Zebras!  You could go on a picnic and read some letter Z books after you eat, or watch a movie with Zebras in it.  Whatever you do, just have fun! 
-do this fun Pattern Worksheet

Thursday: The Number 0
-color a Number 0 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 0 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Green construction paper and hang it on the wall
-talk about the number Zero

Friday:  The Color Green
-watch this and this
-go on a Green Walk (walk around your house or yard and point out all of the Green things you see)
-Make Green Play Dough (mix together blue and yellow play dough to make Green, or make your own green Play Dough using blue and yellow food coloring)
-play Red Light Green Light
-do this Pattern Worksheet
-play the I Spy Something Green Game (take turns spying and guessing all of the green things you can see)
-make some green Jello, you can even make some Jello Jigglers and use a Letter 'Z' cookie cutter to cut them out!

Thank you for learning the Alphabet with us!  I hope you had as much fun as Jay and I did!  If you have missed a previous lesson plan, you can find it under the ABC Lesson Plans tab at the top of my blog.  I haven't decided exactly which direction Jay and I are headed next, but be sure to check back, for lots of other fun ideas!

'Y' is For Yo yo

Wow, can you believe we only have two letters to go before we have made it all the way through the alphabet!?  I am so excited to have made it so far, and I know that Jay has learned a lot from these lessons.  I have had so much fun coming up with ideas, using wonderful ideas from other people, and then trying them all out with Jay!  And I hope you and your kiddos have had fun too!!  

This week we cover:
The letter 'Y'
'Y' is for Yo yo
The number 25
Crosses
The color Green
Completing Patterns

Monday: The Letter 'Y'
-color a Letter 'Y' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'Y' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Green construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'Y' memory cards (one with a Letter 'Y' on it, and the other with a picture of a Yo yo on it)
-go through the Letter 'Y' section of Starfall
-work this fun online puzzle
-make a Yummy Yucky collage (look through newspapers and magazines for things that your kiddo thinks are yummy and for things that they think are yucky.  Draw a line down the middle of a piece of construction paper.  Write Yummy at the top of one half, and Yucky at the top of the other half.  Glue the pictures onto the appropriate side of your paper to make a collage)
-go on a 'Y' branch hunt (look in your yard, or a park for branches that are in the shape of the letter 'Y'.  Try to find a branch that has already fallen off of a tree that you can take home.  (You can decorate the branch with paint, or by wrapping yarn around it!)  
-make Yogurt pops  Here is an easy recipe to try:
2 cups yogurt

1 ½ cups orange juice
1 tsp. Vanilla
Mix and freeze.


Tuesday: 'Y' is for Yo yo
-color a Yo yo coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Green construction paper and hang it on the wall
-grab a Yo yo from your local dollar store for your kiddo to play with
-play Hide The Yo yo (begin by hiding a toy Yo yo in a particular room or area.  Have your kiddo find it, and then let them hide it for you to find.  You can take turns, and play this several times.  Or as an alternative, you can print out pictures of Yoyo's and hide them for your kiddo to find)
-make cute (and Yummy) cookie Yoyo's

Wednesday:  Fun Day!
-I am so glad that Spring is here!  Today Jay and I are going to go get some Yellow flowers to plant in our yard--probably marigolds.
-something that Jay regularly does, and will definitely do this week, is to go "hunting" for yellow dandy lions in our yard and our neighbor's yard.  Ha ha it's a win win for us, Jay gets to pick flowers, and we get rid of some weeds! 
-Whatever you do today, just make it fun!

Thursday: The Number 25
-color a Number 25 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 25 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Green construction paper and hang it on the wall
-25 'Y's  (cut out 25 letter 'Y's from newspapers or magazines--or you can even print them.  Help your kiddo glue them to a piece of paper, or you can staple them to a piece of ribbon or yarn.  Be sure to count them as you go!)
-talk about the number 25 (it is half of 50, a quarter of 100 etc.  Your kiddo may not understand these terms yet, but hearing them will help solidify the idea in their mind later.)
-Count out 25 pennies and show your kiddo that 25 pennies is equal to one quarter.  Stack the pennies in groups of five.  etc. 

Friday:  Crosses
-color a Cross coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this
-have your kiddo trace the Cross shape on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Green construction paper and hang it on the wall

-make a wooden cross to decorate (glue two Popsicle sticks together, or find two sticks in your yard to glue together.  Decorate your Cross shape with finger paint or stickers.  If you use Popsicle sticks, you can also drill a small hole in the top of the Cross and put a string through it to make a necklace.  Your kiddo can put beads on the string too!)
-help your kiddo craw several Crosses on a piece of paper.  Talk about the Cross shape, and about how it looks like a little 'T'.   You can make cross shapes out of a lot of things, your fingers, pencils, toothpicks, etc. 
Thank you for learning the letter 'Y' with us!  Be sure to check back next week for the last lesson in my ABC Lesson series, 'Z' is for Zebra.  If you have missed a previous week, you can find it by clicking on the ABC Lesson Plans tab at the top of my blog.  

'X' is For Xylaphone

Whew, I think we are all finally over the flu now--thank goodness!  Poor Jay took it the hardest, and was literally sick for over two weeks.  Ugh!  So we are more than ready to get back to our normal routine!!  So let's get out our Xylophones and get ready to learn the letter 'X'! 

This week we will cover:
The letter 'X'
'X' is for Xylophone
The number 24
Ovals
The color Purple
On and Off

Monday: The Letter 'X'
-color a Letter 'X' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'X' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Purple construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'X' memory cards (one with a Letter 'X' on it, and the other with a picture of a Xylophone on it)
-go through the Letter 'X' section of Starfall
-work this fun online X-Ray puzzle
-Painted 'X' (put painter's tape onto a piece of white paper in the shape of an 'X' and then let your kiddo paint the paper.  When the paint is dry, take the painter's take off and reveal the white letter 'X' left on the paper)
-'X' marks the spot (draw a very simple map for your kiddo of a place they are familiar with, like your yard or living room.  Hide a prize somewhere in the area you mapped out, and draw a Purple 'X' in the corresponding spot on the map.  Then have your kiddo go on a treasure hunt to find their prize!  The prize can be a piece of candy, a new book, or anything you feel like using.)
-play a good old fashioned game of Tic Tac Toe

Tuesday: 'X' is for Xylophone
-color a Xylophone coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Purple construction paper and hang it on the wall
-print and put together a Xylophone (Print Page 1, Page 2, and Page 3)
-play Xylophone Musical Chairs (play musical chairs, but use a Xylophone for the music)

Wednesday:  Music Fun Day
 -find a fun museum or local restaurant where you and your kiddo can go to enjoy some live music together.  -or take your iPod to the park and listen to music while you have a picnic. 
Whatever you do today, just have fun!!

Thursday: The Number 24
-color a Number 24 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 24 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Purple construction paper and hang it on the wall
-24 footsteps (draw a line with sidewalk chalk on your driveway or sidewalk. Start on the line and take 24 steps. Draw another line where you ended. You can even use different colors for different people to see who takes the biggest or smallest steps!)

-make a bunch of grapes (cut out 24 different sized circles from purple construction paper. Use glue to turn them into a grape bunch!)
Friday:  The Color Purple
-watch this
-put some red paint and some blue paint into a clear Ziploc bag.  Then have your kiddo squish all the paint around to mix the colors.  Paint a pretty picture using your new purple paint. 
-eat a purple snack (use things like grape juice, grapes, grape jelly, olives, purple potatoes, eggplant, yogurt etc)
-make Kool-Aid art (sprinkle some grape Kool-Aid powder onto a piece of white paper.  Use a spray bottle to lightly spray the powder.  When it dries you will have some pretty interesting artwork--and it will smell yummy too!)
-Use food coloring to make red and blue ice cubes.  Add them to a glass of water to see what color the ater turns!  (you need to use quite a bit of food coloring in the ice cubes for the water to turn a bright Purple)


Thank you for learning the letter 'X' with us!!  If you have missed a previous week, you can find it by clicking on the ABC Lesson Plans tab at the top of my blog.  And I hope you will join us next week for 'Y' is for YoYo!

'W' is For Worm

This week we will cover:
The letter 'W'
'W' is for Worm
The number 23
Ovals
The color Purple
On and Off

Monday: The Letter 'W'
-color a Letter 'W' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'W' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Purple construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'W' memory cards (one with a Letter 'W' on it, and the other with a picture of a Worm on it)
-go through the Letter 'W' section of Starfall
-make some Letter 'W' Wind art (Draw or print a large letter 'W' onto a piece of thick paper.  Get several different colors of washable paint and put small blobs of paint in several different places on the paper.  Use straws to create "wind" and blow the paint around the paper to make fun designs.)
-letter 'W' scavenger hunt (look around your house, yard, or neighborhood for things that begin with the letter 'W'.  Things like water, watch, waste basket, window, windmill, wind up toy, etc. 

Tuesday: 'W' is for Worm
-color a Worm coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Purple construction paper and hang it on the wall
-what are worms anyhow?  Talk about worms using these fun facts
-make a Worm Habitat picture (Boil a few spaghetti noodles, these will be your worms.  Follow the directions on your pasta package to cook the pasta.  While the noodles are cooking, have your kiddo use crayons, paint, or whatever they choose to draw their version of a worm habitat onto a piece of construction paper.  When the habitat is finished and your pasta is cooked and cooled off enough to handle, arrange a spaghetti noodle or two on the picture and lay flat to dry.  The spaghetti noodles will stick to the picture as they dry, and will make perfect worms for your habitat picture! While you are at it, you can always cook extra spaghetti noodles for lunch too.) 
-play the Wiggle Worm game (like Simon Says, only your kiddo pretends to be a worm on the floor.  SO you do things like wiggle your feet, roll over, wiggle your arms, etc) 

Wednesday:  Fun Day
-today Jay and I are going to eat dirt...and worms.  Ha ha and No, I am not crazy!  Check out this fun recipe that we're going to make:  Dirt
-worm dig (If the weather is nice, grab a little shovel and pail and go dig for worms!  If you are feeling especially adventurous, use those worms to go fishing!  If the weather is not so nice, you can always stop by a bait shop and buy a carton of worms, but digging is way more fun.)
-museum (check your area to see if one of your local museums has any sort of an insect exhibit for kids.  Or perhaps you can go check out a botanical garden.)
-whatever you do, be sure to have fun!!  

Thursday: The Number 23
-color a Number 23 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this,
-have your kiddo trace the Number 23 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Purple construction paper and hang it on the wall
-worm rescue (cut out 23 worm shapes from different colors of construction paper.  Put a paperclip on each worm and put the worms into a box, bowl, or plastic tub.  Tie a magnet to a piece of string and tie the other end of the string to a pencil or stick to make a fishing pole.  Fish the worms out of the container with the fishing pole and count them as you go!)

Friday:  Ovals
-color an Oval coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Purple construction paper and hang it on the wall
-talk about ovals.  How are they different from circles? 
-make an oval wreath (cut the middle out of a paper plate.  Cut different colored ovals out of construction paper.  Glue the ovals to the paper plate.  Decorate with stickers, glitter, or whatever you desire.  Hang your wreath!  If you use pastel colored construction paper for your ovals, it will work as an Easter decoration in a few weeks too!)

Thank you for learning the letter 'W' with us!!  If you have missed a previous week, you can find it by clicking on the ABC Lessons tab at the top of my blog, and be sure to join us next week for 'X' is for Xylophone! 

'V' is For Volcano

I have to say that I am thrilled that we are doing the letter 'V' and hearts the week before Valentine's Day!  I couldn't have planned that any better if I had tried!  :0)  But hold on to your socks, because we're also going to make a volcano this week!  Are you excited yet!?  I know I am!! 

This week we will cover:
The letter 'V'
'V' is for Volcano
The number 22
Hearts
The color Black
Dark and Light

Monday: The Letter 'V'
-color a Letter 'V' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this,  this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'V' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'V' memory cards (one with a Letter 'V' on it, and the other with a picture of a Volcano on it)
-go through the Letter 'V' section of Starfall
-do this letter 'V' worksheet
-make a Letter 'V' Vest (print out this template, and use some butcher paper or a paper grocery bag to make a paper vest.  Draw a large letter 'V' on the back of the vest and decorate it.  Cut out pictures from magazines and newspapers of things that begin with the letter 'V' and glue them to the vest.  Look for things like vegetables, vehicles, volcanoes, violins, vultures, vinegar, vines, Vick's vapor rub, the word save, vans, valentines, Velcro, velvet, vacuum cleaner, vase, video games, etc.  If at all possible, try to find 22 things to put on your vest.)
-draw some 'V' hearts (use the letter 'V' with the number 3 on top of it to make hearts.) 
Tuesday: 'V' is for Volcano
-color a Volcano coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-use these fun facts to talk about Volcanoes
-make a clay Volcano!  (You can follow these directions, or just form a clay Volcano with a hollow area in the top of it.  Use baking soda and vinegar with some red food coloring in it for your lava.  Be sure that you do this in the bathtub, kitchen sink, a large dish, or outside, where it will be easy to clean up!)
-draw a volcano picture using letter V's (draw several letter 'V's on a piece of construction paper.  Turn the paper around so that the 'V's are upside down.  Color and decorate them so that they look like volcanoes!)
-use play dough to make your own Volcano--and make a letter 'V' out of play dough while you are at it!

Wednesday:  Fun Day!
-there aren't really any places around us where we can go look at anything even resembling a volcano, so we are going to bake some Lava Cakes today! 
-we will also go on a nature walk to see if we can spot any vultures. 
-and we will make sure that our Valentine's are finished and ready to mail. 
Whatever you do with your kiddo today, just make it fun! 
-watch this, this, and this
-talk about dark and light.  (When is it dark outside?  When is it light outside?  If it is dark in a room, how can you make it light?  etc) 

Thursday: The Number 22
-color a Number 22 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 22 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-if you managed to find 22 things for your vest, count them with your kiddo
-count out 22 of several different things, like blocks, cars, or Lego's.
-play the Can You Do 22 game (see if you can do something 22 times, like clap, jump, touch your ear etc.)
Friday:  The Color Black
-do you and/or your kiddo have black shirts, pants, socks etc?  Wear them if you do! 
-do this black worksheet
-sing Ba Ba Black Sheep
-make a hand print black sheep or this hand print black bat

I hope you had fun learning the letter 'V' with us this week!  If you have missed a previous week, you can find it under the ABC Lessons tab at the top of my blog.  And then grab your gummy worms and get ready for 'W' is for worm next week!!

Fun Alphabet Songs

I stumbled on this series of alphabet songs on YouTube, and Jay seriously LOVES them!  So I made a playlist from them just for him.  :0)  Check them out! 

And, if you have time, you should absolutely check out their website, Have Fun Teaching!  It is full of all sorts worksheets, tools, and some awesomely fun songs.   

'U' is For Umbrella

Can you believe that after this week, we only have 5 letters left to learn!?  I am shocked by how fast the time has flown by, and proud of everything that Jay has learned!  Anywho, get ready to dig out your umbrellas this week, and let's learn the letter 'U'!!

This week we will cover:
The letter 'U'
'U' is for Umbrella
The number 21
Hearts
The color Black
Dark and Light

Monday: The Letter 'U'
-color a Letter 'U' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'U' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'U' memory cards (one with a Letter 'U' on it, and the other with a picture of an Umbrella on it)
-go through the Letter 'U' section of Starfall
-play a game or two of Horse U's (fill a plastic container with water and cover it with foil.  poke a wooden spoon or dowel through the foil so that the wide end is in the water and the straight handle end is sticking up into the air.  Put the water into the freezer and freeze it.  You can also just use dirt or clay to hold the spoon in place.  Cut several letter U's out of cardboard, an empty cereal box works great for this.  Then have your kiddo toss the letter U's towards the spoon handle to see if they can get the letter U's to land around it.) 
-bake a pineapple Upside down cake

Tuesday: 'U' is for Umbrella
-color an Umbrella coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-work this cute online Umbrella puzzle
-do this quick connect the dots web page
-make a letter 'U' Umbrella mobile (cut a large umbrella shape out of poster board or cardboard.  Decorate the umbrella shape.  Look through magazines for pictures of things that begin with the letter 'U' or just for the letter 'U' in different fonts.  Cut the pictures out and glue them to colorful pieces of construction paper.  Use ribbon or string to hang your letter 'U' pictures from the umbrella shape.)
-go out side and play with an Umbrella.  Show your kiddo how it opens.  It can protect us from the rain, and also from the sun.  You can even pour some water onto an umbrella to let you kiddo see how the umbrella works.   

Wednesday:  Rainy Day Fun
-watch this
-sing You Are My Sunshine,  The Itsy Bitsy Spider,  Rain Rain Go Away,  It's Raining It's Pouring, Somewhere Over The Rainbow,
-does your area have any sort of a weather center?  If so, go check it out!  One of the museums near us has a children's area that talks about Tornadoes, so we are going to go check it out. 
-if it rains on any day this week:
-go play in the rain!  Splash in the puddles, have leaf races in any little streams that form on your driveway or on the very edge of the street.  Observe what rain does to nature.  Are there any birds out while it is raining?  Can you find worms that have been washed out of the ground?  etc. 
-follow these directions to make a fun Rain Painting
-If it does not rain:
-you can always make a rain stick.  Try this one, or maybe this one. 
-make a Rain Or Shine Mobile
-make a rain picture (have your kiddo color a picture.  Use blue food coloring to tint some white school glue.  Then use toothpicks or cotton swabs to dot the glue onto the picture.  When it dries it will create "raindrops")

Thursday: The Number 21
-color a Number 21 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 21 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-count out 21 of several different objects.  you can count cars, blocks, Popsicle sticks, stairs, mm's etc. 

Friday: Hearts
-color a Heart coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-have your kiddo trace the Heart on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-with Valentine's day just around the corner, this is the perfect time to make your Valentines!  Here are some different ideas to get you started 
-or, if Valentine's aren't your thing, make one of these cute heart animals

Thank you for learning the letter 'U' with us this week!  If you have missed a previous lesson, you can find it under the ABC Lessons tab at the top of this blog.  And be sure to check back next week for 'V' is for Volcano! 

'T' is For Train

This week we will cover:
The letter 'T'
'T' is for Train
The number 20
Stars
The color Yellow
Day and Night

Monday: The Letter 'T'
-color a Letter 'T' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'T' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'T' memory cards (one with a Letter 'T' on it, and the other with a picture of a Train on it)
-go through the Letter 'T' section of Starfall
-make Letter 'T' place mats (cut out pictures from magazines and newspapers of things that start with the letter 'T' or of large letter 'T's.  Glue them to a piece of construction paper.)
-have a 'T' party (put a white tablecloth, or sheet, on your coffee table.  Set some pillows in the floor to sit on--trust me, your backside will thank you!  Decorate the table with a vase and some flowers. Set out your letter 'T' place mats.  Brew some herbal (decaffeinated) tea, and drink it from real teacups.  Be sure to set out a teapot, sugar dish, and creamer if you have them!  :0)  Eat some turkey sandwiches, you can even use your letter 'T' cookie cutter to cut them into 'T' shapes if you want to.  Eat some tea cakes, or some sugar cookies shaped like letter 'T's.  If you go the sugar cookie route, you can let your kiddo decorate them with sprinkles during your 'T' party.  Read a 'T' themed book, or any alphabet book.  Have Fun!)     
-use blocks to build capital and lowercase 'T's (don't stack them, just arrange the blocks on the table or surface you are working on)  You can also use things like toothpicks, pipe cleaners, pretzel sticks, pencils etc to create letter 'T's

Tuesday: 'T' is for Train
-color a Train coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-print out this fun train craft to make, (page 1, page, 2, directions)
-sing I've Been Working on the Railroad
-follow these directions to make an awesome hand and arm print train
-check out this Paper Train craft
-make this cute Love Train
-or use empty toilet paper rolls to make this cute little train
-read a train book or two, like The Little Engine that Could, or a Thomas the Train book

Wednesday:  Train Fun Day
-today Jay and I are going to head over to a local park that has a miniature train ride.  We are going to take a yummy picnic lunch and have lots of fun!
-you could also take a train ride on a local train, or even go to a park close to railroad tracks to watch the train go by.  Many zoos also have trains that you can ride.  The most important thing is to have fun!  If you go watch trains, you can also count the train cars as they go by for fun counting practice! 

Thursday: The Number 20
-color a Number 20 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 20 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-20 pasta piece necklace (make a necklace using 20 pieces of pasta.  Be sure to count them as you go!  (for some added fun, follow this recipe to make colored pasta)
-Count your fingers and toes  :0)
-See if you can jump in place 20 times!
-eat a 20 snack  (eat 20 of something for a snack, small things like raisins work best!)

Friday:  The Color Yellow
-watch this, and this
-Go on a yellow scavenger hunt (look around your house or yard for things that are yellow
-talk about the color yellow (it is a primary color, no colors can be mixed to create yellow etc)
-play with yellow play dough (see if you can make a banana, a sun or something else that's yellow)
-Finger paint!  (use yellow finger paint to make a sunny yellow picture)
-pick up some of these bath colors and let your kiddo take a yellow bubble bath!  I have found them at Wal Mart and at Toys R Us.  These drops are great to use for other colors too!  They come in yellow, red, and blue, but you can mix them to make all sorts of colors.  They color the water, but not your kiddo or fabric.  I have even tested them with a white wash cloth, and they did not color the wash cloth at all!  :0)

Thank you for learning the letter 'T' with us!  If you would like to find a previous lesson, you can find it under the ABC Lessons tab at the top of the blog.  And be sure to check back next week for 'U' is for Umbrella! 

'S' is For Star

Jay is completely mesmerized by the moon and the stars, so when it came time to choose a theme for the letter 'S' I knew exactly what I would use!  This week is all about stars, so get your telescope or binoculars out and get ready for some fun!   

This week we will cover:
The letter 'S'
'S' is for Star
The number 19
Stars
The color Yellow
Day and Night

Monday: The Letter 'S'
-color a Letter 'S' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'S' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'S' memory cards (one with a Letter 'S' on it, and the other with a picture of a Star on it)
-go through the Letter 'S' section of Starfall
-work this fun online Letter 'S' puzzle
-make a letter 'S' scrapbook (cut several sheets of construction paper into fourths.  Hole punch one of the long sides of each piece of paper two or three times and then let your kiddo use yarn or string to help you connect the pages.  Go through newspapers and magazines and cut out pictures of things that begin with the letter 'S' and some easy to read words that begin with 'S.'  Print and cut out a big letter 'S' for the cover of your scrapbook.  Try to find one that your kiddo can color.  Then glue your pictures and words into the inside pages of your book.)
-make some sparkly salt paint art (Use this recipe to make up some salt paint in a few colors and let your kiddo go to town creating their own masterpiece.  Try to get them to paint something that starts with the letter 'S' if you can!)   

Tuesday: 'S' is for Star
-color a Star coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-talk about Stars
-play this cute space shape matching game or this space memory game
-sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-starry night pictures (Get out a piece of black construction paper.  put small star stickers all over the black paper to create a starry night scene.  You can even help your kiddo use a white crayon to draw lines between some of the stars to make constellations!)
-make a pretend telescope (wrap black construction paper around the outside of an empty paper towel roll.  Decorate the paper towel roll with stickers, paint, chalk, or whatever you would like.  When it starts to get dark, go out into your yard and look for stars with your pretend telescope!  You might also consider taking a real telescope or a good pair of binoculars with you too!!)
-Talk about the sky during the day and at night.  What do you see in  the sky during the day?  What do you see in the sky at night?  What color is the sky during the day?  What color is the sky at night? etc.


Wednesday:  Fun Day (or should I say night!?)
-Jay already loves to look at the moon, but tonight, we are going to take some extra time to look at the Stars!  Jay will get an early bath and when The Hubbs gets home we will bundle up and go eat a picnic dinner out in our back yard.  We can look at the stars while we eat and enjoy some fun family time too! 
-We might also go visit our local planetarium, they are showing One World, One Sky: Big Birds Adventure and if Jay is in the mood, we will go check it out! 
-talk about Day and Night.  What do you do during the day? (go to work, play, run errands, walk our dog, etc) What do you do at night? (take a bath, brush your teeth, put on your pj's, read bedtime stories, say our prayers, go to sleep etc.)
-read Goodnight Moon

Thursday: The Number 19
-color a Number 19 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 19 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a start garland to hang in your kiddo's room (cut out 19 different sized stars out of construction paper. Have your kiddo color and decorate them with stickers. Use a hole punch to punch holes on two sides of each star. Thread your stars onto a piece of ribbon or string, and make sure that you and your kiddo count them as you go.  Hang your star garland from the ceiling or over the door in your kiddos room!)
-make a star wreath to go with your garland (cut 19 stars out of construction paper.  Cut out the center of a paper plate.  Have your kiddo paint the paper plate yellow.  Then glue all of your stars around the paper plate.  Hang your wreath on your kiddos door!) 


Friday:  The Star Shape
-color a Star coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-star string art (use some wire or part of an old wire coat hanger and bend it into the shape of a star.  Have your kiddo wrap different types and colors of string around the star shape.  As an alternative, if your kiddo knows how to tie a basic knot, you ca also cut lengths on string and have them tie the string onto the wire star shape.)
-use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut star shapes out of play dough
-tissue paper stars (cut a star shape out of white or yellow construction paper.  Cut squares out of yellow and orange tissue paper--about one inch in size.  Have your kiddo glue the squares of tissue paper to the star shape.  

Thank you for learning the letter 'S' with us this week!  If you have missed a previous lesson, you can find it by clicking on the ABC Lesson Plans tab at the top of my blog.  Please check back next week for 'T' is for Train! 

Fun Letter Recognition Game

I bought these little wooden alphabet beads at a craft store back before Christmas for a couple of dollars.  Jay has had lots of fun stringing them, but I really wanted to find a way to take advantage of the alphabet letters on them.  So I made up a fun little game that he has really enjoyed playing! 

Jay loves cars, and knows that you go when the light is green, and stop when the light is red.  So I took advantage of that and made him a string of  ABC beads.  I used green at the start of the alphabet and red at the end of the alphabet.  This helps him know which end to start with when we use the beads to sing our ABC's.  So we sing our ABC's and touch the corresponding letter bead as we sing. 

I also have him look through the loose beads to find all of the letters of the alphabet and place them next to the ones on our ABC string of beads. 

Then to take it a step further, we play a little game with the extra beads.  I use some of the loose beads to spell out a simple word like "JAY" and then Jay looks through the other loose beads to find the letters he needs to make the same word.  We always sound out each letter and locate it on the alphabet string before he starts looking.  If I leave all of the beads for Jay to sort through to find the letters he needs, he gets a little overwhelmed.  So I took a jar lid and I put the letters he needs to spell the word we are working on along with 10 or so extra beads into the jar lid.  This makes it easier for him, and we can play for longer without him getting bored!

Jay just loves playing this game, so I thought I would share it.  You can use beads like I do, scrabble tiles, or even fridge magnets for your letters.  This is a good way to work on letter recognition and to start working towards teaching your kiddo to read basic words!  Just make sure you keep it fun, and don't make it feel like work! 
     

'R' is for Rabbit

Oh me, Oh my...
Do you want to know how to tell when you are extremely sleep deprived and a little run down after the holidays and Jay's birthday!? 
When you post a lesson plan...and leave off an entire day.  Oops!  I promise I have not gone crazy, and I apologize for the omission!  I left Friday off of my lesson plan last week, and we were supposed to cover circles. 
I have gone back and added Friday to the lesson plan for last week.  So if you are running a few weeks behind on the lesson plans, like we are, it will be no biggie, but if you are up to date on them, I would combine last Friday's Circles lesson with this Friday's Silver lesson.  I would just do a few activities from each week's lesson, and your kiddo should be all caught up.  :0)             

This week we will cover:
The letter 'R'
'R' is for Rabbit
The number 18
Circles
The color Silver
Empty and Full

Monday: The Letter 'R'
-color a Letter 'R' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'R' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall (if you do not have a piece of silver paper, use paint or a silver crayon to color the edges of a white piece of construction paper silver)
-make a set of Letter 'R' memory cards (one with a Letter 'R' on it, and the other with a picture of a Rabbit on it)
-go through the Letter 'R' section of Starfall
-make a rainbow 'R' (print and cut out a large letter 'R.'  Cut small squares out of construction or tissue paper in all the colors of the rainbow.  I usually do about 1 inch squares, but they do not have to be perfect.  Have your kiddo glue the squares all over their letter 'R' to make a rainbow letter 'R.'  To make using the glue easier, pour some white school glue into a small jar, like a baby food jar, and have your kiddo dip cotton swabs into the glue and then wipe the glue onto their colored paper pieces.  They do this at our church, and it makes dealing with glue much less of a mess!)
-play letter 'R' charades  (write some words that begin with letter 'R' onto some index cards.  Make sure that they are action words like Row, Run, Roll, Rake, Rope, Rock, Ride, etc.  Draw the cards one at a time with your kiddo.  Show them the word and practice reading it with them.  Then act out the word.)
-sing Row Row Row Your Boat

Tuesday:  'R' is For Rabbit
-color a Rabbit coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your Rabbit coloring page to a piece of silver construction paper and hang it on the wall.  (if you do not have a piece of silver paper, use paint or a silver crayon to color the edges of a white piece of construction paper silver)

-sing Little Bunny Foo Foo
-work this fun online Rabbit puzzle
-Read this online version of Peter Rabbit
-print and make a Rabbit out of hearts, print Page 1, and Page 2
-make a cute Rabbit mask
-take a moment to review Empty and Full today.  Use an example of something you use everyday like a glass, your plate, a bowl, your pets bowl, etc. 

Wednesday:  Fun Day!  
-today Jay and I are going to head over to the zoo to check out the animals.  (The petting zoo there has a very nice rabbit in it!)
-we will also spend some extra time loving on miss Fancy bunny.  I even have a new toy for Jay to give her! 
-If the weather in your area is not nice, you can always head to your local library and flip through some books about Rabbits.  Or you can rent and watch a movie with rabbits in it--Winnie the Pooh would be fun!  But whatever you do, make today a fun day and just enjoy spending time with your kiddo! 
-Empty and Full snack time (during snack time today, play a game with your kiddo.  Put their snack into several bowls.  Count the full bowls, and as you much on your snack, talk about the empty bowls too.)

Thursday: The Number 18
-color a Number 18 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 18 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall  (if you do not have a piece of silver paper, use paint or a silver crayon to color the edges of a white piece of construction paper silver)
-do this cute Number 18 worksheet
-search your house to see if you can find and count 18 silver things
-play with your silverware, count out 18 spoons--or spoons and forks if you don't have 18 spoons.

Friday:  The Color Silver
-go on a Silver scavenger hunt (search your home for things that are silver like coins, picture frames, buttons, door hardware, light fixtures, spoons, belt buckles, jewelry, etc)
-use some washable silver paint to paint a silver picture
-make a Silver pasta necklace (spray paint different shapes of pasta Silver and let your kiddo string them onto a piece of ribbon or yarn to make a necklace)
-create a Silver sculpture (use aluminium foil to make a sculpture of a monster, a person, a ball, or whatever your kiddo can dream up!  You can wad up the foil, roll it up, scrunch it up etc.)

I hope you had fun learning the letter 'R' with us this week!!  If you have missed a previous week, you can find it here, or under the ABC Lessons tab at the top of the blog.  And be sure to check back next week for 'S' is for Star! 

'Q' is for Quarter

Happy 2011 everyone!! 

Jay is really into putting money into his piggy bank, he will actually raid my wallet just to get my change!  And it sure adds up in a hurry.  Last time we took his piggy bank to the bank, he had over $87 in change!!  I also firmly believe it is never too soon to start teaching your kids about money and fiscal responsibility.  If we don't teach them, how will they ever learn!?  So when I started planning the letter 'Q' lesson, I knew that I just had to do 'Q' is for quarter!  You can print and cut out paper quarters for some of the activities, but I would really recommend going and getting a few rolls of quarters from the bank to play with.      

This week we will cover:
The letter 'Q'
'Q' is for Quarter
The number 17
Circles
The color Silver
Empty and Full

Monday: The Letter 'Q'
-color a Letter 'Q' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'Q' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall (if you do not have silver paper, paint or use a silver crayon to color the edges of a piece of white construction paper silver)
-make a set of Letter 'Q' memory cards (one with a Letter 'Q' on it, and the other with a picture of a Quarter on it)
-go through the Letter 'Q' section of Starfall
-print out this neat mini book to color and read (Page 1 and 2, Page 3 and 4, Page 5 and 6, Page 7 and 8, Page 9 and 10, Cover 
-play the 'Q' is for Quiet game (print and cut out a handful of letter Q's make them colorful and fun looking if you can.  Explain the quiet game to your kiddo so that they know what they have to do.  Play the quiet game, but for every 5 or 10 seconds your kiddo can stay quiet, give them a letter 'Q.'  See how many letter Q's they can collect!)
-make a Q-tip letter 'Q' (cut a letter 'Q' out of construction paper--use a thicker paper if you can.  Glue Q-tips all over the letter 'Q.'  You could also use printed out pictures of quarters or question marks.)
-make a letter 'Q' quilt (cut out squares from all different colors of construction paper.  Make the squares the same size.  Write a letter 'Q' on each square.  Be sure to write some capital and some lowercase 'Q's.  Have your kiddo decorate the squares.  Glue the squares onto a larger piece of paper in the shape of a quilt.)
Tuesday: 'Q' is for Quarter
-color a Quarter coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall  (if you do not have silver paper, paint or use a silver crayon to color the edges of a piece of white construction paper silver)
-What is a quarter?  Use this fun facts page to teach your kiddo about quarters.
-4 Quarters in a dollar.  Use four Quarters and a dollar bill to teach your kiddo that one Quarter represents a fourth, or a quarter, of a dollar bill.  Count out four Quarters and talk about them being equal to one dollar.  This may seem advanced, but doing things like this now, even if your kiddo does not completely understand them, will help bridge the gap for fractions later on.
-make Quarter rubbings (get several different Quarters and put them under a sheet of printer paper.  Help your kiddo use the side of a crayon to color over the crayons to make rubbings.  If you are practicing cutting skills, you can even let your kiddo cut the rubbings out when you are done!)
-Play a quarter toss game (Write a large capital 'Q' on a piece of paper.  Tape the piece of paper to the ground.  Have your kiddo stand two or three feet away from the paper and try to toss quarters into the center of the letter 'Q'.)

Wednesday:  Fun Day!
-today we are going to take a trip over to the US Bureau of Printing and Engraving.  They do not make coins, but they do print currency and other things.  I am not sure if Jay will make it all the way through the tour, but they do have a fun activities area that he can play in!  If you are fortunate enough to have something similar in your area, try to take a trip to it!
-Does your kiddo have a piggy bank?  If not, go on a trip to the store to buy one (they usually have several at The Dollar Tree, and I bet you can find them pretty much everywhere.)  Talk about why they put money into their piggy bank.  Is it for college, their first car, their first house etc.
-Does your kiddo have a savings account?  Most banks and credit unions offer free bank accounts for kids, and it is never too early to start them an account.  If they don't have an account open yet, head on over to the bank to open one!!  You will be surprised how fast their money adds up!
-If you already have a savings account for your kiddo, take their piggy bank up to the bank and deposit the money they have saved in it!  Be sure to make a big deal about how well they are doing.  :0)   
-Also take some time to day to talk about empty and full.  Just use examples of things all over the house like cups, tummies, plates, pet food or water bowls, the mailbox, etc. 
-watch this, this, and this


Thursday: The Number 17
-color a Number 17 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 17 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall  (if you do not have silver paper, paint or use a silver crayon to color the edges of a piece of white construction paper silver)
-counting quarters (count out 17 quarters with your kiddo.  See if you can stack all 17 quarters without tipping them over.  Count out how many dollars you can make with 17 quarters. etc)
-Can you stay quiet for 17 seconds?  (play the quiet game we played earlier this week, but this time count out loud while your kiddo stays quiet.  See if you can count all the way to 17 without them making a noise!)
-do this empty/full worksheet
-play the empty/full game (line several bowls up on a table.  Fill some of them with various things--quarters would be a great choice, but make sure to use several different things to fill them.  Leave some of the bowls empty.  Have your kiddo tell you which ones are full and which ones are empty.  Count the empty bowls, and count the full bowls.  Them fill the empty bowls, so that all of the bowls are full.)

Friday:  Circles
-color a circle coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall (if you do not have silver paper, paint or use a silver crayon to color the edges of a piece of white construction paper silver)

-make a pretend pizza
-make a paper chain (cut all different colors of construction paper into strips.  Have your kiddo help you tape the ends together to make them into interlocking circles)
-make a circle collage (cut circles out of newspapers and magazines, or just cut them out of construction paper.  Glue all of your circles onto a piece of paper to make a collage.)

I hope you had fun learning the letter 'Q' this week!  If you have missed a previous letter, you can find it by clicking on the ABC Lesson Plans tab at the top of the blog, and I hope you will check back next week for 'R' is for Rabbit!