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

Making a beach inspired snack!

4/30/2020

What is our theme? Beach

What is the lesson
Making a beach inspired snack!

MA Guidelines/Standards:

PW34. The young toddler controls small muscles in hand.
PW37. The young toddler participates in physical care routines.
LC39. The older toddler participates in conversations.

Learning Outcomes:
Continue learning about things found on the beach such asf fish, shells, water, sand, etc.

Songs,Books,Video(Motivational Techniques)
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-joNU9em1w
Song: Interactive song we use in school: “The Goldfish” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg-wnQKRHTs

Materials-

Graham Crackers
Frosting (or yogurt for a healthier choice)
Blue food coloring
Gold fish
Ziplock or reusable bag

Activity (Procedure):

Start by dying a small amount of frosting or yogurt blue
Coat ¾ of the graham cracker with frosting/yogurt. This is your water.
In a ziplock or reusable bag, crush half of a gram cracker.
Sprinkle the crushed graham cracker on the bottom of the whole graham cracker. This is your sand.
Add some goldfish to the blue parts of the graham cracker. These are the fish in the ocean
Eat and enjoy!

Activity Wrap Up:
Ask your child about what they see in their snack that they also see at the beach.

How do I know what my child is learning?
(Assessment)
Do they recognize the water? The fish?

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
If you want to include shells to your snack, we found that a slice from a clementine resembled a shell.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
If your child doesn’t want to eat the snack, it’s okay! Offer it to them again later or talk about other healthy snack choices

Crab Project

4/29/2020

Hello Families! Many different kinds of creatures live at the beach. Let’s explore the crab and make a fun craft project!

What is our theme? Beach

What is the lesson (overall purpose)?
Learning about the crab through stories and music and ending with a crab art activity which introduces sponge painting.

MA Guidelines/Standards:

CD60 The younger toddler experiments with various dry and wet materials to discover their properties
CD61 The younger toddler discovers living things found in nature
CD64 The older toddler observes and identifies living things and begins to identify their basic needs
CD66 The younger toddler explores with sensory art materials and uses them to create visual effects
CD69 The older toddler creatively explores and experiments using a variety of sensory materials and art mediums

Learning Outcomes: What are the benefits of sponge painting?

The learning benefits of this activity:

Self-expression with paint.
Eye and hand coordination.
Fine motor development.
Experimenting and exploring with a new paint tool.
Sense of achievement and pride.
Color recognition.
Sensory experience of exploring paint and paint filled sponges

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)

https://youtu.be/C_1xqhM6_0I Story: “ A House For Hermit Crab”

https://youtu.be/2ak5L_aAmrU Music “Little Hermit Crab”

https://youtu.be/GC_mV1IpjWA Music “Under The Sea” from The Little Mermaid

https://simplytodaylife.com/paper-plate-ocean-crab-craft/ Crab craft

Materials:

Paper plate
Red paint
Sponge cut into a square
Googly eyes
Red construction paper
Scissors
Craft glue

Activity (Procedure):

Start by cutting a sponge into four squares.
On the paper plate sponge on the red paint on one side.
Allow to completely dry.
Then flip your paper plate and sponge red paint on the other side until the entire paper plate is covered.
Allow drying.
Fold the paper plate in half once the plate is completely dry.
Set a heavy book on the paper plate for a bit to make sure the crease sets in.
Cut red strips with construction paper and glue on your paper plate.
Glue on your googly eyes.
Using a black marker add a mouth to your crab if you wanted to on the inside

Activity Wrap Up:
Don’t forget to help mom or dad clean up your workspace! Did you enjoy dipping the sponge in the paint and applying it to the paper? Did it feel squishy? Once your crab is finished you can add a piece of yarn and hang him from a special place in your house.

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)
Paint is a great way for a child to express him or herself and learn about shapes and colors.Using just two or three colors and various sponges can create a wide variety of effects.

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
Your crab doesn’t have to be red, you can use any color to make your crab! What is your favorite color to use? Trying painting a stone and making that into a crab.

Since we know that crabs live at the beach, try adding to your art by drawing and coloring a beach for your crab to live? Do you have a shoe box that you can turn into a beach for your new friend?

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
If you don’t have a paper plate available you can use red construction paper or just plain white paper and crayons to make it whatever color you like.Don’t have a sponge? Try dipping a paper towel in the paint and using that to apply it to the plate. If you don’t have googly eyes, it’s ok to draw the eyes with a marker or crayon.

BEach shells

4/28/2020

Hello Families! One of my favorite things to do when at the beach with Riley is to hunt for seashells. Here is a fun activity you can do with your child after gathering some shells from the beach.

What is our theme? Beach

What is the lesson (overall purpose)?
Learning about the difference in the appearance of shells and the uniqueness of each one by observation and printmaking.

MA Guidelines/Standards:
CD56 The younger toddler demonstrates an awareness of simple patterns
CD57 The older toddler matches and sorts according to color, shape or size
CD59 The older toddler recognizes and creates simple patterns
Cd61 The younger toddler discovers living things found in nature
CD64 The older toddler observes and identifies living things and begins to identify their basic needs

Learning Outcomes:
Sorting by size and color
Identification of different textures for example smooth vs bumpy

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XEnZxjTbus Story: “It’s a Seashell Day”

https://youtu.be/bsK7z3weK5c Music: Sea Shells

Also...watch the Videos posted below!
Riley gathering beach shells - Video Below!
Riley shell painting - Video posted below!

Materials:

Bucket for collecting your shells
Seashells
Play-doh (either homemade or store bought)
magnifying glass
rolling pin

Activity (Procedure):

First, gather some shells from the beach. Look for shells that are both big and small. Look for all different kinds of shells.

Next when you get home, after washing the sand off your shells, take a look at them. Use your magnifying glass! Look for things that are different AND the same about your shells.

Now it’s time to use your play doh! Use the rolling pin to flatten the playdoh out. It will be easier to make an imprint when the dough is smooth. Take a shell and press it into the dough. Now look at the imprint the shell made! Do this with all the shells you collected.

Activity Wrap Up:

What did you notice with your magnifying glass when you first looked at your shells? Were some bumpy, some smooth? What colors were your shells? What did they feel like?

Did you use the front and the back of the shell to make prints in the play doh? Did the prints look the same or different?

Did you try touching the playdoh after the prints were made? What does it feel like? Is it still smooth or are there bumps in it now?

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)

On top of the sensory experience, this playdough imprinting activity also encourages development of fine motor skills, language skills, processes, exploration and textural differences. All important for children learning about the world around them

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)

Try arranging your shells from biggest to smallest or smallest to biggest. Can you count your shells? How many are big? How many are small? Can you sort your shells into groups of shells that are the same? How many shells are the same? How many are different?

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)

Don’t be concerned if you don’t have a large assortment of shells to work with. What’s important is that your child is able to distinguish a difference in the patterns that are created in the playdoh.

The Beach!

4/27/2020

Hello Families! It’s officially Spring which means it’s almost time to gather our things and head to the beach! Here is a lesson about going to the beach, followed by a fun activity using beach rocks.

What is our theme? Beach

What is the lesson (overall purpose)?
We will be looking at the benefits of mark making using rocks and water.

MA Guidelines/Standards:
LC48 The younger toddler makes purposeful marks on paper
CD46 The younger toddler repeats actions watching for results
CD47 The older toddler expects certain things to happen as a result of his actions

Learning Outcomes:
Sometimes it can be difficult to get children to start mark making and writing. Painting with water on rocks is a fun way to get children to want to draw and paint. Children enjoy seeing if they can make different patterns, shapes and even numbers and letters

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)

Stone photos
https://youtu.be/Ol6HkekpeXQ Story “Caillou at the Beach”
https://youtu.be/EcBhiDqyibo Music “Let’s go to the Beach”

Materials:
Bucket ..to collect your beach rocks
Small container of water
paintbrushes
tray or paper towel...to keep the table dry

Activity (Procedure):
We’ve done this activity in the classroom and I remember how much you enjoyed it!

With mom or dad walk along the beach and gather some rocks. Look for big ones, small ones, funny shaped ones. Put the rocks you choose in your bucket.

When you get home, set up your work area with a tray or paper towel, container of water, paint brush and your rocks.

Choose the rock you want to paint first and place it on the tray/paper towel. Now dip your paintbrush in the water and paint your rock!

Activity Wrap Up:

Allow your stones to dry and then they can be painted again.

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)

Working with a brush or small tool helps develop fine motor skills (small muscle control

Painting helps children develop their decision-making skills.

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)

If there isn’t a beach nearby, you can collect stones from the playground or even your neighborhood.

If a paint brush isn’t available, try painting with a Q-tip or even use your fingers!

Feeling especially brave? Try using paint instead of water on the rocks. This method takes longer to dry but is just as fun.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)

Using only a small amount of water in the container lessens the chance that the container may accidentally get tipped over.

If using paint, it’s best to let one color dry before adding another.

rainstorm in a jar!

4/24/2020

What is our theme? Weather

What is the lesson
Using a jar, your child will observe a rain storm in a jar.

MA Guidelines/Standards:
AL3. The older infant shows curiosity by exploring with the senses.
SED 28. The older toddler demonstrates awareness of behavior and its effects.
CD61. The younger toddler discovers living things found in nature.

Learning Outcomes:
Your child will learn about rain

Songs,Books,Video(Motivational Techniques)
Songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2pEOjPT5mw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQCQC57BgWc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKtnSmDADuA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NXvCja3XBY

Materials-

Shaving Cream
Clear Jar
Water
Blue food dye

Activity (Procedure):

Fill a clear jar with water
Spray shaving cream on top
Allow child to drop blue food dye on top of the shaving cream
Observe as the blue “rain drops” drop through the clouds into the water

Activity Wrap Up:
Talk about what you observed. “Did you see the rain drops?” “What was the white stuff?” “Do you see the clouds?”

How do I know what my child is learning?
(Assessment)
The next time it is raining, ask your child “Is it sunny or rainy outside today?”

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
The next time it rains, put on a rain jacket and allow your child to touch the rain and play in the rain for a couple of minutes.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
To observe the raindrops going through the clouds faster, use a thinner amount of shaving cream on top of the glass

Oh mister sun!

4/23/2020

What is our theme? Weather

What is the lesson
Using yellow playdough to model the sun and allowing imaginative freeplay with the playdough

MA Guidelines/Standards:
LC47. The older toddler demonstrates knowledge that a symbol can represent something else.
PW36. The older toddler controls small muscles in hand.
PW33. The young toddler coordinates eye and hand movements.
CD60 The younger toddler experiments with various wet and dry materials to discover their properties

Learning Outcomes:
By playing with playdough, your child's need for sensory stimulation is met.

Songs,Books,Video(Motivational Techniques)
Song: Mr. Sun
Song: You are My Sunshine

Materials-
Playdough
Toys to put in the playdough (optional)

Activity (Procedure):

Allow child to manipulate playdough
Play Mr. sun or You are my sunshine while playing

Activity Wrap Up:
Go outside and point to the sun. Tell your child “This is Mr. Sun. Can you see him?”

How do I know what my child is learning?
(Assessment)
Ask your child to point to the sun.

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
You can extend this activity by taking a walk and talking about the sun's placement. You can go outside early in the morning or before sunset and talk about how the sun has moved based on the time of day.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
If you don’t want to make more playdough, there is nothing wrong with store bought playdough.

cloud movement!

4/22/2020

Hi Families! This activity is a fun way to introduce your toddler to clouds! This activity allows them to get their energy out through movement. This activity can be done indoors on a rainy day, or even outside!

What is our theme? Weather

What is the lesson
The lesson is to teach them about clouds and how they move in the sky by using balloons.

MA Guidelines/Standards:
CD67 The younger toddler begins to use pretend and dramatic play to act out familiar scenes
AL13 The older toddler expands his exploration of the environment
PW50. The older toddler engages in a variety of physical activities.

Learning Outcomes:
Learning about clouds, and developing balancing skills

Songs,Books,Video(Motivational Techniques)
Educational son about clouds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRFpYU5lbDA
Videos of clouds moving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ12kRS1Dao
Materials-

Balloons (All white if possible, if not, any balloons will do)

Activity (Procedure):

Go outside on a day where clouds are easy to spot. Point to them and talk about them with your child
Once inside, Blow up balloons
Demonstrate you kicking the balloons
Allow your child to kick the balloons for as long as they are engaged

Activity Wrap Up:
“When you kicked the balloons, what happened? Did they move?” “When we watch the clouds in the sky, did they move?”

How do I know what my child is learning?
(Assessment)
When outside, ask your child to point to the clouds

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
If playing with balloons isn’t a logical option for your family, your child will still benefit from a nature walk. Talk to them about the shapes that you see in the clouds, and how they move when the wind blows.

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
If there aren’t a lot of clouds in the sky, there are lots of time lapse videos of clouds on youtube that will suffice.

weather: snow

4/21/2020

Hello Families! Even though it's Spring, it’s fun to talk and play with snow. Here’s a fun activity to bring snow into your house even on a spring day.

What is our theme? Weather

What is the lesson (overall purpose)?
There are many kinds of weather. In the winter when it’s cold it sometimes snows! Snow is cold and fun to play in. What kinds of things can you make in the snow?

MA Guidelines/Standards:
CD60 The younger toddler experiments with various wet and dry materials to discover their properties
CD62 The older toddler asks questions and develops inquiry skills
CD67 The younger toddler begins to use pretend and dramatic play to act out familiar scenes
CD70 The older toddler expands on pretend play and recreates familiar settings through the imaginative use of props and clothing

Learning Outcomes:
Learning about snow and how the mixing of different ingredients obtains different properties.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)

https://youtu.be/yFZKlNU39hE Read Aloud book “The Snowy Day” This will be a familiar story from the classroom.

https://youtu.be/tbbKjDjMDok Music “Little Snowflake” This will be a familiar song because we sing it with Ms. Paige!

https://youtu.be/V-zXT5bIBM0 Music “Do You Want To BUild A Snowman?” From the movie Frozen

Materials

A can of shaving cream (NOT the gel kind)

1 cup of baking soda

Mixing bowl

Activity (Procedure):
This recipe for do-it-yourself-snow is very easy. Pour one cup of baking soda in the mixing bowl. Slowly add the shaving cream until you get the consistency you like. Have fun molding and creating.

Activity Wrap Up:

What did the “snow” feel like? Was it cold? What did you make with your snow? Were you able to build a snowman?

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)

Scooping up the pretend snow with a spoon develops fine motor skills.

Mixing the baking soda with the shaving cream shows your child that two different ingredients make a new property.

While watching the read aloud story, your child is working on their memory recall since we have read the story several times in the classroom.

While listening to the music video, your child is recalling moments in music class with Ms. Paige.

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)

Try using cookie cutters in your snow to make shapes. Use a spoon and scoop the snow into piles. Do you have a tiny car that can drive through your snow? How about adding some animals to walk through your snow? For sparkly snow, you might want to add some glitter!

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)

If shaving cream or baking soda aren’t available, you can use cotton balls to represent snow or tear up paper towels into small pieces. It will be fun for your child to use their imagination with animals and cars in their “snow.”

Another recipe for do-it-yourself-snow using conditioner and baking soda is: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/168814686011874294/

wind catcher!

4/19/2020

Hello Families!

This is a fun activity to introduce your child to the wind by making a wind catcher with nature materials you collect outside.

What is our theme? Weather

What is the lesson (overall purpose)?
There are many different kinds of weather. One of them is wind. What makes the wind blow? What does it feel like on a windy day? What happens to the trees when it’s windy?

MA Guidelines/Standards:
LC30 The younger toddler listens to stories.
CD61 The younger toddler discovers living things in nature
CD64 The older toddler observes and identifies living things and begins to identify their basic needs
AL11 The younger toddler expands his exploration of the environment
AL13 The older toddler expands his exploration of the environment

Learning Outcomes:
Exploring materials and discovering scientific concepts through the use of nature materials.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)

https://youtu.be/jQJ8dgnKuYQ Read aloud book “Like A Windy Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ1SwI7mk2M Song “Who Has Seen the Wind?”

Materials
2 medium length sticks

natural materials (small twigs, pinecones, seed pods, acorns, feathers, etc)

twine or string

Activity (Procedure):
To make a wind catcher, choose 2 medium length sticks and an assortment of objects from nature. Tie the two medium sticks together to form an ‘X’. Attach the twine to the natural objects. Then tie them to the larger sticks. Hang on a tree and observe them in the wind.

Activity Wrap Up:
What happened to the objects? Did they all move the same way in the wind? Were some too heavy for the wind to move them? Did the items bump into each other and make a sound?

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)
It is through interaction with others and materials in the environment that a child actively constructs his or her development, learns to use tools, makes things happen, and finds out about the physical properties of things.

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)
Try making a wind catcher with material you find inside. Try tying tissues, paper towels, empty applesauce cups, empty toilet paper or paper towel tubes, or empty yogurt pouches to the sticks. Do these materials act differently than the natural materials when the wind blows? Did they make a different sound when they bumped into each other?

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)
If it isn’t a windy day, try having mom or dad hold the wind catcher, and use a hair dryer or electric fan to blow the items.

Birds nest!

4/14/2020

“Let’s make a bird’s nest using play-doh and some nature materials from outside!”

What is our theme? Birds

What is the lesson (overall purpose)?
A bird’s house is called a nest. Bird’s build nests from many different materials and in many different places. A bird nest is a safe “home” for the mother bird to raise her baby birds.

MA Guidelines/Standards:

CD60: THe younger toddler experiments with various wet and dry materials to discover their properties.
CD61: The younger toddler discovers living things found in nature
CD64: The older toddler observes and identifies living things and begins to identify their basic needs
AL11: The younger toddler expands his exploration of the environment
AL13: The older toddler expands his exploration of the environment

Learning Outcomes:
An understanding that birds make nests in order to lay their eggs and keep them safe.
Birds build their nest in trees, bushes, on the ground, and some even use old nests that they find empty.

Just like people, a bird nest is their home.

Songs, Books & Videos (Motivational Techniques)

https://youtu.be/C9prIh2EFWc Book: This is The Nest That Robin Built

https://www.howweelearn.com/playdough-bird-craft-kids/
Pinterest Bird nest craft

Video of Riley making a bird’s nest.

Materials

Play doh (From Monday's Lesson 4/13/20)
Leaves, small twigs, pine needles from outside
Yarn, torn paper, cotton
Bucket or bag to collect your materials

Activity (Procedure):

After watching the story “This is The Nest That Robin Built” go outside with mom or dad, and collect some material that you think a bird would use to make a nest. Look for small leaves, pine needles, pieces of grass, and small twigs. Gather all your materials in a bucket or bag and bring them inside. If you have small pieces of yarn or cotton, or even small pieces of torn paper, you can use those too.

Now using the playdoh, make a round ball. Use your fingers to make the ball into a bowl shape.

Once you have made your bowl shape, take the materials you found outside and add them to the bowl. You just made a bird’s nest!

Activity Wrap Up:

What sorts of materials did you find while searching outside? Did you use anything from inside your house? Was your nest big or small? What kind of bird do you think lives in your nest? What sort of sound would that bird make?

Have mom or dad take a picture of your nest and post it on the website or email it to Ms. Haley and I. We would love to see your work.

How do I know what my child is learning? (Assessment)

Is your child able to tell you that a bird lives in a nest and that is where it keeps its eggs safe? Ask your child what sorts of materials birds use to make a nest? Where can you find a bird’s nest?

How can you extend this activity? (Modifications)

How about adding some eggs to your nest? You can make these by rolling up tiny balls of play doh. How about finding some small stones and using those as eggs? What other materials could you use to make eggs? How many eggs do you want in your nest? Can you count them?

Helpful Hints: (Pitfalls & Solutions)

If you don’t want to make your own play doh, you can use store bought play-doh. If you don’t have any play- doh you can use a small bowl for your nest and then add the natural materials you collected and then your ‘eggs’.