WRITING NUMERALS

Oh, my! Those little hands may not be ready to write numerals, but the curriculum says they should. Believe it or not, 30 years ago we didn't even teach children to write numbers in kindergarten. We saved that for first grade. Now, we are expecting pre-k children to write numbers. I can't change your curriculum, but I can give you some songs and activities that may make it a little more positive and meaningful.

The Numeral Song 

This song goes to the tune of "Skip to My Lou." Have children stand and use their index finger to write in the air. Everybody's writing will look "good" when you do it in the air!

Come right down and that is all.
Come right down and that is all.
Come right down and that is all
To make the numeral one. (Hold up 1 finger.)

2 – Curve around and slide to the right…
3 – Curve in and around again…
4 – Down, over, down some more…
5 – Down, around, put on a hat…
6 – Curve in and around again…
7 – Slide to the right and slant it down…
8 – Make an “s” then close the gate…
9 – Circle around then come right down…
10 – Come right down, then make a zero…
We can sing the “Numeral Song”…
And make numerals all day long!

*Let children do air writing with other body parts, such as their elbow, foot, etc.
They can also practice writing on their palm or a friend's back.

*Squirt shaving cream on a safe surface so the children can practice making numbers.

*Have children practice writing numbers in salt, sand, and other sensory materials.


Number Chant
Children can associate numbers with the amount with this song and video. Encourage them to hold up the appropriate number of fingers as you sing.

Click to watch video

Theme Books (Beth Cordier)
Let children make books for whatever theme you’re studying. Make a word wall with words from the theme. (Put magnetic tape on the back so children can take them off and copy them.) Children choose a different word for each page and illustrate it.

*Older children could write sentences with the words.
For example: Fall Theme
Page 1 “Pumpkin”
Page 2 “Leaves”
Page 3 “Squirrels”
Page 4 “Footballs”

Here's another song where children can stand and practice writing numerals without getting frustrated.

Chant and Write
(Children echo each line.)

Zero is where it all begins- (Slap thighs to the beat.)
Curve down around and up again.
Number one is so much fun—
Pull straight down and you’ve got a one.
Number two is easy to do—
Up around down and across makes two.
Number three is simple to see—
Draw two humps sideways and that’s a three.
Number four I do adore—
Go down, across, then down some more.
We’ve reached five, now let’s not stop—
Pull down, circle round, put a hat on top.
Number six is easy to fix—
Big curve, small loop will give you six.
Number seven is really sizzlin’—
Straight across, slant down, and that’s a seven.
Number eight isn’t very straight—
Make “S” then back up for an eight.
Number nine I think you’re fine—
A loop on top of a long straight line.
Number ten we’ve reached the end—
Put a one by a zero and count again:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!

Click to watch video

Highway Numbers 

Children can trace over numerals with toy cars or they can roll play dough and place it on top of the numerals.

I LOVE TO COUNT

1, 2, 3  - Count with Me!

Counting is a basic strand across math standards. There’s even research that suggests counting with pre-k children can build math concepts they will use later on in kindergarten and primary grades. To avoid rote counting without meaning, let TOUCH AND COUNT be the mantra you repeat and model over and over. Counting will also have more meaning if you tie it into finger plays, songs, and movements.
*Adapt these activities for younger children by just counting from 1-10. Older students can count to 100 and beyond.

Little Red Number Box (Sarah Wilson)
Put magnetic numbers in a metal tin and then sing the song as you pull out a number. Then count to that number.
For example: I wish I had a little tin box to put a 6 in. I’d take it out and count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and put it back in.

Move and Count
Have children count as they jump, hop, and do other movements.

*Count the steps to the lunchroom.
*Count how long it takes everyone to sit down quietly.
*Count the number of chairs in the room, tables, toys, girls, boys, dragons (that's a joke!) etc.


Number Sticks

These math sticks are easy to make and can be used in many ways. You’ll need magnetic numbers and shapes, jumbo craft sticks, and a strong glue (such as E6000). Glue the numbers to the sticks and you are all set!

*Let children hold up the appropriate stick as you do finger plays and counting songs.
*Can they walk around the room and match up their number with classroom print or the appropriate number of objects?


Number Hunt
Take lunch sacks and write different numerals on them. Give each child a bag and ask them to take the sack home and bring in that number of objects. Let children share what they have found with their friends the following day.




Giant Number Line
Attach a piece of tape to the floor in a prominent place in your classroom. Let children walk on it forwards, backwards, hop, etc. After playing with the line, ask them to sit on the floor. Explain that you’re going to turn it into a number line as you demonstrate writing numbers (0-10) on the tape.
*Ask one child at a time to walk on the number line as they say each number.
*Call out different numbers and ask random students to stand on those numbers. What is one more? What is one less?
*Give students dot cards (0-10) and ask them to match their card with the number on the line.

"TREE" MENDOUS IDEAS

Creativity + Skills = FUN!

Here's a simple craft activity that you can tie into science (seasons), reading (letters and word families), and writing. It's good for small motor skills and can be adapted to different age levels and skills.

Directions: Tear or cut 3 or 4 strips half way down from the top of the bag as shown. (You might want to draw these lines for younger children.) Open the bag and twist in the middle to make a tree.

Seasonal Trees
*Tear red, yellow, and orange scrap paper and glue them on the strips to make an autumn tree.

*Pink and white tissue paper can be waded up to make blossoms on a spring tree.

*Use Q-tips to paint white snow for a winter tree.

*What fruits and nuts grow on trees? Let children make their favorite fruit tree.




Letter Tree
*Write letters (or use letter stickers) to make a "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" tree.

Word Family Tree
Have children choose a rime and then write all the words they can think of that end with that sound.
*This would be a great partner project.



Word Tree
Children can write sight words, vocabulary words or spelling words on their tree branches.
*Wouldn't this be a more fun way to have children practice writing and reading words than with a worksheet?

Numbers Bonds
Children can choose a number and then write different ways to make the number on the branches.

Family Tree
*Let children make a family tree by writing names of family members on their tree.

Spooky Old Tree

Twist the strips of paper as shown to make a spooky tree. Let children cut bats, cats, and other spooky things to go on their tree.

*Use these trees to prompt descriptive writing or poems.

Fall Centerpiece

If you're entertaining this fall here's a centerpiece will get rave reviews. All you need is a large paper grocery sack. Wad and crush the sack until it is soft and pliable. Next, make a large tree using the same process you did with the lunch bag. Use fake leaves, small pumpkins, and other seasonal objects to decorate your tree. Taaa daaa!!

LEAF LAB

Take advantage of the science lab on your playground with these leaf activities.

Leaf Hunt
Give each child a lunch sack and let them collect 2 or 3 leaves from the ground. Bring these back in the classroom and sort by shape, color, etc. You could also graph the leaves by shape. (Whenever you collect items outside emphasize the importance of taking things from the ground. Return the objects to where you found them after exploring with them in the classroom.)

Science Center
Let children investigate leaves in the science center with a magnifying glass or microscope. Ask children to draw the enlarged leaf.

Hint! You can also take a photo of a leaf with your phone and enlarge it to show the veins and details.

Research
Check out a leaf identification book from the library. Can children match up their leaves with those in the book to identify which tree they came from?

Leaf Rubbings
Lay a sheet of paper on top of a leaf. Remove the paper from an old crayon and rub the side over the leaf to make a print.Hint! Use rubber cement to glue the leaf to the table. It will be easier for the children to make a rubbing, and you can just rub off the rubber cement after the activity.

Leaf Book
Let each child find a "favorite" leaf. To preserve, place the leaf in a sheet of newspaper and put a book on top overnight. Place the leaf in a zip baggie. Encourage children to dictate or write a sentence about their leaf. 

*Put several baggies together to make a book.

I Wonder Why?
Brainstorm why leaves turn colors and fall off trees in the fall. Have children go home and do a little research with their parents and report results in class the following day.

Deciduous Trees (Sandra Kelley)
Tune: "Do Your Ears Hang Low?"
Do your leaves fall down?
Do they tumble to the ground?
Do you lose your leaves in the fall?
Then you are deciduous that we know
because in the fall your leaves all go!

*What's the difference between deciduous trees and evergreen trees? Take a nature walk and ask children to identify both types of trees.

FALL Y'ALL

SEPTEMBER 22

Happy Autumn! Football, pumpkins, colorful leaves, and FUN are in the air! 

Leaves Are Falling
(Tune: “Where Is Thumbkin?”)
Leaves are falling (Echo song. Children repeat each line.)
Leaves are falling (Flutter fingers down.)
To the ground. (Touch the ground.)
To the ground.
Red, orange, and yellow (Flutter fingers.)
Red, orange, and yellow
Falling down. (Touch the ground.)
Falling down.

*Let children dramatize being leaves and dancing in the wind. As the song ends they fall quietly to the ground.

*What happens to leaves after they fall from the trees? Later in the fall when there are lots of leaves on the ground demonstrate how to pick up a handful of leaves and crumple them in your hands. Explain how those leaves will decay and turn into soil.

Fall
Why do you think they call this season “fall”? What’s another name for fall?
What season comes before fall? What season comes after fall? Fall is a cool off time between hot summer and cold winter.

Signs of Fall
Brainstorm signs of fall and write them on the board. What kind of clothes do we wear in fall? What’s the weather like in the fall? Are there any special seasonal foods we eat? What kind of sports are popular in fall? What holidays do we celebrate in the fall? What do animals do to get ready for winter? What do plants do in the fall?

*Let children make an attribute web and label it with pictures or words of things that remind them of fall. Older children can do this as a writing assignment, but for younger children this can be an opportunity for the teacher to model writing and develop vocabulary.

Nature Walk
Go on a nature walk and look for signs of fall. Provide children with tablets, paper, and pencils so they can record their “observations” on the walk.

I LIKE AUTUMN Language Experience Chart
Let children dictate sentences about why they like autumn. Older children could write their own original stories about, “Fall, Fall, Best of All!”

Acrostic Poem
Write the words “fall” or “autumn” vertically down the side of a sheet of paper. Children think of a word that starts with each letter that relates to fall.

I HAD A BIRD

Most children love animals, but learning to recognize farm animals and their sounds can also help children get ready to read. In Early Childhood 101 you learned that children go from real and concrete to abstract. You also learned that children need to go from simple to complex. Take a look at how farm animals can nurture these pre-reading skills.

Visual Memory
Visual memory is critical for remembering letters, sight words, etc. If children can recognize farm animals they will develop the visual skills that will help them remember letters, numbers, shapes, etc.

Visual Discrimination
When children can recognize the difference between a horse and a cow, they'll be on the path for discriminating an "m" from an "n" and "the" from "that."

Auditory Discrimination
As children learn to tell the difference between sounds animals make like "baa baa" and "moo," they are developing auditory skills that will help them tell the difference between /b/ and /m/.

Auditory Memory
What sound does the duck make? Well, isn't that very similar to the sound that the letter "D" makes?

http://bit.ly/HadABirdDrJean

I Had a Bird
(Make signs for the animals as you sing.)
I had a bird, and the bird pleased me.
I fed my bird by yonder tree.
Bird went, “Tweedle dee dee.” (Open and close index finger and thumb by mouth.)

Cat - "meow, meow" (Pretend to stroke whiskers.)
Dog – “woof-woof” (Pretend to call your dog by patting your leg.)
Pig – “oink, oink” (Put palm of hand under chin and wave fingers.)
Duck – “quack, quack” (Open and close index and middle fingers and thumb by mouth.)
Cow – “moo-moo” (Extend thumb and little finger to look like horns and place on head.)

And here are some picture cards for the song.

http://bit.ly/DrJeanBirdPrintables




Old MacDonald
Sing along with me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5iDjbNN1Og

A IS FOR ART

No time for art? The trick is to figure out how to tie art in with your standards. In fact, writing standards commonly include “writing, drawing, and dictating.” Kids love to make and create things, so take advantage of that by extending skills with art. Art is active, open-ended, and encourages children to think creatively and use their imagination.

Most of the time when we ask children to draw something they pick up a crayon and get going. Here are some tips that might help them plan their illustrations before they begin.

1st Explain that they should think about what they want to draw and plan how they are going to do it. Suggest they close their eyes and get a picture in their brain.

2nd Remind them to add details. Just like we add words to sentences to make them more meaningful, the more details you add to your drawings the more interesting they will be.

3rd An easy rule for children to follow is to ask them to use as many colors as they are in age. If you are five, you should use at least five colors in your picture. If you are six use at least six colors, and so forth. And, of course, “fill in the page” is always a challenge.
Hint! One teacher said she discovered that when she gave her students colored paper they were more likely to fill in the page. (Give it a try and let me know what you think.)

4th Compare and contrast illustrations. Show children several books with different illustrations. What media did the different illustrators use to make their pictures? Which illustrations do they like best? Why?
Remind your students that they are illustrators, too!

5th Aesthetic appreciation is probably not one of your standards, but I enjoyed introducing famous artists to my students. And the parents always got a kick out of their children talking about Picasso or Van Gogh.Art Appreciation 101

Each week choose a famous artist – anyone from Vermeer to Rockwell to Picasso. You can go online and download prints or check out books from the library. On Monday, give a little background about the artist and show one painting and give the title. Explain that artists always give a “name” or title to their work. “What title would you give this painting?” “What do you see?” “Why do you think the artist painted this?” “What do you think happened before?” “After?” “What do you think the people are saying?” “How does this painting make you feel?” “What materials did the artist use to create this picture?”

On Tuesday show another picture. “Do you remember the title of yesterday’s painting? What do you think is the title of today’s painting?” Compare and contrast. “How are they alike?” “How are they different?”

Continue introducing a different painting every day.

*Use paintings to introduce new vocabulary words.

*Use paintings as springboards for writing stories or poems.
*Paintings can also be used for informative writing where children describe details.
*On Friday let children graph which painting they liked best. Why did you like that one? Is there one you did not like?

BTW  So, a funny thing happened because I was going to end this blog with an idea about Michelangelo. I was going to suggest you tell the children how he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on his back. Wouldn’t it be fun to tape paper under the table and let the children draw like Michelangelo? Well, guess what? That’s a myth. He actually stood up as he painted and then they attached the panels to the ceiling. You learn something new every day, don’t you?

I still think it would be fun to tape paper to the bottom of a table and draw!