Pre-K-4

Bubble Letters

I stay up late sometimes….it is 10:30.  But it feels much later so maybe I am being a little dramatic.  Being dramatic reminds me of my jr. high days of writing bubbly at all times.

And  tonight, I got the itch to download a free bubble letter font….it happens.  I went to fontspace.com, searched for a bubble letter font, and I downloaded one called “Janda Manatee” because I liked it the best.

I opened the file, clicked “Install”

And then I opened a Word document, changed the page orientation to Landscape, and typed Sean Patrick’s name using the new cute font.

I then clicked “Insert Shape” and filled his name with circles (I copied the circle size I liked and pasted it a lot of times first to make this go by fast!)…

I had to blow it up a little in the “Paint” Program to make it the size I wanted, but tomorrow I plan to do one of three things (if not all three) with this simple activity:

1) Encourage SP to cover each circle with little “poms poms.”

2) Encourage Sean Patrick to stamp the circles with his dot paint markers.

3) Encourage SP to stamp his finger print (ink pad style) on each circle.

This is a great pre-writing skill that develops his fine motor skills while emphasizing letter formation of the letters that are most meaningful to him, with a concentration on lower-case letters at this time.  Do you have any other ideas??!?  Cover each circle with a sticker maybe?  Please share your thoughts!

Update: HOw the lesson went down>

I used two print outs; one to show him ideas and the second to let him explore on his own.  I talked to him about the letters.  “Look Sean Patrick…mommy made your name with circles in the letters.  Can you still read the letters?  What letter is this? ” etc.

   We explored covering the letters with pom poms but that didn’t last long.  Sean Patrick had more fun stamping the letters with his fingers and decorating his name with star stickers.

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Pack Your ClipBoard!

This past weekend our little family took a day trip to the zoo, and when I got home I thought…Why didn’t I pack the clipboard?  In my classroom I always allowed the kids to “document” the nature walks or other outdoor events for several reasons:

1) Kids love to feel “professional.”

2) Kids like to have a (fun) job/task.

3) Kids need a great age-appropriate recording sheet to “write about” or “draw” what they see.

So, I made it easy on you…  Not only did I make a Zoo Animal Checklist :

I also made a Kid’s Grocery Checklist with all the staples:

I made the grocery checklist because if I keep a stack of them on the clipboard in my bag then grocery trips can go smoothly.  The picture to the left shows the calm before the craziness.  This is when the clipboard comes in handy! Your child can either check or “x” what he sees or doesn’t see.  OR check off items as you place them in the cart.

Kids love this kind of thing!

Need a clipboard?

This gave me ideas for more clipboard checklist fun so I’ll be posting two more checklist printables THIS WEEK! Stay TUNED 🙂

 

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Teach While Brushing Teeth

Is anyone else forgetful when it comes to encouraging your child to brush their teeth?  Or did I just shame myself?

Well, I found a way to help you and your child remember and even have some motivation for brushing teeth.

After you type in your child’s name, and print out the chart, stick this cool. personalized printable  on the door of your child’s room or bathroom and tape a ziploc bag with a crayon or two inside of it.

This chart is a great way for your child to learn (or be exposed to) organizational skills, graphing, calendar skills, and responsibility.

When helping Sean Patrick brush his teeth I always sing a transitional song, “brush your teeth, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch, ch!” I’ll spare you the sound bite!

Found this in my files…yes, I take a picture of EVERY moment in my child’s life.

And, I encourage SP to “get all the germies out.”

Naturally, we talk about positional words like top, bottom, under, sides, inside, outside, etc.

So yeah!  Let me know how it goes…I want feedback people!  You love it?  You hate it?  You would never do this?  Try it for a week and once you get in the habit you will quit the coloring business?  What of it?

But yeah, the chart is pretty cool.  I would color it for my toddler but older children should be able to color it themselves after you model it a bit.

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