June 12-June 16, 2006
Letter of the Week: H, h
Theme: Gardens & Plants
a) Go to www.preschooleducation.com
b) Click on THEME TOPICS.
c) Click on GARDEN.
d) In the purple box labeled “Theme Topics Garden”, click on MUSIC AND SONGS. Choose a variety of songs you would like to sing each day. You can also look up books, arts & crafts, math, science, snacks, etc.
Check out garden/plant/flower stories from the library. Remember to look for a variety of genres…non-fiction books, poetry, picture books, songs, etc.
MONDAY
1) Letter Activity:
• Post words to “Humpty Dumpty” on chart paper on the wall. Read poem together. Discuss what Big H and little h look like and what sound they make. Have kids come circle all the H’s they can find.
• Pour uncooked rice onto a cookie sheet. Have kids practice drawing Big H and little h in the rice.
2) Theme:
• Read “The Crooked Apple Tree” by Eric Houghton.
• Sing “I’ll Plant A Little Seed”.
(Sung to I’m A Little Teapot):
I’ll plant a little seed in the dark ground,
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow.
• Activity: Go out to garden and pick a flower/weed…some type of plant. Be sure to have the kids pick it gently so it pulls up the roots. Take it inside and have them examine it closely. On a large piece of poster paper, draw a plant and start labeling the different parts they observe. (Flower, stem, leaves, roots) Then discuss what essential things a plant needs to grow. (sun, water, soil) Have kids draw/make their own flower, label parts, and add sun, water, and soil.
TUESDAY
1) Letter Activity:
• Read Humpty, Dumpty poem again. Review “H” words located on Monday. On a new piece of chart paper, generate a list of H words focusing on the sound H makes. Have kids come circle the H’s again.
• Give kids a paper that has a big H and little h written on it. Have them glue cut out hearts on to the paper to form the letters.
2) Theme:
• Read “The Reason for a Flower” by Ruth Heller.
• Sung to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (Do actions for each line as you sing):
Dig, dig, dig the earth,
Then you plant your seeds,
A gentle rain
And bright sunshine
Will help your flowers grow.
• ACTIVITY:
Fold a paper towel and spray it with water. Put the paper towel and three lima beans (that have been soaked in water for about an hour) into a ziplock bag. Seal the bag. Take a piece of green construction paper. Cut a big house shape. Staple the ziplock bag into the center of the “greenhouse”. Let kids decorate their greenhouse around the bag. Explain that you will be observing their seeds grow in the bag every day. Review parts of a plant and what a plant needs to grow. (See www.littlegiraffes.com for a full explanation. Go to TEACHERS, then click on THEMES, then scroll down to PLANTS.)
Place white carnations in a glass of water. Have children add a few drops of food coloring to their water. Have them predict what will happen to their flower. Set flowers aside until Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY
1) Letter Activity: Read/review H words from chart paper. Have a sheet with Big H’s and little h’s. Have children start tracing H’s on the sheet with guided help. Have them draw a picture of an H word on the back of the paper.
2) Theme:
• Read “Growing Vegetable Soup” by Lois Ehlert.
• Sing a song.
• ACTIVITY: Check on white carnations. Discuss what has happened to their carnation and why (the carnation will have turned whatever color the water was). This experiment illustrates how plants drink water to help them grow and be healthy.
• SUNFLOWERS: You will need 1 large paper plate for each child, yellow crayon/paint, brown crayon/paint, small black beans, and scissors. Have the children color the inside of the plate brown. Then the outside rim yellow. Give them some beans and glue, and let them glue the beans in the center where the brown is. After they dry, cut around the edge to give it fringe. Hang them in a window or from the ceiling.
THURSDAY
1) Letter Activity: Using old magazines, have children find pictures that start with the letter H. Cut pictures out, glue to a piece of construction paper and label the picture. Have child practice tracing more Big and little H letters.
2) Theme:
• Read “Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together With Children” by Sharon Lovejoy
• Sing a song.
• ACTIVITY: Go on a field trip to the INTERNATIONAL GARDENS in Salt Lake City. Kids sketch their favorite flowers, trees, plants in their journals.
FRIDAY
1) Letter Activity: Have children practice writing their letter H on dry erase boards without tracing them.
• Have children trace each of their hands. On each hand write: “Name of child’s hands can…” and have them made a list of what their hands can do.
2) Theme:
• Read “One Bean” by Anne Rockwell.
• Sing a song.
• Activity: Go on a scavenger hunt outside. Collect different examples of things that grow from the neighborhood. Bring them home and glue them on paper to make a collage of “Things That Grow In My Neighborhood.”
• Review sketches from the field trip the day before.
MONDAY-FRIDAY: Introduce play “From Seed to Plant”. (From book “25 Just-Right Plays for Emergent Readers” by Carol Pugliano-Martin, Scholastic) Choose parts. Decide on costumes and scenery. For the next couple of days we are going to work on putting on this play. I’m really trying to work with my kids on memorizing different types of things from plays to poems.
