Numbers & Letters

 I had a friend who recently moved away ask for some ideas on working with her son at home to make things a little more interesting while practicing numbers and letters. This will be a rather dry post, but hopefully useful to anyone who can't send their child to preschool, perhaps prefers to have them learn exclusively at home, or even to supplement classroom learning. There are not a lot of supplies needed and if you don't have them on hand, they can easily and cheaply be purchased at the dollar store, thrift store (I get many games at thrift stores just for the pieces) or even made by cutting up colored cardstock (for more fun and variety) and using a marker to write on them. When I say "you" below it will refer to the child.

 

 These are just simple paper circles with numbers on them. Place them in order, say the name of each as placing and/or name (count) them once all laid out. Mix them up and point to a number and name it.

 Using the same number set and adding another (this is just from our Rummikub game). This is just basic number matching. As with above, you can name them as you place them.

 Using a number set, place counters by each number equal to the number value. To make things more fun, using a variety of items for counters will help, or even mix and match. I know you can get these glass gems at the dollar store. To make a full 1-10 set you will need 55 pieces (210 for 1-20). Other items you can try are beans, coins, paper clips, mini erasers (the $1 spot at Target has 60 piece sets right now that would work great), basically anything that can be counted.

 Using a little bag, box, or anything that will hide the number set, draw out a number and then place that number of counters by it. This will help in actual counting vs. just knowing there is one more than the last as in the game above.

 Also using the bag, pull out a number at random and practice writing it. You could even pull out 2 numbers - one representing which number to practice, the other representing how many time you have to write it down.

 The same game can be played with a die or dice. (You can buy a 10 pack at the dollar store or dig one out of a game already in your closet). This version will help them to count and then reflect on which written number represents it before writing it from memory.

 Another game can be played using a set of dominoes (I got this mini set at the dollar store) and a pair of dice. Pull a domino out and then find the face on each die that matches. Say how many dots are on each die.

 Pull out a domino and place counters next to them, matching the number of dots with the counters.

 The domino set can also be used to match to the number sets.

 You can also do some basic math with the dominoes. Pull a domino out, count the number of dots and place the total number below domino.

 Same two games with a single die or dice. Match dots to number.

 

 Add another row with the sum of the 2 numbers.

 Similar to above, but with different pieces. Roll the die, place matching number of counters below.

 This one is good for matching and fine motor skills. The cardboard is just an old cereal box. I wrote the numbers here, but a child could easily do that part first. Just write some numbers on the clothespins (again, purchased from the dollar store) and then match to numbers on the cardboard. For an added level of difficulty, try this with the number matching to the number word. This is good practice for sight words.

 Switching over to letters. Write a capital letter on one side of the clothespin and lower case on the other. Match capital letter clothespin to lower case letter on cardboard.

 Lower case matching.

 Lower case clipping to capital.

 And capital to capital.

 For an added challenge put letters in a random order (the same can be done with the numbers).

 For this activity use a game like Scrabble, Upwords, etc. or just cards with handwritten letters. Like above, place a full set of 26 in a bag or hat and pull one out, say what it is, what it sounds like and/or write it down. Repeat for the entire alphabet if possible.

 Same as previous activity, but write the lowercase version of the letter.

 For this one I just pulled out a few letters that made a real word. You (the parent this time :) )could have a list of names or places that your child is familiar with in addition to simple CVC words and sight words. Those could be drawn out of a bag as well.

 Drawing out letter tiles, practice writing letter in salt (or corn meal, shaving cream, finger paint, etc). By changing the substance the writing is done in, this activity can be a great sensory experience as well as just making it not be boring after a few times. For an additional sensory experience, add a little bit of spice to the salt (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, garlic power, etc.).

 The "erasing" part is fun. It just takes a gentle side to side swish. Ideas for trays: cheap ones at dollar store, this one is a lid from a candy tin, cookie sheet, clean/unused meat tray from the grocery store, lid of a shoebox.

 The activity can be done using a writing instrument too. Try the back side of a pencil, a craft stick, a stick from outside, a princess wand, and the ideas go on.

 Draw a letter out and recreate with counters.

 This would be great to do with a  white board. One way is for an adult to just write a letter and the child covers it with counters. The letter can be picked at random or drawn from a bag/hat. Another way is for the child to pull a letter out, then write it themselves and then cover it with counters.

 This is just a basic alphabet I typed up on Excel, it can be quickly just written on a piece of paper too. I'd recommend a lower case version as well. Draw a number from the bag and match it. Pretty simple. Similar to the clothes pin version of this, a paper with the alphabet jumbled up would help increase the difficulty. Again, say the name of the letter and the sound it makes as much as needed while playing these. Maybe even add in a word that starts with that letter.

 Because I don't have a lower case chart, but do have a set of lower case letters, we used our counters like a Bingo game, finding the capital version of the letter.

 This is another sensory activity that most kids seems to enjoy. It's a letter hunt. Mini sensory bins to not have to be elaborate. This is just a large-ish Ziploc disposable container. I like getting the fill from bulk bins at the grocery store. Beans, rice, lentils, shredded paper, even shaving cream are fun fillers.

Last one for now. Letter sort. This is one where I'd recommend having a few different colors and fonts, both upper and lower case letters. Start with just 3 letters (but 5 or so of each of them - like 5 Ls, 5 Qs and 5 Hs or something like that) to sort. To increase difficulty, use more letters at once (either number of or letters) or use letters that have similar features.

Words From a Rookie

I'm pretty sure I should be bringing my camera to the classroom every day. Despite today not being my best flowing day, there were a lot of fun things we did that should have been documented. I'm going to compile each theme for you as I go. Truthfully, it's not really for you, so much as it is for me to note for next year.

 For now though, a few things I have learned so far as a rookie teacher.

• The preschool owner told me not to plan too far ahead at first because I would need to know the class and cater to them. Very sound advice. My kids have sort of short attention spans for most of our centers activities, but can sit there for a long circle time. Granted there are a few that don't do as well sitting there period, but overall as a group they really dig that time all together. So, when I plan now, I try to make circle time very full of different activities and songs and engage with them there as we learn about the theme. (Not that I wouldn't try to engage with them if they could only sit for 5 minutes.) For centers I've figured they really like to be in a group still. I try to mainly plan group things and less independent work, though I am working on that.
• You are going to look like an idiot. You are going to mess up words to finger-plays and songs. You are going to forget where you just put something down a second ago. You will accidentally skip that whole part about teaching them how to hold scissors or about much glue to use. It's ok. The kids don't care. They just love that you love them. (Incidentally, more sound advice the owner gave me when I was still feeling terrified.) They don't care that your tune for a song is wrong or if you are way off key. The parent helpers may notice, but, hey, you are there for their kids, not to perform for them.
• Don't be afraid. I'm sort of laughing that I am writing this because I was a serious wreck for weeks before my first day. I ran a marathon for the first time the following week and that was way less stressful! I believe that people really can do most of the things that they think they can't do. It just take a little belief in yourself and baby steps.
• It may be too soon to know how effective what I am doing is, but I am slowing adding things to circle time, specifically calendar time. We've done a days of the week song and now have added a months of the year and a today, tomorrow, yesterday song. They are getting better at the songs the more we sing them, though I still feel like I'm solo on stage. That is one thing that makes teaching only twice a week hard. There are themed songs that we really only sing once and the kids never really get the chance to learn them. I mean, it's not like we're going to try singing about the falling leaves in January. It might work where you are, but we have 4 seasons.
• I'm also unsure just how awesome this is for them, but based on instinct and what I can remember from school eons ago, but I'm trying to mix up story telling. I will do a finger-play one day and chant/song with movement another. Everyday I read at least one good old fashioned book. I'm not a natural at story telling and need to work more on memorizing the stories I'm not reading from a book. That way when I bust out the flannel board I can focus on being a lot more fun instead of worrying about singing or saying the wrong words.
• Prepared to be surprised about what holds their interest. Playing with shaving cream was nearly a bust, but they went gaga over Bingo. It may have been the biggest hit yet (well, outside of play dough and the sensory bin.) I would have never guessed that a simple matching game would win out over making a mess.
• And to bring us back to where we started, document what you do. Keep files on what you do for each theme or center. Be as detailed as you figure you need to be so that when next year rolls around, "future you" will thank "present you" for doing so much prep work. Note what worked, what you might change, or something new to try out next time. I do this for recipes and let me tell you, "future me" loves to know when less oil is better and when some added green peppers instead of cucumbers would enhance the meal.
• Do what works for you. For instance, I have been working on master lists for songs. I know there are a lot premade lists that exist online, but I need a list of ones that I would actually enjoy singing with the kids. Ones that flow out easily and naturally as we perform the actions together or tap out the beat are going to be more fun for the kids because they can see that I think it is fun. This goes for all different aspects. If you love art, they will sense your enthusiasm as assist them in creating their own masterpieces. If you think science is the greatest thing on earth, they will happily explore and learn with you. It should go without saying, but you will have to to things you don't love too and the kids might not love what you do. Find a way to mix what works for you with those things you don't love as much and it will be a win-win for all. I love organizing things in a way that makes sense to me, even if it is not how it's "always been done." Using what you know about yourself and your own strengths and weaknesses to help you as you plan. Which brings me to...
• There is always a better way. This might sound discouraging, but it's meant to be the opposite. Someone will always have a cuter idea. They will have a more exciting way to present an idea. Don't compare yourself to them. It's hard not to, but just like you are teaching your preschoolers, you are special and there are things that only you can bring to the classroom.

Hopefully that doesn't read as a bunch of incoherent rambling nonsense to you. I'd like to be helpful to people who might be in the same shoes I was just a few short weeks ago. I am loving what I am doing. It has been way too long I've been able to say that about a job. I'm lucky to have such a fabulous class. And let me admit this too, since I want to be real. I feel a bit like a faker writing this because I am still so new. Teaching young children is something that I think I have always naturally gravitated to, so some of it is not something I learned in a college classroom or even by having my own kids. I am far from a pro and am learning every day.
So, good luck to you on your new journey. And if this is a road well traveled for you what advice would you give?

Update on Summer "Schedule" & Our Summer Reading

I always like hearing updates or longer term reflection on all these great ideas people have online - whether it be discipline, shore charts, allowance, and so on. I figured someone might be interested in a little update on how my proposed summer "schedule" with the kiddos has gone.

First of all, despite all of my intentions to not make a "to do" list, we did. In order to not feel the pressue of getting it all done by school starts, I'm thinking of the term summer very loosely. We've had a few fails (one that is a double fail - once this year and once last. I will post about it though!), but we are slowly chugging along.

As for the morning routine I shared that we had started? Well, that has sort of died a little. They still have to make their beds and get dressed right away, but the morning exercise (preferably a walk) has all but vanished. I really liked that though, so I'm going to try and start again. 

 The morning jobs need adjusting as I think the cats were being overfed and the potted flowers died (between being over-watered and then not watered at all while we were out of town).

The learning segment of the day is less restricted to mornings, but still has been happening. We have done the very best with the writing journals. I can't tell you how much I love them! The workbooks we aren't doing as well on, but also still working on. The reading has changed from my original want of 15-20 minutes a day. Let me tell you how!

I decided to just focus on each boy passing off a book from their reading list to me. Like I said in my other post, my 6 year old got a list from his teacher of recommended books at his reading level. For my 5 year old, I just use our beginner books and found a chart of them online to check off as we go.

The boys know right on the where to find their book that are specifically for "reading time" versus just to look at and read if desired. The 5 year old's are in a basket.

The 6 year old's are next to that basket (and pretty much all from the library - we reserve 10 at a time and when they are done get 10 more).

After they have passed a book off with me, they write the title of the book down on a list, I date it and then check it off on the main list of books I have for each boy. The lists are on just the shelf right above the reading books.

Once a book is checked off, it goes in the return to library pile, or in a bag of completed books -ready to go back into storage until little sis is big enough to start  reading.

I have liked this system way better than a minute requirement each day because I figure - it's summer. I am having them do enough learning things that their brains won't turn to mush and this works really well for us. 

As for the other things I had planned for our routine (art and nature), they are also just sort of going so-so for us. We have a local bird chart and have been watching in the neighborhood, but haven't ventured out in real pursuit yet. We have hiked and been in the outdoors, so that is still great. And, when we went on a road trip earlier this month, we saw a bear along the highway, so that was a great nature sighting! 

 We also saw the drama unfold of a deer almost getting hit by a logger truck, then darting up a hill too steep to climb, then back out into the road and finally to safety in a field. (Not the greatest pictures, I know, but we were mostly watching with out eyes, not through the camera.)

We've only done the van Gogh project for art still, and I'm okay with that. It's another thing I don't mind stretching beyond summer.

One last thing I've added though is learning more about the US, but in a very brief format. I requested from friends and family all over the country to send us postcards (an idea I from Kids Activities Blog) and we're loving them showing up in the mailbox each day. What we do once we get them will be saved for another post! :)

Homework Incentive Idea

 This idea may not seem like the most creative idea ever, but it was a relief for me to have something new to try to keep my daughter focused while doing her homework.  

My 6 year old gets frustrated and wants to stop when things get hard a lot of the time, so I was racking my brain to think of some way to try to make her homework into a game or more fun anyway.  I had all these glass decorative rocks that my husband bought for a project and didn't end up using all of.  Anyway, I decided to use them during homework time because they are shiny and something my daughter would think was fun to play with.

 

My daughter is working on reading site words and blend reading words. We had a couple pages of words she was supposed to read and I knew we weren't going to make it, so I got our container of these colorful rocks out and an empty cup and each time she read a word correctly she got to put one of the rocks into the empty glass.This would work with any kind of homework she was doing, in this case reading a word= one rock, but you could adapt it however you wanted.

 

Let me tell you, it helped. We still had one small moment of wanting to stop, but after we got passed that, with the help of these colorful rocks, not only did she finish her homework, but asked if she could do more reading. :)

 I told her that once the glass was full to the top of rocks then she could pick a piece of candy from our candy cupboard.

 

I wish I could say that I was completely above bribery, but sometimes this one of mine needs some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.  Anyway, it helped us and so I thought I would share.