Preschool Math

Today Only! Homeschool Freebie: Fingerplays for Nursery and Kindergarten

This classic book is a wonderful help for any preschool or kindergarten program you might have going on in your own home, and just for today, it's a free download from Homeschool Freebie of the Day! Just click here.

The gnomes are here!

Nicholas has been enjoying all sorts of little gnome stories and projects. We added a little beeswax gnome to our nature table last week:
And this week we made gnome treasure:
Nicholas drew a Mama Gnome and a Kid Gnome. I try to model the "waldorf-style" of drawing for him, but he just learned to draw stick figures and is way into it:
Today we painted gnome treasure--gold in a blue sack, hiding in the green grass:
The gnome color hunt was fun, too!






We're still doing the gnome circle time from Autumn Seasons of Joy. Daniel's been joining in, which is very sweet. His favorite part?

There was a little gnome
Who had a little crumb,
And over the mountain he did run
With a belly full of fat
And a tall pointy hat
And a pancake stuck to his bum, bum, bum!

Circle Time! Day and Night

With daylight savings time ended and winter coming fast, Nicholas has been very aware of the differences between day and night. For our nursery rhymes this week (and maybe next) we've chosen two: Wee Willie Winkie and One Misty Moisty Morning, which you can find over in the right sidebar.

We've been really doing this up, using play silks as blankets and making little "beds".

Gathering Verse:

Candle Lighting Verse:
from Autumn Seasons of Joy
The sun, it shines so warm and bright,
It strengthens all I do.
Now let me take this bit of light
So I shine brightly too.

Circle:
Morning is come,
Night is away.
We rise with the sun to welcome the day!

I wake in the morning early,
And always the very first thing
I sit up in bed and I lift up my head
And I sing and I sing and I sing!

Traditional, with additional words from Autumn Seasons of Joy
Good morning, dear leaves,
So pretty and bright.
Good morning dear moon-
I'll see you tonight.
Good morning dear squirrels,
And birds flying free.
Good morning to you.
And good morning to me.

Lazy Mary (or other name), Will you get up,
Will you get up, Will you get up?
Lazy Mary, will you get up,
Will you get up today?
No, Mother, I won't get up,
I won't get up, I won't get up.
No, Mother, I won't get up,
I won't get up today.
We like to follow this with a tickle.

When the sun lights up the sky
I sit right up and rub my eye.
I dress myself with greatest care.
I brush my teeth and comb my hair.
Then off to story time I go
To hear the tales that I love so!
(If you wish, you could follow this with a story)

To the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
This is the way we wash our hands, etc.
(comb our hair, brush our teeth)

Sing Raffi's You Brush Your Teeth

This is a great American folk tune.
Nelly Bly shuts her eye
When she goes to sleep.
And in the morning when she wakes
The frog begins to peep.
Hi Nellie! Ho Nellie! Won't you come with me?
I'll dance for you, I'll sing for you
The sweetest melody.

from Elisabeth Lebret's Pentatonic Songs
Said Day to Night, "I bring God's light;
What gift have you?" Night said, "The dew."
"I give bright hours," quoth Day, "And flowers!"
Said Night, "More blest, I bring sweet rest."

Time for a bath!
After the bath I try, try, try
To wipe myself 'till I'm dry, dry, dry.
Oh, what a difference it would make, make, make
If I were a dog and could shake, shake, shake!
Follow this one with a good head to toe shake!

from Autumn Seasons of Joy
The gnomes are sleeping in their homes,
Bye baby bye.
The little squirrels no more do roam,
Bye baby bye.
If gnomes and squirrels must go to bed,
You too must rest your sleepy head.
Don't make a sound, off to sleep instead,
Bye baby bye!

They call me little Sleepy Head (point to head)
I yawn at work, I yawn at play.
I yawn and yawn and yawn all day;
Them I take my sleepy yawns to bed (close eyes and lay head on hands)
That's why they call me Sleepy Head!

This little boy (girl) is going to bed (lay pointer finger in palm)
Down on the pillow he lays his head (thumb acts as pillow)
Covers himself with blankets so tight (wraps fingers around "boy")
And this is the way he sleeps all night (close eyes)
Morning comes, and he opens his eyes (open eyes)
Throws back the covers and up he flies! (open fingers)

Goodbye Verse
Merry have we met,
And merry have we been.
Merry shall we part
And merry meet again.
Goodbye! Goodbye!

From my notebook...

Here's a great toddler tamer-- give your child an empty 2-liter bottle and some wooden clothespins. Show her how to push the clothespins through the top. Not only are they fun to put in, it's fun to shake them out!

From my notebook...

A Shoebox Playhouse

A shoebox makes a great dollhouse room for little people and furniture. You can even cut some windows and doors an add fabric scraps as rugs and blankets. Have fun!

Nursery Rhyme Nursery School: Rub-a-Dub-Dub!

Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in the tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick maker.
Turn them out,
Knaves all three!

The illustrious and somewhat dubious history of the three men in the tub. My main goals this week were to reinforce the idea that baths are an important part of hygiene and the number concept "3".

We brought out our Three Men in a Tub toy! (It's actually on clearance here on Kidbean if you want one.)

Circle Time:
Found here.

Books and Stories:
Rub a Dub Dub by Kin Eagle
Rub a Dub Sub by Linda Ashman
The Wise Man Who Lived in a Tub from Stories of the Ancient Greeks
Eureka! from Thirty More Famous Stories Retold

Sensory Experiences
The most obvious one would be providing water experiences. We like to wash babies and baby clothes, and then hang them on a little clothesline.

We also focused on handwashing skills this week.

Arts, Crafts, and Handwork
It's fun to explore with blue watercolors while reciting the nursery rhyme.

Nicholas enjoyed coloring faces on three wide wooden craft sticks to make "three men". We then made a tub from brown construction paper, and the three men could go in and out.

There are lots of bath and body craft "recipes" here. Mmmmm- foaming monster puke!

You may also enjoy making this froggy bath. Alas, this is one I wanted to do and didn't get to.

Dramatic Play: Find a large box. Decorate it, and hop in the "tub"!

Nursery Rhyme Nursery School: Here Is the Beehive

It was my intention to post some of the activities we do and some ideas for activities we didn't do for each nursery rhyme. Forgive me for being three weeks behind! I'm going to keep my thoughts pretty minimal until I catch up.

~*~*~*~

Here is the beehive.
Where are the bees?
Hiding inside where nobody sees.
Watch as they come out of the hive!
1... 2... 3... 4... 5...
They're alive!

My goal was not necessarily for Nicholas to gain scientific knowledge about bees, but to stand in wonder and appreciate of the bee and the work it does in the world.

Circle Time: Found here

Stories:
A Swarm Leaves the Bee Tree from Among the Forest People
The Bee, The Harp, the Mouse, and the Bum-Clock from Fairy Stories Every Child Should Know
The Fussy Queen Bee from Among the Farmyard People
The Queen Bee from The Fairy Ring
Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park (not about bees per se, but a fun multicultural book!)

Painting:
Explore black and yellow paint.
Draw or cut out a beehive shape from paper. Use an inkpad to make finger print bees.

Coloring:
Color black and yellow strips on paper. Add wings to make a bee!
Listen to "Flight of the Bumblebee" and color along.

Modeling:
Use yellow beeswax to make an oval bee shape. Add seedpod "wings".

Cooking:
Various projects with honey. We ended up just having honey on homemade bread, but it was yummy!

Some fun internet links:
Make a clay pot bumblebee
Honeycomb bee painting
Bumblebee crafts for kids
More bee ideas here

From my notebook...

Who Am I?
A draw-and-guess riddle

I am small and have some fur. (Draw an oval)
I have eyes, a nose, and whiskers. (Add eyes, a nose, and whiskers)
I squeak, but I don't purr. (Draw a mouth)
I have a long thin tail. (Add a mouse tail)
I might live in your house! (Draw a house shape around the mouse)
I have two little ears. (Draw ears)
I'm small and furry--a mouse!

Circle Time! Creepy Crawlies and Other Creatures

Since we're just dipping our toes back into a rhythm, this isn't as fleshed out as my circle times usually are. The theme is "Summer Creepy Crawlies and Creatures" to match the nursery rhymes we've chosen for this week and next.

So...

Gathering Song (from Lisa Monet's Circle Time CD)
Circle time, circle time,
Time for circle time!
Sing a song, bring along
A rhythm and a rhyme!

Circle
We start out singing Over in the Meadow. They like to act it out as we sing.

Next, we move into the duckie portion of circle. We're singing Six Little Ducks and Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play. We totally do this one up, too. At the end, when there are no little ducks going out to play, we weep. And when Mother Duck quacks her final quack, even the most recalcitrant of ducklings are sure to hear and obey.

This is followed by the froggies. You know the ones. There are the Five Green and Speckled Frogs and then there are also the ones that go "Um, AH!"

Fishies are next. Once I Caught a Fish Alive is a favorite with the baby, who has discovered that he, too, likes to bite the little finger on the right.

Of course we have to do Arabella Miller, since it's our nursery rhyme this week, and Here Is the Beehive, which is next week's rhyme. Then, just for fun, we add in

Five little busy bees on a day so sunny.

(Hold up all fingers.)

Number one said, I’d like to make some honey.

(Bend down number one.)

Number two said, Tell me where shall it be?

(Bend down second finger.)

Number three said, In the old honey-tree.

(Bend down third finger.)

Number four said, Let’s gather nectar sweet.

(Bend down fourth finger.)

Number five said, Let’s take pollen on our feet.

(Bend down thumb.)

Humming their busy little honeybee song.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! (Fly fingers.)

and

The bee is such a busy soul.

She buzzes all around.

You see her flit from flower to flower,

Making her sweet buzzing sound. Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz

She sips each flower’s nectar sweet,

‘Til she can drink no more.

Then back to her hive to prepare a treat

Of honey which she’ll store. Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Once in her hive, she doesn’t stop.

Her chores continue on.

Feeding queen and young and fanning her hive,

Singing her sweet buzzing song. Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz

and

Roly-poly caterpillar (wiggle right pointer finger)
Into a corner crept, (place right pointer finger in left cupped hand)
Spun around himself a blanket (spin around)
Then for a long time slept. (place head on folded hands)
Roly-poly caterpillar (wiggle right pointer finger)
Wakening by and by, ("stretch" right pointer finger)
Found himself with beautiful wings
Changed to a butterfly. (flutter arms like wings)

and

Let’s go to sleep, the caterpillar said, (wiggle finger)
As they tuck themselves into their beds. (make a fist)
They will awaken by and by,
And each one will be a lovely butterfly. (open hand one finger at a time)

There are a million songs and rhymes to go with this theme.

Nursery Rhyme Nursery School

Nicholas is at a difficult age. Well, let's be honest, sometimes it seems as if all his ages are difficult, but what I am talking about is his September 29 birthday. We could start kindergarten this year, but I don't feel like he's quite ready, emotionally. He's definitely still "incarnating" in Waldorf-speak. On the other hand, he definitely has a desire to "do school" like his big brother and big sister. What to do, what to do...

I asked him what he wanted to learn about this year and, bless his heart, he said "Nursery Rhymes". Since I traditionally do fairy tales in kindergarten, I was really excited by the idea of framing his nursery school year in nursery rhymes!

Granted, with a big brother in year four, a big sister in year two, and a baby brother toddling around, he's not going to get tons of play. But it will give me a framework for putting things out he can do on his own, songs to sing, stories and books to display.

I'm also a sucker for cumulative projects, so we're going to create a Mother Goose Table. It will be sort of like a nature table, but we'll add some sort of homemade craft to represent the nursery rhyme each week. I just need to figure out where to put it.

I did decide to let him start with the kindergarten math program. However, we're totally ditching the worksheets and instead working the concepts around the nursery rhyme theme. I sat down today and picked a rhyme for each week. Mostly they were Mother Goose Rhymes, but I did choose a few from Catch Me and Kiss Me and Say It Again as well.

I'm going to add our Nursery School Nursery Rhyme to the sidebar each week, and will definitely keep you all up to date on what we're doing.

Book Day!

Since it's just myself and the little boys, we had a book day!

First, Nicholas chose five books from our bookshelves. His choices were:
More, More, More, Said the Baby, by Vera Williams
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr
The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci
Adelita by Tomie dePaola
Pelle's New Suit by Elsa Beskow

We took each story one at a time, and spaced them out throughout the day.

After reading More, More, More, Said the Baby--one of my all-time favorites, by the way, both for the text and the effortless way it portrays multicultural families--we had fun playing with the baby. We played lots of piggy toes tickles, including one of my favorites:

This little cow eats grass.
Wiggle little toe and make munching sounds.
This little cow eats hay.
Wiggle the next smallest toe, more munching.
This little cow drinks water.
Wiggle next toe and make slurpy noises.
And this little cow runs away.
Grab the next toe and then tickle your fingers up to Baby's head.
But this big cow does nothing
But just lie around all day.
Grab the biggest toe and make snoring noises.
So... we'll chase her and we'll chase her and we'll chase her away!
Tickle that baby!

Daniel, of course, had lots of practice making the "more" sign and Nicholas and I played with the Mmmmmmmm sound and found other words that started with mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Also, much toe tasting occurred.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear was fun. We made a "favorite color" collage. First, Nicholas painted the inside of a shoe box lid his favorite color-red. Then he added some red foam hearts, snippets of red ribbon, and red tissue paper.

Later, when we walked to pick yo the car from the shop, Nick had a great time echoing the chant from the game. "Nicholas, Nicholas, what do you see? I see a grey squirrel looking at me!"

The Talking Eggs is a favorite family fairy tale. It's a Louisana take on a tale about a sister who is good and kind and is rewarded, and another who is mean and hateful and suffers the consequences.

After we read it, we cut out some egg shapes. Nicholas is big into ovals lately (who gets this kid? Not me!) He decorated the eggs, some plain and some "jeweled" with stickers. Then he dictated a wish for me to write on each egg.

Adelita is another one of those books that I'm amazed he'll sit through. I mean, generally he has the attention span of a gnat, but he'll listen to a story forever.

Adelita is a Mexican Cinderella story. Nicholas loves this book, and we tasted some Mexican food for lunch today.

Finally, we had Pelle's New Suit. This is one of Nick's favorites, and we haven't done the activity yet. Hopefully we'll felt a sun for the nature table before the week is out.