November Week 1

Click here to download the lessons for the week.

Prep for Day One!


 1. Gather materials:
Jack-o-Lantern or old pumpkin
New pumpkin
Tray or newspaper

2. Print The Decayed Pumpkin activity from Sid the Science Kid website.

3. Gather materials:

Shoe or cereal box

Construction paper of various colors (I used scraps)

Things to decorate your box: sequins, pom poms, stickers, etc.

Here is a picture of how our "Thanks" box turned out. I decided not to put a slit in the top of our box. We'll just lift the lid everyday when put a "thanks/blessing" card in the box.

4. Read 2-3 books from the reading list. I recommend Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes.

Prep for Day Two!

1. Print Body Part Cards on card stock.

2. For the Fruit of the Spirit activity read verse 1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."  Think of someone who loves you no matter what. You can make mistakes, and it doesn’t matter what you like like, they will still love you. God loves us too. No matter what. He even loves you more than your parents.  He can help us love others the way we should.

3. Gather materials:

Glue gun

Poster board

Paper

Crayons

Sand paper

4. Use the glue gun to trace hearts of different sizes onto a poster board and let it dry.

5. Cut out hearts from sandpaper and tape them to a piece of poster board.

6. Read 2-3 books from the reading list. I recommend From Head to Toe by Eric Carle and Guess How Much I Love You by Sam Mc Bratney.

Prep for Day Three!

1. Gather materials:

Construction paper - I recommend brown for the letter I.

Glue

Feathers

Here is how our Letter I - Indian turned out. Feel free to edit him as you wish - I'm not an artist! Oh, and I couldn't find my feathers so I used some silk leaves I found at the dollar section in Target.

2. Gather material:

Tray

Paper

Kool-aid powder mix

Ice Cubes

3. Read 2-3 book from the reading list. I recommend This First Thanksgiving Day by Laura Krauss Melmed and This is the FEAST by Diane Z. Shore.

Have fun! Let me know if you have questions or have trouble loading anything.

Preparing for November

November is almost here!! The booklist for the month is posted. It's ok if you cannot find all of the Thanksgiving themed books. Any Thanksgiving themed book will work. Also here is the supply list for the month. This is a list of things you will need outside of the what you may already have (glue, construction paper, paint, etc.). I will break the supply list down by week as I post the activities.


Shoe box (cereal box, any box)
Index cards
Craft items to be used to decorate (sequins, pom poms, stickers, etc.)
Keep your old Jack-o-Lantern and other pumpkins
Newspaper
Baking tray
Feathers (Michael's has packages with various colors)
Ice
Kool-aid powder mix (any color, I recommend something dark like blue)
Family Photos - Anyone in your family you would want to include on a family tree
Measuring cups and spoons (if you don't have a plastic set, run to the dollar store)
Foam sheets (also at the dollar store)
Plastic bottle caps (collect enough for your child's name)
Strawberries
Glue gun
Sandpaper
Fabric glue
Poster paper (2 sheets)
Jelly beans
Pocket
Hershey kisses
Ribbon or lace
Tissue paper
Vinegar 

Alternatives to Pumpkin Carving

Carving pumpkins is such a fun, family tradition in many families. However, it can be frustrating for toddlers when they can't participate in the entire carving process. Here are a few alternatives to traditional carving that your toddler may enjoy.

• Painting pumpkins- Painting pumpkins is a fun, colorful alternative that allows your toddler to be in charge of the entire decorating process. You can use regular paint brushes, or get creative with sponges, Do-A-Dot paints, markers, etc.
• Sticker pumpkin- Use regular or foam stickers to decorate a pumpkin. They can be Halloween themed, or represent some of your child's interests. They get some fine motor practice from peeling and placing the stickers in the process. You can also use black contact paper to create a more traditional looking Jack-o-lantern.
• Pumpkin collage- Gather various items around the house or from outside, such as buttons, leaves, yarn, magazine clippings, pinecones, ribbon, etc. Glue them on your pumpkin to create a face, or simply a fun design. (Regular white glue may not be strong enough, so you may need to help by hot gluing the pieces on)
• Candy pumpkin- Have a variety of different types of candy available for your child, such as licorice, gumdrops, candy corn, life savers, etc. Let your child create a face or design out of the candy. Some candy may stick temporarily with a little lick. For a more permanent solution, hot glue the pieces on.
• Vegetable pumpkin- Go a little healthier and decorate your pumpkin with vegetables. Have a variety of veggies available along with some toothpicks. Stick the veggies on the pumpkin using the toothpicks. I still remember making a pumpkin like this in elementary school and winning "healthiest pumpkin" at the school carnival! Of course, I now know that everyone won some type of award, but I was still very, very excited =).
• Pumpkin shape sorter- Ok, this idea does require carving, but I thought it was a fun idea worth including! Make a pumpkin shape sorter for your child by cutting out basic shapes from the pumpkin. Save the pieces and let your child stick them back and forth through the correct holes (you probably want to shave down the shapes a little so they fit easily). You can also do this with a traditional Jack-o-lantern. Just save the pieces and have your child find the eyes, nose, mouth, etc. and place them in the correct spot.

If you have your own fun alternative to pumpkin carving, feel free to share!

October ~ Week 4

Wow, I can't believe October is already almost over! Here are the final lesson plans for October.

Prep Time ~ Day 1

1) Cut a piece of black construction paper into 8 long strips, or cut 4 black pipe cleaners in half to make 8 pieces.

2) Look at a couple of examples of a paper plate spider: example 1, example 2

3) Gather your materials:

• Paper plate and black paint (or a black paper plate)
• 8 strips of black paper or black pipe cleaners
• Optional: pencil for curling
• Googly eyes
• Glue, tape, or stapler
• Optional: additional plate and beans or rice
• 2 pieces of construction paper in black, white, or orange (2 different colors)
• Scissors, glue
• Halloween stickers
• 2-3 books from reading list

Prep Time ~ Day 2

1) On a white piece of paper, draw a spider web with a white crayon.

2) If you would like to do an extension activity with lesson 1, you can print out spider cards or use plastic spiders.

3) Print out "La Arana" worksheet.

4) Listen to, or bookmark, "La Arana Pequenita" if you would like to do the extension activity.

5) Gather your materials:

• White paper with white spider web drawn on it
• Black watered down paint and paint brush
• Optional: plastic spiders or spider card printout
• "La Arana" worksheet
• Crayons
• 2-3 books from reading list

Prep Time ~ Day 3

1) Print out the math monster worksheet.

2) Gather your materials:

• Piece of white paper
• Pencil or pen
• Crayons
• Math monster printout
• Piece of orange and brown construction paper (or foam)
• Scissors, glue
• Stuffed animals
• 2-3 books from reading list

October ~ Week 3

Here are the lesson plans for week three. Let me know if you have any questions!

Prep time ~ Day 1

1) Print out the bat and bird stick puppets. Back them with card stock and glue them onto a craft/popsicle stick

2) Print out the "comparing bats and birds" cards. Cut out.

3) Optional: Make a fun snack of fruit and "bugs" so you can pretend to be bats and birds.

4) Visit No Time For Flashcards to see an example of the "Glitter G"

5) Gather your supplies:

• Bat and bird puppets and cards
• Optional: pretend fruit and bugs
• Book "Stellaluna"
• Optional: Piece of paper (with either 3 columns labeled "bats", "birds", and "both", a venn diagram, or a double bubble map), or two hula hoops for large venn diagram
• 2 pieces of construction paper
• Green paint or markers
• Glitter
• Glue and scissors
• Any other bat books

Prep time ~ Day 2

1) Visit No Time For Flashcards to see an example of the "Handprint Bat"

2) Gather your supplies:

• Orange, red, and black construction paper (instead of black you can also use black paint)
• White crayon, scissors, glue
• Googly eyes
• Pumpkin
• Carving tools
• Candle
• Optional: alternatives for pumpkin carving ~ pumpkin candle holder, or materials for suncatcher- orange tissue paper, clear contact paper)
• Bat books

Prep time ~ Day 3

1) Watch the video on how to make the tissue paper candy corn.

2) Gather your supplies:

• White piece of construction paper, scissors
• Orange and yellow tissue paper (cut into squares, or you can do this as part of the activity)
• Vinegar (any kind will work, apple cider vinegar would make it smell yummy!)
• Paint brush
• Index cards and pen/marker
• Dice- The big foam ones work great, but a regular one works as well. Choose one with dots to practice counting, or one with numbers to practice number recognition
• Bat and/or Halloween books

Happy Columbus Day!

With Columbus Day tomorrow, I thought I would share a couple of activities that you can do with your child. I didn't include any in the regular lesson plans because I wasn't sure if it would be age appropriate for all kiddos, but if you think your child is old enough to understand, here are a couple of ways you can celebrate!

• Read a book about Columbus Day or check out this online book
• Sing some Columbus Day songs
• Create a stand up ship display (find instructions here)
• Pretend to be Columbus in a sailor hat and search for land with your very own spyglass
• Color a picture of Columbus and one of his ships
• Make egg carton ships

October ~ Week 2

Hope everyone is enjoying Fall! Click here to download next week's lesson plans.

Prep time ~ Day 1

1) Print out a supply list card if you would like.

2) Print out the kindness clip art (unless your child is old enough to come up with their own acts of kindness)

3) Look at the example of the "F is for Fall". You can use anything you would like to make the leaves.

4) Gather your materials

• Photographs of family, neighbors, friends, pets, service men/women, pastors, teachers, etc. (about 5)
• Large piece of construction paper/poster board
• Glue, scissors
• Brown piece of construction paper
• Other piece of construction paper
• Something to make leaves with: paint, Do-a-dot, crayons, leaf stickers, real leaves, etc.
• 2-3 books from suggested book list

Prep time ~ Day 2

1) Print out the pumpkin life cycle cards. *Make sure to pay attention to the pages. You will not need to print all of them because there are duplicates.

2) Choose which cards you will use. You do not need to use all 6 cards. For younger children, you may want to use only 3, such as "seed", "vine", and "pumpkin". For an older child you may want to use more. Decide what you think is appropriate for your child. Cut those cards out. You can back them on cardstock and/or laminate if you would like.

3) Bookmark the video if you would like to use it as part of the lesson.

4) Look at the example of the pumpkin life cycle extension activity if you plan to do it.

5) If you would like to plant your own pumpkin seeds you can find some instructions here.

6) Listen to the Spanish version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes". Print out the visuals if you would like to use them to help.

7) Gather your materials

• Pumpkin life cycle cards
• Optional: Materials for making a pumpkin life cycle such as, pumpkin seed, green ribbon or pipe cleaner, yellow tissue paper, foam pumpkin stickers, etc.
• 2-3 books from the suggested reading list

Prep time ~ Day 3

1) Print out or write down the recipe for pumpkin pie play dough. You can make the play dough as part of the lesson with your child, or before.

2) Gather your materials

• Book "The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin" by Joe Troiano
• Construction paper in various colors
• Scissors, glue
• Flour, salt, cream of tartar, vegetable oil, pumpkin pie spice, water, food coloring
• Optional: Things to use with the play dough, such as: pumpkin or circle cookie cutter, popsicle sticks, pumpkin seeds, black construction paper, etc.

Yummy October Recipes!

Cooking with your child can be such a fun, and educational, activity! I have not included any recipes in the lesson plans for October, but I thought I would share some I found online that would be perfect for the month of October. If you would like, you could do these with your child on the "off" days of school, to reinforce a lesson, or simply to just have fun =). If you have a yummy recipe to add, please feel free to share it!

Aut-yum Leaves

Acorn Dough Nuts

Sweet Scarecrows

Apple Bites

Pumpkin Pie Popsicles

Flap Jack-o'-lanterns

Cheesy Corn

Bat Chips

Spider Cookies

Hairy Daddy Longleg Cupcakes

Witch Cupcakes

Banana Ghosts

Pizza Mummies