Learning Resource for Week 32: May 10 – May 14
Message from Teacher Anna, Teacher Selena, & Teacher Mimi:
May is clean air month! Air quality significantly impacts children’s health. Indoor air pollution levels are 2-5 times greater than outdoor levels because of indoor pollutants such as: tobacco smoke (and e-cigarettes or “vaping”), mold, cockroaches, household chemicals, fragrances, and pet dander.
Tips to improve ventilation:
- Increase ventilation by opening screened windows and doors. But avoid these actions when outdoor air pollution is high.
- If you have a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, run the system fan for longer times, or continuously.
- Upgrade the HVAC system filter to a higher efficiency MERV 13 filter, or the highest-rated filter that your system can accommodate.
- HVAC systems need maintenance-have them checked yearly
- Portable Air Cleaners can be used to supplement natural and mechanical ventilation systems in certain situations
For more information visit this website: https://cehn.org/download/covid-19-indoor-air-quality-in-child-care-facilities/
As we mentioned, our four program wide expectations are be courageous, be curious, be compassionate, be a community. First we will be focusing on how children can be courageous.
Children are courageous when….
- they try new things for the first time
- they ask questions
- they make a mistake and try again
- they share their own feelings
- they stand up for what is right
In this week’s learning resource, you’ll find an activity to help your child learn what it means to “Be Courageous”.
ACTIVITIES FOR OUR YOUNGER CHILDREN
Fine Motor Skills: Opening and Closing Container – Save empty plastic food containers with lids, wash them out, and let little ones go crazy – matching the lids and popping them on and off of the containers. They love hiding toys inside too! Increase the challenge by incorporating different types of lids including ones that snap on and off and ones that twist on and off. Make sure the lids are not too small, we do not want them to be choking hazards and as always with little ones, make sure we are always keeping an eye on them when playing with toys to prevent choking.
Suggested Home Learning Activities For This Week:
Social Emotional
We Are Water Protectors: Book Video – This week to learn more about how to be courageous here is an activity to talk with your child about standing up for what you believe in. In this book, when a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people’s water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth’s water. After reading the story, ask your child what they can do to help protect the Earth and water. https://vimeo.com/440812598
When you talk to your child about standing up for what they believe in, make it a discussion rather than a lecture. Listen to your child’s ideas, and help them talk through what actions they can do to stand up for their beliefs.
Math / Science
Number Recognition Movements – Play a simple counting game with a deck of cards or numbers you write out on a paper and hold up for your child to see. Start with numbers 1-5 for this week. When you say the number out loud together, ask your child to count to that number and then do that number of jumping jacks, push ups, hops, or wiggles.
Movement / Play
Pass The Beanbag Song – Sit in a circle with a few family members, this is a great one to encourage siblings to play too! Get something to be the ‘bean bag’ it can be a toy, ball, stuffed animal, or a rolled up pair of socks. The song will ask you to pass the bean bag around and you will follow the song to pass fast or slowly. Before playing the game it is a good idea to talk about indoor safety and how to play the game while still making sure everyone is safe while passing the bean bag. One rule you might want to have is make sure we are passing instead of throwing and everyone stays seated.
Here is the link: https://video.link/w/Yk3rc
Problem Solving
Act Out a Story – Have your child act out stories they know. The story provides a structure that guides children’s actions and requires them to attend to the story and follow it. To help your child really get into the story encourage them to use props from around the house or to make their own props out of paper and cardboard boxes. If they can’t think of a story try suggesting one that you recently read together.
Language / Literacy
Science Plant Activity – Look outside a window it’s spring! Ask your child, “Do you see any plants growing?” Ask your child to draw a picture of a plant and label its parts (stem, leaf, petal). If your family is comfortable with going outside and you are close to a park you can find a few plants to pick and bring back home, maybe find a flower, a few leaves and some grass. If you don’t see any plants outside, see if you can find a picture of a plant. Draw and label what you see.
