SPRING! A time of renewal and warmth (March 18-22)

UPDATED - 3/18/14
South Texas had a pretty interesting winter this year, and we are really looking forward to Spring! Our grass will begin to turn more green and the leaves on the trees will grow back. It gets warmer outside and outside games are more fun! We welcome the birds singing in the trees, begin to see our butterfly friends around, and flowers bloom and smell wonderful. Ahh, Spring!

To begin this lesson, it is a great idea to head outside and play a game of I Spy. Try to find pretty birds, flowers, bird nests, butterflies, etc. Make it a fun game and provide flower stickers for correct answers!

LETTER C c:

C is for Colorful! Trace the letter on the worksheet and talk about the letter C words! Letter C Worksheet




SITE WORDS:

It is time to begin learning to READ! Really, they can do it. We begin with basic "site words" that are common and easy. For the next few weeks we will work on getting them to recognize their own names. Their names are the most important words of all! Young children are so proud when they are able to spot their names.

This week begin by taking a picture of each of their smiling faces. Print the pictures.
Next freehand some flowers on colorful construction paper OR you can print some out HERE. 
Cut the pictures out and tape them in the center of a flower.

Print their names above or below their face on the flower.

Hang these up near your Circle Time area. Every morning, talk about their names. Ask them to point to their name on their flower. What letter does their name start with? On Thursday, remove their picture from the flower and see if they can still recognize their name. Remind them of the first letter of their name to help them along.



SCIENCE

Growing Seeds (Lima Beans)

All plants grow from seeds! There are many different shapes, sizes and colors of seeds. We even eat some kinds of seeds. We can eat sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, black eyed peas, lima beans, green peas, sesame seeds. These are all examples of something we eat that can grow if we plant them in dirt.

A seed will grow into a plant if you plant it in dirt and provide water and sunlight. Sunlight is like food for plants! We are going to grow a plant of our own! We won't even need any dirt!

Materials Needed:

Lima Beans
Paper Towels

Gallon Size Zipper Bags


Soak the dried lima beans over night to help speed the growth process. The faster they see results, the easier to keep them engaged in this!

Place the pre-soaked beans in a bowl. Provide paper towels and a water source.
Write the children's names on a baggie. Display them on the table and see if they can recognize theirs. Explain that sometimes seeds will sprout with water and no dirt. Let's see if we can make that happen!

Have the kiddos place the paper towels in the bowl of water so that they are saturated. Place at least 2 saturated towels inside the baggie all spread out. Then ask them to count out 2 lima beans and place them in the bags on top of the wet towels. Seal up the baggies. Tape the bags to a window where the kids can check them easily all week.

After about 24 hours you should be able to see some sprouting! Each day you should see some growth. After around 7-8 days, there will be a green plant with a leaf in their bag. Beyond this time, the plants may begin to mold.




COMMUNITY

Gardners (Landscapers)

A Gardner is a person whose job is to take care of lawns and gardens. Gardners sometimes work for people who own a home and they take care of their yard for them. Other Gardners work at a school, a zoo, a park or even around roads to take care of the grass and flowers there. These people are good at taking care of plants and helping them grow big and beautiful!

MATH

Flower Counting

Print the blank counting grid HERE and the numbered flowers printable HERE.  Write the numbers 1 through 5 along the left side of the grid. You will need multiple copies of the numbered flowers. Cut out the numbered flowers. (You could also use foam flowers from a craft store or flower stickers)

Give a grid to each child and place the numbered flowers randomly on the table. Direct the kids to place the 1 flower numbered with a 1 next to the 1 on the grid. Then they should place a number 1 and a number 2 flower on the number 2 row on the grid. Complete this through number 5.



When done with foam flowers

Less Than & More Than

Print the worksheet from Education.com HERE. This worksheet has less than and more than in a butterfly theme.
 




ART

Handprint Flowers

Materials Needed:
Pink, Red, Yellow, etc finger paint
Construction Paper
Stem & Leaves Template (here)

Print 1 stem and leaves set for each flower. Cut them out.

Ask the kids to glue the stem and leaves to their piece of contruction paper.

Dip the kid's hands in one color of paint. Make sure their hand is open faced and flat. Have them make a print of their hand at the top of the stem. You can stop here, but it turns out really pretty if you do multiple separate prints for 1 flower.


Multiple Prints

One Print

MOTOR SKILLS

Yarn Weaving

Provide each child with a metal cooling rack (for baking) and some lengths of yarn. Instruct them to weave the yarn through the rack.

This is a very calming excercise which requires patience and fine motor skill!

BOOKS

  on Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Its-Spring-Susan-Swan/dp/0761313451/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362597891&sr=1-1&keywords=its+spring%21

The excitement of spring is in the air as a boy explores the world around him.

DLTK's website has a fun printable book all about Spring HERE. Print, assemble and read with your class!

CRAFT

Signs of Spring Collage

Cut out pictures of flowers, birds, baby animals, green and leafy trees, Easter eggs, butterflies, four leaf clovers, dandelions, etc from magazines. Provide each child with a piece of construction paper or provide 1 large piece of paper if you want to do a full class project.

Place the different pictures on the table and ask the kids to glue their favorites to the paper. Once done, talk about the pictures and how they show the signs of spring!

COOKING

Ice Cream Sundaes

Ingredients:
Ice Cream Flavor of Choice
Chocolate Sauce
Sprinkles
Whip Cream

Place a scoop of ice cream in a small bowl. Provide the toppings in small bowls with a spoon and allow the kids to create their own sundaes! Lots of fun and super yummy.

FIREFIGHTERS! And Fire Safety (Feb 4 - 8)

A seriously fun topic for all kiddos, girls or boys! We are going to talk about the community helpers and what they do, and also what they drive. Fire trucks are awesome! If you have the ability, take your kids to a fire station to check out a real one. They will have the best time :)

LETTER: F f


http://bestcoloringpages.com/f-for-fire-coloring-page-with-handwriting-practice_1d2324.html
Talk about F. Have the kids trace the letter with their finger, then with a crayon. Color the page. If they are able, practice writing the letter at the bottom of the page.



COMMUNITY

Firefighters
Firefighters put out fires in homes, stores, forests, and anywhere else they occur. They do their best to help their communities and to help people! They provide emergency medical care for people who are hurt. Firefighters must be brave and strong. Their job can be very dangerous.

What should you do if there is a fire?

In case there is a fire where you are, it is important to know some safety steps. (If you feel comfortable teaching your kids about 911, please do so. I think mine are a little too young to learn about this just yet. For some great tips on how to teach your child to use 911, go HERE)

STEP 1: Pre plan a meeting place in case of emergency.
STEP 2: Practice fire drills at home and at school.
STEP 3: Don't hide! GO OUTSIDE!
STEP 4: Fall and Crawl when escaping a fire. The air near the floor will be easier to breathe.
STEP 5: Stop, Drop & Roll if your clothing catches on fire. This is the best way to put yourself out!



GROSS MOTOR

FIRE DRILL!

To set this up, pre-plan a meeting place and escape routes for everyone to follow. If you can, draw out a map for them to look at also. If you already have these in place, good for you! This will be a great practice. For those who don't, it is very important to provide this information to the kiddos. If you have practiced this, a real emergency will be much less scary for them.

Show everyone the way to get out and where you should be meeting once outside. Talk about the above steps and how important it is to go outside as quickly as they can. Crawl on the ground. Roll if you need to.
Now practice! Tell them you are going to pretend there is a fire emergency and they need to follow the safety steps. Say GO! They should follow the escape route and go outside to the meeting place. Talk about how they should look for the Firefighters and let them know they are safe. Remind them that their job is to make sure they get outside. Do not EVER go back inside a burning building. It is the Firefighter's job to go inside the building and make sure everyone has gotten out safely. They will let you know when it is safe to go back inside.

Go back inside and talk about Stop, Drop and Roll. Have them practice the moves. It is fun for them, but remember that since they have practiced this, if an emergency warrants it, they will remember how to do it.

Once the kiddos have mastered this skill, you can give them these certificates that say they are Stop, Drop and Roll experts! Let them be proud that they know such an important skill!

Certificates

MATH

Fire Truck Numbers

Print the cards from MakingLearningFun.com. Set the fire station at one end of the table and then put the numbered fire trucks out of order on the table. Count the fire trucks out loud with the kids. Then work together to put them in the right order. Use as many trucks as your kids are able to count!

Fire Truck Number Activity

Less Than, More Than

It is time to start learning this concept. It can be a tricky one to master so I like to use visual aides to help it make sense in their heads!

You can use ANY objects you wish. I like to use blocks or Legos. Have 2 pieces of paper that you can place the items on to keep them separated. Start basic: place 1 Lego on 1 paper and 2 Legos on the other. Count them together. Ask them which paper has more Legos? 2 is more than 1! Which paper has less Legos? 1 is less than 2. Add 1 Lego to each paper so that you have 2 and 3. Continue this line of questions and answers. Work up until there are around 5 on one paper and 1 on the other. Revisit this lesson often, as it will take some time for some children to grasp. This is the beginning of learning how to add and subtract!



PRETEND PLAY




Be a Firefighter!

This is a total no-brainer! Get some cheap firefighter hats at a dollar store or print them from DLTK's website: http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/miscellaneous/mfiremanhat.htm
Provide them with some paper towel rolls, rolled up paper, old hose, or whatever else you can use as fire hose. Have them go around putting out "fires".  Have them rescue some stuffed animals or dolls and put bandages on them.



SCIENCE

The Fire Triangle

The fire triangle is the "recipe" for fire. Every fire needs 3 "ingredients" in order to burn: air, heat and fuel. Take any of these away and the fire won't burn.

EXPERIMENT!
Take a long candle, such as an emergency candle. Find a jar that the candle will fit inside, make sure the jar has a lid. Melt the bottom end of the candle so you can stick it to the inside of the lid of the jar. Light the candle with the jar lid under it sitting on the table. Explain that the fire can burn because there is heat, fuel and air. If we take away the air, the fire will go out. Place the jar over the candle onto the lid and watch as the fire goes out!
**CAUTION - please use caution when using fire around the kiddos and NEVER leave them alone with it!


MUSIC

I'm A Fireman

I am a fireman, I'm dressed in red
With my fire hat on my head
I can drive the fire truck and fight fire too
And help make it safer for you!

(sing to I'm a little teapot)



CRAFT

 

Shape Fire Truck

I have borrowed this one from another site! No Time For Flashcards has a great step by step for this craft HERE!



BOOKS

Stop, Drop & Roll (available on Amazon!)




I Want to be a Firefighter (available on Amazon!)





FINE MOTOR

Bead Sorting

Use an egg carton, a muffin tin, a divided vegetable tray, or anything else you think will work! Set out a selection of different colored beads. Ask the children to sort them by color. Put all the red ones in one container, blue in another, etc.


COOKING

Camp Fire Snack

Ingredients:

Pretzel Sticks

Velveeta Cheese, melted

Pile the pretzel sticks in a triangle pattern, as if you were setting up a campfire. Use a spoon to drizzle cheese onto the pretzels. This will look like a glowing campfire!