Blog Posts - WELCOME THE LAUREL SCHOOL TODDLER, PRESCHOOL & PRE-KINDERGARTEN VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS

Spring has sprung: Plants!

5/15/2020

Date: 5/15/2020

What is our theme? Spring has sprung

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? The children will learn what plants need inorder to grow.

MA Guidelines/Standards: Demonstrate initiative, self-direction,and independence to describe what plants need to grow

Learning Outcomes: Your child will grow their own bean plant and be able to identify what plants need to survive.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
Take a walk outside and look at all the plants that are growing in your yard. Ask questions: Are the plants in the ground? Are they growing in soil? What is all around us that plants and people need to live?( air ). Is the sun shining on the plants? What is the temperature? Do these plants grow in winter time? Do they need rain to grow?

Materials: Pot for planting, soil, bean seeds water

Activity (Procedure):

Have your child fill a pot half way with soil
Give your child 3 seeds to place in the dirt
Have your child then cover the seeds with more soil ( just enough to cover them )
Then have your child water the seeds
Then place you pot in a warm place where it will get sunshine.
Watch your plant everyday and keep it watered.

Activity Wrap Up: Your child planted seeds in a pot and are waiting to see what happens!

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment) Does your child check on the plant everyday to make sure it has water? When the plant begins to grow are they still watering it? Has your child asked what we can do with the plant after it starts growing too big for the pot.

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) You can make a few pots with seeds and place them in different places in your house ( a dark place that has no sunshine, in the fridge where it is cold, etc. ) Where did the plant grow BEST?

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) If you don’t have a pot you can use plastic cups ( be sure to put holes in the bottom so the excess water can leak out )

Spring has sprung: sensory bin

5/14/2020

Date: 5/14/2020

What is our theme? Spring has sprung

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? Making a sensory bin using all natural materials

MA Guidelines/Standards: The child will create, explore and experiment with a variety of sensory materials

Learning Outcomes: Your child will have fun playing in a bin with natural materials which build sensory stimulation

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
You and your child will go on a nature walk and collect natural materials. Grass, leaves, sand, dirt etc.

Materials: Container/bin, natural material you found on your nature walk

Activity (Procedure):

Fill the container/bin with one of the natural materials
Have your child play and manipulate the items. ( one at a time or all of them together )

Activity Wrap Up: your child now has a sensory bin that you can use all the time with different items

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment) How did it feel to run your hands through the different items? How did the grass feel? ( smooth, rough, cold etc. )

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) Try other items for the sensory bin ( bird seed, cotton balls, sand etc.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) If you don’t have a bin you could you a cardboard box

Spring has sprung: making a birds nest

5/13/2020

Date: 5/13/2020

What is our theme? Spring has sprung!

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? To build a bird nest using natural materials and explore and discuss what bird’s use to make their nests

MA Guidelines/Standards: Compare using descriptions. Observation, abstraction, invention, and expression

Learning Outcomes: your child will create their own bird’s nest to look like a real bird’s nest.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
Talk about nesting birds. As it stays light for longer in the spring, birds know it’s time to mate. They do this by singing to each other. When they have paired up, either one or both birds will make a nest from dried grass, moss, feathers,animal hair, mud, leaves,twigs etc. You and your child will go on a nature walk to collect all these items.

Materials: paper plate, scissors, natural items you found on your nature walk, string/yarn, and don’t forget the mud ( thick )

Activity (Procedure):

Dump all the natural materials on a table
On a paper plate begin by spreading mud all over the plate
add the materials you found to the mud and create your nest. There’s no right or wrong way to build the nest.
use the mud like it was glue ( the mud should be thick )

Activity Wrap Up: Your child made a birds nest

How do I know what my child is learning?
(Assessment) Can your child name all the natural materials they found? How strong is the nest? How deep is the nest? Is the nest comfortable?

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) After the nest is dry your child could make eggs for the nest.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) Make the mud you use very thick!!!!!

Kindness: picture for a friend

5/12/2020

Date: 5/12/2020

What is our theme? Kindness

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? Your child will make a beautiful picture for a friend or someone they miss and haven’t seen in awhile. Doing this your child is exercising their creativity and critical thinking skills and doing something kind for a special person in their life.

MA Guidelines/Standards: Kindness is a key ingredient that helps children feel good. Having a positive outlook allows them greater attention spans and enables more creative thinking to produce better results at school.

Learning Outcomes: Today your child will make a picture for a friend or loved one. They may want to write a message to this person. Then they will place it in an envelope and mail it to that person.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
Talk to your child about how everyone right now feels a little lonely and misses their friends and loved ones. How would they feel if they received a picture with some kind words from a friend? What else could you do to let your friends know you care?

Materials: Paper, crayons or markers, paint, envelope and stamp

Activity (Procedure):

think of someone you would like to send a picture to and what would you like to say to them?
Draw or paint your beautiful picture
have someone at home write down what you would like to say to that person.
Put in an envelope and send it to that special person

Activity Wrap Up: Your child feels happy to make something nice for someone they care about and miss.

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment) Does your child want to make more pictures for other friends? Is your child excited about sending this picture to their friend or loved one?

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) Think of other people you would like to send pictures to.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) If you don’t have envelopes that fit the picture they made you can take it to the post office and find an envelope that fits.

kindness: thank you card

5/11/2020

Lesson Plan Template Online

Date: 5/11/2020

What is our theme? kindness

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? Your child will create a beautiful thank you card for a cashier at the grocery store. Doing this your child is simultaneously exercising their creativity and critical thinking skills and doing something kind for someone they want to thank.

MA Guidelines/Standards: Molding ( do-ers ) will eventually morph into students who are collaborators, initiators, and critical thinkers. Kindness is a key ingredient that helps children to feel good which allows them greater attention spans and enables more creative thinking.

Learning Outcomes: Today your child will create a beautiful card using heart shapes of all sizes and colors.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques) Talk to your child about how wonderful it is that the grocery store workers are out there doing their jobs, having to wear masks so we can put food on our tables for our families. How does that make your child feel?

Materials: Large piece of white paper, pre-cut heart shapes in different sizes and colors, glue, markers

Activity (Procedure):

Fold a large piece of white paper in half
glue hearts all over the front of the card, placing them anywhere your child would like making a design.
Open the card and write in big letters Thank you
Then glue more hearts on the inside of the card
When at the grocery store hand the cards to someone who works there.

Activity Wrap Up: Your child had fun creating a beautiful card and feeling good making someone happy.

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment) Is your child excited to give their card to a grocery worker? Does your child want to make more? How did your child feel after they gave it to the grocery worker? Talk about their feelings? How do they think the grocery worker felt after you gave them the card?

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) Make more cards

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) If you don’t have colored paper you could use pain

kindness rocks!

5/8/2020

What is our theme? Kindness

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? Teaching your children to be givers and build their values and provide opportunities to develop kindness.

MA Guidelines/Standards: Using earth’s materials, demonstrating initiative, self-direction and independence

Learning Outcomes: Your child will enjoy painting rocks and brainstorming kind words to write on them. They will then walk around their neighborhood and leave them next to mailboxes spreading inspirational words!

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
Talk about what kindness means and how it feels when someone is kind to you. How does it feel when you do something kind for someone else? What are some things you can do to make others happy?

Materials: Rocks, acrylic paint, permanent markers

Activity (Procedure):

look around your yard for some good size rocks.
Take a walk on a nature trail to find rocks
Paint your rocks and get creative when designing them
Once dry use permanent markers to decorate and write their kind words on their rocks.
Take a walk around your neighborhood and leave a rock under each mailbox you see. If you live in an apartment you could leave them in front of your neighbors doors.

Activity Wrap Up: Your child will have fun creating kindness rocks and then spreading kindness to their neighbors.

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment) How does your child feel about doing something nice for others.

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) Talk about other acts of kindness ( Helping mom and dad around the house, send a postcard to friends, etc. )

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) If you don’t have acrylic paint you could use nail polish

Spring drawings

5/7/2020

What is our theme? The weather

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? Your child will learn about the weather in each season and begin to understand what happens at different times of the year. ( warmer in the summer, winter and Christmas time it is colder and the days are shorter, spring the days are getting longer and trees and plants are beginning to sprout new flowers, fall the days are getting shorter and leaves turn colors and fall from the trees )

MA Guidelines/Standards: Using a combination of dictating and drawing to supply information about a topic

Learning Outcomes: Your child will be able to identify the four seasons and describe the different events that happen in each after drawing pictures of each season

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques ) Take a drive in your car and ask your child to look out the window and tell you what they see. Ask questions like what are the trees starting to do? Do you see any new plants growing? What colors do you see? Is the grass beginning to grow again? Is it beginning to get warmer outside? Are the days getting longer?

Materials: 4 pieces of paper, crayons or markers

Activity (Procedure):

On the top of each piece of paper write the name of a season. For example SPRING
Have your child draw what they see in the spring ( Have a tree in all your drawings )
Do the same for each season
Prompt your child asking questions : What do the trees look like? What activities do you do during that season? ( swimming, sledding, etc. ) What holidays are during that season?

Activity Wrap Up: Your child has drawn a beautiful picture for each of the four seasons

How do I know what my child is learning?
(Assessment) Have your child put the four seasonal pictures in order. It doesn’t matter which season they start with. If they started with spring ask them what season will come next. ( spring, summer, fall, winter )

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) Add other things to your picture ( Winter: Christmas tree, snowman, etc. )

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) If your child is having a hard time drawing pictures remind them to use shapes. ( A flower could be made of all circles or a circle with triangles for pedals )

Making the sun & weather patterns

5/6/2020

What is our theme? The weather

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? The children will understand that temperature plays a big part in the weather and the sun provides heat and energy for life to survive on earth.

MA Guidelines/Standards: Describe how local weather changes from day to day and recognize patterns in those changes. ( the seasons )

Learning Outcomes: Your child will create their own sun using their handprints and learn that the sun is hot and provides heat for our earth.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
Place an outside thermometer close to your home so you can see it easily from inside. Every morning, noon and night check to see the temperature outside.
When the sun is out have your child stand in front of the sun to feel its warmth. Then have your child stand in the shade and talk about the difference in the temperature.

Materials: Yellow paint, white paper, thermometer, a plate

Activity (Procedure):

Poor yellow paint on a plate
Place your child’s hand ( flat ) into the paint
then press your child's hand onto the white paper
Keep doing this, placing your child’s hand next to one and other making a large circle.

Activity Wrap Up: Your child made a beautiful sun using their own handprint and have learned about the sun's warmth.

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment) Talk about the temperature outside. When the sun was shining did it feel warmer outside? When the sun went down did it get cooler outside? Make sure to check the thermometer.

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) The sun is hot. The hot colors are yellow,orange and red. Add orange and red handprints to your yellow sun.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) If you don’t have yellow, orange or red paint you could use mustard and ketchup for yellow and red then mix the two for orange.

Counting clouds

5/5/2020

Your child will have fun counting cotton balls and placing them on the correct number cloud!

What is our theme? The weather

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? The children will be able to identify the numbers 0 through 10. They will be able to count using one to one correspondence.

MA Guidelines/Standards: Recognize and name written numerals 0-10. Understand the relationships between numerals and quantities up to 10.

Learning Outcomes: Your child will have fun counting cotton balls and placing them on the correct number cloud

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques) Have your child count things around the house ( forks, shoes,how many doors are in our house? etc. )

Materials: Large piece of blue paper ( sky ), cotton balls, black marker

Activity (Procedure):

On a large piece of blue paper draw 11 clouds
In the clouds add the numbers 0 through 10
Now have your child add the correct amount of cotton balls to each of the clouds

Activity Wrap Up: Your child is having fun counting cotton balls and adding them to the clouds

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment) Can your child count using one- to -one correspondence? Can your child identify the numbers 0-10?

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications) You can use other items other than cotton balls. Count Cheerios, beads, raisins, etc.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) You don’t have to do this inside. You could draw clouds on a driveway with chalk or make clouds in the sand and count rocks, acorns, blades of grass etc.

wind Chimes!

5/4/2020

What is our theme? The weather

What is the lesson (overall purpose)? The children have learned how hard the wind can blow after learning about tornadoes. This lesson will show children that the wind can blow gently and people can enjoy it. Today they will make a wind chime.

MA Guidelines/Standards: The children will demonstrate initiative,self-direction and independence.

Learning Outcomes: Your child will take a nature walk around the house or on a nature trail. They will collect sticks, pine cones, small rocks etc. Then they will create their own wind chime with these materials.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)
You and your child can watch the weather channel together. During your nature walk talk about the weather. Is the sun shining or is it cloudy? Is the wind blowing or is it still? Could a storm be coming looking in the distance?

Materials: 1 large stick (2 feet long ), nature materials, a bucket to caring you your finding in, string

Activity (Procedure):

Go for a nature walk
collect all natural materials ( sicks, pinecones,acorns, small rocks, etc )
Make sure you collect a large stick
at home dump all your finding out on the floor
Cut the string in all different lengths and tie them to the large stick.
Then at then end of the strings tie all your nature findings creating a beautiful wind chime
Tie a large piece of string to the ends of the stick so you can hand your wind chime.

Activity Wrap Up: Hang your wind chime outside near a window so whenever you want you can see how hard the wind is blowing

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment) Is your child talking about the weather? Does your child notice when the wind is blowing?

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications). Look around your house to find other things you could add to your wind chime.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions) If you can’t go outside you can use a coat hanger and materials you have at home. You could save old cans and bottles and make a wind chime using recyclable materials.