K4 Week 1

New Concepts:

Theme: "All About Me"
ABC's: Recognizing My Name
Math: Introducing Squares & Circles
Handwriting: Drawing Straight & Curved Lines

Theme Activities:

1. Set Your School Rules:
Sit down together and set a precedent for your school day. Where do you sit to do school work? How should you behave? Write down a few rules or draw pictures as you come up with them together. Remind child of these rules each day this week as you sit down to schoolwork.

2. "All About Me" Workbook
 "All About Me" Workbook- Complete 2 or 3 pages together each day.

3: My Favorite Things:
Go around the house and take pictures of all the child's favorite things-- people, places, pets, toys, books, food, etc. Compile all the pictures into a laminated book for the child to keep.

ABC Activities:

1. Read a Book:

Find any good book that shows each letter of the alphabet, along with pictures of things that begin with each letter. Look through the book together, pointing out the letters the lines that form each letter, and how each one has a different sound.

         

2: Recognizing My Name:
Have child color or decorate the letters of his/ her name. (Type any name in the Search box here for a pre-printed one, or use big block letters on a piece of paper.)

3: Name Soup Game

Using bottle caps with the letters of the child's name printed on them, play this "Name Soup" fishing game. Print the child's name in large letters on a piece of cardboard so she can match the letters on the bottle caps to the letters of her name.

4: Highway ABC Cards:
Make your own, or use these pre-printed letters to have the child drive a racecar over the letters of his name.

Math Activities:

1: Shapes Notebook:
Decorate an 8.5x11" paper to use as a cover for a Shapes Book. Each week as you learn a new shape, you can add it to your Notebook to review and to have a nice keepsake at the end of the year.


2: Square Introduction:
    Show a "square" shape Flashcard. (If you don't have any, you can print the "Big Color" or "Pocket Cards" from 3Dinosaurs.) Point out that the square has 4 equal sides and corners.
Sing the "Square Song" while drawing a square with sidewalk chalk outside (or use masking tape inside). Walk around the outside of the square together.

The Square Song
(to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine")

I am a square, a lovely square
I have four sides; they're all the same
I have four corners, four lovely corners
I am a square, that is my name!

Each day you do schoolwork, review the Square Flashcard and sing The Square Song for review.


3: Square Shape Search:
Make some of your own Shape Viewers, attached to craft sticks, like those at the bottom of this webpage. Go around the room with the Shape Viewer searching for objects that are square shaped. 

4: Square Coloring Page:
Show child how to trace & color the squares on this Square Coloring Page. Remind child of proper pencil grip as they trace.

5: Square Snack

Have square-shaped sandwiches for lunch, or square-shaped crackers with cheese, or a square cookie!

6: Circle Introduction & Shape Search:

Review the Square Flashcard. Introduce your "Circle" Flashcard. Allow child to trace its shape with her finger. Show the CIRCLE Shape Viewer. Walk around the room and find objects that are shaped like a circle. Sing the Circle Song while walking!

Circle Song

(to the tune of: "If You're Happy and You Know It")

A circle is a shape that goes round.
A circle is a shape that goes round.
A circle is a shape that goes round,
And round and round.
A circle is a shape that goes round.

7:  Circle Coloring Page & Snack

Eat some circle-shaped Cheerios or Fruit Loops while you color the Circle Coloring Page.

8: Pattern Blocks

Introduce your pattern blocks math tool. Point out that they are all different shapes and colors. Have child find the square shaped blocks. Allow him to play around with the blocks and practice making different pictures. Don't give a lot of instruction at this point-- just explore and be creative!

Handwriting Activities:

1: Tracing Straight Lines:
Help child learn a proper pencil grip. Use small bits of chalk on a chalkboard to practice drawing lines-- up and down, then across. (Small crayons also work well.)

Print one or two pages of straight lines tracing from this Pre-Writing practice packet. Point out how the line goes from left to right, the same as how we would read a book, and also how we are going from green (which means "go") to red (which means "stop"). At this point, don't expect perfection in tracing the line-- focus on good pencil grip and following the line from left to right.




Here is another Back-to-School themed practice page for horizontal lines.





2: Tracing Curved Lines:

Remind child how to hold his/ her pencil. Practice drawing curvy lines on a chalkboard or dry erase board. Print one or two pages of curved lines tracing from the Pre-Writing practice packet.

Independent Activities:

Play-Doh Fun:
- Shape Play-Doh Mats (Circle & Square)
- Practice making the letters of your name with Play-Doh!

Materials Needed:

- large butcher paper to brainstorm School Rules

- small chalk & chalkboard

- sidewalk chalk

- construction paper (any color) for Shapes Notebook Cover

- Shapes Flashcards
- craft foam & craft sticks for Shape Viewers
- square-shaped snack: sandwiches, crackers & cheese, or cookies
- Bottle Cap Letters
- large, deep bucket for water
- Cheerios, Fruit Loops or other circle-shaped cereal or snack
- pattern blocks
- Play-Doh