Month: March 2020

Let’s Hear it for Our Teachers! Going on a Bear Hunt, Color Songs and Big Universe…Activities for Day 10

Published on by noteworthymommyLeave a comment

Teachers across the country are putting in countless hours creating, compiling and sharing eLearning plans with their students. Many are learning too as they quickly navigate new digital tools. I want to thank the teachers, especially my daughter’s preschool teacher (Mrs. Stanglein), who arranged for us to pick up materials for a class project and began leading her class in a virtual daily circle time. Seeing her teacher and friends everyday, even if it’s not face to face, is helping my daughter feel connected to her classroom community.

Keeping proper social distancing while picking up a project packet from her teacher’s house.

Bear Hunt– Our neighborhood held a “Bear Hunt” today, actually, it was yesterday but I thought it was today…Epic Mom Fail! We enjoyed putting stuffed bears out for our neighbors to hunt.

Bear Books– Before we set out for a bear hunt through our neighborhood (a few bears were still out) we completed the Scholastic Learn At Home module on bears. Still my favorite online resource we read Bear Snores On for our fiction selection and then read and a non-fiction book about bears. We watched a video of a mother bear teaching her cubs how to fish for Salomon in Alaska and learned how to be safe from bears while camping. Other bear books we enjoyed were: Goldilocks and the Three Bears (which we acted out with stuffed animals), Going on a Bear Hunt and Berlioz the Bear. My daughter enjoyed making a bear den out of a blanket and chairs and that captivated her creative play for hours.

Hiding in the bear den she made out of a blanket and chairs.

Color Songs– When I was a kindergarten teacher I loved singing the Color Songs by Frog Street Press with my class. These catchy songs have captivated my daughter as well. I just discovered individuals have posted the original songs on YouTube and added animation. Back in the day, before Smart Boards and YouTube, I wrote the lyrics on chart paper so the children could follow along while we sang. I discovered that Kindergarten Works has compiled all of the videos and color word resources in one place. Click Here for this valuable resource and happy singing!

Big Universe– Exciting news! McGraw Hill’s partner Big Universe is offering FREE access to more than 17,000 eBooks!! BigU is a digital platform of K-12 books! An ever-growing library of over 17K authentic texts. Searchable by grade, topic, language, and reading level. GO TO: www.biguniverse.com to register. Enjoy my friends!

Finding JOY in the Journey

Published on by noteworthymommy3 Comments

This is a photo from our weekend. Taken right before sunset it epitomizes the innocence of childhood, a care free little girl simply experiencing joy in her journey. The photo was taken as we walked (she ran) around the pond in our backyard. Earlier our neighborhood rang with dogs barking, children laughing and lawn mowers humming with the sounds of spring. In this scene people had retreated inside to start their evening routines and our soundtrack came from song birds proudly singing a tune and allowing us to listen in. The grass we walked upon, once dull and brown in color, had awoken to a luscious green. The smell of pollen from flowering trees was in the air giving us another reminder of rebirth. Spring is not in quarantine and neither is God. He created this beautiful day and He is with us on good days and in trying times. Love embraced me as I gazed at our house (shown here in the distance), knowing we would return home to a nutritious meal prepared lovingly by my husband. The wind began to blow indicating a spring storm was on the horizon. But when I looked up at the sky there was hope among the darkness. God was sending a visual reminder as rays of sunlight were peeking through a mass of clouds, reassuring me that we will all get through this.

Fun Friday: Jelly Bean Math, a Jan Brett Book Study and Animals in Our Backyard..Day 9 Activities

Published on by noteworthymommy1 Comment

Today was FUN FRIDAY but before I explain the fun activities l wanted to share some age appropriate explanations about COVID-19. We had a virtual meeting with our Parents As Teacher home educator the other day and she sent us files of two age appropriate books to help young children better understand what is happening. One explains, in a child friendly way, what Contraviris is and the other offers young children support on why they are having school with their teachers from home. Click on the links below to read on line or print them out and make them into a book to read with your child.

What Is the Contravirus

My New Home School

Jelly Bean Math– My daughter really enjoyed doing math with jelly beans! We each got a baggie of jelly beans and used the free templates created by Simply Kinder on line to sort the jelly beans by color. Then we used the tally mark sheet and made tally marks next to each color indicating how many of each color we had. Our last step was creating a bar graph showing how many jelly beans of each color we had in our bag. We practiced math vocabulary by commenting on which color we had more or less of and which colors were equal. Since my daughter struggles with writing numbers I had her write the total number of each color on the sorting page. This was a great exercise in sorting, counting,  comparing numbers, number recognition and number writing and the best part was eating the jelly beans at the end! 

Holes in the Jelly Beans?– We cut out our jelly bean shapes and punched holes in the jelly beans by using a hole punch to punch the correct number of holes on each jelly bean. Then we strung them together and made a necklace. My daughter needs to work on hand strength and this activity suggested by her teacher really challenged her. Jan Brett– One of my favorite authors is Jan Brett so I pulled out all of my Jan Brett books and shared them with my daughter. We had read some of the books previously but some were new to her. After I took the picture I discovered even more Jan Brett books in my daughters closet! Her intricate illustrations are simply captivating and the fact that she loves animals and incorporates animals from around the world in her stories is one of the reasons why she is one of my favorite authors. Her creative spin on classic fairy tales is another reason why I love her so! In 1994 I had the privilege of meeting Jan Brett and her husband Joe (a double base player for the Boston Pops) at an early childhood conference in southern Illinois. This was decades before smart phones so I don’t think I got a picture of our meeting but she did sign and date one of my favorite books, Berlioz the Bear. My daughter’s favorite book is Comet’s Nine Lives and we adore the Gingerbread Baby books and of course her most famous book, The Mitten.  A family friend presented us with a copy of The Easter Egg a few years ago and my daughter has been requesting it be read every night now that we are nearing Easter. We went to Jan Brett’s website where we played games, watched a video of Jan reading one of her newest books (Cozy, a delightful story of a helpful musk ox from Alaska) and printed out some coloring pages of Hegie the Hedgehog. We also wrote her a letter and are anxiously anticipating a response. Backyard Animal Discovery– My daughter’s teacher shared the brilliant idea of watching for animals (in our backyard and on our daily walks) and graphing how many of each animal we found. We watched for ducks, cardinals, sparrows, robins, rabbits and squirrels and after printing out pictures of each animal my daughter helped me create a chart that we hung on the wall. We enjoyed looking out the window to see if another duck took a swim in the pond or if we could spot a robin on our daily walks around the neighborhood. My daughter loved adding tally marks on our graph and sharing the final count with her teacher. The activity was such a hit we are going to do it again next week!

Spreading SONshine Project– Yesterday was virtual sunglasses day at school and it reminded me to spread SONshine. So spread some SONshine this weekend by calling a friend or family member you haven’t talked to in awhile, mailing a letter or sending a text of encouragement to someone or posting an encouraging bible verse on social media. #spreadingSONshine project

Letter Writing, Hop Scotch, Engineering and Gary the Puppet.. Day 8 Activities

Published on by noteworthymommyLeave a comment

Today was hat day and we enjoyed searching the house for the wildest and.craziest hat to wear! We defiantly get the award for the biggest hat!

Calendar- We are keeping a daily calendar where my daughter draws a picture and writes something about our day. Chapel With Gary the Puppet– Our senior pastor and Gary the Puppet occasionally lead chapel at my daughter’s school. They recorded a special message and the huge smile on my daughter’s face was proof that their efforts were a huge success. Click Here to view the video. Letters to Loved Ones- Like her momma my little one loves to write. We have been writing letters everyday. Today she chose to write a letter to her teacher and to my parents. Through the letter writing she is learning how to address a letter, add a stamp and put the letter in the mailbox for the mail carrier to pick up. Building With Daddy- My husband and daughter created structures out of toothpicks and marshmallows. Daddy taught her how to build a strong foundation and they enjoyed building together.

Hop Scotch– Daily physical activity along with “brain breaks” are imperative for learning and growing. My daughter got this Melissa and Doug hopscotch set for her birthday and we have been using it as an option for our daily movement.

Today was a peak weather day. With the sun and warm temperatures we took advantage of this gift and played outside enjoying the SONshine!

Recyclable Art, Searching for Signs of Spring and Letting the SONshine In…Day 7 Activities

Published on by noteworthymommy3 Comments
Today was crazy sock day. These virtual spirit days has been a wonderful way for us to feel connected to my daughter’s school. A personal FaceTime conversation with her teacher and a surprise book sent in the mail from a family friend made for a pretty perfect day!
Recyclable Art– My daughter asked if she could use this paper tube to make a butterfly for our neighborhood art walk. Without any direction from me she planned and created this work of art completely on her own! It was a reminder that sometimes the unplanned activities, led by our children, are the most successful! I encourage you and your family to make works of art out of recyclable materials you have lying around the house. Signs of Spring– After completing the Scholastic Learn From Home lesson on spring we took a walk around our neighborhood looking for signs of spring. My daughter recalled many of the things she learned from our on line reading and pointed them out as we walked. I documented the signs she found and tomorrow we will print out the pictures and make our own book.
Spreading SONshine Project- A few days ago I began the Spreading SONshine Project where I encouraged others to share the love of Jesus by drawing a sun with a cross and or sharing a bible verse on social media with #spreadingSONshineproject The movement hasn’t caught on but my dad, who is an artist, began drawing daily SONshine crosses. If you are interested in seeing more please follow Spreading SONahine Project on Facebook or Instagram. Connecting Virtually- We connected with my daughter’s teacher, Mrs. Stanglein, this morning via a FaceTime chat and after dinner had a Talley family meeting on Zoom. My daughter enjoyed seeing Maw Maw and Paw Paw Talley (who live nearby) along with my sister in law and her family who live in Georgia. As virtual meet ups become our norm, seeing familiar faces brings comfort.
As the news indicates that isolation will be extended through April 24, I pray you and your family create some special memories together. Make a personal or a family goal to try something new. While practicing social distancing, reach out to friends and family you haven’t talked to in months or even years. And in the darkest of days, remember the SONshine.

The Weather, Shaving Cream, Trail Mix and Friends!…Day 6 Activities

Published on by noteworthymommy1 Comment

Today was a good day. In fact it was a GREAT day! We have finally settled into a routine that included a lot of learning and fun! We begin each day with a family meeting where we go over our schedule. Creating a visual schedule for the early childhood age group is a must!

What is the Weather?– This week we began a weather chart. When I was a kindergarten teacher we sang about the weather every day and graphed the weather each week. Singing the weather song signals the beginning of our “school” day. And using weather cards (sunny, windy, rainy, snowy, foggy, rainy) builds vocabulary and graphing builds math skills.

Writing Letters to Friends– My daughter LOVES to write so we are incorporating some writing everyday. Today she wrote letters to her two best friends and a letter to Pete the Cat! She helped me address the letters, add the stamps and then we went outside and placed the letters in the mailbox. Receiving a response back will be exciting and something to look forward to. If you would like to write to Pete the Cat, here is his address…Crazy Hair Day– My daughter’s school is having a virtual spirit week and today was Crazy Hair Day! We read the books Stephanie’s Ponytail by Robert Munsch and Crazy Hair Day by Barney Saltzberg . My little one decided she wanted to wear her hair in a side ponytail! Having a dress up week or day is a lot of fun!

Try Some Math With Your Trail Mix– We made our own trail mix for snack! The activity began with my daughter deciding what five ingredients she wanted to include. Then she scooped each ingredient into a bowl and we mixed it together. After she got her portion she sorted the individual pieces and we created a graph that showed how many pieces of each item she had. My daughter wrote the numbers and I realized she needs more practice on writing numbers as she was a bit unsure how some of the numbers were formed. We worked on the following math vocabulary by asking.. which had more, which had less and were there any that were equal?Friend, Friends, Friends– My daughter misses her friends terribly so I set up a Zoom play date with her two besties from school. The girls loved seeing and talking to each other and the virtual play date went on for an hour! One friend showed us her bunnies, my daughter shared some drawings and another friend showed us her favorite book.

We had a GREAT day but I know not every day will go as well as today. When I was a classroom teacher it was the same way so why would I think schooling from home would be any different?

A Science Lesson, Dances Around the World, Mary and Martha and Extra Snuggles… Surviving Day 5

Published on by noteworthymommyLeave a comment

Dances Around the World– My daughter’s dance studio, the Performing Arts Centre, put together virtual dance classes via Zoom. We had our first class today and for the preschool program they are using is Dances Around the World. Prior to class we were sent instructions on how to make props. Today’s lesson was on Italy and I helped my daughter create a plate of spaghetti, gold coins and a wishing well. She was also instructed to bring a stuffed dog to class. (and if you know my daughter that wasn’t a difficult request). The dancers used the props during class and my daughter had a blast! It was the happiest I have seen her in days. Dressed in her normal pink leotard, tights and ballet shoes, she took the class seriously and enthusiastically followed along with the instructor.

Scratch Garden– We watched an animated song about the sun by Scratch Garden. My daughter loved the song and requested to watch the animation several times. Scratch Garden has an extensive catalog of learning videos that teach the preschool set concepts through visuals. We will watch more Scratch Garden videos in the future.

Books, Books and More Books– After reading about the moon last week we learned about the sun. We began by reading the book Sun Up, Sun Down by Gail Gibbons. I found someone reading the book on YouTube. We read the book Wake Up, Sun! by David L. Harrison, a fun fictional selection about a group of farm animals who think the sun has forgotten to rise. This is a book I digitally checked out of our local library and we read it through Libby.

Sun Science– We used three different sized balls to represent the sun, Earth and the moon and daddy helped us act out how our Earth rotates around the sun while turning on its axis and how the moon orbits Earth while turning on its axis. Daddy was the sun and he stood still in the middle. It is a difficult concept for a five year old to fully grasp but the activity required movement and daddy enjoyed participating.

Sun Art– Our neighborhood is having a sunshine hunt tomorrow so we drew suns to put in our windows for neighbors to find. The idea inspired me to create the Spreading SONshine Project, a way to spread sunshine and Jesus’s love to others during this time of isolation. Spread the SONshine by drawing a sun with a cross and placing it in your window for neighbors to see. Or spread some SONshine by sharing a comforting bible verse via social media or email. Don’t forget to share #spreadingSONshineproject and follow the Spreading SONshine Project page on facebook and Instagram.

Mary and Martha and The Beginner’s Bible– Our church uses The Beginner’s Bible Curriculum for early childhood children. Go to The Beginner’s Bible website for free downloadable material. I also discovered there is an App and I can’t wait to get that for my daughter. We were sent the weekly lesson plan and did the lesson as a family. We read the following stories (“Mary and Martha,” “Lazarus Lives Again,” and “A Gift for Jesus”) in our daughter’s The Beginner’s Bible and after some discussion she colored the accompanying coloring page. Our amazing early childhood preschool director recorded herself reading the book Sit Down (Marty and Martha) by Mary Manz Simon and it fit perfectly with the Jesus Time we had planned for today.. Click here to listen to this engaging story. My daughter watched it three times and loved joining in on the repetitive parts.

Comfort Comes When We Connect… The Power of Technology During This Time of Uncertainty

Published on by noteworthymommy9 Comments

The first few days of being isolated at home were fun; perhaps a bit of a novelty if you will. But over the weekend reality set in and this time of uncertainty and worry manifested itself into two sleepless nights for our preschooler. If your children are struggling with the changes we are currently facing please take comfort knowing you are not alone.

We turned to technology for comfort. How extremely fortunate we are to have it as technology helped us connect with grandparents, friends and our church family over the weekend. Our daughter was comforted after seeing the smiling faces of loved ones on FaceTime and basked in the familiar as we participated in our church’s Sunday worship service streaming through the TV. Watching her preschool teacher read a favorite book on Instagram made settling into bed a tad bit easier. Bedtime continued to be a struggle but she fell asleep quicker than the night before and I pray she stays in a sweet slumber for the rest of the night.

Our use of technology as a way to connect with others will become our new normal when her dance studio holds a virtual class through Zoom and we video conference with our Parents As Teachers home educator and her speech therapist. A FaceTime chat with her preschool teacher and then a virtual play date with a classmate will round out our virtual social calendar.

After all of this is over I predict our relationships will be stronger and spending time with others in person is something we will no longer take for granted. I hope we continue to use technology as a way to connect with others and that we continue to use it to help those in need.

A FaceTime play date with a family friend and her cats.

Bows and Buttons, Buttons, Buttons… Day 4 Activities

Published on by noteworthymommy1 Comment
We began day 4 with a bow and a smile! Today was supposed to be spirit day at school and a group of moms suggested we have a virtual school spirit day by dressing in school colors and sharing pictures online. Seeing familiar faces brought some normalcy to our day.
Buttons, Buttons, Buttons- We read the book The Button Box by Margarette S. Reid, a fabulous book about a boy who enjoys exploring a box of buttons with his grandmother. Although I had the book from my teaching days, you can find the book on YouTube. We got out a box of buttons hidden away in our art cabinet and after reading we sorted the buttons in various ways…by color, by size, by number of holes. We made some patterns with the buttons and then we did some math fact practice. If you have 3 blue buttons and 3 purple buttons how many do you have in all? Our button box contained a baseball button and a flower button. We had one shank button as well.

Puppy Pictures– Lillian’s preschool teacher communicates with us daily and yesterday she posted a picture of her three dogs: Dobby, Leo and Spartacus. My little dog lover requested to draw a picture of Mrs. Stanglein’s pups and then she wrote their names. Notice Dobby’s growling teeth and the speech bubbles with the word woof above each pup? (creative ideas from my girl) She wrote the word love without asking how the word was spelled and was extremely proud of her accomplishments.

Story Time– Technology continues to connect us to others. We enjoyed story time with Lillian’s teacher and with Santa Claus. Search for Santa Frank (our favorite local Santa) on Facebook and enjoy his daily story time.

Starfall-When I taught kindergarten sixteen years ago Starfall was a popular on-line program to share with my students. It continues to be a useful tool as it allows young children to practice the foundations of reading. If you contact Starfall via their website at www.starfall.com they will send you a code to gain full access to their material for thirty days. No personal information is shared as they are donating their services for free during this time of isolation.

The Moon, Music and Muddy Puddles…Day 3 Activities

Published on by noteworthymommyLeave a comment

Today is day 3 and we continued our moon investigation, danced to some fun music and jumped in muddy puddles.

Moon Web– We began our third day by creating a web that documented everything we know about the moon. At first I wrote while my daughter dictated what to write but then she wanted to write and I helped her spell the words. She remembered a few facts from the books we read the day before and through prompting we were able to recall even more. Moon Dot to Dot, Cutting Practice and Drawing– Dot to dots are so good for preschoolers and I found a moon one. I also found lines to trace to help strengthen fine motor skills and a picture of the moon that Lillian drew a face on.

Phases of the Moon– We made a phases of the moon mini book and then made the phases of the moon with Oreo cookies. We didn’t have any chocolate Oreos in the house so we used vanilla and it worked just as well. Visit Science Bob’s website for more details and a template.
Finger Training Activity- My daughter struggles with holding a pencil properly so I am always on the lookout for new activities to strengthen these skills. Her teacher sent home this fun activity.

Dance Party- Laurie Berkner, one of our favorite musicians who sings kid music is doing daily live concerts through Facebook. She also read a book. Go to Laurie Berkner’s website and visit her on Facebook for more info. Muddy Puddles– In our effort to get outside everyday we took a walk around the neighborhood and jumped in muddy puddles!