Teacher Juliet, Teacher Genet, Teacher Mahi, Teacher Meskerem
May 17 – 21, 2021 Spring Newsletter
Screen and Media Resources for Families
By: Nourished and Active In Early Learning
Washington Center for Public Health Nutrition
Family Media Use Plan from the American Academy of Pediatrics. An interactive online planning tool available in English and Spanish. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx
Healthy Habits for TV, Video Games, and the Internet from the Nemours Foundation. http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/tv-habits.html
7 Parent-Tested Tips to Unplug and Play from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. https://commercialfreechildhood.org/pf/7tips/
Kids & Tech: Tips for Parents in the Digital Age from the American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Tips-for-Parents-Digital-Age.aspx
Screen Time Resources from Zero to Three, a global non-profit organization. Landing page with research-based screen time resources. https://www.zerotothree.org/early-learning/screen-time
Screen Sense: What the Research Says About the Impact of Media on Children Aged 0-3 Years Old. Report for parents from Zero to Three. https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/2536-screen-sense-what-the-research-says-about-the-impact-of-media-on-children-aged-0-3-years-old#downloads
Common Sense Media provides unbiased reviews on quality and age-appropriateness of many TV shows, apps, and games marketed for young children. Their website is a good place to find quality media opportunities and programs. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Book: Media Moms & Digital Dads Book: A fact-not-fear approach to parenting in the digital age. Yalda T. Uhls, PhD. 2015. Bibilomotion, Inc. Brookline MA. http://www.yaldatuhls.com/popular-writing/
Movement / Play
Toddler’s Corner By: SensoryLifestyle
Pinch and Lift game
Skills developed
Fine motor skills
Eye hand coordination
Target Senses
Vision
Proprioceptive (body position)
Play with Beads
Skills Developed
Fine motor
Eye hand coordination
Target Senses
Tactile (Touch)
Visual (sight)
Sensory Activities/play stimulates your young child’s senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight, and hearing.
Stop & go games
Stop & go games are excellent to start teaching your toddler about impulse control.
How to Play
Incorporate stop & go language into your toddler’s favorite games.
Rules: While playing a specific activity say ‘stop’… wait… wait and then say ‘go’ and keep on playing.
After your toddler understands the concept, you can prolong the wait time. Just enough to keep them engaged but not frustrated.
Examples of games:
Ball bouncing: While bouncing on a large exercise ball
While walking outside
Whilst walking your toddler in a stroller
While giving them a piggyback on your shoulders
Whilst pouring water into the bathtub or onto your toddler
Language / Literacy
Reading
By: Learning Dynamics
Short Vowel Aa
Book 4 Pam Has a Hat
Help the child sound out these new words before reading this book.
Pam Sam bad sad hat sat ran and bag taps
Sight Words: a has
Ask these questions after reading the book:
- What does Pam have?
- Where is Pam’s hat?
- Why do you think Sam grabbed the bag?
- Why did Sam sit on the bag?
Hands on Letter Sound Activity (Beginning Sound)
Gather your child’s toys, foam alphabet, and play with your kids.
Ask your kid to identify the toy and emphasize the beginning sound and match it to the letters.
Math / Science
Count to 100 | Jack Hartmann
Pattern
Using your Tangram or any materials work with your kids on Patterning. Introduce AB, ABA, ABC, ABCD, and beyond.
Patterning is also a basic mathematical skill upon which many other mathematical concepts based such as addition, skip counting, times table and others.
Learning to be proficient in identifying and creating patterns is the beginning of the mastery of life-long mathematical skills.
Math / Science
60 minutes
SCIENCE ACTIVITY
DIY Floating Ping Pong Ball
By: Sick Science!
Materials:
-Plastic bottles
-Ping Pong Ball or any light
Materials pompoms
-Straw
– Scissors or cutter
– Nail and hammer
– Tape
- Cut the plastic bottle near the top.
- Mom or dad using the tape guide to cut the top of the bottle with cutter.
- Place the bottle cap, open side down, onto the workbench.
- Center a large nail on the top of the bottle cap and use hammer to punch a hole in the cap.
- Pull the nail out of the bottle cap and you should have a nice, round hole.
- Place the short end of the bendy straw through the hole.
- Start blowing into the straw and place the ping-pong ball over the stream of air.
Art / Writing
60 minutes
Rainbow Fish Writing and Arts & Craft Activity
Rainbow Fish
By: Marcus Pfister
By: StorylineOnline
This story teach kids about sharing
And being a good friend
Rainbow Fish Paper Plate Craft
Materials:
Paper plate or white paper
Paint, crayons, watercolor
Scissors
Glue
- Cut the small rectangular size on the paper plate to use as tail.
- Kids will create their own rainbow fish using paint, crayons, and watercolor.
Rainbow Fish Writing
Help your child practice writing using the rainbow fish arts and crafts they make.
A good friend _________________
____________________________
____________________________
Share and play with others.
Problem Solving
60 minutes
Design an Umbrella (STEM challenge for kids)
Materials:
-Household materials (sponges, Popsicle sticks, coffee filters, paper plates, etc)
-Small toys (we used dinosaurs)
-Play tray
-Glue, tape, string, etc
-Scissors
Ask your kid to help their toy not to avoid be wet by building an umbrella using the supplies.
Let the kids come up with their designs and draw out some design before proceeding.
Let the kid build the umbrella and help them if they ask for help.
Social Emotional
60 minutes
Emotions (Feelings) Song | ChuChu TV Nursery
The Feelings Book
By: Todd Parr
Read by: TFC: The Feeling Channel
Help Kids Identify their emotions.
- Help your kid by tracing a circle in a paper then ask your child to cut the circle.
- Draw the different faces of emotions in a cut circle.
- Trace a rectangle shape and ask your child to cut the rectangle shape.
- Ask your child to write the emotions words in the cut rectangle.
- Play a matching game of picture and words.
Movement / Play
Musical color Scavenger Hunt
By: Days with Grey
The weather is good outside. Bring your kids outside and play the musical color scavenger hunt
Material is only colored chalk.
Draw a circle as seen in the picture and color it.
Play a music as kids walk around the color. When the music stop the kid will ran to grab an item that was the same color they landed on.
