Preschool Curriculum Week Two

We're almost done with our first week of home-preschool. My biggest lesson I'm learning so far is that it seems to be working best for me and John (who, I must remember is still two years old, not even three) to squeeze in lessons where they fit and in casual settings. This needs to be fun for all involved! Therefore, with my below curriculum, I am considering it as a list of ideas to keep in mind. I will try to check off most of the ideas throughout the week, but many of these things can be done on the fly or in different locations. Reading can be done anytime, anywhere around the house. Food-related crafts and activities can be done when snack time would be happening anyway. I'm due to buy cat food anyway, so there is our "field trip" to see an aquarium. Songs can be sung in the car, on walks, wherever. The other thing I'm realizing is that this looks like a lot, but most of these "lessons" can be extremely short. Reading a book takes five minutes. We can crab walk around the living room for as short or as long as we want. This is a fun experiment.


Week Two (9/14-18/09): Letter “A”

http://www.letteroftheweek.com/letterA.html


Language Arts


The sound this letter stands for is the short vowel sound - /a/ as in apple.

Theme words - printed out coloring pages for apple, ant, ambulance


Sign Language - teach the ASL sign for the Letter A


Books and Poetry:

Ten Apples up on Top! by Dr. Seuss (requested from library)The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall (requested from library)
"Apple Song" by Frances Frost
"Applesauce" by Martha T. Lyon
“Ten Red Apples” by Author Unknown


Music

The Ants Go Marching (idea: sing while marching around the yard)

Snacks


Apples (try sprinkling with sugar & cinnamon to see if John will eat them), animal crackers (do simple math exercise with crackers: see below)

Religion


Monday: Feast day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (idea: color a cross, mount it on a stick, march around exalting a crucifix, like at Mass)

Tuesday: Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (maybe go to Mass)


Read story of Adam and Eve (“Bible Stories for Little Children” pp. 5-9; various children’s Bibles)


Math


Addition on an abacus - If you have an abacus this could be fun. If not you can use animal crackers or some other manipulatives and teach simple addition such as 1 + 1 = 2, 2 + 1 = 3, 3 + 1 = 4, 4 + 1 = 5, 2 + 2 = 4, 2 + 3 = 5. ( If your child is ready you could add up to 10 or more)


Social Studies

Talk about the job of an Astronaut.

“I want to be an astronaut” by Byron Barton.(requested from library)

Art Project


Animal Paper Bag Puppet

Supplies: paper bag, construction paper, crayons, scissors, glue

Choose your favorite animal to draw on the bag. Use construction paper to add ears, whiskers, etc. Color the puppet. Have a puppet show.

Sport/Game/Activity


Do animal walks (e.g., crab walk)

Field Trip


Visit a pet store to see aquariums (to do: buy cat food and litter).

Montessori activities


Introduce the Montessori Color Tablets (got paint chips at paint store; need to organize)

http://homepage.mac.com/montessoriworld/mwei/sensory/scolortb.html