Week 1: Mammals

Animals

This week, your child will learn that mammals are a special kind of animal that breathes air, has a backbone (spine), is warm-blooded, and has hair or fur. Mammal mothers feed their babies with milk.

Word of the Week: mammal

Before You Begin

Watch these videos to better understand the concepts your child will be learning this week. These are not videos you will watch with your child. These are just for you!

Fun Facts About Mammals eBook
I Am a Mammal Read-Aloud video

animal book
cotton balls
index cards
jar
journal
making butter: jar, cream (one pint), salt, bread
mirror
paper
paper bag

paper clips
paper cups
paper cut in shape of bear or dog
pennies
small blocks
stackable items (plastic glasses, cans or boxes of food, plastic cereal bowls)
writing tools

Some of the songs you sing at the beginning of your learning day are meant to energize your child. This song is a calming experience. Have your child lie back, relax, close her eyes, and pretend to be lying in the grass under the warm sun. Sing “All Together.” Click image for lyrics.

A mammal is an animal with fur or hair.

Say the sentence. Ask your child to repeat it. Count the words.
Write the sentence one word at a time as your child recalls each word.
Write h, l, n, u under the sentence. Have your child use a marker to circle these letters in the sentence.

The Word of the Week is mammal. A mammal is an animal that feeds milk to its babies and usually has hair or fur covering its body. Use the Word of the Week at home. You might ask: What mammals will we see in our neighborhood? Click image to enlarge word.

This song helps your child picture the process of subtraction. Sing it together counting down with your fingers on one hand. Ask: Do you think monkeys are mammals? Why? Click image for lyrics.

Watch the read-aloud video I Am a Mammal with your child. This isan informational book, but it is written in rhyme. Ask: How is this book different from many of the information books we have read? (no photos, make-believe characters, rhyming text, no Table of Contents or Index)

Sing “One Elephant” with your child. Encourage her to use one hand as the spider’s web and the fingers on the opposite hand to show how many elephants are jumping on the web. Ask: How many elephants would there be if another elephant joined the five? Have your child use markers, paper and paper clips to show the answer. Click image for lyrics.

This activity will help your child practice one-to-one correspondence. Have your child drag one banana to each monkey to see if there are enough bananas for every monkey. Click image to get started!

Have your child look in a mirror for characteristics of a mammal. Have him look for hair on his arms and head. Have him find and feel his backbone (spine). Have him exhale onto the mirror. Ask: Why did the mirror get foggy? Explain that the warmth of his breath causes condensation, which are small droplets of water. Say: You are breathing!

Choose a book about animals from your home or your neighborhood library. Look at the photos or pictures and talk about the animals. Ask: Is this animal a mammal? How do you know? If your child is interested in a particular animal, read the text about that animal to learn some new facts.

Explain to your child that a seal is a mammal that lives in the sea. Talk a little about seals and how they bark to communicate. Teach this new breathing technique called seal breathing. Click image for technique.

Do you have a backbone and hair?

Say the sentence. Ask your child to repeat it. Count the words.
Write the sentence one word at a time as your child recalls each word.
Write the sentence a second time using a lowercase letter at the beginning and no punctuation at the end.
Have your child correct errors in the second sentence.

Say a sentence tapping your shoulders for each word. Have your child repeat. Say the sentence again slowly and ask: How many words? Have your child draw a line for each word on paper (short lines for short words, long lines for longer words). Ask: Do we have the same number of lines as words? Click image for sentences.

Watch the music video “What Animals Do.” Enjoy imitating animals along with Charity Kahn. Have your child recall some of the animals in the video that are mammals. Ask: Which animal is not a mammal? How did you know? Choose a new animal and make up a new verse of your own.

Fun Facts About Mammals is full of interesting facts about many kinds of mammals. Look at the photos in the book as you move through the pages. Name the mammals and talk about them from your experience. When you reach the end, ask: What did you learn by looking at the photos of mammals? (Tomorrow you will read the book.)

Click image #1 to sing “One Elephant.” Ask: How does the number of elephants change each time you sing the verse? (one more elephant joined). Have your child make stacks of blocks or same-size squares of paper to match the “one-more” pattern of the growing number of elephants on the spider web. Click image #2 for elephant pattern.

Tell your child a number story: A farmer wants to milk five cows. He has milked three cows. How many cows does he still need to milk? Have your child count five paper cups. Move three cups to the side (milked cows). The two other cups are the cows that have not been milked. Have your child use paper and markers to draw and retell the number story.

Some animals move on land and some move in water. This sorting activity will help your child organize a group of mammals to show where they move. Click image to get started!

Ask: What mammals do we have living in our house? Mammals have hair, they breathe, they make their own heat (feel warm), and they have a spine. People, cats, dogs, and hamsters are mammals. Talk with your child about a pet or a neighbor’s pet . Call attention to its mammal characteristics.

Ask: Where might we go to see monkeys, elephants, gorillas, and lions? (jungle, zoo, circus) All of these animals are mammals. Chant or sing this song to begin your day. Click image for lyrics.

An anteater scoops up ants with its long tongue.

Say the sentence. Ask your child to repeat it. Count the words.
Write the sentence one word at a time as your child recalls each word.
Write h, l, n, u below the sentence. Have your child name each letter and say its sound.
Have your child use a marker to circle these letters in the sentence.

Remind your child that when you were learning about insects, you made a list of the characteristics that all insects have. Today, make a list of the characteristics that mammals have. Work together to make the list. You will use your checklist during the week. Click image to see checklist from Fun Facts about Mammals to help you.

Say: An elephant is a mammal. It does not have hair all over its body, but it does have a little hair on its head. Sing “Elephant Train” and learn more about an elephant’s trunk, tail, and ears. Enjoy walking about like an elephant during the chorus. Click image for lyrics.

Read Fun Facts about Mammals to learn more about this group of animals. After reading, have your child tell about some of the facts he found interesting. Ask: What new facts did you learn? What mammal would you like to learn more about?

Sing “Five Silly Monkeys.” Have your child use cotton balls to show the number of monkeys in each verse. After singing, discuss the one-less pattern. Ask: How many monkeys started out in the tree? What happens next? Does the number get smaller or bigger? Do you notice a pattern in the way the number of monkeys gets smaller? (one less each time) Click image for lyrics.

Tell your child a number story about dolphins. Have your child move the dolphins on the ocean scene to show the changes from the beginning to the end of the story. Click image to begin.

Remind your child that all mammals have a backbone and bones in their bodies. Have your child match each animal photo with its skeleton. Click image to get started!

Click here to reread pages 10-11 of Fun Facts About Mammals. Talk about the number of hours koalas, sloths, and horses sleep each day. Count out 24 pennies onto a sheet of paper divided in two columns to represent the number of hours in one day (24 hours). Place the pennies in the columns to show how many hours an animal is awake and asleep.

Have your child use a hand with two fingers extended as ears (bunny) to jump into a hole (form circle with your hands). Then, have your child be a big bunny with arms extended and use his entire body to jump in the hole (form a large circle with two arms). When the bunny jumps in the hole, give a little squeeze (a bunny hug!). Click image for verse.

Horses can sleep standing up!

Say the sentence. Ask your child to repeat it. Count the words.
Write the sentence one word at a time as your child recalls each word. Read the sentence together with excitement.
Write H, l, n, u under the sentence. Have your child say each letter’s name and sound. Have your child circle these letters in the sentence.

Look at the Mammal Checklist you and your child created yesterday. Track the words with your hand as you “read” the words together. Have your child draw a mammal on the first blank page of her journal. Have her label the mammal’s characteristics on the drawing. Help as needed.

Watch the “Silly Seal Slide” video to see how seals move. Have your child lie on the floor and push up with her hands. Your child’s hands and arms will be the seal’s flippers. As your child drags herself along, ask: How does it feel to move like a seal? Do you think it would be easier for a seal to move on land or in the water? Click image for lyrics.

Watch the read-aloud video I Am a Mammal. Ask: What is your favorite land mammal? What is your favorite sea mammal? What information in the book did you find surprising? Use the mammal checklist you created yesterday to confirm that your child’s favorites are mammals.

Sing “Five Silly Monkeys.” Ask: How does the number of monkeys change each time you sing the verse? (one less monkey swinging). Have your child make stacks of blocks or same-size squares of paper to show the “one-less” pattern that matches the shrinking number of monkeys on the vine. Click image for monkey pattern.

Tell your child a number story about elephants in a parade. Say: Four elephants are waiting in a line to start a parade. Three elephants join them. Ask: How many elephants are now waiting in the line? Invite your child to use paper clips or small blocks to show how many elephants there are altogether (7). Have your child use paper and markers to draw the story.

Pour one pint of room temperature cream into a jar with a tight lid. Explain that cream comes from cow’s milk. Take turns with your child shaking the jar. Explain that the harder he shakes the jar, the sooner the cream will turn to butter. When the cream thickens into butter, add a pinch of salt and serve on bread.

Use items in your kitchen to create a one-less pattern. Find a group of stackable objects (plastic glasses, cans or boxes of food, plastic cereal bowls). Have your child build a stack of four. Build stacks of three, two, and one. Challenge your child to arrange the stacks from most to least.

Your child should be able to choose a commitment and show success in keeping it throughout the day. If your child is having trouble, have her be specific about when in your daily routine she will practice the commitment. For example, I will use helping hands during clean up time. The more specific the commitment is, the more successful your child will be.

Cheetahs and giraffes run very fast.

Say the sentence. Ask your child to repeat it. Count the words.
Write the sentence one word at a time as your child recalls each word. Read the sentence together.
Write h, n, u under the sentence. Have your child say each letter’s name and sound. Have your child circle these letters in the sentence.

Focus Letters:
Hh, Ll, Nn, Uu

Write the focus letters on index cards (one letter on each card). Mix up the cards. Have your child match each uppercase letter with the correct lowercase letter. Then have your child say the name and sound of each letter. Choose one of the cards and use it to look for matching letters around your home.

Watch the music video “Move to the Zanzibar Zoo” to get some ideas about how to imitate animal movements. Then listen to the song and try moving like all of the zoo animals. Click image for lyrics.

Read pages 10-11 in Fun Facts about Mammals. Introduce the word nocturnal. Some mammals, such as bats, foxes, raccoons, and rodents are nocturnal. This means they sleep during the day and are active at night. Other animals, such as giraffes, horses, and elephants sleep during the night and are active during the day. Ask: Would you rather be active during the day or night? Why?

Write a different numeral 1-9 on small squares of paper. Fold the squares and put them in a paper bag. Shake the bag. Remove one numeral at a time. Ask: What numeral is this? Which numeral comes before that numeral on the number line? Which numeral comes after? Repeat for each numeral in the bag. Click image for number line.

Play a riddle game “Who Am I?” with your child. Describe a mammal and have your child point to its photo. Click image to show your child photos of five mammals the two of you have read about this week.

Play a game called “Monkey See, Monkey Do.” You will be your child’s partner. One person will make a face or movement, and the other will copy it. After a few minutes, switch roles. Explain that monkeys often try to copy what they see others doing.

Girl doing hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil

Cut out the shape of a bear or a dog. Place the cutout under a piece of paper. Have your child rub a crayon over the paper until the outline of the animal appears. Try different animal shapes. Have your child tell a few facts about the animal that appears.

Week 2: Reptiles

Animals

This week, you and your child will learn about the characteristics of reptiles. Reptiles are cold-blooded, hatch their babies from eggs, and have scales or a hard shell.

Word of the Week: reptile

Before You Begin

Watch these videos to better understand the concepts your child will be learning this week. These are not videos you will watch with your child. These are just for you!

Fun Facts about Reptiles eBook
Lizards Like to Eat eBook
Sara Sidney’s First Day of School eBook
The Lizards in the Window Read-Aloud video

clay or play dough
index cards
journal
masking tape
paper
pennies

rope
small blocks or rocks (Spanish)
small crackers or grapes, blocks or Legos^®
stick-on notes
writing tools

Begin your day with a variation of Walk and Stop. Have fun watching your child change the movements. Say: Today you will move like different reptiles. Ask: How would a snake slither? How do you think a land turtle would move differently than a sea turtle? Sing or chant the lyrics as your child moves and stops like a reptile. Click image for chant.

A snake and a turtle are reptiles. Reptiles are living things.

Say the sentences. Ask your child to repeat them.
Write each sentence. Read the sentences together.
Say tur-tle pausing between syllables. Have your child blend the syllables to say the word. Repeat with rep-tiles.
Write k, d, and p below the sentences. Have your child find the letters in the sentences.

The Word of the Week is reptile. A reptile is a cold-blooded animal that lays eggs and has scales or a shell covering its body. Try to use the word as you talk with your child. You might ask: What reptile would you like to be? Why? Click image to enlarge word.

Enjoy this musical story “Deep in the Jungle” about a crocodile and three little monkeys. Before you listen, have your child predict what might happen in the song.There is a long introduction before the verses begin. Have your child imagine he is deep in the jungle. Click image for lyrics.

Watch the read-aloud video Lizards in the Window. Ask: What did you learn about the food pink-bellied lizards eat? How did the lizards catch the mosquitoes? Which foods do you eat with your tongue?

Click image to see the windowpane on page 16 of The Lizards in the Window. Point out how the window has three same-size panes on top and one long rectangular pane at the bottom. Panes are plates of glass outlined by a frame. Have your child check the shape and number of panes in several windows of your house.

Tell your child a make-believe story about a snake that grows a new body part on each birthday. Each year he gets longer and longer. Have your child describe the growing snake. Click image to get started!

Place two 10-foot strips of masking tape in parallel lines 20 inches apart on the floor. Place a rope between the two lines in a curvy shape to represent a crawling snake. Challenge your child to walk or hop from one end of the path (staying between the two tape lines) to the other end without stepping on the “snake.” Try other movements (jumping, tiptoeing).

Take your child out to a flowerbed or garden to look for a lizard. Think about where lizards might hide and where you could spot them. If you spot one, your child may be able to see its scales and spine. Count all that you find.

Last week you and your child chanted the verse “Oh, Will You Come Along with Me?” naming different mammals. Today you will chant the same song focusing on chameleons, lizards, snakes, and turtles. All of these animals are reptiles. Ask: Which reptile friend would you like to meet? Why? Click image for verse.

Scales or a shell cover the body of a reptile.

Say the sentence. Ask your child to repeat it.
Write the sentence. Read the sentence together.
Say rep-tiles pausing between syllables. Have your child blend the syllables to say the word. Repeat with cov-er.
Write b, d, and p below the sentences. Have your child find the letters in the sentences.

Practice blending syllables to form words. Hold out your right hand and say: liz. Hold out your left hand and say: ard. Slide your hands next to each other and say lizard. Have your child say the syllables and word with you. Repeat for more two-syllable words:

The song “Please Don’t Bring a Tyrannosaurus Rex to Show-and-Tell” is a silly song about a dinosaur at school. After you listen to the song, ask: Do you agree that dinosaurs belong at home and they don’t do well at school? What other song does this remind you of? (“Mary Had a Little Lamb”) Click image for lyrics.

Remind your child about the mammal fact book you read last week. This week you will read Fun Facts about Reptiles to learn about these animals. As you read the book, talk about the photos. Point out that there are many kinds of reptiles. Ask: What is one way all reptiles are alike? What reptiles have you seen?

Lyle is a crocodile who loves to eat cupcakes. Each day this week your child will help Lyle compare two quantities of cupcakes using a 5-frame. Click image to see Lyle and compare the first two numbers.

Give your child 10 paper squares or stick-on notes. Give clues for how to arrange the squares to look like a ten-frame. Say: The window should be a rectangle. It should have two rows of windowpanes. There should be the same number of square panes in each row. Invite your child to build the window. Ask: How many panes will there be in each row?

Click image to see pages 14-15 in The Lizards in the Window. Talk about how many different groups of insects your child sees. Ask: How many butterflies? ants? mosquitos? spiders? Then have your child find the hidden numerals on the page.

Sit with your child to create a pair of turtles. As you shape the clay or play dough, talk about different characteristics. I am making a hard shell. It covers the turtle’s body. The head will stick out of the front. How many legs should I make? Does a turtle have a tail? Compare the turtles when they are complete. Which turtle is larger?

This is a new breathing strategy. Your child will imitate a hissing cobra. Explain that these snakes slither along the ground. They raise the upper part of their body and hiss to scare away predators (enemies). Click image for directions.

A mammal is warm blooded. A reptile is cold blooded.

Say the sentences. Ask your child to repeat them.
Write each sentence. Read the sentences together.
Say mam-mal pausing between syllables. Have your child blend the syllables to say the word. Repeat with rep-tile.
Write b, d, and p below the sentences. Have your child find the letters in the sentences.

Create a checklist for reptiles similar to the one you made for mammals last week. List the characteristics of reptiles. You will use the checklist this week. Click image to see checklist from Fun Facts about Reptiles to help you.

The boa constrictor is a nighttime hunter that eats rats, birds, monkeys, and wild pigs. Teach your child this echo chant. Point to each body part. Have your child echo each line after you say it. Remind your child that this is a silly chant. Boa constrictors do not eat people. Click image for chant.

As you read Fun Facts about Reptiles, focus on the page headings. The headings tell what the pages are about (the topic). Read a heading, such as “Many Kinds of Reptiles”on page 6. Have your child remember some of the facts. Ask: Which reptile is your favorite? Why?

Remind your child about Lyle, the cupcake-loving crocodile. Ask: How many cupcakes should Lyle eat each day? (5) Say: Today you will help Lyle compare new sets of cupcakes. Click image to get started!

Click image to see some snake patterns up close. Have your child describe the patterns. Ask: How many different colors are on the snake’s skin? How do the colors repeat? Have your child use a strip of paper and markers to copy one of the snake patterns or create a new pattern.

Have your child match dinosaurs with their shadows. Ask: What do you know about shadows? How are an animal and person like their shadows? (same shape) Click image to get started!

Practice dividing a set of familiar objects in half with your child. You might do this with small crackers, grapes, or blocks. Give your child a set of six, eight, or ten objects. Have your child divide the set in half. Dividing in half means to divide equally into two groups. If needed, show your child the “one for you and one for me” method.

Tell your child that you are imagining that her back is a sheet of paper and your finger is a marker. Say: I am going to draw a reptile. For example, give a clue such as: This reptile moves very slowly. Then draw the shape of a turtle on your child’s back. Have your child guess what you drew. Take turns drawing and guessing.

The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard. It could eat a buffalo!

Say the sentences. Ask your child to repeat them.
Write the sentences. Read the sentences together.
Say Ko-mo-do pausing between syllables. Have your child blend the syllables to say the word. Repeat with buf-fa-lo.
Write K, b, and d below the sentences. Have your child find the letters in the sentences.

Show Lizards Like to Eat. Read each page. Encourage your child to read with you. Have her name the pictures and words she knows. Ask: What do you like to eat for dinner? Have your child draw her answer on the first blank page of her journal. If your child is ready, suggest she copy and complete the sentence: I like to eat __________ .

Join Mary Jo Huff in a fun hunt for an alligator as you watch the “Gator Hunt” video. Echo each of the lines as you do the actions. After the hunt, ask: Would you go back to get your backpack? Why or why not?

Watch the read-aloud video Lizards in the Window. Share a few interesting facts about lizards:

Lizards use their tongues to smell. They flick their tongues in and out. Have your child flick her tongue.
Some lizards use their twitching tail to protect themselves. The predator goes after the tail. The lizard’s tail separates from the body and the lizard grows a new tail.

Remind your child about Lyle the cupcake-loving crocodile. Ask: How many cupcakes should Lyle eat each day? (5) Say: Today you will help Lyle compare new sets of cupcakes. Click image to get started!

Show 10 pennies. Ask your child to count out a set of 5. Tell him to count the pennies to be sure there are 5. Add one more penny to your child’s set. Ask: How many now? Watch to see if your child counts the pennies or just knows that one more is 6. Continue to add one penny to the growing total until your child sees the “one-more” pattern.

Click image to see pages 16-17 in Fun Facts About Reptiles. Talk about the different ways reptiles communicate with their bodies. Have your child compare what these reptiles do with body language he might use. Click image to get started!

Search outdoors for warm spots (rock beds, brick walls and fences, cement, smooth rocks by a pond) where reptiles might like to sun. Talk about the importance of sunlight to cold-blooded animals. Have your child touch the surface of the warm area and compare it to a shady spot.

Look for opportunities during the day to notice your child’s helpful choices. Comment on what your child does and explain that it was helpful. For example: You held the door open so that we could walk through safely. That was helpful.

Snakes sleep with their eyes open! Alligators take long naps.

Say the sentences. Ask your child to repeat them.
Write each sentence. Read the sentences together.
Say al-li-ga-tors pausing between syllables. Have your child blend the syllables to say the word. Repeat with o-pen.
Write k and p below the sentences. Have your child find the letters in the sentences.

Focus Letters: Bb, Dd, Kk, Pp

Write the focus letters on index cards. Have your child match the correct uppercase letter to each lowercase letter. (Point out the straight and curved lines on p, b, and d. The lowercase p has a straight line that points down. Lowercase b and d have a straight line that points up.) Have your child choose a card and say the letter’s name and sound.

“Rattlesnake” is an action song you can do with the whole family. Join hands and form a twisting and turning “snake.” Challenge your child to listen for facts about where rattlesnakes live. Click image for lyrics.

Read Fun Facts about Reptiles. Say: Dinosaurs were reptiles. What are some ways that the reptiles in the book look like dinosaurs? Share some fun facts about these prehistoric reptiles. Click dinosaur images for models and facts.

Show 10 pennies. Ask your child to count out a set of 6. Have him count the pennies again to be sure there are 6. Remove one penny from your child’s set. Ask: How many now? Watch to see if your child counts the pennies or just knows that one less is 5. Continue to remove one penny from the set until your child sees the “one-less” pattern.

Play a riddle game “Who Am I?” with your child. Describe a reptile and have your child point to its photo. Click image to show your child photos of five reptiles the two of you have read about this week.

There are many different kinds of reptiles today. There were also many different reptiles during the time of dinosaurs. Explore two more dinosaurs with your child. Click images to learn more about these creatures.

Week 3: Sea Life

Animals

This week, your child will explore sea life. Your child will learn about creatures big and small that live in the ocean.

Word of the Week: marine

Before You Begin

Watch these videos to better understand the concepts your child will be learning this week. These are not videos you will watch with your child. These are just for you!

Poems and Rhymes eBook
Sea Life Video eBook
Victor, the Sea Turtle eBook

0-5 dot cards (index cards, sticky dots or markers)
100-foot length of rope or yarn
blue watercolor paint
familiar book
fishing pole: string, yardstick, wide package tape, small items (paper fish, pebbles, leaves, jar lids)
jar or plastic container

journal
nature’s paintbrushes: grass, plant clippings, leaves, dandelion heads, watercolors
paper
plastic rings for a six-pack of soda
small blocks
small objects (like seashells)
writing tools

Explain that “rocking to the beat” means dancing or moving with the rhythm. This add-on poem says that fish splish and splash as they rock with the beat. Ask: What kind of fish do you imagine the song is about? Recite the verse or sing it to the familiar tune of “Over in the Meadow.” Click image for poem.

Sea turtles and dolphins live in the ocean.

Say the sentence.
Say the word tur-tles pausing between syllables. Ask your child to blend the syllables and say the word. Repeat with dol-phins.
Write the sentence. Have your child “read” the words with you.
Write a y for v in live. Say: I think I made a mistake! Have your child correct the mistake.

The Word of the Week is marine. Marine is a word that describes things related to the sea or plants and animals that live in the sea. Use the word when you talk with your child. You might ask: Can you name a marine animal? Click image to enlarge word.

Watch the music video “The Silly Seal Slide.” Enjoy watching some real seals move both in land and water. Ask: Why is it easier for seals to move in water? Do you feel more comfortable moving in water or on land? Try out the seal moves as you sing along with the song. Click image for lyrics.

Watch the Sea Life Video eBook. After the video, talk about the marine animals. Have your child name some marine animals and plants that he learned about. Write your child’s ideas on a list. Add to this list throughout the week as you continue to learn about marine life.

Today you and your child will think about some ways to remember numbers. Using the “benchmark” numbers of 5 and 10 can be helpful. Since one hand has 5 fingers and two hands have 10 fingers, we can use our hands and fingers to help remember numbers. Click image to get started!

Small fish swim together in a large group called a school. Swimming in a school keeps smaller fish safe. When small fish that look alike swim together in a group, they look bigger to larger fish that might want to eat them. Swimming together also makes finding food easier. Click image to learn more.

Attach string to the end of a stick to make a fishing pole. Tie a loop of sticky package tape to the bottom of the string to be a sticky “hook.” Have your child “fish” with the pole to see which small items (paper fish, pebbles, leaves, jar lids) will or will not stick to the tape.

Talk with your child about an amazing marine animal—the octopus! Remind her that the octopus has eight arms. Share other interesting facts. Then have your child draw an octopus. Suggest she label or write about her drawing. Click image to get started!

Have your child lead your family in a calming strategy. Have her choose: Drain, Balloon, Bunny Breathing, Pretzel or S.T.A.R. Remind your child to breathe in through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth three times.

Tiny plants and sea creatures live in a reef.

Say the sentence.
Say the word ti-ny pausing between syllables. Ask your child to blend the syllables and say the word. Repeat for crea-tures.
Write the sentence. Have your child “read” the words with you.
Write a lowercase letter at the beginning of the sentence. Say: I think I made a mistake! Have your child correct the mistake.

Say the beginning part of a word and have your child give the end (final syllable). Begin by having your child name the marine animals in the photos. Then say the first part of an animal’s name and ask your child to complete the word with the final syllable. Click image to get started!

Listen to “Friends in the Water.” Swim your hand around like a marine animal moving through water. Then shake hands (fins) with each other! Click image for lyrics.

The characters in today’s story are marine animals. Read Victor the Sea Turtle with your child. Turn to pages 4-5. Ask: How is Victor feeling? How can you tell? The illustrator, Sebas Martí, shows Victor’s feelings. Say: Illustrations help to tell a story.

Invite your child to count to 10 on her fingers. Once she reaches 10, challenge her to think about how to count beyond 10 without having more fingers to use. Ask: What comes after 10? How could you show 11 with your fingers? Model how to count beyond 10 by starting the counting process over (11-20) on the same set of hands.

You and your child have been talking about using 5 and 10 as benchmark numbers. Today your child will use a number line to sort ten-frames by quantities that are more than or less than five. Click image to get started!

Help your child gather bundles of grass, plant clippings, leaves, or dandelions to use as paintbrushes. Have your child paint with water on the side of a building or use watercolors on butcher paper. Your child can also make a leaf print by painting the surface of a leaf and then pressing it onto paper.

One of the skills your child is learning is to recognize and match uppercase and lowercase letters. Look at a page of a familiar book. Have your child point to and name one letter on the page. Then see if the two of you can locate more examples of the letter. Have your child tell whether each example you find is uppercase or lowercase.

Act out a familiar counting rhyme. Have your child hold one hand up with fingers spread out. Touch each finger while counting to five and then gently grab your child’s hand as if catching a fish. Count the fingers on your child’s other hand (from six to ten). Look surprised and let the “fish” go. Give your child a chance to count and catch. Click image for rhyme.

Some sea animals live in water and on land.

Say the sentence.
Say the word an-i-mals pausing between syllables. Ask your child to blend the syllables and say the word. Repeat for wa-ter.
Write the sentence. Have your child “read” the words with you.
Do not put a period at the end of the sentence. Say: I think I made a mistake! Have your child correct your mistake.

Work with your child to write a list of at least five marine animals. Then together think of words that describe each of the animals. For example, after writing “octopus” on your list add a describing word before it, such as “flexible octopus.” Have your child read the list with you.

“My Brother, the Whale” is a song about how all living things need each other. Ask: Have you ever thought of a whale and a tree as part of your family? How do you depend on living things? How do they depend on you? Click image for lyrics.

Read Victor the Sea Turtle with your child. In this book, Victor learns a lesson. When a story teaches a lesson, we sometimes call the lesson a moral. Ask: What do you think Victor learned? How is that lesson important to you?

Practice using a ten-frame grid to see if a number of objects is less than or more than ten. Your child will first estimate how many seashells there are and then arrange them on a ten-frame to find out. Click image to get started!

Practice identifying numerals and matching them with quantities. Have your child play a game matching dot cards to ten-frames. Click image to get started!

Explain to your child that when plastic gets into the ocean, it is a hazard to the fish and birds that live there. They can mistake the plastic for food or get tangled in it. Find a discarded plastic six-pack ring from sodas. Have your child help you cut the rings into little pieces to prevent sea animals from getting tangled in them.

plastic six-pack ring on an adults wrist

Have your child draw marine life with crayons on drawing paper. Your child may choose to draw many different small fish or a single giant sea creature like a whale. Help your child brush blue watercolor paint over the drawing. The blue paint is the water. Crayons are made of wax and paint will not stick to the wax. The animals will be in a blue sea.

Talk with your child about the many things (resources) that the ocean gives us. For example, the ocean is a home for fish, crabs, shrimp, and other foods we eat. Farmers and gardeners use ocean sand. Artists use seashells for jewelry. Children jump in the waves. Ask: What things can you think of that come from the ocean?

Our job is to take care of the ocean. We can recycle plastic bottles.

Say the sentences.
Say the word re-cy-cle pausing between syllables. Ask your child to blend the syllables and say the word. Repeat for plas-tic.
Write the sentences. Have your child “read” the words with you.
Write the letter M for W in the word “We.” Say: I think I made a mistake! Have your child correct the mistake.

Ask your child to choose a favorite marine animal and draw it on the first blank page in her journal. Suggest that she write the name of the animal under the drawing. Assist as needed. Click image for some marine animal choices. Your child may choose one of these animals or a different animal.

Do the actions suggested in the lyrics as you listen to and sing “Baby Shark.” Ask: Why do you think the tempo (speed) of the song changes? Would you change how fast you were swimming if you saw a big shark heading toward you? Click image for lyrics.

Watch the Sea Life Video eBook with your child. Read the names of some of the animals on your Marine Life list. Have your child use hand movements to show the size of the animals (arms wide for big animals, hands about a foot apart for medium-sized, and hands two inches apart for small). Add a few new animals to your list.

Use a ten-frame to practice organizing objects into an easy-to-count set. Write the numeral on paper to label the set. Click image to get started!

Put seven small objects (such as seashells) inside a jar. Explain: Estimating is not counting. It means looking closely at a set and making a good guess about how many there might be. Ask: How many do you think are inside the jar? Remove five from the jar. Ask: How many are still inside? Five outside, two inside. How many altogether? Was your estimate a good one?

Remind your child that the blue whale is the largest marine animal. Explain that it can be 100 feet long. Go outdoors and lay a 100-foot length of rope or yarn on the ground to show your child the size of this majestic animal. Invite your child to walk that distance.

Practice counting to 20 with your child:

Count together as you walk.
Take turns counting (you say “1,” your child says “2”) in the car.
Count down from 20 to 0 as you wait in the grocery line.

Conservation is the careful protection of something. Talk about what you and your child can do to protect the plants and animals that live in the ocean. For example, plastic in the ocean is a hazard to fish and birds. They can mistake plastic for food or get tangled in it. Clean up after visiting the ocean so no trash ends up in the water.

The ocean is full of treasures. What do you like about the ocean?

Say the sentences.
Say the word trea-sures pausing between syllables. Ask your child to blend the syllables and say the word. Repeat for o-cean.
Write the sentences. Have your child “read” the words with you.
Have your child answer the question.

Focus Letters: Ww, Vv, Cc, Mm, Nn, Ss, Yy, Oo

Write the lowercase y and v on paper. Have your child name the letters and tell how they are alike and different. Repeat with these letter pairs: W-V, c-o, m-n, c-s, v-w. If your child confuses other letters consistently, compare the two confusing letters. Point out similarities and differences.

This week, you and your child have been reading and learning about the ocean and the animals that live in it. Read the poem “I Love the Ocean” to your child. Ask: What do you love about the ocean? Click image for poem.

Watch the Sea Life Video eBook. Help your child understand that there is more ocean than land in our world. Click image to see a world map.

Use a ten-frame to practice organizing objects into an easy-to-count set. Write the numeral on paper to label the set. Click image to get started!

Have your child rote count from 1 to 20. (Rote counting is a memory task. It is saying the counting words in order.) When your child is able to repeat the sequence of numbers, help him picture the quantity of 20. Have your child count to 10 on his fingers and then switch to his toes for 11 to 20.

Talk about differences between reptiles and mammals. Mammals: backbone, hair or fur, babies that drink milk, warm blooded, breathe air. Reptiles: cold-blooded, babies hatch from eggs, scales and/or shell. Say: Marine animals can be mammals or reptiles. Click image to name marine animals as mammals or reptiles.

Visit an aquarium or go to a local pet store to see the fish, turtles, and snails. Notice the many different kinds of plants and animals. If you can’t get to either of these locations, you might choose to watch some videos on YouTube. Talk with your child about how marine animals are different from land animals.

Week 4: Birds

Animals

This week, you and your child will learn about birds and their habitats. You will read about feathers, wings, bills, and eggs. Your child will discover that there are many different kinds of birds.

Word of the Week: chick

Before You Begin

Watch this video to better understand the concepts your child will be learning this week. This is not a video you will watch with your child. This is just for you!

Measurement

Birds eBook
Gustavo eBook
Petie’s First Flight Read-Aloud video
Petie’s First Flight eBook

bird feeders: yarn or string, pinecone, peanut butter, birdseed, empty toilet paper tube
cardboard boxes
clear plastic containers (5)
cotton balls (15)
cup
different-sized containers
hard-boiled egg: egg, salt, pot of boiling water
jar
journal
paper

pennies
same-sized grocery bags with handles (2)
same-sized stackable items (empty soda cans, bottles of water)
sets of 10 same-sized objects (at least two sets)
small objects (like plastic eggs) 15
storage case or plastic bag with 9 small objects (markers)
toilet paper squares
water
writing tools

Teach your child this chant. It follows a pattern. Someone asks a question three times and then someone answers the question. After you read the chant to your child, ask: Who do you think is asking the question? Who is giving the answer? Click image for chant.

Some birds are brown. Some birds are red.

Say the sentences. Ask child to repeat them.
Say: Red rhymes with bed. Both words end with /ed/. Explain that you will say three words and your child will tell you the two words that rhyme. Say: red, bed, tree—Which two words rhyme? Repeat with words: brown, some, down.
Write the sentences as your child recalls each word.

A chick is a baby bird. Use the Word of the Week at home. When you see a nest in a tree, you might say: I wonder if there are any chicks in that nest. Click image to enlarge word.

Watch “Penguin Song.” This active song adds a movement with each verse. Explain that your child will be a penguin. When Don Monopoli says, “Penguins attention!” your child should stand at attention like a soldier. When he says, “Penguins begin!” your child should salute. Follow the directions until you are “dismissed.”

Watch the read-aloud video Petie’s First Flight with your child. Petie’s story is told with words and drawings. The photographs of birds on the pages show real birds. The captions under the photos tell facts. Ask: Have you seen birds that look like Petie? What characteristics do all birds have? (bill, feathers, wings, lay eggs)

Display two clear containers with different dimensions. Fill one container with water using a cup. Make tally marks on a sheet of paper to record how many cups you pour in the container. Repeat for the other container. Count and compare the tallies. Discuss the different number of cups needed. Ask: Which container holds more?

Have your child count 12 small objects (plastic eggs) onto a tray. Place two pennies in a cup. Take turns shaking and spilling the pennies. If both pennies land on “heads,” the shaker takes two eggs. If one penny lands on “heads,” the shaker takes one egg. If none of the pennies are heads, the shaker takes zero. When all eggs have been removed, count to see who has more.

Draw a large ten-frame on a piece of paper. Show your child a container filled with 11-15 plastic eggs or other small objects. Have her estimate how many eggs are inside the container. After estimating, have your child remove the eggs and place them in the ten-frame. Ask: Were there more than 10 eggs? How do you know? How many eggs were there?

Laying eggs and caring for their chicks is something that is the same about all birds. Most often the eggs are laid in nests. Bird nests can be made of twigs and grass. Sometimes birds even use bits of paper and string to make a nest. Click image to learn more about bird nests.

Act out this version of the rhyme “Humpty Dumpty.” Make a “wall” by holding both hands in front of your body with your palms facing your body and your fingertips touching. Have your child make a “bird egg” by wrapping one hand around the other fist. Have your child place her “egg” on the “wall.” Click image for rhyme.

Birds build a nest with twigs. A mother bird lays eggs in a nest.

Say the sentences. Ask your child to repeat them.
Say: lays rhymes with plays. Both words end with /ays/. Explain that you will say three words and your child will tell you the two words that rhyme. Say: bird, lays, plays—Which two words rhyme? Repeat with words: nest, rest, mother.
Write the sentences.

Remind your child that rhyming words end with the same sound. Say: bee, tree. Bee and tree have the same ending sound so they are rhyming words. Click image for more rhyming practice.

A pelican is a bird that can catch fish in its beak. A polka is a fast-moving dance. Ronno combines the two in a song called the “The Pelican Polka.” Follow the directions in the lyrics to try this special dance. Speed up as the verses repeat. Click image for lyrics.

Show the cover of Gustavo. Ask: What do you think this story will be about? Point to the owl. Say: This is Gustavo. He is a barn owl. Barn owls like to nest inside barns. Read Gustavo. Ask: Why was Gustavo lonely? What did he do so he would not feel lonely? Have you ever felt lonely? When? What did you do?

Walk around your house looking for several different measuring tools, such as a measuring cup, tape measure, ruler, and measuring spoon. Talk with your child about what each tool measures and how the tools are alike and different. Click image to learn more.

Fill five clear plastic cups with different amounts of colored water. Make one completely full and another empty. Show the cups in random order. Have your child move the cups so they are arranged from most to least full (empty). To do this, suggest your child arrange the cups so the water inside the cups looks like steps going down.

Make a pile of 15 cotton balls. Have your child pretend the cotton balls are baby ducks. Ask: How many ducks do you think (estimate) there might be? Why do you think so? Suggest your child arrange the “ducks” in a straight line to make them easier to count. Have your child count them to confirm there are 15. Ask: Was your estimate close to 15?

Birds build nests in many places. Often nests are found in trees and bushes. Sometimes they are built inside barns or under rooftops of buildings. Some birds even build their nests on the ground. As you go through the week, see how many nests you can spot and write down where you find them.

Enjoy reciting the rhyme “Two Little Blackbirds” When prompted by the rhyme, change the speed (fast, slow) and pitch (high, low) of your voices. Ask: How would a flying hummingbird look different that a flying bald eagle? Replace the words “little blackbirds” with other bird names. Click image for rhyme.

A woodpecker has a long, strong bill.

Say the sentence. Ask your child to repeat it.
Say: long rhymes with strong. Both words end with /ong/. Explain that you will say three words and your child will tell you the two words that rhyme. Say: long, short, strong—Which two words rhyme? Repeat with words: digs, bill, hill.
Write the sentence.

Write “birds” in the center of a piece of paper. Circle the word. Have your child suggest names of birds and bird characteristics. Write the ideas on the paper. You are creating a word web. Creating a web helps organize ideas. Point to each word and read it together.

Ducks have webbed feet. That means skin stretches between each of the toes. The webbed toes help ducks swim faster. Watch the music video “Be Kind to Your Web-Footed Friends.” Join Don Monopoli in flapping and marching with the music.

Owls are nocturnal hunters. Remind your child that nocturnal means active during the night. Read Gustavo. Pages 8-9 show some owls hunting at night. Ask: What other animals do you know that are nocturnal? In this make-believe story, Gustavo finds a friend to stay in the barn with him. Ask: How do you think Gustavo felt about Salena’s gift?

Have your child arrange four squares of toilet paper or colored paper in the shape of a carpet for a long hallway. Challenge her to rearrange the same squares to form a square carpet for the floor of a bedroom. Point out that even though the shapes of the two carpet arrangements are different, they both use four squares. That means their area is the same.

Draw a large ten-frame on paper. Show your child a storage case or plastic bag with 9 small objects (markers). Have her estimate how many objects are inside the case. After estimating, have your child remove the objects and place them in the ten-frame. Ask: Were there more than 10? How do you know? How many objects were there?

Ask: What makes a good pet? After a brief discussion of size, need for special foods and climate, have your child decide which birds would make a good pet. Click image to get started!

When you ride in the car or wait in line at the grocery store, practice rhyming words. Start with a simple word like cat. Change the beginning sound. For example, change the “c” to “m” and say mat. See how many words you can make. A nonsense word is fine (dat, gat).

Work together with your child to create a bird breathing strategy. Ask: What are some ways a bird might move? What is a good move for taking a deep breath? What is a good move for exhaling slowly? Do your new strategy together.

Petie takes a journey. Wrens fly very fast.

Say the sentences. Ask your child to repeat them.
Say: very rhymes with berry. Both words end with /ery/. Explain that you will say three words and your child will tell you the two words that rhyme. Say: very, merry, moo—Which two words rhyme? Repeat with words: my, zoo, fly.
Write the sentences.

Show Birds. Read the title. Ask: What sound does the letter B make? Read the book with your child. Ask: Which bird is your favorite? Have your child draw her favorite bird on the first blank page of her journal. Help your child write the bird’s name.

Demonstrate the basic moves in this dance: raise arm, raise leg, strut, peck. Then follow the directions in the song “Do the Funky Chicken” to do the chicken dance with your child. Click image for lyrics.

Read Petie’s First Flight. Remind your child that Petie is a wren. A wren is a little brown bird. It flies quickly. Sometimes it holds its tail straight up in the air. Wrens like to sing loudly. Have your child pretend to flap wings and sing a song like Petie might.

Invite your child to lift objects around the house of varying weights. Emphasize safety, such as not straining his back or lifting things that could break. Sort the items by those he can lift above his head (beachball), above his feet (suitcase), and those he cannot lift at all (refrigerator). Ask: Does the size of the object matter? Why? Why not?

Use a ten-frame to practice organizing objects into an easy-to-count set. Write the numeral on paper to label the set. Click image to get started!

Collect 12 same-sized stackable items, such as empty soda cans or bottles of water. Have your child count the items. Say: Imagine that these items need to be in a box for delivery. What size box would we need? Have your child arrange or stack items to visualize the perfect-sized box. Have him try packing the items inside boxes you have around the house.

Remind your child that the capacity of a container is how much it holds. Give her the opportunity to compare the capacities of different containers. Your child will need several containers, water, and a safe spot for water exploration. Encourage your child to pour water from one container to another. Ask: How will you know which container holds the most water?

Review commitments that would be helpful to reteach. When you reteach, keep the focus on modeling and describing what safe behavior looks like, sounds like, and feels like. You might want to role play situations with your child. Role play (show) what is not safe and then role play what is safe.

Each bird makes a unique sound. A mockingbird is not quiet.

Say the sentences. Ask your child to repeat them.
Say: not rhymes with hot. Both words end with /ot/. Explain that you will say three words and your child will tell you the two words that rhyme. Say: ball, hot, not—Which two words rhyme? Repeat with words: sound, round, fast.
Write the sentences.

Focus: Dd, Gg, Ii,
Jj, Nn, Qq, Rr

Write the focus letters on index cards. Mix up the cards. Have your child line up matching pairs of uppercase and lowercase letters. Point to a letter pair, name the letter and say its sound. For example, point to D, d and say: D says /d/. Have your child do the same with a different letter. Take turns until all have been named.

Ask: How would you move to “shake it like a duck”? Practice the move and get ready to use it as you listen to “Shake It Like a Duck.” This song will energize you and your child. Follow the directions and enjoy the fun. Click image for lyrics.

Watch the read-aloud video Petie’s First Flight. Pay particular attention to the photos and the captions that tell true facts. Ask: What did you learn about wrens? What did you learn about different kinds of birds? Which bird is your favorite? Why?

Find two grocery bags with handles. Put a different set of ten objects inside each bag. The objects should be different weights but a similar size. For example, have your child count ten cotton balls or plastic cups into one bag and ten marbles or spoons inside the other. Have your child lift the bags in opposite hands. Ask: Which bag is heavier? Are ten objects always the same weight? Why?

Before doing this activity, prepare a hard-boiled egg. When the egg is cool, have your child help you peel off the shell. Point out how the shell is hard, but fragile, which means it could easily break. Cut the egg in half, add a pinch of salt and serve as a snack.

This week, you have learned that birds live in many places. Birds have special characteristics that help them survive in their homes. For example, ducks have webbed feet to help them paddle in the water. Name birds that live near water and those that do not. Click image to get started!

Remind your child about the bird donuts you made earlier this year. Try making another kind of bird feeder with your child. Watch to see what birds visit the feeder. Click image to get started!

Animals

Week 1: Mammals

Word of the Week: mammal

Before You Begin

Songs to Sing

Books to Read

Supplies to Gather

All Together

Daily Message

Vocabulary

Five Silly Monkeys

Storytime

One Elephant

Enough Bananas?

Are You a Mammal?

Read About Animals

Seal Breathing

Daily Message

Count the Words

What Animals Do

Storytime

One-More Pattern

Milking Cows

How Mammals Move

In Our House

Come Along with Me

Daily Message

Writing Together

Elephant Train

Storytime

Five Silly Monkeys

Dolphin Dance

Mammal Skeletons

Sleeping Schedules

Here’s the Bunny

Daily Message

My Journal

Silly Seal Slide

Storytime

One-Less Pattern

Elephant Parade

Making Butter

One Less

Be Specific

Daily Message

Match Letters

Animals at the Zoo

Storytime

Before and After

Who Am I?

See and Do

Make It Appear

Animals

Week 2: Reptiles

Word of the Week: reptile

Before You Begin

Songs to Sing

Books to Read

Supplies to Gather

Slither and Stop

Daily Message

Vocabulary

Deep in the Jungle

Storytime

Windowpanes

A Growing Snake

Snake Walk

In the Garden

Come Along

Daily Message

Practice Blending

Dinosaurs at School

Storytime

Compare 7 and 3

Ten-Frame Window

Hidden Numerals

Clay Turtles

Seated Cobra

Daily Message

Writing Together