This week I figured what better way to follow a theme of bugs than of creepy crawlers. I am talking spiders, centipedes, millipedes, snakes (ok so they are a reptile, but they CREEP me the heck out and so I threw them in here too, earthworms...anything that likes to squirm around in dark wet places was explored. I am not a fan of these creatures. Spiders and snakes scare the jeebies out of me. These activities I did have fun with along with my kid.
As I mentioned in my last post we are finished with our first go around introducing the alphabet. This next time you go through the vocabulary words you should see a huge growth of what your child will vocally point out. The first time was seeing what they may pick up with you. This next time through is sitting back and seeing what they will recall on their own first before helping them with their tougher picture words. Also, another big difference this time around is actually working with them to start tracing out the uppercase and lower case letters. Some kids still need lots of fine motor skills strengthening at around age 3 1/2 and so writing with a pencil will be tough. Some kids strive with pencil work, but struggle in other ways. If your kid has a hard time with pencils, maybe only have them trace like three letters each with the pencil, but see if they do better tracing in sand, or shaving cream, or whatever sensory play you are doing. Also do lots of practicing with their fingers in the air the motions they will follow when writing out the letters throughout the day. As they first start out at this phase do not expect them to be perfectly following the tracing lines. What matters is they try and follow with right motions. Most likely your kid's tracing will be very big, but as long as they still end up with something resembling the letter in the right proximity than that is what matters. A will look a lot less like A for your child than when they finish with Z where Z will be a lot more clearer, if that makes sense. Do not stress, but make it fun as much as possible. Also, I have done a post on different orders of how to introduce the alphabet incase you were curious. Honestly, you can follow the alphabet from beginning to end again if you want, or if you are needing a new order you can check that out under the label Learning Theories..there are several posts under that label so you might stumble on something interesting and new too.
This week we started with the letter Aa again along with learning about the color black.
Monday: Practice Uppercase A/Spiders
Books:My a Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Songs:
Apples and Bananas by Raffi
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Activities:
Intro letter A again. Practice writing uppercase A with broad arm stroke. Review Aa picture vocab
Make applesauce dough. There are tons of recipes out there, so you can figure out the one that sounds easy for you.
Play astronaut just like our astronaut game from our space themed week.
Intro spiders. Spider web fun activity. Take yarn and tape it on a door to make a big spider web for your child to have fun pretending to be the spider as he/she runs back and forth the spider web... We do not have a big family so this next idea did not work as well for us, but if you have a larger family sit in a circle together and pass a ball of yarn around to make a family spider web.
Tuesday: Intro Black/Centipedes and Millipedes
Books: Andy Alligator by Sarah Albee
Black by Nancy Harris
Songs:
Alligator and Monkeys
(Tune of 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed)
Five little monkeys swinging in a tree, one little monkey teasing mr. Alligator said hey, you can't catch me.
Along came mr. Alligator quiet as can be snapped that monkey right out of the tree.
(Then 4, 3, 2, 1)
The Centipede Song
(Tune of Polly Wolly Doodle)
Said the centipede as he gave a little squirm
Has anybody seen a leg of mine?
If it can't be found I'll have to hop around on the other hundred ninety-nine.
Hop around hop around
On the other hundred ninety-nine.
If it can't ne found I'll have to hop around on the other hundred ninety-nine
Activities:
Review Aa vocab words and arm movements for how to make uppercase letter A
Free art coloring time
Abacus play
Black pom pom sorting.
Use pom poms to make millipedes together.
Watched a short youtube clip about centipeds and millipedes.
Park Day
Wednesday: Practice Lowercase a/ Snakes
Books: On Noah's Ark by Jan Brett
A Snake Is Totally Tail by L. S. Johnson
Songs:
Veggietales Who Built the Ark
A Silly Slippery Snake
(Tune if you're happy and you know it)
Oh I wish I was a silly slippery snake
Oh i wish I was a silly slippery snake
Oh I'd slither across the floor
And I'd slither under the door.
Oh I wish I was a silly slippery snake
Activities:
Intro writing lowercase a with broad arm strokes. Review Aa vocab words
Build noah's ark with blocks
Play with airplane
Play with black colored tub of water outside
Intro snakes. Make paper plate fingerprint snakes
Thursday: Sorting/Earthworms
Books: Blackout by John Rocco
Animal Orchestra by Tibet Gergely
Worm Loves Worm by J. J. Austrian
Songs:
Animal Fair
Herman the Worm
Activities:
Review how to write lowercase a with broad arm strokes. Reviee Aa vocab words
Zoo day. Fun animal exploring day
Almond sensory play
Black painting fun
Intro earthworms. Make dirt pudding together.
Friday:Aa Review/Ticks
Books: Curious George At the Aquarium by Margaret and H. A. Rey
Bug Safari by Bob Barner
Songs:
Animals In the Ocean by the kiboomers on youtube
Ants Go Marching One by One
Activities:
Practice tracing out again both uppercase and lowercase Aa. Review vocab.
Visit a local aquarium
Do some aerobics together
Take potting soil and cober plastic creepy crawly toys. I found some at our local dollar tree.
Library day.
What fun activities do you have that can make creepy crawlers less creepy???
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