I stayed up late yesterday and changed the layout of our learning area. I was known in my school for rearranging things, maybe too often. So it just was natural for me to already change Bugzy & Buddy’s learning area before day four homeschool preschool even began.
At my house, the new changes I made have helped today with the transition times and extra needed materials, which helped keep our schedule moving forward. But, I still need to find a solution to plan more toddler activities since Buddy is finishing his activities before Bugzy. Overall though, day four homeschool preschool for Bugzy and & Buddy was a success!
Day 4 Preschool Homeschool Schedule
- Review schedule chart & rules
- Centers
- Reading & Writing
- Walk/ Play Outside
- Snack
- Math
- Craft & Sensory Play
- Puzzles & Experiments
- Lunch
- Field Trip
Day 4 Center Activities for Reading & Math Skills
* The kids pick which activity they complete. Then I monitor and work with each one until the time is up and we switch centers. For example, today, we had all four available at one time, and children quickly picked and began working on their activities.
Center 1- Build Words (Literacy Activity)
I wrote on legos with Expo markers (I should have used a permanent marker and erased them later with expo).
Then on larger sized lego, I wrote the word for my kids to create. For example, the word- on, I used a double Duplo to write on, and then green lego for o, and blue lego for n. I continued this for about five words. Then I left the expo marker in the center for additional writing if my daughter had an idea for me to write or if she wanted to try writing some letters. My son made towers and trains with the Duplo while we created words.
Center 2- Mix & Match (Literacy Activity)
Children looked through the pile of letters I made from the Cricut machine. Once the lowercase and capital letter were matched, my daughter tried writing the letters on the tray using an expo marker. She used a large pom-pom as her eraser. My toddler used this center to match letters without writing. We also used this to practice and introduce Secret Stories since the posters for this resource are above this table.
I taught the “th” secret story while working on this center with my daughter this morning. She LOVED it! Then we paused centers to look for more “th” words in books we have been reading.
Center 3- Make 5 (Math Activity)
We used Sumblox to demonstrate how to add numbers together to reach a sum of five. We used wooden puzzle pieces for plus and equal signs. I also used a base-ten grid and five pom poms to help give a different visual while the kids tried working out various options of reaching five.
This activity also lends itself to introducing the number zero. When I saw how quickly she understood the concept, I should have gotten numbers 6-10 to have her find the sum of ten. Instead, I let her move on to another center.
Center 4- Dot Paint Pattern (Art/Math Activity)
Using Do A Dot paint, the kids created patterns. I showed a model of an AB pattern before they began centers today. My toddler Buddy, did well using the model and making his own; my preschooler Bugzy, forgot and got excited about turning this into a bracelet when she was done and turned the area into a tea party. So clearly, we still have work to do on establishing procedures and routines.
Day 4 Reading & Writing
We began the lesson with “The Better Alphabet Story” by Secret Stories.
Then we did a read-aloud with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
Next was a mini-lesson about vowels for Bugzy while my son looked at books. Meanwhile, I introduced Bugzy to Secret Stories, which are funny stories about letter sounds.
My son’s focus was gone by this time, and I paused the lesson to do another read-aloud just for him. I still need to find a better way to work with both children and their different educational levels. We found more “th” words in the book and talked about the Secret Stories we learned today.
For more letter recognition and alphabet projects please see my post Letter Recognition Sensory Activity.
Math Activity
This morning was insane dropping off our puppy at the vet and then running back to start preschool, so we stopped by Dunkin Donuts and got a dozen munchkins to study for a lesson today about counting to ten (Okay a dozen) and creating a tally chart. Yes, this lesson was not on my plans three seconds before I drove into that drive-through lane! Yes, I needed coffee, and this was the perfect location since I knew I had no coffee at home! But it turned into an adorable activity for the kids. We got home and sorted the donuts into our prediction of flavor piles. We created the chart and then started to test out the flavors, making predictions and analysis after each sampling.
Buddy was so excited that we were allowed to eat them after we made our predictions. When we got the surprise jelly-filled munchkin, it was the perfect opportunity to talk about adjusting our prediction and the clues we could have looked for so as not to make the same mistake again. It was crazy watching something I had done with eight-year-olds, now with my younglings and their minds worked through this activity similarly. It showed me that I should challenge them, and they will rise to the expectation!
Thank you for visiting Live Learn Literacy!
For more activity ideas, please view other posts.
