In order to progress in lessons, it is essential to periodically test through formal assessments. Although some children may be above their aged grade in school, I always test from the beginning, and continue to test until the child reaches 60 - 80 %.
Handwriting Assessment for Pre-K
http://www.hwtears.com/files/pre-kassessment/PreK_Assessment_Naming_Lowercase_and_Capital%20letters1-2.pdf
PreK Assessment Naming Lowercase and Capital Letters1-2
Monday, January 23, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Emotions Lesson for Hugging Day
National Hug Day or National Hugging Day is an annual holiday created by Rev. Kevin Zaborney. It occurs on January 21 and is officially recognized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office,but is not a public holiday. The holiday was founded on January 21, 1986 in Caro, Michigan, and has since spread to multiple different countries. The purpose for the holiday is to help everyone show more emotion in public. There is only one way you are supposed to celebrate the holiday, offer a hug to anyone and everyone you want. While National Hug Day and the Free Hugs Campaign share many similarities, there is not actual association between the two. Whether you hug a family member or a stranger, the mental and physical health benefits are the same.
Vocabulary: Children need to understand what they are feeling. There are a range of books you can use to help with a child's emotional vocabulary. My favorite is "Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day," by Jamie Lee Curtis.
In order to teach emotions, one effective tool is to help them by labeling how they feel. When a child cries, tell the child you know he or she is feeling sad; when someone takes away a toy, say you bet he or she feels angry. This way, your child will begin to associate feelings with the words that define them.
Put a Face On It
Children need to learn to relate facial expressions with emotions.
Help children with this skill by calling out emotions during morning meeting and asking children to make faces that go with those emotions. You may also ask them to draw those emotions on paper or to point to a photo of someone experiencing that emotion (from a selection you will provide). When you watch a movie together or read a story, you might pause and ask how a character is feeling and how your child knows that.
Own Your Emotions:
Help children identify how they feel by letting them express it regularly.
When conflicts arise among children, ask them to explain how they feel to the other child or children. Teach children that if someone is sad we should not laugh at them; if someone is angry, we should try to understand why. Help them learn to positively express themselves without physical violence or negative reactions.
Ask “How do you feel when…” questions:
Each question may have more than one answer. Have the child explain why they chose each emotion.
Vocabulary: Children need to understand what they are feeling. There are a range of books you can use to help with a child's emotional vocabulary. My favorite is "Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day," by Jamie Lee Curtis.
In order to teach emotions, one effective tool is to help them by labeling how they feel. When a child cries, tell the child you know he or she is feeling sad; when someone takes away a toy, say you bet he or she feels angry. This way, your child will begin to associate feelings with the words that define them.
Put a Face On It
Children need to learn to relate facial expressions with emotions.
Help children with this skill by calling out emotions during morning meeting and asking children to make faces that go with those emotions. You may also ask them to draw those emotions on paper or to point to a photo of someone experiencing that emotion (from a selection you will provide). When you watch a movie together or read a story, you might pause and ask how a character is feeling and how your child knows that.
Own Your Emotions:
Help children identify how they feel by letting them express it regularly.
- When they walk into the classroom every morning, have them put their name next to their emotion on an emotions board.
- On a sheet of poster board, put names and facial expressions of several common emotions.
- Kids can have their names on cardboard with velcro or written on a clothespin. Their task is to identify how they feel and put their name next to that emotion. They can always change their name position as their emotions change.
When conflicts arise among children, ask them to explain how they feel to the other child or children. Teach children that if someone is sad we should not laugh at them; if someone is angry, we should try to understand why. Help them learn to positively express themselves without physical violence or negative reactions.
Ask “How do you feel when…” questions:
- You just found out that your grandparents are coming today and bringing you a very special surprise.
- You dropped a big object on your foot.
- Your little brother/sister broke a tower you just finished making.
- You picked up all of your toys without being asked.
- A group of friends won't let you play with them.
- A friend calls and invites you to come over and play.
- Some people you don't know are coming over today for supper.
Each question may have more than one answer. Have the child explain why they chose each emotion.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
National Popcorn Day!
The basic recipe can be found here : I modified it, because I CANNOT physically follow a recipe if my life depended on it.
10 cups freshly popped popcorn
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons butter
2 and 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups FILL (raisins, nuts, dried cranberries, dried apricots, sunflowers seeds,
Directions:
1 Butter a very large bowl. Add popped popcorn and your selection of the 2 cups of fill.
2 Heat brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, and juice until boil. Pour over dry ingredients in bowl.
3 Butter hands with additional butter or cooking spray. Hand mix all the ingredients in bowl and form into tennis size balls. It may be easier to use a LARGE SCOOP (I use the Pampered Chef large scoop because I am an independent consultant and well I LOVE PAMPERED CHEF).
With scoop 
Compact lightly to get the mixture to hold a ball shape. Set aside. Wrap each popcorn ball in plastic wrap.
4 The balls can be drizzled with melted chocolate for gift giving. I OF COURSE use the Pampered Chef double boiler for chocolate melting! SUPER easy to use, easy to clean!
Hand packed
I like to use white chocolate on the cranberry/cashew ones AND butterscotch on peanut/raisin ones. After wrapping with plastic wrap, I tie with a burgundy colored ribbon.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Snowflakes in shapes....
Let's talk shapes and sides.... let's create snowflakes.
Let's have a play-date.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Fact versus Fantasy
A very simple lesson.
I have pre-cut photos from a magazine and online that the children will sort into two different groups.
Factual
and
Fantasy
Images such as:
I have pre-cut photos from a magazine and online that the children will sort into two different groups.
Factual
and
Fantasy
Images such as:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)