Unit 4:
Where We Live
Essential Question: Where do the people and animals around me live?
Focus Question: Where do people and animals live?
Week 2:
Story Time: Scroll down for the Books of the Week
Choose one book each day to focus on
Scroll down for the Books of the Week. Pause during the book reading to discuss what you see and ask your child to identify items either by labeling or pointing. Keep a list of what they were able to identify and share it with us!
After reading the books/watching the videos, MASK UP and go on a nature walk, even if it's just around the block! Invite your child to explore habitats and consider bird watching; this could be a pretend bird watching experience or an opportunity to watch, or look for birds in the neighborhood. To begin the activity, facilitate a discussion with your child about where animals, such as birds live, and where you might find them on your search. Throughout the activity help the children consider where birds and other animals live and how they make their homes. While walking ASK QUESTIONS and talk about people and animals you see, and sounds you hear. Discuss colors, patterns, quantity, and shapes. Discuss what types of homes you see: were they people homes or animal homes? What did you notice about the homes? Were they apartments? Houses? Did they have many windows? How many floors might be in each building?
Literacy Activity:
Choose an activity to work on over a couple of days or choose one activity per day
Vocabulary words to target this week: dog, environment, fish
Other words to consider: bird, cat, habitat, shapes
EXAGGERATE the target letters below and pair those sounds with the vocabulary words
(Focus Letters: D, E, F)
*Feel free to add your own words, the key is consistency. KEEP LANGUAGE GOING ALL DAY*
CLICK HERE FOR LETTER PRINTABLES
*Explore the links above: there are puzzles, tracing, painting, and play-dough mats to choose from. The goal is to have your child engage with letters of the alphabet and also to be able to identify the letters in the vocabulary words. Experiment with what your child shows the most interest in. Target fine motor skills, following directions and communication. Allow your child to use glue, safety scissors, paint, markers, stickers, etc. For play-dough and paint recipes, click on this link below or check our "Resources" page.
NO PRINTER? NO PROBLEM! DRAW LETTERS FOR YOUR CHILD TO TRACE WITH THEIR FINGERS, MARKER, ETC
STEAM:
Science/ Technology/ Engineering/ Art/ Math/ Science
Choose an activity to work on over a couple of days or choose one activity per day
Examples of questions to ask:
What happens when ___? How do you think that works? How could you change that?
What does that remind you of? What would happen if ___? Tell me more.
*Remember to narrate play and ask questions; label objects, animals, parts of things (ie leaf on stem), colors, sizes, tastes, quantity.
*This is where you can use the items gathered during your supermarket trip or nature walk.
Color Sorting Pom Pom Drop: Using paper towel or toilet paper rolls, paint or wrap with construction paper and assist your child as needed to drop pom poms, play-doh pieces, crumpled colored paper or colorful small toy items into the associated roll. As a challenge, consider writing a numeral on the roll so that your child will drop the appropriate number of pieces. No paint? No problem! Use one of the recipes on the Resources page.
Discovery Box: Engage your child in an exploration activity where you may assist them with creating a discovery box. You may use the same tubes from the pom-pom drop activity, empty beverage containers, boxes, and tape. Consider using items from around the house: dry ingredient items such as beans and pasta OR small animal toys, action figures, puzzle pieces. While engaged in the activity, focus on counting, identifying colors and shapes and sorting (i.e. by color, shape or size), as well as animal and environmental sounds as appropriate.
We Live In All Different Places: Using safety scissors, assist your child to cut out pictures of animals and habitats and sort on to prepared poster board or construction paper. Once complete, assist your child to count items, label or point to pictures, animals, habitats. Target fine motor skills, following directions, counting and item identification. (Alternative to scissors, assist your child to hold paper and tear using finger tips and wrist rotation).
Habitat Sorting: Use the attachment as a guide to create your own sorting sheets; consider placing sheets into boxes/ bins for less mess while sorting. Create or print out various habitats and place figures/ toys or pictures onto/ into associated habitats. Focus on expressive and receptive language to identify animals, habitats, and weather (i.e. Arctic is COLD, Jungle is HOT, Water is WET, Desert is DRY).
Habitat Sorting With Tongs: Using several small bowls or plates, kitchen tongs, and animal figures, assist your child to sort animals by habitat. Discuss the animals and habitats used, animals sounds, colors, sizes, and quantity. If you don't have animal figures, consider cutting out animal pictures and taping to small blocks. Focus on fine motor skills, following directions, imitations and identification.
Cheerio Bird Feeders: Assist your child to string cheerios onto pipe cleaners, twine or other material. Consider incorporating patterning, counting and shapes to your designs. Discuss bird habitats and hang the creation at the park or somewhere in the neighborhood.
Books of the Week
Once finished with the book, go through it again and PAUSE video to get a better look at pictures; assist your child to identify pictures (focus on labels, body parts, sounds, shapes, verbs, colors, quantity).
Use this as an opportunity to talk about animals, where we and they live. Is the animal a pet or does it live in the wild? Do you have any pets? Where do they live, what do they eat, what does it look and feel like? Discuss colors, shapes, quantity, and patterns. Pause the books at any time to answer questions, ASK questions, and point out important information. At the end of the book, talk about it some more. Ask WH questions (ie WHAT did we just read?/ WHAT did you see?)
Interested in reading some more? Check this out: Joan Snow PreK Library
Videos of the Week/ Music and Movement
When exploring these videos, use this as an opportunity to talk with your child about parts of their bodies and the function of body parts (ie touch/ feel with hands/ feet), EMOTIONS and following directions and imitations.
I've included some videos that target daily living skills; review these videos and talk about your daily routines, allow your child to practice and remember to narrate and model.
It's important to engage with your child, narrate videos and PAUSE video if you need to. Have your child perform emotions and movements with their bodies. Write down any reactions or words and share with us!
The goal here is to HAVE FUN! Making mistake and having a do-over is OKAY, it's all part of the learning process!