Stars, Moon, Mother's Day and Numbers and Scissors

Putting together another lesson!
This one is based on learning about stars and the moon followed by a Mother's Day lesson.
Books featured are:
No Time for Mother's Day by Laura Anderson (JE AND)
Moondance by Frank Asch (JE ASC)
Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch (JE ASC)
The Mother's Day Mice by Eve Bunting (JE BUN)
Biscuit Loves Mother's Day by Alyssa Capucilli (JE CAP)
Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle (JE CAR)
Mother's Day Surprise by Stephen Krensky (JE KRE)
Stars by Mary Lyn Ray (JE RAY)
Mother's Day by Anne Rockwell (JE ROC)
Owl Moon (JE YOL)

Curious George and the Rocket - (BB CUR)

What is the Moon - Chris Arvetis (J 523.3 A795w)
If You Decide to Go to the Moon - Faith McNulty (J 629.45 M169i)

Also sent out for two Oliver Jeffers books - The Way Back Home and How To Catch a Star

Earth Day/Recycle/Environment/Seeds Week

I didn't want to do a complete Earth Day theme so I kind of spread it out that way I could do a variety of activities over a few weeks.

Here are the books I'm using:

Up, Down and Around - Katherine Ayres (JE AYR)
The Tiny Seed - Eric Carle (J 582 C278t)
The Whole Green World - Tony Johnston (JE JOH)
Stuff! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Steven Kroll (JE KRO)

I Stink! - Kate McMullan (JE MCM)

The Lorax - Dr. Seuss (JE SEU)

10 Things I can do to help my world - Melanie Walsh (JE WAL)

Zinnia's Flower Garden - Monica Wellington (J 635 W452z)
Gabby and Grandma Go Green - Monica Wellington (JE WEL)
The Dumpster Diver - Janet Wong (JE WON)

Trashy Town - Andrea Zimmerman (JE ZIM)

I plan on talking about what we recycle and what we throw away. Hopefully plant something. Go on a walk and talk about what we see. Pick up litter or do something to save the planet. Do an Earth craft. Do a reuse material craft.

Books in addition to theme books
Alphabet Under Construction - Denise Fleming (JE FLE)

Good Night Gorilla - Peggy Rathmann (JE RAT)

Spring Time!

We have still been doing crafts and books just haven't posted... we just finished Olympics and Spring part I. 

Spring II is most based on flowers and weather. We are also starting an early reader series (testing the waters), sampling some read aloud books and others on our giant list for March-April library trips. Here is the list thus far: (if they have a JE... by it that means I've searched for it at our library if not our library does not have it but hopefully yours does!)

Spring Week
The Curious Garden - Peter Brown JE BRO

And Then It’s Spring - Julie Fogliano JE FOG

Green - Laura Seeger - JE SEE
999 Frogs Wake up - Ken Kimura
Inch by Inch - Leo Lioni JE LIO
The Rain Came Down - David Shannon
Spring is Here - Will Hillenbrand JE HIL
Old Bear - Kevin Henkes JE HEN
When Blue Met Egg - Lindsay Ward
Happy Easter - Liesbet Slegers
Piggy Bunny - Jeremy Tankard
The Easter Bunny’s Assistant - Jan Thomas
Duck & Goose, here comes the Easter bunny! - BB HIL

Beginner Readers
Brownie & Pearl series - Cynthia Rylant - JE RYL

Puppy Mudge series - Cynthia Rylant - ER JE RYL

Read Aloud Books
If you hold a seed - Elly MacKay
Happy Harrys Cafe - Michael Rosen
Do Unto Otters - Laurie Keller

Warning Do not open this book - Adam Lehrhaupt
What Happens When - Delphine Chedru
Oh No, George! - Chris Haughton
Fortunately - Remy Charlip
Fandango Stew - David Davis
Old Dog - Jeanne Willis
It’s a Little Book - Lane Smith
Boing - Sean Taylor
I Lost my Bear - Jules Feiffer
Too Busy Marco - Roz Chast
The Quiet Book - Deborah Underwood

Sneaky Sheep - Chris Monroe
Any book by Mo Willems
Harold and the Purple Crayon - by Crockett Johnson 
Horrible Harry goes Cuckoo by Suzy Kline
The frogs and toads all sang by Arnold Lobel
Someday by Alison McGhee 

It’s Spring by Linda Glaser
Flowers and Showers: A Spring Counting Book by Rebecca Fjelland Davis
When Will It Be Spring by Catherine Walters JE WAL
Everything Spring by Jill Esbaum
Poppleton in Spring by Cynthia Rylant - ER JE RYL
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss JE KRA c.1
Mouse’s First Spring by Lauren Thompson - JE THO
Splish, Splash, Spring by Jan Carr
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw - JE SHA

The Cloud Book by Tomie dePaola - J 551.5 D419c c.1

Book list sites
http://chasingsupermom.com/2013/03/40-books-about-spring/
http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2011/08/book-week-how-to-find-great-kid-books.html
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/over-20-fabulous-mustread-book-154667?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fohdeedoh+%28Ohdeedoh%29&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner

November and early December Lesson Plans

November 18-23 (yes including Saturday)
Fancy Nancy All Things Fancy

Books: Fancy Nancy, Fancy Nancy and the Spectacular Spectacles and another one I forget the name and I'm downstairs. I'll add it later. Also have Sofia the First (she's fancy!)

Saturday the library is hosting a Fancy Nancy Tea Party. So I thought this week we could do dress up and maybe fancy up some things. I tried Googling and didn't find a whole lot on this at a younger level. The book vocab is definitely over her head but I am trying to explore it anyway.  Here are the links I found online

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/preschool-lesson-plans/80062-two-fancy-nancy-lessons-and-a-fancy-party/
http://www.readtomelv.com/lesson-plans/
http://www.playdoughtoplato.com/2012/07/17/fancy-nancy/

It is going to be hard planning a week around it because it appears the books are above her level. So I will probably read them and have a creative week more focuses on drawing, reading, painting, manipulating textures (play-doh)

November 25-30 is Thanksgiving week so we are going over Thanksgiving
Books: Biscuit is Thankful. My Grandpa and I (thankful for grandparents).
Talk about actual Thanksgiving
Talk about what thankful means and who we are thankful for
Make turkey crafts

Amazing Links!
http://www.123child.com/lessonplans/seasonal/fall/thanksgivingthankful.php
http://www.123learncurriculum.com/assets/docs/Thanksgiving_Lesson_Plan_Week_1.302183652.pdf

Most of December, we have a LOT of Christmas play dates so I'm hitting Christmas pretty hard. We are doing Elf on the Shelf starting Dec. 1. And so I'll probably do snowmen, Christmas carols, Santa, Jesus - all different aspects.

November Planning

I can't sleep so why not do something productive. Crazy!

Mail Week Lesson Plan (all ideas are from Internet)
Nov. 4-8

Monday
Book: Millie Waits for the Mail
Fingerplay: Engine on the Track (mentions Mail Car)

Engine On The Track

Here is the engine on the tracks. (hold up thumb)

Here is the coal car, just in back. (pointer)

Here is the box car to carry freight. (middle)

Here is the mail car. Don’t be late. (ring)

Way back here at the end of the train. (little)

Rides the caboose through the sun and rain.

from http://learningandteachingwithpreschoolers.blogspot.com/2011/02/t-is-for-trains.html

Craft: 
Math - Shape Envelopes
Math Part II - Index Card Mail (Mail Daddy - 5 red stars, Mail Mommy 9 yellow stars (stickers), go over colors again
Science - Heavy or Light package (teach opposites, weigh different things on my kitchen scale)
Gross Motor - Walk to mailbox to mail our letters! 

Handwriting/Tracing letters - refer to flash cards

Tuesday
Mail Play Date Day
Book: Click Clack Moo and Other Stories
Craft: Make a Mailbox (http://www.petitelemon.com/blog/2012/12/04/handmade-by-hillary-12-days-of-christmas-diy-mailbox-letters/), Learn about Envelopes and Stamps (http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/06/kindergarten-mail-carrier-unit.html)
Writing: A letter to Santa or a friend

Wednesday
Book: Toot and Puddle
Fingerplay: I'm a Little Letter (http://www.lawteedah.com/2011/02/unit-study-mailman.html)

I'm a little letter

sung to: I'm a little teapot

I'm a little letter
Folded up
Tucked in an envelope
A stamp on top
The mailman takes me from the mailbox
He delivers me to the right address

Craft: Write a letter to Nana
Math: 
Field Trip: Call and go to post office for a visit
Writing:

Additional:
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2012/06/kindergarten-mail-carrier-unit.html

Snack ideas: 

Upcoming Theme ideas

Community Helpers - firefighters, police officers, Thanksgiving

October: Spider/Halloween Week Lesson Plan

Since we pulled Z out of preschool, I am restarting up Playroom Preschool again this week. We are doing afternoon preschool instead of morning because she's not really a morning person but we are keeping a morning schedule from 8-12. And then doing school after lunch.

Spider/Halloween Week Lesson Plan (all ideas are from Internet)
October 28-Nov 1

Monday
Book: Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Fingerplay: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Craft: Egg Carton Pipe Cleaner Spider (learn basic scissor use, painting, threading pipe cleaners, basic glue skills, creativity where the eyes go, how many legs a spider has)
Math - a construction paper black circle (shape and color review), 8 pipe cleaner legs (4 pipe cleaners halved). Put some on one side, some on other and add (so 2 on left, 6 on right... etc.)
Science - talk about how spider is an arachnid, has 8 legs, spins web, eats bugs
Gross Motor - do the Spin Little Spider rhyme movement (printout from online - http://www.primaryteachers.org/spider_songs_and_poems.htm) - do movements song says
Handwriting/Tracing letters - S (S sheet with other items and S letter tracing - uppercase and lowercase) - http://first-school.ws/t/alpha1/s.html and http://first-school.ws/t/word-search/alphabet/s.html

Tuesday
Book: Little Miss Spider by David Kirk (also about adoption side note)
Fingerplay: One Little Ghost (http://www.kidnkaboodle.net/fingerplay.html)
Craft: Handprint Spider
Math: Count spiders on paper (drawn)
Gross Motor: Pumpkin Bowling (ball and toilet paper with ghost eyes)
Writing: Number 8

Wednesday
Book: No Ghost Under the Bed by Guido van Genechten
Fingerplay: Five Little Pumpkins
Craft: Five Little Pumpkins (black paper, yellow moon circle, pumpkins cut outs, popsicle stick fence)
Math: Pumpkin Addition
Gross Motor: Painters Tape Spider Web
Writing: Letter P tracing

Additional:
Cliffords First Halloween by Norman Bridwell
Goodnight Little Monster by Helen Ketteman
Any of these fingerplays - http://www.kidnkaboodle.net/fingerplay.html
Craft: Spiderweb threading or the number 8 spider with clothespin legs
Counting anything Halloween themed
Gross Motor - crawl like spider, walk like Frankenstein
Writing - G for Ghost, W for Web, H is for Halloween

Snack ideas: Oreo cookie spider with pretzels, candy corn veggies

Photos so far:

September came and went

So I had a lot going on in September and even though I hate to admit it, I put my preschool teaching on the back burner. I have a lot of Mom guilt about it. I also, due to everything, put Z in preschool two days a week just mornings. I have a lot of Mommy guilt about that also. I just realized that sometimes it's hard to be you and be a Mom. I am finding my way the older I get. I have still been trying to do stuff with Z like books and songs and I Spy. I have planned a couple play dates in accordance to preschool themes - Apples, About Me. So I feel like I am still participating. I just feel like I failed at this for September. Maybe October will be better or maybe it will just bring more change. Only time will tell.