Poem for December: Christmas Countdown

How many days till Christmas?
It's mighty hard to tell.
Take off a link every night
When the Sandman casts his spell,
And Christmas Eve will be here
By the time you reach the bell.

An introduction to fun learning

Homeschooler: Migui
Target topics:
1. Colors (Math, English)

    Activities:
      a. Point to the different objects around and say the colors of each object.
      b. Using an art paper or a piece of cloth w/ a single color, identify the color of each material. When he gets the hang of it, lay them all down and ask him to pick up a particular color.
      c. Touch the color: Gather different toys, everyday thing (almost anything with colors) aand lay them down. Say, "Touch the color (say a color)" Then ask him to touch the object with that color.

2. Parts of the Body (Science)

   Activities:
      a. Sing "My toes, My knees..."
      b. Point out to the different parts of HIS body and say the name of each body part. After he gets familiar with the name, ask, "Where is you (say the name of the part)?" To make it fun make a tickling gesture and pretend to tickle that part of the body or have his favorite stuffed toy and make the stuff toy give each part a loving kiss.
       *Children love it when their toys join in the activity. It makes it more fun for them and makes them feel like you're just playing.

3. Telling One's Name (Language, English)
      a. Sing a Nursery rhyme: "Where is thumbman?" but replace the name of each finger with his name.

4. Nursery Rhymes (Music, PE)

5. Praying; "Angel of God" (Christian Living)
      a. This activity is actually recommended to start the day. Constant repetition of this activity is required for him to remember. Recite slowly "Angel of God" as often as possible. You may begin and end your day with this prayer.

6. Counting 1-10 (Math)
      a. Incorporate counting in anywhere possible like;
          - when you're washing hands, count the fingers that you clean.
          - when eating,  count the bits of veges that you eat (that may even help them get interested in eating vegetables)
          - when putting away toys, shoot the toys in their bin and count as you go along.

7. Chore: watering the plants (Science, Life Skills)
       a. Migui is just 2years and 5months but he can help in doing chore by watering the plant. Give him a bucket of water and a small cup and let him water the plants. You may say that plants get thirsty too just like him so when we water the plants, we are giving them something to drink. This forms a habit without them knowing. Constant repetition of this activity will instill in them that they have a role in the household. He will own the activity and recognizes that it is his job to water the plants.

     * Allowing children to help in the household chores instill good habits. Although their work may be slow and even messy, the lessons learned are more valuable than a spilled water on the floor or a slow chore done.

Poems by Emily Dickinson

The focus on poetry for this month is Emily Dickinson and her works. Her poems are perfect for young kids especially the toddlers because they are short and full of rhymes.

For a collection of her work, you may visit:

http://www.poetry-archive.com/d/dickinson_emily.html

We are influenced by Charlotte Mason

INTERACTIVE LEARNING PLAYSCHOOL is highly influenced by the principles of CHARLOTTE MASON.

To know more about who Charlotte Mason is and what is the Charlotte Mason Method, you may visit:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/

FREE Worksheets for Preschool

A wonderful site for downloading and printing FREE worksheets for your child, you may visit SCHOOL SPARKS. Click on the link below:

http://www.schoolsparks.com/kindergarten-worksheets

Mommyer's Homeschool: SCM Early Years Guide

Homeschool by Charlotte Mason for preschool:


Mommyer's Homeschool: SCM Early Years Guide: I've fallen in-love with Charlotte Mason's teachings, so we'll be switching with the following as guide (from Simply Charlotte Mason.com ): ...

Curriculum for Nursery Module 1 Math

1. Colors
1. Primary Colors

-red, yellow, blue

2. Secondary Colors

-orange, green, violet

Objective: To be able to identify the different colors.

Activities:

1. Make use of the color cloth.  (eyes&ears)

Show the different cloths with different colors. Explain that each color has a name. Hold up one cloth  and say, "This is color…", ask the child to repeat the name. Do this for all the cloths. For the second time, hold the cloth up and ask, "What color is this?"

2. Presentation of actual objects. (eyes&ears)

It is better to present actual tangible objects with the given color rather than just charts. Look for toys, clothes, fruits and everyday things that have the color to be discussed. 

3. Presentation with charts. (eyes&ears)

Charts with the said topic can give further illustration.

4. Games: (bodily kinesthetic)

1. Sorting game: Sort toys with the same colors.

2. Touch the color: it's like "Simple Simon Says". You say, "touch the color...", then the child should touch any object that the color that you mentioned.

5. Picture Book: I Spy, The Green Queen
6. Practical app: Anywhere you go, anything you are doing or eating, make sure to make mention of the different colors of object that you encounter.

7. Have coloring books to practice their coloring skills. Make use of "Coloring by the Numbers" for advanced coloring.

2. Shapes
1. Basic Shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval
2. Other shapes: star, heart, diamond, quatrefoil

Objectives: To be able to identify the different shapes of objects.

Activities:

1. Play with the shape sorter. (logic, bodily kinesthetic)

2. Clay play. Mold the clay to the shape desired.

3. Actual object. Examine actual objects and compare it with a drawing of a shape to determine the shape of the object. Ex: Have a drawing of a circle, a square, a triangle and a rectangle. Then find several objects that you can compare with it like a coin, a shoe box, a tobblerone etc. As the child becomes familiar with the shape, you can do without the drawings and just name the shape of everyday things you encounter.
4. Practice drawing. Let child trace drawings of the shape.
5. Picture Book:
6. Make funny hats that have different shapes.

3. Patterns
1. Color Patterns
2. Shape Patterns

Objectives: 1. to be able to identify what comes next in the given pattern.

2. To be able to make one's own pattern.

Activities:

1. Jewelry making. Try making a jewelry by following a pattern.
2. Making Cards. Use patterns to design the card. Make a pattern and let the child finish it.
3. Ask the child to set-up the table by following a pattern.
4. Skittles game. Make a pattern out of skittles candy. Let him taste one  of each so he'll be familiar with flavors of the colors. Ask the child to close his eyes, then give the candy that comes after the pattern. Let him guess which color of the candy  you give him.

Module 1 for Nursery

Subjects: 

           A.  Math

           Nursery Math: Module 1

1. Colors
2. Shapes
3. Patterns
4. Size    

B. Science

Nursery Science: Module 1

1. Girl or Boy
2. Parts of the Body
1.  Five Senses  
   

           C. English

Nursery English: Module 1

1. Writing/Reading
1. Straight Lines: Vertical, Horizontal and Slanting
2. Curves: Concave and Convex
3. Same and Different
4. Sounds (Animal and Objects)

2. Language
1. Telling About Oneself
2. Greetings
3. Feelings
4. He, She, It (in rel. to Girl/Boy)
5. Members of the Family
6. Parts of the House

Body Covering: Scales

Topic: Body Covering of Animals
     ex: scales
Activity:
1. Using an art paper and a puncher, punch holes through a folded art paper. Collect the circles made by the holes. These will be used to make the scales of your animal.


2. Draw on a bond  paper a shape of an animal that has scales. ex: snake and fish.


3. Paste the collected circles inside the drawing. Do this line by line until you fill the whole picture. Make sure to overlap the next row of circles halfway over the previous row. You can also make use of different colored art paper to make a pattern or design.


Note: This activity may also be incorporated in the discussion of COLLAGE for the Art subject.

After the guided activity, the child may make use of the skills learned to create his/her own work of art as a "break" from the given lesson.

This actually is relaxing to children and they are practicing their focusing skills as well as enhance their creativity at the same time.

Life Skills: CLEANLINESS
Activity: Cleaning the mess.
After making a mess, make sure to teach the child to clean-up after each activity. Instill the value of neatness and orderliness by asking them to put away the things they used. Help them be enthusiastic about the activity by making it fun by singing a song or making it into a game. This will make them more willing to do the activity instead of seeing it as a chore.

Life Skills: Cooking
When you are cooking, ask the child to help/assist you. Although things may go a bit slower, this will actually build their interest in food that they eat and in cooking itself. Lessons may also be incorporated while preparing food. For example, here, there is a fish to be prepared for lunch so the examination of the scales of the fish complements the previous activity.