GO TEAM USA!

Oh, what a happy day!  Don’t you just LOVE the Olympics!  It’s a time when everyone in our country can cheer on the same side.  Besides, there hasn’t been too much worth watching on television this summer so there won’t be any channel surfing for the next two weeks.

How about some pompoms to cheer on the red, white and blue? 

Oh, what a happy day!  Don’t you just LOVE the Olympics!  It’s a time when everyone in our country can cheer on the same side.  Besides, there hasn’t been too much worth watching on television this summer so there won’t be any channel surfing for the next two weeks.

How about some pompoms to cheer on the red, white and blue? 

WHY?        small motor skills; reading and math skills; exercising the brain

WHAT?     paper lunch sacks, scissors, crayons or markers, rubber bands

HOW?        Draw lines from the top of the lunch sack to the bottom flap about

                 ½” apart.  Let children decorate their bags, and then cut

                  down on the lines.  Place the flap face down on the table and

                  roll.  Wrap a rubber band around the bottom section to make a

                  handle.  (You can also use tape to secure the handle.)  “Squinch”

                  the strips and shake like pompoms.  Use to engage children,

                  release wiggles, and reinforce skills with the activities below.

                  Hint!  Children can also paint bags or decorate with team colors.

                  Songs – Use for “Who Let the Letters Out?”, “Phonercise,” “The Vowel  

                  Cheer” and other letter chants and songs. 

                  Cheer Words – Move and shake pompoms as you spell out names

                  or high frequency words.  “Give me a G.  ‘G’  I’ve got a G, you’ve

                  got a Give me an O.  ‘O’ I’ve got an O, you’ve got an O.  Give me a

                  T.  ‘T’  I’ve got a T, you’ve got a T.  What’s it spell?  GOT!”

                  Letter Aerobics- Put pompoms in the air for letters that start at 

                  the top dotted line, on your waist for letters that start at

                  the middle dotted line, and down low for letters with a tail that

                  go below the line.  Use for singing the alphabet forward and

                  backwards and spelling out words.

Syllables – Clap out syllables in words using pompoms.

Compound Words – Extend pompoms and say each word; then bring  

                    together and say the compound word.  

Segmenting and Blending Sounds – Put pompoms together and say a word,  

                   such as “sat.”  Take away the /s/ and put an /h/ there. 

Invisible Writing – Write letters, numbers, and words in the air with your  

pompom.  (Children call this “air brush” writing!)

 

Patterns – Clap out math patterns and have children repeat or extend.

Skip Counting – March and shake pompoms as you skip count.

Partner Patty Cake – Have children choose a partner.  Play some 

music and have children clap, patty cake, and make other

motions with their partner using their pompoms.

Directions – Have children follow directions with their pompoms.  Can you put them on your head?  Can you put them behind you?  Can you put one on your shoulder and one on your knee?