Guidance: Look for opportunities to read each day. Consider reading a variety of books to your child. If they are able, have them read to you. Ask your student questions and talk about the books that you read.

To encourage independent reading, children can create their own “fluency box”, a box that holds 4-5 books that your child can read fluently without help from you. Encourage your child read from it for about 15 minutes each day. Enjoy your time together reading great books!

To help provide access to books, consider using EPIC! Books. This website/app has just about every book you could imagine! Students can use this resource to read fiction books and to learn about nonfiction topics. There is a "read to me" section of books as well as videos that students can watch, listen and learn from, and more! Parents should look for an email from their teacher with information about accessing EPIC! Books at home.

Guidance: Encourage your child to write independently and with you. Students, siblings, and parents can write together. Enjoy writing with your child. For example, take turns writing sentences, draw pictures together and write sentences to match. You can help write words, draw, and decide what the book will be about. Get creative and explore writing using whatever materials you have at home--create blank books with white or colored paper, markers, crayons, pencils, etc.

After writing, consider having a book celebration by having your child share the book with your family. Share compliments and what you liked best about the book. The celebration could be extended by sharing the book virtually with family and friends!

Consider exploring websites of mentor authors such as Mo Willems (Pigeon books), James Dean (Pete the Cat), Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar).

Guidance: Count, count, and count some more! Count everyday objects you find around the house, such as forks, spoons, buttons, and blocks. You can write the number of objects that you count. Count snacks, toys, food...compare who has more or less and how many more or less. How many will you have if you add one more or take one away?

Encourage students to write the number of objects that they count. Consider creating a guessing game for how many items are in a jar. Ask students to make an estimate, then organize the count by making groups of 10. Your child can work to record what they find on paper.

Students can engage in mathematical thinking through songs and games! Consider listening to the Jack Hartmann YouTube Channel for songs about numbers. Additionally, board games that ask students to count or card games such as War are great ways to engage students in mathematics while having fun playing a game!

Guidance: Look for opportunities to explore the world around you. Consider discussing and investigating different topics such as machines, animals, habitats, weather and seasons, and more! While on a walk, consider taking a notebook and bag to collect information about the nature you observe. Hop on the EPIC app and choose a fun science topic to research! Scientists are constantly asking questions, researching, making hypotheses, investigating, and making conclusions!

Guidance: Consider using the following cards and exercise video to get your kids moving at home. Anything can be modified to work in your home. Encourage 30-60 minutes of movement each day.

Guidance: Encourage your child to be creative using a variety of tools and materials. In kindergarten, we spend time exploring different approaches to art, focusing on learning from the process. Use the Meri Cherry: Process Art Ideas website below to find ideas for art using simple items you might be able to find in your home. As students create art at home, ask them to think and talk about their favorite materials and artworks. You might even help them collect this work into a portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of work that an artist keeps and shares with others. The creation of a portfolio encourages students to think about their preferences and how they might present themselves as an artist. A portfolio could be created out of anything from a folded piece of paper or a deconstructed cereal box. You might prompt them to think about how they could design the portfolio to reflect their identity!

An artist is not only someone who makes art but someone who looks at and is inspired by the creativity of others! Using Google Arts and Culture (the resource below), you can search for a museum such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the National Gallery, or you can search for a specific artist or medium. While there are links that provide information for you to learn more about the artwork, you don’t have to be an art history expert to talk to your student about art. Find an artwork that interests you and encourage your kindergartener to describe relevant details within the artwork and talk about the message that the artist might be sharing through their art!

Guidance: This time in our lives can be stressful, we understand! Try to model happiness and a positive attitude as much as you can. As a family, participate in stress-reducing activities like exercising, coloring, playing games, and listening to music. Encourage children to spend some time with your family and alone each day. Alone time can look like reading or listening to music in a quiet spot or taking a rest. Alone time and mindfulness can help all of us cope with our unusual circumstances.

The resources below are optional ideas that could be supportive to your family that mirror what students are used to experiencing from a guidance lesson at school.

Notice: The purpose of this website is to provide parents and students with optional resources that could be used during the current school closure due to COVID-19. Students are not required to use the resources and information found on this site. Information and resources on this site do not constitue "educational services & opportunities" being provided by the ADM Community School District. Please use the following link for more information about why ADM is not providing distance learning educational services and opportunities: ADM COVID-19 FAQ