Unit 4:
Where We Live
Essential Question: Where do the people and animals around me live?
Focus Question: What types of homes do the people in my city (NYC) live in?
Week 3:
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: apartment, garage, house, igloo
Other words to consider: backyard, basement
EXAGGERATE the target letters below and pair those sounds with the vocabulary words
(Focus Letters: G, H, I)
*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.
Build a City: Let's target math and fine motor skills. Present your child with a chart of numerals and colors (you may repeat the numerals or create a pattern using the numerals or colors). Assist your child to stack legos, duplo or connecting cubes to "build a city". Count out loud with your child using 1:1 correspondence, compare sizes (ie. taller/ shorter/ wider) and colors.
"Gingerbread" House: Using graham crackers, icing, and sweets/ candies, assist your child to build a house. Talk about the shapes you're using and what they represent (ie. door, roof, window). While engaged in the activity, focus on counting, identifying colors and shapes and sorting (i.e. by color, shape or size), as well as flavors and textures of materials/ ingredients.
Counting Snowballs: Using construction paper, cotton balls and tongs, assist your child to count "snowballs". Consider having your child count out cotton balls to match the numeral written and/ or have your child imitate the amount YOU count out. Once successful, count cotton balls with your child using 1:1 correspondence, then ask them "how many?". If you do not have child-sized tongs available, consider using kitchen tongs OR pincer grasp (index and thumb fingers).
Name Snowman: Use the attachment as a guide to create your own name snowmen. Consider assisting your child to trace circle shapes onto paper and cut out using safety scissors. Write letters of your child's name in pale colored marker/ crayon and assist as needed for your child to trace the letters; remember to label letters with your child and have them point to and label the letters for you. You may want to add a photo of your child's face or write your child's name in the same position as their "snowman" so they may match the letters. Consider making a "snowman" family using other family members' names and pictures.
Rock Shapes: Remember that nature/ neighborhood walk you took? Using rocks, pebbles, acorns, or other similar material, have your child create letters of their name and/ or shapes. Target shapes include: circle, square, triangle- but you may expand the shapes to include rectangle, star, oval, and rhombus (diamond). Focus on fine motor skills, following directions, imitations and identification, as well as counting. No printer, no problem! Draw oversized shapes and letters on printer paper, construction paper, cardboard box or cereal box.
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!