Fun with Animal Rhymes

Hello Families,

We are working on rhyming in class so I thought I'd give you all a fun rhyme activity for you to complete with your child. You can do it while they sit in the bathtub, before bed or anytime.  Rhyming is fun and a great way for children to learn the sounds of language.  Sometimes rhyming can be tricky so here's little extra practice.  See if you can answer all these "animal" rhymes:

• hat
• course
• keep
• now
• hurdle
• luck
• jog
• herd

Feel free to add others in the comments below!  

Tips to help you "read like a teacher" to your child

Hello Parents, 

I thought I would share some tips to help you "read like a teacher".  Here are a few things you can do before, during, and after reading aloud to your child that will help your child develop literacy skills.  

1. Introduce them to the title, author and illustrator.  These terms may seem complex, but children can begin to learn the title is the name of the book, the author is who wrote the book and an illustrator is a person who draws or designs the pictures in the book. 

2. Before you begin, look at the book with your child.  Is there a picture on the front?  Ask your child questions to get them to learn critical thinking skills.  Ask them, "What do you think this book is about?" and listen to what they have to say.  

3. When you are in the midst of reading, it's ok to stop and ask your child, "What do you think will happen next?" This gives children a chance to predict what will happen next.  When you're finished you can reflect. Were they right?  Did the character make a good choice or a bad choice?  

4.When you're finished reading the book you can also ask your child to retell the story.  This is a great way to practice comprehension skills.  

Most importantly, have fun!  You don't have to do these things every time but it will enhance the reading experience and help your child with their communication skills.  Happy Reading! 

Fun with Lego Building

Dear Parents and Students,

I have to tell you how impressed I am with the many talented Lego builders in our classroom! This is by far our most popular choice for boys and girls during free play time.  As a teacher, I love how much children learn through this kind of play- fine motor skills, team work, creativity, problem solving, math skills and even language skills! Working in a team, the children are speaking and practicing new words. Even positional words such as over, under, beside, between, above, are a part of literacy and language. The students enjoy Legos so much I've decided we will be playing a fun guessing game next week as we begin a new math unit on estimation.



I also wanted to ask...what are some of your favorite memories building with Legos???  They can be memories from your childhood or recent family fun playing with your child. Please share!