As a former Pre-Kindergarten teacher and now stay-at-home mommy of 2 boys and a sweet baby girl, many people ask me how they can be implementing educational concepts in the lives of their young children at home before they enter school. Instead of trying to come up with a quick list of ideas off the top of my head to answer these questions, I have decided to put all of my lessons into this blog. I, along with so many other parents, want to be purposeful at home with my children and make the most of the time I have with them.
I hope that this blog can help, encourage, and inspire you to work with your kiddos and
get involved in the learning process! The benefits will be endless,
and the moments you share together will be priceless! As Dr. Seuss once said,
"The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go!"

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Thinking Theme: Transportation

Letter of the Week: Tt

Number of the Week: 4

Bible Verse of the Week: "Jesus answered, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.'" John 14:6 (older children can learn the rest of the verse..."No one comes to the Father except through me.")

Books:









Songs:
Lots of great songs here at Preschool Rainbow.
_________________________________________
Lesson 1: What Will Roll the Best?
Objectives:
* To determine which type of object will roll the best down a ramp and recognize why
* To learn about the concepts included in a science experiment such as a hypothesis, procedure, and conclusion
* To make and understand what an incline plane (ramp) is
* To use the fine motor skills involved with writing and coloring

Materials:
* a wooden board or some kind of material that can be used to create an incline plane (ramp)
* 4 different objects to try to roll down the ramp (make sure only item will actual roll well, we used a car, book, block, and a teddy bear)
* crayons
* pencil
* Worksheet



Procedure:
1. Talk about what a science experiment is and the components of a simple science experiment. (hypothesis - guess of what will happen, experiment procedure - steps to do the experiment, conclusion - what actually happened)

2. Have your child look at the 4 objects you have selected and ask them what they think will roll the best down a ramp. Write their hypothesis down on the paper (guiding their hand or writing themselves)



3. Create an incline place (ramp) with the wooden board. Make sure that it is not too steep (anything will slide down something super steep :) )



4. Allow your child to try and roll each object down the incline plane. Write down the experiment results on the paper.





5. After each object has been tested, ask your child the question again, "What object rolled the best?" Write the conclusion on the paper. Have your child draw pictures of the experiment if they wish.



Lesson 2: Airplane Craft
I found ideas for this craft here at It Mom and here at Paint Cut and Paste. I combined the two and added a little of my own based on the materials and time that I had.

Objectives:
* To learn about airplanes and their characteristics
* To understand the differences between airplanes and other forms of transportation
* To use the fine motor skills involved with cutting, gluing/taping, and drawing

Materials:
* empty toilet paper or paper towel roll
* construction paper
* glue/tape
* popsicle stick
* stickers if you have them
* markers
* scissors



Procedure:
1. Wrap a piece of construction paper around the toilet paper roll and tape/glue into place and set it aside.



2. Draw or place 4 (number of the week emphasis) stickers onto a popsicle stick.





3. Help your child cut out a square shape of construction paper.





4. Roll the square into a cone shape and tape/glue it on top of the toilet paper roll. Then tape/glue the popsicle stick in the middle.



5. Cut out two triangle shapes from the construction paper, and tape/glue them to the bottom sides of the roll.





6. Let your child have fun flying their airplane! :) Talk about other types of transportation that fly in the air (ex: helicopters, jets, rockets, space shuttles, etc.) Discuss the differences between this type of transportation and transportation that drives on the road or in the water.



Lesson 3: My Suitcase
Objectives:
* To understand what items you should put in a suitcase when you go on a trip
* To recognize why these items are necessary and why other items are not
* To use the fine motor skills involved with cutting, gluing, and writing

Materials:
* construction paper
* glue
* scissors
* old magazines
* stapler if you have one (or you can use tape or glue, staples just hold the paper together better in this lesson)



Procedure:
1. Talk about the items that you put into a suitcase when you go on a trip. Ask you child what they need to take with them. Use questions like, "Do you need to take a toothbrush on a trip? Can you put your swingset in your suitcase?" Help them understand what is necessary to take, what can fit in a suitcase, and why you need these things?

2. Cut a piece of construction paper into a rectangle shape and staple it to the top of another piece of construction paper as if it were a handle on a suitcase like this:


* I labled the top "My Suitcase"

3. Find pictures in magazines that represent items that belong in a suitcase, and cut them out.



4. Glue the pictures on the "suitcase."



5. Label each picture. You can write it by guiding your child's hand or have them write it on their own.



6. A cute pretend suitcase!



* Extension:
Pack an actual suitcase with the necessary items and pretend to go on a trip!

Lesson 4: Shape Bus
Objectives:
* To understand what a school bus is and what it looks like
* To use different shapes to determine how to create a school bus picture
* To recognize different shapes and say their names
* To use the fine motor skills involved with cutting, gluing, and drawing

Materials:
* white, yellow, black, light blue, and red construction paper
* scissors
* glue
* markers/crayons
* book about a school bus



Procedure:
1. Read a book about a school bus. Have your child look at the bus and talk about it's characteristics (colors, shapes, etc.)



2. Cut out these shapes from the construction paper:
* 1 large yellow rectangle
* 1 skinny black rectangle
* 4 small black circles
* 1 small yellow trapezoid
* 5 small blue squares
* 2 small red ovals



3. Spread all of the shapes out so your child can see them. Ask them to pick up the yellow rectangle, then glue it in the middle of the paper. Then ask them to find another rectangle and see if they can pick up the skinny black rectangle. Glue this onto the yellow rectangle.





4. Continue this process of asking your child to find specific shapes and then glue the pieces together to make a bus like this:



5. Talk about how all of the shapes fit together and how we can find shapes all around us in our environment. As an extension, you can make another vehicle out of shapes (ex: car, train, rocket, etc.) Have your child try to figure out the best shapes to use for each part of the vehicle.

Lesson 5: Wheel Painting
Objectives:
* To understand what wheels are and how they work based on their shape
* To recognize that wheels can make certain prints with their tracks
* To use the fine motor skills involved with painting and rolling cars/trucks

Materials:
* white construction paper
* 3-4 different colors of paint
* paper plates or bowls to put paint in
* trucks, cars, etc. that you don't mind getting dirty :)
* something to cover child's clothes
* drop cloth



Procedure:
1. Put a paint smock or coverup over your child's clothes and place a drop cloth down in the area you will be painting.

2. Pour a small amount of each color paint into bowls or plates.



3. Have your child look at the wheels on each vehicle to observe the track marks. Then let them roll the vehicle in the paint to cover the wheels with color.



4. Then have them roll it onto the paper and observe the track marks.



5. They will love this lesson and get very messy! :) It creates fun artwork to display!



Extra Thinking
* Letter Tt crafts from Totally Tots- Tractor Uppercase T, Toothbrush lowercase t
* Field Trip - What a great week to go on a field trip to an airport, train station, bus station, farm to see tractors, etc.
* Cardboard Box Transportation - These are ADORABLE from Party Blowout!!! So many creative ways to use cardboard boxes, especially for a transportation unit! Scroll down to find lots of ideas!

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