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.

August: Sink or Float science game

Unfortunately my phone was dead so no pictures of the game but we took a lemonade pitcher and filled it with water halfway and then we gathered stuff outside and around the house and then went on the porch and Z made her prediction (ooh vocab word) and I marked it down and then we watched (even Daddy helped!) to see if they would sink or float. Z loved it because she could splash the water and got to throw rocks in it. And then after that we played with the Daisy and Minnie cars on the porch until the bugs came out. Here is the prediction paper typed out.

Name			Date
Object	Prediction	Sink	Float
Football	F		x
Duck	F		x
Zebra	F		x
Car	F		x
Block	F		x
Pom Pom	F	x
Z spoon	F		x
Spoon	S	x
Kid Spatula	F	x
Big rock	F	x
Little rock	F	x
Medium rock	F	x
Leaf	F		x
Acorn	S		x

August: School prep continued, math and science lesson plans

So I had my planning meeting with my other mommy resources and I took over math and science. They are in charge of reading/writing and fine motor/sensory. So lately I have been pinning up a storm based on math and science alone. I'm not a math or science person really so it's been helpful for me to expand my horizons.

I did a pictoral schedule with Z today to see if it helped her learn the schedule better. We drew it together. I also tried to draw it with environmental words (McDonalds, JC Penney, Post Office). I am still working on learning that.

One more week til school!

August game alphabet and gross motor

Way too hot to finish this but she did it for a little bit. Try again when it's cooler. I had to make circles so it wasn't overwhelming. Without them she was overwhelmed. But then she jumped on a j, flew to a f and galloped to a g. And then we talked about if it was uppercase or lowercase. 

Starting square

Jump to the J

Hang on I have to take my shoes off

Jumping on J

Fly to F

She flew to f

Gallop to g