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August 2009, Issue #063

1. Hello from Shirley

For those in the Northern Hemisphere its ‘back to school’ season…a time for new beginnings, new plans, and new goals. It’s a good idea to spend some time writing down objectives and plotting a course to get there, but allow some flexibility as life always seems to throw us curve balls and we need to be flexible enough to adapt and deal with them.

For those who might be feeling a little unsure of the way ahead, you might appreciate reading The Benefits of a Preschool Curriculum and my curriculum recommendations.

2. Check my website

This month I have uploaded a few new theme-based activities:

Firstly, a new lapbooking project kit that you can download and add to a seashore or ocean theme.

The lapbook, titled Exploring the Ocean with a Hermit Crab is based on the delightful story, A House for a Hermit Crab by Eric Carle. There are a couple of other Ocean Theme Activities including a large ocean mural that will work well for a class or a family.

There is also a Space/Astronomy Mural of the planets you could make as part of a space theme.

At this time of year, I know that many are also looking for Fall Theme Ideas. There are a couple of pages of various activities, including crafts, rhymes, recipes and more for you to explore.

There is also a selection of Printable Worksheets, including alphabet writing worksheets for different levels of ability on my site too.

3. Quote

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”

Chinese Proverb

4. Back to School ‘Stuff’

I’d like to remind you of a few products that I hope you could use, especially if you homeschool:

ABC Fun & 1-2-3 is a gentle, age-appropriate, interactive system to teach the ABC and counting, combining hands-on activities, the reading of quality children's stories, nursery rhymes and other learning activities suitable for ages 3-6.

Preschoolers don't need a curriculum, but their moms do!

ABC Fun & 1-2-3 provides parents with the guidance and structure they need to establish a flexible routine and stimulate their children in preparation for more formal learning at a later stage.

"Leticia and I enjoy using your ideas. We started with the letters of her name earlier this year when she said she wanted to learn letters. I decided to repeat them, doing whole weeks for each letter as you suggest. It's really working well."
(Lida, Mpumalanga, SA)

“I have a 5 year old son ...and we have really been working on his writing this summer. Your worksheets have made it so much more fin for him that just writing the letters! Thank you for helping him over the hump!"
(Michelle, SC)

"I was desperate for something, other than seat work, for my curious little girl - and you've thought of everything to inspire her without the rigidity of school."
(Sarah, South Africa)

"I love the idea, love the way the learning takes place, love the books and poems recommended, and love that I feel a freedom to add to and take away according to the bent of my daughter, but most of all, I love the results. This is one tool that I as a preschool mom would not be without and certainly something that I love to recommend to other mothers."
(April, NC)

2. Story-based Lapbooks

I have described some of the story-based lapbooks we have created on the Printable Crafts page of my site.

For children of school-going age (Grade 2 and up):

These copywork pages in downloadable pdf format are intended to go along with the God Our Provider CD, so that children are hearing, seeing, saying, singing and writing the Bible verses repeatedly to make memorization a multi-sensory learning activity.

5. Readiness Activities

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed. It’s a free download. Repeat these activities often - with your own variations too!

August

1. Gross motor skills

Spatial orientation: Play movement games where you encourage your child to move her body up and then down, to teach her these concepts.

2. Fine motor skills

Manual dexterity: Allow your child to help you peel vegetables in the kitchen. Teach him to work carefully with the sharp edge of the vegetable peeler.

3. Visual skills

Visual memory: Place two shapes from a shape set on the table in front of your child. Name them. Remove one of the shapes and ask your child to tell you which shape is now missing. Add more shapes as she improves.

4. Auditory skills

Auditory Discrimination: Teach your child a simple nursery rhyme, then play games with it. a) Leave off the rhyming word at the end of each line and let your child complete the line.
b) When he knows the rhyme well, make a deliberate mistake on the last word and let your child spot the error and fix it.

Eg. Instead of saying “Hickory, dickory, dock, the mouse ran up the CLOCK
You say, “Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the TREE” – your child must hear the mistake and correct it. Have fun playing with words and rhyme.

5. Mathematical skills

Numerical relations: Teach your child the concept of opposites:

The whale is big, but the ant is ….small

The tree trunk is thick but the flower stall is …thin

This glass is full but the other one is …empty

Daddy is tall, but you are …short

A match stick is short but a ruler is … long

A building is high but a doll’s house is …low

Think of other examples for

Slow – fast

Heavy – light

Few – many

Dark – light

Inside – outside

Up – down

6. Language and thinking skills

Reasoning, creativity: Ask your child what she will do when she is:

Hungry, thirsty, cold, hot, dirty, sleepy, etc

7. Faith-building

"Children should start memorizing Bible passages as early as six or seven years. It is wonderful to have beautiful, comforting, inspiring scriptures stored in the memory. And who knows how this seed of scripture might grow and what kind of fruit it may yield?"

Charlotte Mason, Home Education, Vol 1.

Encourage your child to start learning short Bible verses, such as the following:

Matthew 5:16 - Let your light shine before men.

Matthew 19:14 – Yeshua (Jesus) said: "Let the little children come to me."

Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another.

Ephesians 6:1a - Children obey your parents in the Master (Lord) for this is right.

1 Peter 3:9 - Overcome evil with good.

1 Corinthians 13:4 - Love is patient.







Greetings until next month
Shirley

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