Family and Me Art Activity: Who Lives in my Home

Our Kindergarten program is Play-Based which means teachers plan specific activities based on the interest of the children. In the first couple weeks of school, one of my students asked: "Can we talk about families, please?" This allowed us to take that question and turn it into a week of 'Family and Me' themed activities.

One of the activities we did was called Who Lives in my Home. I took many different art materials: fabric, construction paper (different shapes and sizes), tissue paper, stickers, popsicle sticks, cotton swabs, lick-it circles, pipe cleaners, crayons, coloring pencils, markers, and glue.

I made a template of a house and traced it onto different colored construction paper.

Here are some samples of what my students made. They came out SUPER cute!

19 Storytelling Techniques

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I have been meaning to write a post about storytelling techniques for quite sometime. I have finally gotten a few minutes in my super busy schedule to come up with one! Here is a list of a few techniques I have used and some I haven't (but learned about them when I was doing my undergrad). Enjoy! Oh, and please post some other ideas that you know of or use in your classroom!

Felt Stories

Tell a story using felt! It allows for great visuals especially for books that may have patterns. An example of how I did a felt story can be found here: Silly Sally - Felt Storytelling Technique

Finger Puppets

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Using finger puppets are so engaging! Use them while you are reading or tell a story without the book. Works wonders each way! A fun story that I always like to do is The Three Little Pigs. 

Puppet Show

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Oh my! What a fantastic idea to create your own puppet theatre! Use one of those 3-panel presentation boards (they cost around 8 dollars from Staples)! Got this picture from Google images and has now inspired me to create my own puppet theatre!

Stick Puppets

http://www.thevirtualvine.com/images/nurseryrhymes/heydiddlediddle/stpup.jpg

Tell a story with stick puppets. Just as much fun as any other technique! Remember, any of these techniques work with poems and songs as well!

Cut a Story

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As you read the story, cut out a shape that may represent the shape. For example, "The girl was waiting for a valentine to arrive"; You can cut the shape of a valentine as you tell the story.

Draw a Story

and

Create a Class Story

Okay, I LOVE using this technique. That is a story that I drew in my classroom this year on the whiteboard. It can also be done on chart paper and then posted in the room. I chose to do it on the whiteboard. My students actually came up with this whole story on their own. Each child was given the opportunity to create the story. We started in a circle. One student gave one sentence. And the next student gave the next sentence of the story. We came up with this class story. Then they went to the desks and drew a picture of what their creation of the story was. It also became a class storybook! 

Real Props

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This is one my most favourite stories! I have used this technique many times during my teaching experience. I used the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. I bought all the props (from the dollar store) needed from the story and put them in order of the story in the basket. As I read the story, I pulled out the item/prop and laid it in front of me. The kids love it and so do I!

Role Play

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Role play the story! You can add students as you go along. I did it with my students and they loved it! Caps for Sale is awesome to read! Grab a bunch of hats as props and you're good to go!!! Here we can build role playing and theatre skills!

Storybox Technique

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Fun way to have a few props in the box. An easy carry-with-you-anywhere box with all the things you need for the story. Check out my post Moosetache to find out how I did mine!

Musical Instruments

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http://studio3music.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/mortimer.jpg

Simple! Use musical instruments while you tell your story. Mortimer is a great one to use. Check out my post to learn more about how I used Mortimer in my classroom. 

Clothesline

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/harperchildrensImages/isbn/large/9/9780694010769.jpg

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Get a strong clothesline. Buy some clothespins. Get pictures for the story (make from felt or photocopy the pages of the book and laminate them for forever-use). As you read the book, ask a child to put the corresponding item on the clothesline. This book is fantastic for it! 

Flashlight Fun

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Reading a story is SO much fun with the lights turned off and blinds shut. Make the room dark and turn on a flashlight!!! I love this technique. So much fun to do at any time of the day. Gives children a change and lets them know that reading can be done during the night as long as you have a flash light!!

Large Books

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Large books are great because the kids can see the pictures and words in a much bigger size! Awesome to listen to!

Other techniques can include: Singing chants during a story/song (We're going on a bear hunt), Physically participating (stamping feet, clapping hands), Use stuffed animals to tell a story, Word Cards/Pictures (when they hear a part of the story, they hold up their card/picture), and Hear and Respond (every time they hear a certain word, they must respond with an action/chant. Ex., "little frog" say ribbit ribbit or jump 3 times). 

Math Songs for Kindergarten, Preschool and Toddlers

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Using songs on the computer are great for children as they are both auditory and visual. It allows for children to see and hear at the same time and it helps build concept skills as they are given the opportunity to put two and two together. For example, if they only hear the song with numbers, they will learn them as rote and won't know what it means. With visuals, and with time and practise, they will learn one-to-one correspondence. Here are some math songs I use in my classroom daily as they are fun and very educational. You will find shapes, Numbers, Colors, and Patterns, all part of Math!

Also, check out my Phonics Song For Kindergarten post here.

Shapes Song

Shapes Song 2

Number Song (1-10)

Number Song 2 (1-10)

Big Number Song (1-100; Bigger Numbers)

5 Little Ducks

10 in the Bed

Butterfly Colors Song

Butterfly Colors Song 2

Train Colors Song

AAB Pattern Song

Phonics Songs for Kindergarten, Preschool and Toddlers

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Listening to songs has always been a hit in a Kindergarten classroom. But listening AND watching them is an even bigger hit!!! 

Here are some links I always use in my classroom to help children with phonics. If you have younger ones, this is a fantastic way to get them started. It's fun and the children pick up quickly the sounds and words that begin with the sounds. In just a week, my students had started to come up with their own words that began with each letter even though the video gives only a few examples.
Most of the links that are teacher friendly, child friendly and parent friendly are by KidsTV123 (username on YouTube). ENJOY! Please also note KidsTV123 uses ZED and ZEE versions in different videos. If you search the specific sounds for the letter Z, they will show up!

Also, check out my post for Math Songs for Kindergarten here.

Mortimer - Storytelling With Instruments

I love Robert Munsch as many other teachers do too. But the children love it even more with how I do the story 'Mortimer' in my classroom.

Very simple and very fun!

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All you need is the book: Mortimer by Robert Munsch and...

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                                          Instruments!

Every time Mortimer sings "Clang, clang. Rattle, bing bang. Gonna make my noise all day", the children make noise with the instruments! I have done the story with the kids making loud noises with the instruments, medium-level noises, soft noises and even as-quiet-as-a-mouse noises. It's a ton of fun!! (Though, I do recommend you close the door during this circle time story!) 

Recognizing Alphabets - Matching Centre

I have been trying to put out different activities every other day in the literacy centre. Here is an alphabet centre that was donated to me by a teacher (I hit a jackpot with it because it was free!!!) If you are unable to buy it, I think it is super easy to create it as well (take a large bristol board, add pocket cards, label them with letters, cut out letters small enough to fit into the pockets and you are done!)

I only put out letters for now in a basket. As the weeks go by, there are picture cards with the whole word. The first letter is highlighted so they may match it and put it in the right pocket.

I put this centre on a round table. It is easier for more children to participate at one time rather than up on the wall or board. 

Here are my kids working away! I did not even model this activity to them. They all knew what was expected which is super easy!

What are the children learning?

• communication and social skills as they use this centre with other children and learn to take turns
• sorting skills as they take the letters and sort them accordingly
• matching skills as they match the letters accordingly
• hand-eye coordination as they use their eyes to match the letters and use their hands to insert them into the pockets
• literacy skills as they recognize their letters (both upper and lower case)
• math skills if they are counting how many letters are in the alphabet
• observation skills as they figure out the differences between upper and lower case letters
• gross motor (large muscles) as they use their hand to insert the letters and insert them into the pockets

Recognizing Alphabets - Media-Enriched Activity

One of the easiest and realistic ways for children to begin recognizing letters is to use media around them. This is such an easy activity where children can learn their letters. All you need is newspapers/flyers and yellow marker/highlighters. 

I wrote down the letter that we are working on. I also send this activity as an at-home activity. It is easy for parents since they don't have to purchase anything to work with their children.

The goal is to highlight every S you see in the flyer or newspaper. If you don't have highlighters or markers, use pencil or pen to circle. And there you have another activity for learning alphabets! Choose a different letter each week and you have a centre ready!

Practicing Alphabets - Quick Activity

Here is a very quick letter activity I came up with. I was using the die cutter to cut out alphabets and I noticed there was a lot of paper left for recycling which I didn't feel comfortable recycling. So I decided to use it for learning letters. 

We are doing the letter S for the week. So I only used the letter S.

I put out paper, markers and crayons. You also choose to use paint. Finger painting would be fantastic for tiny fingers!

Here are my kids doing the activity. I allow them to start from the top or bottom. Whatever helps them make the S.

Here is the finished product. It was their first time but we are getting the point!

Classroom Centres - Dramatic Area

Here is my post about one of my most favourite parts of the classroom: the dramatic centre! 

Source: http://seesawcenter.org/graphics/dramaticPlay_web.jpg

Dramatic play helps children interact with others or with themselves to create their own stories and plays. Sometimes children reenact events they have had in their lives or stories they have already heard. Watching them reenact these situations/stories gives the teachers an understanding of how much a child is able to: show the sequence of events, be creative, interact with others, problem solve, and see what their actions and words mean to them. 

Source: http://www.pre-kpages.com/images/drama_play1.jpg

Most dramatic centres have common props most of the time during the year. The home centre is a big one. In it, you can find dolls, babies, tables, chairs, play kitchens, play laundry and dryer machines, puppets, costumes/dress-up clothes, and toy kitchen supplies (plates, glasses, cutlery, fruits/vegetables). 

Source: http://www.thekcrew.net/storytellingchickachicka.JPG

The block centre and dramatic centre go hand-in-hand. Both centres require pretend play, and props helps to achieve this. Some other things that go in the dramatic/block centre are props that go along with a story that you have read. For example, if you read "The Three Little Pigs", you may want to add straw, sticks, and bricks to the block centre. This can incorporate lots of math concerning mass, weight, balance, construction, estimation, measuring, adding/subtracting, texture, capacity, sorting, etc. 

The picture above (with the story "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom") is another great book for props. You can put that in the dramatic centre or block centre which couples with literacy and math. For example, use the letters to count how many can the tree hold. Use other objects than the tree to see what will hold more or less. This even falls with science (is that tree magnetic for the letters to stick on? can we use materials?). The questions and ideas are too many to be written in one post. Experiment other things yourself and share what you have incorporated in your centres. 

Source: http://www.miltoncommunitynurseryschool.ca/images/DramaticCentreasCastle_lrg.jpg

The dramatic centre can be transformed into any kind of area you like. I have had the doctor's office, post office, camping, gardening, hair salon and the pet shop (to name in my dramatic centre. There are so many other ideas that I have done but I will instead post a list I found from a website (http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/drama8.html). Here are some ideas I really found interesting:

A Airplane Airport Animal shelter Aquarium Art gallery Artist's studio Astronaut Author's office B Baby's bath Bakery Barnyard Beach Beauty shop Bedroom Birthday party Block center: props Book Store Boxes Buried treasure/pirate Bus or train C Camping Candy shop Car wash Castle Chinese restaurant Christmas Circus Clown show Construction Covered wagon Cowboys D Daddy shaving Dancer Dishwashing Dress-up Drive in E Easter bunny egg painting studio Exercise club F Fairy tale land Farm Fast food Film maker Fire station Fishing Fix-it shop Flower store G Garage Gardening Gas station Getting ready in the morning Gift wrapping Grandma and grandpa Grocery store H Hair salon Halloween/costume shop Haunted House Hospital Hot air balloon House painters Housecleaning I Ice cream truck Ice-cream shop Igloo J Jewelry making K Kitchen L Landscaper/yard work Laundry Library Log cabin Long house M Magic Magic carpet Make-up Mall Mermaid land Movie Set Movie theater Museum N Newspaper office Night and day Nursery Nursery rhymes play O Ocean Office Outer space P Palentologist Parade Park Pet store Photographer Picnic Pirates/buried treasure Pizza parlor Planetarium/observatory Playing house Police station Post office Puppet maker Puppet show R Rainforest/jungle Ranch Ranger station Recording studio Research lab Restaurant Rock museum Rocket Radio station S Safari Sailing/boats Santa's workshop School School bus Shadow puppets Shoe repair Show store Sidewalk art sale Sleigh Soda fountain Space station Storyteller Submarine T Talent show Tea party Theater Time machine Toy store Travel agency Treasure island T.V. station U Under the sea V Voting Vetrinarian's office W Wash day Weather station/weather forecast Western day Winter wonderland Z Zoo

I know space is always an issue in the classroom when it comes to dramatic centres but if you ever have enough space, try to get your centre to look like this (not to mention getting a boat like that too!!): 

Source: http://www.appletreebytes.com/gonefishing.jpg

List of Books - Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

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The list of books for infants and toddlers have been done. It is time for a very short list for preschoolers and kindergarteners! These books are the most favourite books for this age group of all time.

Be sure to check out the other lists:
List of Books - Infants
List of Books - Toddlers

and the post Tips for Reading Aloud

Abiyoyo - by Pete Seeger

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - by Judith Viorst

Bedtime for Frances - by Russell Hoban

Blueberries for Sal - Robert McCloskey

Bread and Jam for Frances - by Russell Hoban

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? - by Bill Martin, Jr.

Can I Keep Him? - by Steven Kellogg

The Cat in the Hat - by Dr. Seuss

Changes, Changes - by Pat Hutchins

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - by Bill Martin, Jr.

Chicken Little - by Steven Kellogg

Corduroy - by Don Freeman

The Doorbell Rang - by Pat Hutchins

The First Snowfall - by Anne and Harlow Rockwell

Flossie and the Fox - by Patricia McKissack

Flying - by Donald Crews

Frog on His Own - by Mercer Mayer

Goldilocks and the Three Bears - by Jan Brett

Green Eggs and Ham - by Dr. Seuss

Hello Kangaroo - by Nan Bodsworth

Henny Penny - by Paul Galdone (illustrator)

I Don't Want to go to School - by Christine Harris

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - by Laura Numeroff

If You Give a Pig a Pancake - by Laura Numeroff

Imogene's Antlers - by David Small

Island of the Skog - by Steven Kellogg

It's Pumpkin Time - by Zoe Hall

Jamberry - by Bruce Degen

The Judge - by Margot and Harve Zemach

Just like you and Me - by David Miller

Koala Lou - by Mem Fox

Leo the Late Bloomer - by Robert Kraus

A Letter to Amy - by Ezra Jack Keats

Look Book - by Tana Hoban

Make Way for Ducklings - by Robert McCloskey

The Mitten - by Jan Brett

Mouse Paint - by E.S. Walsh

The Napping House - by Audrey and Dan Wood

Over in the Meadow - by Ezra Jack Keats

Owl Moon - by Jane Yolen

Pancakes for Breakfast - by Tomie DePaola

Picasso the Green Tree Frog - by Amanda Graham

Rosie's Walk - by Pat Hutchins

Silly Sally - by Audrey Wood

The Snowy Day - by Ezra Jack Keats

Swimmy - by Leo Lionni

Titch - by Pat Hutchins

Tough Boris - by Mem Fox

The Very Busy Caterpillar - by Eric Carle

Wacky Wednesday - by Theo Le Sieg

Whistle for Willie - by Ezra Jack Keats

Zoom - by Istvan Banyai

Please remember this is a VERY short list of books. There are ton of others depending on the interest of your student(s) and child(ren).

Classroom Centres - Block Area

Source: http://www.childrenscornerpreschool.com/block_2.jpg

There are some areas in the classroom that every centre likes to have.  One of the most popular centres of all is the Block Centre.

Here are some things I have always included in the block area in my classroom. Please suggest any other items that you have experience with that I can add to my blog. Thanks!

- Wooden blocks

Source: http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00uvIQDtYBRGol/100-Pcs-Wooden-Blocks-2005-.jpg

- Cardboard boxes/Recyclable Material

Source: http://fantasticfifthgrade.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/dsc03379.jpg

- Foam boxes

Source: http://www.p-wholesale.com/upimg/20/793a1/foam-blacokfoam-toys-569.jpg

- Brick-shaped/coloured boxes 

Source: http://1000moments.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc05637-1.jpg

- Cars/Transportation

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- Road Carpet

Source: http://www.tts-group.co.uk/_rmvirtual/media/tts/images/FRMAT.jpg

- Hollow blocks

Source: http://www.logertoys.com/images/images_400/ma_hollow_blocks.jpg

- Lego (Different sizes)

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJykGA6u13W4EwVU5ojPTkkphjWEY88fPM-dSiLvHzz6SUhq-2W37rA0nCcLNdBwd_BPYri-9TTseQyE741akWbuJqIZp4Fb-kR9o9AqpW5aul8lMev8dGogB2CQ7u-QjSFV9CW-mVzU-/s1600/Lego.jpg

- People

Source: http://childcare.scholarschoice.ca/images/products/25/Lego-Duplo-World-People-Set-N15386_XL.jpg

We see the block centres nearly in every classroom. But what is the point of having these materials? 

- They allow children to use their fine motor muscles (small fingers to perfect the skill of balance, steadiness and grip/grasp as they play with small lego pieces and the blocks)

- They learn how to perfect their gross motor muscles (large muscles in arms, legs, and the rest of the body as they pick up the large blocks).

- They learn about hand-eye coordination. This is very important for them to learn because it requires for a lot of focus through their vision to complete a task using their hands.

- They learn about building and construction.

- They learn about structures; how balance and a solid foundation is key for buildings to stay standing.

- They learn about mapping (a big part in the school curriculum) through playing with the road carpet, transportation and the rules of traffic. 

- They learn about the community (the road carpets have lots of important buildings on their such as hospitals, fire stations, police stations, schools, etc.) 

- They learn to problem solve as they figure out ways to create their work. (Specially trying to make a bridge stand without any foundation underneath!)

- So much math is involved! Structures, problem solving, mass, weight, balance and spatial skills. 

- Language is involved: creating their own stories with the blocks and being able to communicate it with their peers and teachers. 

Children love this centre. Whenever possible, teachers and parents should get down on the floor and play with the children. It further helps to develop social skills, communication skills, math skills (challenge them with building things). This adds on to cooperative and pretend play.