BAD HAIR DAY?

Someone just sent me an email with this quote:

            "You can't control everything. Your hair was put on

            your head to remind you of that."

It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one with bad hair days…many, many

bad hair days!!!

Now that I’ve got your attention, here are a few more ideas for making alphabet books

this year.

I Spy

Give each child a sheet of paper and ask them to write all the letters they can.  Take their papers and bind with book rings.  Make a front and back cover that  says “I Spy Letters!”  Select one letter on each page and write, “I spy __!”  Give children a magnifying glass (pipe cleaner twisted into a circle) or bubble wand to find and frame the letter.

Deck the Room

Walk around the school and take photos of words for all the letters of the alphabet.  Put them together to make a book.

*Sing the book to the tune “Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly.”

                 Deck the room with letters and sounds

                 A B C D E F G

                 Listen up and look around

                 H I J K L M N O P

                 Get a book and you will see

                 Q R S T U V

                 Words and letters read with me

                 W X Y and Z

                 A for alphabet /a/ /a /a/          B for boys /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/

                 C for cafeteria /c/ /c/ /c/          D for dumpster /d/ /d/ /d/...

Body Letters

Have children make letters with their bodies.  Take pictures.  Put the letters together to make a book.

*Divide children into groups of 3 or 4 and let them lay on the floor to create  different letters.  Take photos for a book.

Themes and Holidays

Make alphabet books that coordinate with various themes, holidays, and

seasons.  For example, if you are studying the ocean make a “Ocean ABC

Book,” or when it’s spring make “ABC’s of Spring,” or sports, toys, food, or

anything children are interested in.

Jean FREE Feldman

You know that my middle name is “free,” and there are so many free videos,

printables, and alphabet activities online.  One website that I’ve recommended

for years is bemboszoo.com.  I like its simplicity and the letter-word-object

connection.  What are your favorite websites and videos for alphabet knowledge?

ALPHABET BOOKS FROM A TO Z

A B C D E F G

Make an alphabet book with me!

H I J K L M N O P

Take a look and you will see.

Q R S T U V

Alphabet books from A to Z!

Here are some alphabet books you might want to create with your class this coming year.  They are a perfect vehicle for alphabet knowledge, reading for information, reading foundations, and many other language skills.

I Can Read!

Take 26 large sheets of paper (12” x 16”) and write a different letter on each

page.  Put pages between construction paper to make a book called “I Can Read My ABC’s.”  Hole punch and bind with book rings.  Invite children to bring in words from food labels, stores, catalogs, etc. that they can read.  As children

bring in their words, help them match up the first letter with the same letter in the book and glue their word on that page. 

           

See & Sign           

Enlarge copies of the sign language alphabet.  Put a different letter and sign on

each page; then let different children illustrate a picture that begins with that

sound.  Bind together to make a book.  Encourage the children to reproduce the

signs on each page as they read the book.

*Take digital photos of children making the different signs.

*Cut hands out of felt and glue them to make manual signs.

*You can also make a Braille alphabet book by using drops of glue to represent

the different Braille letters.

Alphabet Art

Write large letters of the alphabet on paper.  Give each child a letter and challenge them to create a picture around their letter.  “What does your letter look like?  Does it remind you of something?  Can you use your crayons to turn it into

that object?  Try to ‘camouflage’ it so no one knows what your letter is.”  Put their drawings together to make a book.  Can they find the letter hidden in each picture? 

*Give each child the letter that their name begins with.

*Challenge older children to turn their letter into an object that begins with the sound their letter makes.

Alphabet in My Mouth

Use the words and tune to “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” to make this

book.

                 I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth.

                 I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth.

                 I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth

                 And I can read.

                I’ve got A /a/ /a/ in my mouth.

                I’ve got B /b/ /b/…     

First, take a close up digital photo of each child with their tongue sticking

out.  Next, cut letters out of construction paper and glue to the tongue on their

picture.  Write words for each page to go with the picture, such as “I’ve got D

d//d/ in my mouth.” 

Touch and Tell ABC Book
Make letters out of different textures, such as sandpaper, felt, yarn, canvas, fake fur, etc.

DOG HEAVEN

Sixteen years ago our daughter Holly and her husband Peter rescued a little puppy off the streets in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.  They named her Attila, got her a passport, and brought her back to the States.  (Things were much simpler before 9/11.)  Attila was an apt name for this dog because she was always a little nuts.  Cute as a bug, but a little crazy.  Anyway, they had to put her to sleep yesterday morning and it broke their hearts because she was their first baby.  Many of you can identify with their emotions.  They had a little family memorial dinner last night and then looked at pictures they had taken of Attila through the years.  I wanted to share what my daughter wrote:

            It's a sad night here, but Attila was really suffering.

            Now she can be her beautiful puppy self forever in our hearts—

I’ve got to send K.J. and Kalina the book DOG HEAVEN by Cynthia Rylant .  If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend it because it paints a beautiful and comforting picture for children who lose a pet.  

BACK TO SCHOOL PRESENT FOR YOU!

Here's a gift for you.

It's a free one for you.

Made my Mary Amoson

from Sharing Kindergarten

Letter limericks, wahoo!

I don't know how she did it with a new baby and a four year old, but in her spare time 
(that's a joke!) Mary has created downloads for the lowercase letter limericks.  

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Letter-Limericks-and-Poems-829284

Hint!  If you put these in a clear sheet protector, children can trace over them with a dry erase marker and then erase.  

Make books of the upper or lowercase letter limericks.  Record your voice saying the rhymes and use in the listening center.  

LOWERCASE LETTER LIMERICKS U-Z

Small u is like n upside down.

Curve down and then back up around.

Add a line on the right,

Straight, short and tight

For upside and underground.

Small v is very victorious

And making v isn’t laborious:

Two short lines slant out

From the bottom they spout

Like two arms raised to say: I am glorious!

Small w is two v’s together

For why, what, where, and whether

Slant down, up, and then

Slant down, up again

And you’ve written a wonderful letter!

Small x makes your xylophone play

And it expertly makes an x-ray.

Two lines that are little

Cross right at the middle.

You can exit and go on your way!

We’re nearing the end with small y:

For yes, yarn, and years that fly by

A short line slants down,

Another slants underground,

And they meet at a point to say hi.

Small z is for zany and zounds;

It’s short and sits right on the ground.

Straight out, slant down, then

Go straight out again

And you’ll zigzag, and zip all around!

ACTIVITIES

Years ago someone told me if you want children to remember something they need to sing it or eat it.  Are you hungry for some letters?

Pretzel ABC’s  - Give children pretzel sticks and pretzel twists.  Have them nibble the pretzels to make letters.

Squirt and Eat  - Use squirt cheese to make letters on crackers.  Lick the letters with your tongue. 

Alphabet Cereal, Crackers, and Pretzels  - Letter shaped snack foods can be used for identifying letters, making words, or eating!

Letter Snacks – Assign each child a letter and a day to bring a snack for the class.  Ask parents to send in a fruit, vegetable, or healthy food that begins with their letter.  Take photographs and use them to make a class alphabet book.

*Note!  I know some schools have banned food in the classroom, so you might send these activities home in a newsletter for parents to do with their child.

LOWERCASE LETTER LIMERICKS P-T

Next comes polite letter p

As pretty and proud as you please.

A long line that drops

Down below, and then pop

A circle beside it—whopee!

Small q is quiet and quick.

It’s like p, but with a trick.

It’s the other way ‘round

And the line that goes down

Ends with a quaint, quirky kick.

Now we’ve reached rock’ n’ roll r

And everyone can be a star!

Make a short line, then look—

At the top a small hook,

And your rip, roaring r will go far!

Small s is swirley and steep.

Arch up to the middle and sweep

Down to the end

With another round bend

For swinging and singing so sweet!

Next we’ll try t: don’t delay!

Start high up but not all the way.

Then down you drop,

Put a small line across,

For terrific, tip-top days!

ACTIVITIES

Letter Puzzles – Write upper and lowercase letters on opposite sides of a paper plate.  Cut puzzle designs between the letters.  Children will know if they’ve matched upper and lowercase letters correctly because there will be a perfect fit.

Letter Collage - Give children old magazines, catalogs, and newspapers.  Have them cut out letters and glue them on a sheet of construction paper.  Can they name the letters that they cut out? 

*Can they cut out all the letters in their name? 

*Can they find all the letters from A-Z?

Stencils – Give children letter stencils to trace around on construction paper.  Children can cut out the letters after they’ve traced around them. 

Hint!  They can also make a letter necklace by punching holes in the letters they’ve cut out and stringing them on yarn.

Letter Pasta – Purchase pasta/macaroni in the shape of alphabet letters.  Separate the pasta into four plastic bags.  Add a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and a large squirt of food coloring to each bag.  Shake.  Dry on wax paper.  Mix the colors together to get a rainbow of letters.  Children can “find” letters with a magnifying glass.  Or, give them tweezers to pick out letters they know.

Bobbing Letters – Write letters on ping pong balls with a permanent marker.  Place in a water table or tub and let children scoop them out with a fish net.

Hidden Letters – Hide magnetic letters in a sand table or in a sandbox.  Can children name the letters that they find?  Can they make the sound of the letter?

LOWERCASE LETTER LIMERICKS K-O

Small k starts with a tall, straight spine

Then out kick two smaller slant lines.

One kicks up, one kicks down

For the k-k-k sound

That starts kites, kids, and kisses so kind.

Small l is a likeable letter

Lean and light as a feather.

A single tall line

So straight and fine—

For laughter and love there’s none better!

Small m is magnificently wide

A short line then two humps side by side

For monkeys and marbles,

Magic and marvels,

And motorcycles, let’s take a ride!

Small n is one half of m.

Make a short straight line and then

A single small hump

To give it a bump

For a nice, neat, and nifty small n.

Small o is a round cheerio

Rolled on the ground down low.

Keep your pencil pressed down

And take it around

For octopus and ostrich, you know.

ACTIVITIES

Senses are like pathways to the brain.  The more senses you activate, the more likely the message will get to the brain.  Here are some kinesthetic ideas for hands-on learning.

Rainbow Writing - Make “rainbow letters” by tracing around letters with different colors of crayons.

Hint!  Make giant rainbow letters using bulletin board paper on the wall.  Invite all the children in the class to contribute to the rainbow letter.

Scratch and Sniff - Write letters with glue, then sprinkle with Jell-o or powdered drink mix.  Dry, scratch, and sniff!

Hint!  Obviously, they can’t share these so each child will need his/her own!

Lotty Dotty - Use a marker to make dotted letters.  Put a drop of glue on top of each dot.  Children trace over the dots of glue with their finger as they make the sound. 

Rub Overs  - Write letters with water soluble makers. Trace over the letters with white glue.  The marker will be absorbed into the glue to create a raised letter.  Children place a sheet of paper on top and rub with the side of a crayon.  Taa daa!

*You can also make invisible letters by just using glue.  Children rub over the letter to discover what it is.

Hint!  You may need to tape these to a table or use with a clip board to keep them in place.

Magic Paint Brush – Give children a clean paint brush and a cup of water.  Children make letters on a chalkboard and then watch them disappear!

Hint!  Place a small piece of sponge in a spring clothespin and use as a paintbrush.

Mystery Letter  - Write letters with a white crayon.  Children take a large paint brush and diluted paint and “wash” over the entire page to make the letter appear.