Early Literacy Course

I am excited to begin a course through the Stern Center for Language and Learning. The three credit undergraduate course is called, Building Blocks for Literacy. I thought I would blog about some of what I am learning and share my assignments & projects as a way of inspiring other ECE and bloggers who are working with young children!

Week one's focus is reviewing early literacy research. Our assignment before our first class meeting is to read three research articles and a chapter from our main text. Geeez...I know it's been almost 10 years since I finished my Master's but I am not used to this volume of reading. Hopefully our weekly assignments won't require this much reading ...or I might have to give up reading all my favorite blogs.

I case you're feeling bored I've listed what we're reading. I'd love Cliff notes for the second on the list if you're interested!

I'll be back in a day or two with a riveting essay about developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs. Until then...I've got to get back to reading!

References: 

Literacy for Young Children: A Guide for Early Childhood Educators (pp. xiii-20)

Gunn, B.K., Simmons, D.C., & Kameenui, E.J. (Date). Emergent Literacy: Synthesis of the Research. http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED386866.pdf

Lonigan, C J. & Shanahan, T (Date). Executive Summary Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. National Institute for Literacy. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload/NELPSummary.pdf

National Association for the Education of Young Children Position Statement. (2009. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8.)

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSDAP.pdf

S'mores

This was a fun little flyer that I made up for my son's "Camp Out" themed party a few years ago! The "Make Your Own S'Mores" buffet was the highlight of the party for many of our guests. YUM!

What kind of s’more are you?

Traditionalist – graham cracker, toasted marshmallow, Hershey’s chocolate

Chocoholic – chocolate graham cracker, toasted marshmallow, Hershey’s chocolate

Peanutbutteratarian - graham cracker, toasted marshmallow, Reese Cup, with or without an extra smear of peanutbutter

Cinnamonist – cinnamon graham cracker, toasted marshmallow, Hershey’s chocolate

Spring Peeper– roast a Peep until carmalized, then either eat alone or sandwich it between a graham cracker

Flufferist – why roast a marshmallow when you can just scoop it from a jar?

Naturalist- graham cracker, toasted marshmallow, honey

Minimalist – plain graham cracker

Nonconformist- dispite all the listed recommendations, you proudly come up with your own combination

Exploring our sense of Sight

Exploring our sense of Sight:
Here's a recap of the activities that I did with my preschool class and my own personal children at home. Thanks for stopping by! 

Outdoor Activity - Each child received their very own Binoculars. I made these ahead of time by using hot glue to attach two toilet paper tubes together.


Winter Scavenger Hunt using pictures of things we can find outside in our courtyard we used our sense of SIGHT to find: squirrel, bird, snow, ice, icicle, tree, fence

Eye Themed Snack - a fun little snack one of the parents came up with-- dehydrated apple ring with an apricot and raisin!

Art - Self Portraits using a 3 sided mirror



Guided Activity - "Secret Message Hearts" - ahead of time I cut out heart shapes and with a white crayon wrote each child's name onto them. Then they used water colors to reveal the hidden message. I had extra heart cut-outs and crayons available for them to design their own too!


Puzzles / Games - several different I Spy books & games available; Kaleidoscopes; Sunglasses, 3D glasses,  glasses with no lenses for pretend play, View-Master

Science Center: “Sight Station”- illuminated magnifying glass and I-Spy pictures; microscope with simple slides, Paint chip book to view various shades of color, unbreakable mirror, hand-held magnifying glasses.

I was planning on having the children make their own "red vision tubes" but somehow have run out of toilet paper and paper towel tubes. How can that be?!?  I made just one to share by covering a paper towel tube with red cellophane over one end.
Water Table - rainbow colors using several plastic containers filled with water & liquid water colors. What do we SEE when the colors mix together?

Sensory Table- an "I Spy" sensory bin for the kids to play with each other. "I see something yellow and small." I also added the bingo cards from an "I Spy ABC Bingo Game" and foam alphabet letters from a puzzle. I thought kids might like to LOOK for matching pairs or to sort by color!


Writing Center - Valentine Card Making using Cookie Cutter Prints - pour a small amount of pink and red paints into pie tins. Offer a variety of heart cookie cutters. Show the kids how to dip the cookie cutter and press onto a paper. Remind them this is not finger painting, but encourage conversation "What do you SEE with your eyes after you press the cookie cutter down?" 

Closing Circle- pass around the red vision tube. What part of our body helps us to see? When we look through the tube why do we see red? Why do people wear glasses?

Read aloud: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?


Home Connection:  a fun at home activity that reinforces our "Sight" would be to print this Dora themed vision chart. It's like the test a doctor gives but instead of the letter E it's the Dora characters in varying sizes. http://www.nickjr.com/printables/dora-eye-chart.jhtml


Books for the sense of sight:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin & Eric Carle
The Eye Book by Dr. Suess
Seeing by Sharon Gordon
I Spy Books
My Very First Book of Colors by Eric Carle (ties into our author study, matching color to an object uses the sense of SIGHT)
My Very First Book of Numbers by Eric Carle (ties into our author study, matching fruit to a number uses the sense of SIGHT & sort of TASTE)


Other on-line inspiration for teaching about the sense of sight:
http://www.myoatmealkisses.com/2012/02/sense-of-sight.html

Exploring Our Sense of Taste

We explored our sense of TASTE!

Outdoor - Begin our discussion about our sense of taste. What part of our body helps us taste? Explain that on our tongue we have taste buds. Talk about how different foods have different flavors - salty, sweet, sour, & bitter. Talk about how our tongue has different areas that taste these different flavors.

Since I teach in a nature based preschool, I always begin my lesson outdoors. Sometimes it is a stretch but asked the kids, "What are some things that we find outdoors that have flavors?" And even in the middle of winter in Vermont those kiddos had some good ideas!


Active Game: Play “Simon Says Flavor Game” If you like the flavor of -- jump up and down. If you don’t like the flavor cross your arms.
(No on gets out- it’s more just a survey of what kids think they like and dislike.)

Art - Pizza Pies - children paint a paper plate with red colored glue and then sprinkle on a variety of herbs and spices. This was the first time we made these and the garlic salt made the whole room smell like a pizza shop! YUM!


Math Activity: Apple Jacks Pattern Necklaces - Tape one end of a piece of yarn to the table and wrap the other end so it's easier to thread. Provide each child with a measured amount of cereal, which they can finish their necklace with or TASTE. I added a photocopy of a tongue about mid-way of their threading. The kids thought the tongues were really silly - next year I would like to draw on a picture to go with the flavor word!

Science Center: Tongue Mapping - I read about a family doing a tongue mapping activity and thought I would give it a go at preschool. Not all the kids got the idea that they were to touch a specific part of their tongue but they all enjoyed trying out a variety to flavors.  Each child got their own tray: salty= salt, sweet = sugar, sour = lemon, bitter = unsweetened cocoa. I planned on giving a fresh q-tip for each flavor but the kids just started dipping away! If I do this again, I would do it in small groups instead of all together!
This link has more info and printable to use with this activity -  http://www.raisingthecameronclan.com/2012/01/30/tongue-mapping/


Dramatic Play - kitchen set up with a large variety of foods!

Water Table - plastic foods to wash in water table along with a variety of spoons, cups, strainers, scoops, etc.

Sensory Table- beans, various cups, funnels, spoons, etc.

Writing Center - provide grocery store circulars and food magazines for kids to cut. Encourage them to glue pictures of foods that they like the taste of to a paper plate.
 
Closing Circle- “What is something you learned about TASTE today?” Pass around the Surprise Box with a fresh orange inside!



Books for the sense of taste:
(Need to find more flavor related books!)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Food Alphabet by David Drew
 

Other Taste Test Ideas for future lessons:

Taste bud Taste Test: salty - pretzels, sweet - honey, sour- lemon, bitter- unsweetened cocoa. Talk about which of the foods they like the best.
 
Tasting Party - have each child bring in a food to share. Serve small portions of each food. (The teacher could assign foods instead so a wider variety of foods would be sampled.) Suggest that families bring a food that is sweet, salty or sour such as fruits, vegetables, pickles, crackers, flavored cereal, etc. Children could sort them by taste or by texture (soft, chewy, crispy). Graph foods that the children liked the most.

"Bring two foods that look similar but taste very different (orange and lemon, sugar and salt, yogurt and sour cream, etc.) Put them in plates next to each other. Let your children use their 5 senses to try to determine which is which. Asked the children to describe how the substances smell, feel, look, sound (as you gently shake the plate) and finally taste." idea from http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/fivesenses/science.htm

3 different clear liquids - sweet sugar water, salty salt water, and sour lemon juice!

Popcorn Varieties: Make three types of popcorn - one with brown sugar, one with salt, and one with lemon. The children taste each of the popcorn flavors and decide which their favorite is. Make a chart to show which is the favorite flavor.
 
If combining 5 Senses with an Eric Carle author study - read Pancake, Pancake and have a taste test of a variety of toppings.


On-line resources & ideas for teaching about TASTE:

The tongue mapping activity here - http://www.raisingthecameronclan.com/2012/01/30/tongue-mapping/

Maple Sugaring Printables

Last year was the Queen's first taste of Sugar on Snow! YUMMY!

I am preparing a fun unit on Maple Sugaring for my preschool classroom. I love the printables at the website below. Last year I displayed these at our booth at the St. Johnsbury World Maple Festival and I found that many adults were very interested in them!

I'll be back in couple of days to blog more about my ideas for teaching 3-5 year olds about maple sugaring but for now be sure to check out the printables at:
http://www.wordplayhouse.com/2011/03/how-do-you-make-maple-syrup-maple-sugaring-free-printables.html

Tapping for Sap

Last year the I had this vision of creating a model maple tree that my preschoolers could tap and pretend to collect sap. I wanted the kids to have some first hand experience before we took them to a local sugar shack.

So I found the largest piece of cardboard I had, and got to work crafting a maple tree. Then I recruited my then five year old to help me practice collecting the sap. He was a bit dismayed at how slow the drips were, but once a puddle of 'sap' collected in the bowl he became excited about the process. As with many of our projects and experiments, I lost interest long before him. He continued to collect the sap for almost an hour and only stopped because his little sister started dumping the sap bucket!

How it works:

One child gets to stand in the back of the tree and starts the flow of sap by using a pipette to push water into the tap.

The other kids watch as the sap drips from the tap, runs through the plastic tubing, and finally collects into the bucket.

To keep a group of kids interested in the activity, be sure to have plenty of funnels, cups, spoons, strainers, and tubing for them to explore properties of 'sap'.

When I led this activity in my preschool classroom the kids were eager to be the one behind the tree and a line formed as they waited their turn. So I put additional pipettes in the collection bucket and they played there until it was their turn to 'be the tree'. 

This activity would be great to try at home. You could use any type of hose and a turkey baster! If you don't have cardboard to make a tree, you could use a grocery bag with a hole cut or a large oatmeal container.

I will do a couple of blog posts in March about the science of maple sugaring and will include sensory play & art projects...so check back!

** Check out the maple tree for yourself at the World Maple Festival on April 28th from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. in St. Johnsbury, Vermont! The Balch Nature School at the Fairbanks Museum will be leading a pretend "Sap Collecting" activity in the Kid Zone area. More information about the festival can be found at www.worldmaplefestival.org

Hibernation Party

I teach at a nature-based preschool. In December we did a unit on 'Animals in Winter'. As a concluding event we had a Hibernation Party on the last day before winter break. Below I included the text of the letter that went home, as well as some additional ideas and few helpful links. I thought some of my blogging friends might like to use the ideas. It's too late (this year) for a hibernation party but could be adapted into a "Waking up from Hibernation Party"!


Note: It's very sad news to kids when you tell them that bears don't actually hibernate. (Many don't believe you!) I explain that bears are TORPOR animals, and sleep soundly for weeks at at time. Bears breathing slows and their body temperature goes down but they do wake up during winter.
We distinguished animals that are 'true hibernators' by referencing books. We learned that in Vermont there are only 3 animals in this category. 
Woodchucks (or groundhogs) are a true hibernator and might be a better choice than bears for our focus animal for the Hibernation Party, but it just didn't as much fun! I weighed the pros and cons and decided that bears were more engaging for the preschoolers. (My program is located in a museum and the kids LOVE going to see the bears. They are much less enthusiastic about the groundhog!)
Maybe next year I will go with the groundhog as our featured animal for the hibernation party, and then have a follow up celebration on Groundhogs Day!
-----------Here's the text of the letter I sent home to families:

We will celebrate the arrival of Winter with a "Hibernation Party"!
Friday, December ?

Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas and bring in a teddy bear from home!


Teddy Bears need to be able to fit into a large brown paper grocery bag, which we will transform into bear caves for the children to bring home.

On the day of our Hibernation Party we will start the day outdoors, so send your children with snow pants over their pajamas!

We will get ready for winter with a big "Bear Feast". Children will enjoy fresh berries, nuts, and homemade granola with honey. (Miss April will be providing this snack.)

The entire classroom will be set up to look like a winter scene with lots special bear dens for the kids to crawl into. (white sheets, cotton quilting batting, sleeping bags)

All of our bears will be hibernating by 10:30 and parents are invited to join us at that time. Please tiptoe into the classroom to find your little bear.

We will finish with a Sing Along of all our "Animals in Winter" theme songs: (I provided a song sheet so everyone had the words. This was not meant to be a performance, rather a low-key family sing along!)
Gray Squirrel
Time for Hibernation
Winter's Coming Soon  (to tune of wheels on the bus)
The weather's getting cold so bundle up, bundle up, bundle up
The weather's getting cold so bundle up, winter's coming soon.
The bears in the cave sleep all the time............
The squirrels in the trees get lots of nuts...............
The frogs and toads go deep in mud.......
The ducks and the geese fly south........
The kids in the town wear hats and gloves..........


----- Additional teacher notes:


Read aloud - The Bear Snores On
(Previously in out unit we read, "Going on a Bear Hunt" - that was a favorite and I thought about re-reading it but opted not to.


Post signs on the classroom doors that say, "Shhhh...bears are sleeping."



Children will make a "Bear Trail Mix" to take home. Parents are encouraged to send in snacks to add to the mix such as: goldfish, dried berries, nuts, mini teddy grahams, and maybe honey sticks.


Black Bear Game - one child acts as the bear and lies in the middle of the circle with their eyes closed. (If played outside, first lie done blanket.) The bear keeps their eyes shut while the rest of the group sings:
"Black bear, oh black bear, oh sleeping in your den. Please be very quiet, very, very quiet. If you shake him, if you wake him, he will growl at you!"
As the group sings, the teacher selects one child to gently shake or tap the bear. The child shakes the bear and returns to their spot in the circle. Then the bear wakes up, looks at the group, and tries to pick the child that shook him. The bear is given two guesses and then can growl at the bear who woke him. (I tried this game with my 2 year old at home and she DID not like the idea. I think the growling was too much!)

Bear Caves - previously children each made their own cave out of a brown paper grocery bag. For the Hibernation Party, children each bring in their own teddy bears to put into the cave to "hibernate" for winter. Play a game with the bears that reinforces positional words (in, out, over, under, next to, above, below, near). May need to help some of the younger children since this is a new skill.

 More ideas for the next time we do a Hibernation Party:

Hibernating Bear Cupcakes / "Cup Cave" snacks - prepare a cake batter as normal and pour into cupcake liners. Before baking, insert one teddy graham into every cupcake. Explain to the kids that there is a bear hibernating in every cupcake.

Shelled nut snack- Another fun hibernation snack could a wide variety of nuts that are still in their shells. (Obviously you would need to check for nut allergies first.) Many children are not familiar with shelled nuts so encourage them to look at the shape, texture, and firmness. Teach them how to crack them open and observe the inside. Many preschoolers will need help breaking the shells but would be able to peel softer shells such as peanuts or partially opened shells like pistachios. Show pictures of squirrels and chipmunks and talk about how they collect acorns and nuts in the fall.

Stringing popcorn and cranberries to decorate a wildlife tree would also be fun!


At the play dough table encourage kids to make animals homes. Add coffee grounds or sand to the dough. Have pictures of a variety of homes (beaver lodge, burrows, dens, and caves). Suggest using some sort of form such as a recycled applesauce cup, yogurt container, or toilet paper tube as a base so the home is stronger. Offer a variety of natural materials such as sticks, leaves, and dried grasses.  




On-line Bear & Hibernation theme ideas:

My "Animals in Winter" booklist!

Bear Themed games - http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/hibernation/games.htm

Lots of hibernation ideas here - http://www.preschool-plan-it.com/hibernation.html

"We're going on a bear Hunt" sensory play idea here - http://makedoandfriend.blogspot.com/2012/02/were-going-on-bear-hunt-messy-play.html