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Teacher Lisa July 27-31 Learning Resource

Message from Teacher Lisa!

Hi everyone! Teacher Lisa here. Can you believe July is already coming to a close? Time sure flies! In this week’s newsletter, you’ll find some fun activities to try out every day as well as a few videos I made for the kids!

Don’t forget to read every night, and go outside for some fresh air! Just remember to wear a mask if there are people around – we want to stay safe from germs!

In the “Useful Links” tab, you’ll find a link to a PDF from our curriculum website, Tools of the Mind. It’s called Astronaut Adventures, and it comes with a daily activity to do with it!

*When you click on the links for the Vimeo videos it will ask you to enter a password. The password is easy to remember—it is NH so just enter those two letters when asked for a password!

MONDAY ACTIVITES

1 Astronaut Adventures (PDF): Talk about Astronauts! What do you know about them? Have you ever met one?

2 ABC mix-up! Write and cut out the ABCs and scramble them up in a baggie. Shake them out on the table and have your child put the ABCs in order! I’ll post a picture below to show as a guide.

3 Number matching! Find some Popsicle sticks (or you can use scrap paper!) On some pieces/sticks, write out numbers up to 10 or 20 (for an extra challenge, try up to 30!). On other pieces/sticks, draw dots or shapes of different amounts and colors to match the numbers (colors of the shapes do NOT have to match the numbers!). Mix them up and sort and match them together! I’ll add a picture below.

4 Freeze Dance Time!! Play your favorite freeze dance to help your child practice self-regulation. When the music is playing, dance! When it’s paused, STOP!

5 Here’s a video of a very special friend of mine: Sophie! https://vimeo.com/440477946

TUESDAY ACTIVITES

1 Astronaut Adventures (PDF): Problem Solve! See the PDF for details

2 Story Lab: Connections. When reading a story with your child, ask questions about how the child can connect with the story. For example, if you’re reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, you could ask the child, “What kind of food do you eat when you’re hungry? Why do you think the caterpillar ate so much food?”

3 Shape and Color Hunt: Describe a shape to your child and have them find objects around the house that match. For example, they could find a block to match with a square.

4 Play a game of Red Light, Green Light! You can even put a twist on it and have your child do different actions when getting towards the finish line: they could walk, hop, crawl, etc.

5 Grab a bean bag and follow along! https://vimeo.com/440790594

WEDNESDAY ACTIVITES

1 Astronaut Adventure (PDF): Draw & Write

2 Message of the Day is part of our Tools of the Mind curriculum, and helps children plan what they are going to do! It also helps them start to recognize sight words and letter sounds. I have pictures added to the Picture Guide section. Here’s a video! https://vimeo.com/440797890

3 Puzzle time! Work with your child on a puzzle, or make one! This helps them work with shapes, as well as their fine motor skills as they manipulate the shapes to fit each other. Under the Picture Guide section, I have pictures of a coloring page I printed off and colored, then cut up in different ways to make it a puzzle. It can be as simple as that! Or better yet, your child could draw the picture for the puzzle!!

4 For Regulation and Emotion practice, play Simon says! You can do a regular game and add in emotion faces. For example, you could say, “Simon says look happy!” And they could smile or do a dance.

THURSDAY ACTIVITIES

1 Astronaut Adventures (PDF): Dramatize & Engineer

2 Story Lab: Predictions. When reading with your child, ask them what they think will happen next. For example, if you’re reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, ask them what they think will happen after the caterpillar ate so much food! Did he get a stomachache? Did he go take a nap?

3 Time for Graphics Practice! It can help kids learn to write so they can get stronger with writing letters, numbers and shapes! This also can build self-regulation as you play some classical music along with the practice. When you pause the music, your child STOPS writing and shows you their progress! I’ll attach a picture below for examples to try. Be sure to use the little phrases that go with each shape!

4 This is a fun activity for moving around and for labeling emotions. Play the song, “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” And mix it up! You can try different emotions and different movements to go with it!

FRIDAY ACTIVITES

1 Astronaut Adventures (PDF): Problem Solve

2 ABC hunt. Find objects that start with letters in the alphabet. For example, give them the letter B, help them remember the sound, and then they can find a book, or a blanket.

3 To help practice regulation and mindfulness, try some yoga, or belly breathing! I’ll attach a picture of some poses you can try with your child.

Useful Links

Astronaut Adventures! https://toolsofthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Astronaut-Adventures-1-Tools-of-the-Mind-1.pdf

Click these links for local school information!

This is the Kindergarten page from Seattle Public Schools: https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/early_learning/kindergarten

Seattle Public Library: https://www.spl.org/

Picture Guides

ABC Mix & Match:

123 Mix & Match:

Message of the Day:

Puzzle:

Graphics Practice:

Yoga Poses for Kids: