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ASSIGNMENT: Content Area Activities for the Home

Letter to Parents

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Educators will all tell you that the parent or caregiver of our children is their first and best teacher. We want to take advantage of that and ask you to use some of our suggested activities at home. Not only will you be helping us out, but we believe that you will have a better understanding of what your son/daughter is learning in our classes.

We would like to send home a request letter like the one below when we change topics in our five main classes (math, science, reading/language arts, social studies and arts), and ask that you follow the activities at home (or create your own) and participate with your child as you do the activities.

The activities will be attached and clearly spelled out for you, however, if there are questions, you can always call or email me at school.

We are excited to be partnering with parents to further our student’s education outside of school, and thank you for being a part of this.

Here is the note we would like to be able to send home with your student as we change topics in our classroom. We would greatly appreciate it if you would complete the bottom portion upon completion of the activity and send it back to school with your student.

Dear Parent/Guardian:

We are currently learning about ______________________________. Overviews and activities related to this topic can be accessed online at my school website, or by using the attached activities for this topic.

Please contact me at ______________________________ if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Classroom Teacher ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

□ My son or daughter successfully completed the activities on ___________________________!

Parent/Guardian Signature ____________________

20 Activities

Mathematics

1. Grade Level: K-1

Subject: Mathematics

Title: Make and Describe Patterns

Overview/Appropriateness:When your child is able to identify and continue patterns of objects and numbers, he is using logic. Logic is a necessary skill for understanding algebra and geometry topics. A repeating pattern has a unit that repeats over and over. Repeating patterns often use shapes and colors.

Example 1. Some repeating patterns use colors. The pattern is red, blue, yellow. This is the part that repeats. The pattern can also be described with letters (ABC…) or numbers (1, 2, 3…). The item that comes next in the pattern is a red square.

The pattern is circle, circle, triangle (AAB or 1, 1, 2). The item that comes next in the pattern is a circle. A number pattern follows a rule. The rule tells what to do to get from one number to the next.

Example 3. 2 4 6 8 10 12 ____ Each number is 2 more than the one before it. The rule is to add 2 or count by 2s. The next number in the pattern is 2 more than 12, or 14.

5 10 15 20 25 30 _____ Each number is 5 more than the one before it. The rule is to add 5 or count by 5s. The next number in the pattern is 5 more than 30, or 35.

Example 4. 5 10 15 20 25 30 _____ Each number is 5 more than the one before it. The rule is to add 5 or count by 5s. The next number in the pattern is 5 more than 30, or 35.

ActivityPractice making and describing patterns with your child. Cut out a variety of squares, circles, hearts, and triangles from sheets of colored paper. Create a shape or color pattern with the cutouts. Ask your child to describe the pattern using words. After he states the pattern correctly, have him express the pattern in a different way, using letters, numbers, or sounds. Finally, instruct him to tell what comes next in the pattern. Continue the activity by taking turns creating and describing the patterns.

Glossary of Academic Terms number pattern – a pattern of numbers that follows a rule 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 . . . Rule: Count by tens. repeating pattern – a pattern of shapes, colors, or similar items that has a repeating unit skip counting – skipping numbers when counting; counting by numbers other than 1s skip counting by 2s: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, …. skip counting by 10s: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, …

(Academic Activity Book for K-6, n.d.)

2.Grade Level: 3-5


Title: Create Graphs

Overview/Appropriateness:

Overview Every day, children are faced with making decisions based on information that they have. Learning how to analyze data will help your child in decision-making situations. Example 1. Use a frequency table to record and display data. A group of students took a survey. They were asked if they play soccer, basketball, baseball, or lacrosse. The table shows the results.

Sports Played

Sport Boys GirlsBaseball 27 5Basketball 22 9Lacrosse 13 8Soccer 25 29

Here are some facts that can be stated by analyzing the data: More children in the survey play soccer than any other sport. Lacrosse is the sport with the fewest number of players. Thirty-one of the children surveyed play basketball.

Example 2Use a double-bar graph to analyze data and compare data sets. This double-bar graph shows the same data as the frequency table. Each sport in the graph has a separate bar for boys and girls. To see what each bar stands for, look at the number to the left that it aligns with.

Here are some facts that can be stated by analyzing the data in the double-bar graph: More girls than boys in the survey play soccer. Five more boys than girls in the survey play lacrosse. The greatest difference between the number of girls and boys occurs in baseball.

Activity Make a graph for data collected in your neighborhood. Select a topic that can be observed in a walk through the neighborhood (colors of houses or cars, numbers of different kinds of trees, numbers of kinds of animals seen). Find a notepad and pencil, and take a walk with your child. Record what you observe. Return home and discuss with your child what types of graph would be appropriate for your data. Encourage your child to decide which kind to construct. Make a graph with the data.

Glossary of Academic Terms data – information about a specific topic data sets – collections of information about different groups (people, events, etc.) double-bar graph – a graph with bars that shows data and can be used to compare data sets frequency table – a table with numbers that is used to record and display data


3.

Grade Level: Preschool


Title: One Potato, Two Potatoes


Use advertising flyers or newspaper advertisements to help your child identify, classify and count items. Ask, for example, "How many cans of soup are there?" "What vegetables do you see?" and so forth.

Making a grocery shopping list can be both enjoyable and an opportunity to reinforce young children's number sense.

Activity:

What You Need

List of grocery items Color pictures of grocery items cut from magazines, catalogs or advertising flyers (for

example, choose pictures of different kinds of vegetables, fruit, containers of milk or juice, cans of soup, boxes of cereal and crackers, loaves of bread)

Index cards (or similar-sized cards cut from heavy paper)

Glue stick

Small box (large enough to hold the cards)

What to Do

Put together the set of food pictures and help your child paste each picture onto a card. Then have your child sit with you as you make up a grocery shopping list. Read the list aloud to her, item by item, saying, for example, "We need to buy milk. Find the picture of the milk." When the child finds the picture, have her put it in the box. Continue through the list, asking her to find pictures of such things as apples, potatoes, bread, soup and juice.

When you've finished, ask your child to tell you how many things you need to buy, then help her to count the pictures in the box.

Ask your child to put all the pictures of vegetables in one group, then all the pictures of fruit in another group. (You might continue with items that are in cans, items that are in boxes and so on.)

Point to one group of pictures, such as the fruit. Help her to count the number of pictures in that group. Have her do the same for other groceries.

(Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics, n.d.)

4.

Grade Level: K-Grade 1 Subject: Mathematics Title: Ready, Set, Shop!Overview/Appropriateness:

Using the advertised prices in a newspaper or flyer to estimate the cost of items on a shopping list can help children sharpen their mental math and estimation abilities.

Grocery shopping offers opportunities to let children apply a range of mathematics skills, including data collection and estimation.

Activity:

What You Need

Pencil and paper Calculator

What to Do

To help your child learn about collecting data, involve him in making a shopping list for a special occasion, such as his birthday party. As you discuss what you need to buy, write out a list of grocery items. Then review the list with your child and tell him to make a check mark next to each item that you name. If you need more than one of an item, such as cartons of ice cream, tell him how many checks to make beside that item. Review the list with him and have him tell you what items-and how many of each—that you need to buy.

Ask your child to choose something that he wants for dinner—a cake, a salad, tacos. Have him check to see what ingredients you already have, then ask him to help you make a shopping list. At the grocery store, let him find each item on the list. Help him to compare prices for different brands of the same items (such as boxes of cake mix) to see which items are the best buys.

Ask your child questions such as, "Which is cheaper, this package of two tomatoes for $1.50 or three of these tomatoes at 60 cents each?" Have him estimate, then check his answer with a calculator.

(Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics, n.d.)

5. Grade Level: Grades 1-2Subject: MathematicsTitle: Clip and SaveOverview/Appropriateness

Help children feel that they're a part of family budgeting by encouraging them to look in newspapers and flyers for coupons for items that the family uses. Have them look for coupons for items that they want to buy with allowance or birthday money

Coupons can be used to help children learn the value of money as well as to let them show off their addition and subtraction skills.

Activity:

What You Need

Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters Grocery store coupons

Pencil and paper

What to Do

Show your child a grocery store coupon for a product that he likes to eat and have him count out coins to show how much money the coupon saves on the product. For example, if the coupon is for 30 cents off a jar of peanut butter, give your child nickels and dimes and tell him to count out three dimes or six nickels. Give your child all the coins and challenge him to figure out how many different coin combinations he can make to total 30 cents.

Ask your child how much money you can save with two or three 20-cent coupons. Show him the other coupons and ask him how much money could be saved with each one. Have him write the amounts and then add them to show how much could be saved if all the coupons were used.

Science

1.Grade Level: KindergartenSubject: Science

Title: Play an Observation GameOverview/Appropriateness:

Observation is a key concept in science. Observation involves all the senses, watching, listening, tasting, smelling and feeling. They allow students to pay close attention to the world around them. It is through observation that children begin to think like scientists and ask the questions that have furthered our scientific discoveries.

Activity: Depending on the age of the child, make a two column observation chart that can be taken outside on a clip board. Have the child compare and contrast two similar items (such as a ladybug and an airplane) that have similar functions, but are very different. Observations can include things you see, things you hear, or things you experience by touch, smell, or taste. It’s a good idea to record observations in some way, either by drawing a careful picture or by making a list.

Observing a Ladybug Observing an Airplane

has wings has black dots on its back can fly can walk is red or orange doesn’t make sounds that we can hear smaller than my thumb has 6 legs

has wings has black dots on its back can fly can walk is red or orange doesn’t make sounds that we can hear smaller than my thumb has 6 legs


2.Grade Level: 3-5

Subject: Science

Title: Model the Phases of the Moon


The moon is the second brightest object in our sky. Man has wondered about the moon, written poetry about it, used it to compare things and entered many other facets of our lives. Teaching a child about the reflective property of the moon (since it doesn’t have its own source of light) is a

fun activity that can be done outside at night. Teaching about why we only see parts of the moon at different times and the phases of the moon is a good discussion to be held over a series of evenings outside. The angle of the moon also is a part of why the moon looks different each day.

After observing the moon outside, a good activity would be to bring the discussion inside with a model.

ActivityModel the movement of the moon to show why we see phases of the moon. Set up a ”sun” by turning on a lamp.

Have your child stand 8 to 10 feet from the lamp to represent the earth.

Then get a ball, apple, or other round object. Color half of it with a bright marker, or cover half with colored tape; the goal is to make the two parts contrasting colors.

Tell your child that this object represents the moon, and the colored side represents the part that’s lit up, which is the part that is facing the sun at any given time.

Now hold the moon so it’s between your child and the lamp. Position it with the colored part directly facing the sun.

Ask your child how much of the colored side she can see from earth (not much!).

Explain that this represents the new moon, when the sunlight strikes the side of the moon we can’t see from earth.

Then slowly walk in a circle around your child, keeping the colored side of the ball facing the lamp at all times. Your child can pivot to face the moon but shouldn’t change position otherwise.

As you walk, have your child describe how much of the colored side she can see.

Have your child call out first quarter, full, and third quarter at the appropriate points. Talk about the activity results and how they relate to the real moon and its phases.


3.Grade Level: Pre-K/Kindergarten Subject: ScienceTitle: A Science WalkOverview/Appropriateness:

A walk around the yard or park can provide many opportunities to introduce children to scientific concepts and processes by helping them to gain the scientific habit of observing what's around them.

Observing closely is an important part of science, and tools such as a magnifying glass help scientists—even young ones—to observe, measure and do things that they otherwise could not do.

Activity:

What You Need

A magnifying glass Science journal

Take a walk outside with your child—around the yard, to the end of the block, in the park—anywhere that's convenient. Show her how to use a magnifying glass. As you walk, stop and ask her to use the lens to examine things such as the following:

o dirt and a mud puddle

o leaves and flowers (both those growing and those on the ground)

o snowflakes and icicles

o bugs

o a rock

Ask her to talk about what she observes. Ask, for example:

o What's on each side of this leaf?

o How is this leaf on the ground different from the one on the tree?

o Are all the petals on this flower the same size and color?

o Are these snowflakes exactly alike? How are they different?

o How many legs does this bug have?

o How many colors can you see in this mud puddle?

Other questions you might ask as she observes and examines things along the way include the following:

o Is it smooth or rough?

o Is it hard or soft?

o Is it dry or wet?

o Is it alive? How do you know?

o What shape is it?

Give your child two different kinds of rocks or flowers and ask her to tell you how they are alike and different.

Be sure to help the student record their observations, reactions, findings and opinions in a science journal. Drawing pictures and taking photos are good ways to record observations, and you can help her to write appropriate captions. Encourage her to share her journal with others and to talk about her experiences.

(Helping Your Child Learn Science, n.d.).

4.

Grade Level: 1-2 Subject: Science Title: Slime TimeOverview/Appropriateness

Cars, trucks, airplanes and machines all have parts that rub against one another. These parts would heat up, wear down and stop working if we didn't have lubricants. Lubricants reduce the amount of friction between two surfaces that move against each other.

Activity:

When one object moves against another, the result is friction.

What You Need

Mixing bowl

4 envelopes of unflavored gelatin

Hot water

Square baking pan

Vegetable oil

Liquid dishwashing detergent

2 small bowls

Stopwatch or a watch with a second hand

Measuring cup

What to Do

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the gelatin in two cups of hot tap water. Coat the inside of the pan with vegetable oil. Pour the gelatin mixture into the pan and put it in the refrigerator until firm. Cut the gelatin into cubes about 1 inch x 1 inch. You should have about 64 cubes. Place 15 cubes into one bowl. Place the second bowl about 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) away from the cube bowl.

Place the watch so that your child can see it. Tell her that when you say go, you want her to start picking up the gelatin cubes one at a time with her thumb and index finger (caution her not to squeeze them!). Tell her to see how many cubes she can transfer to the other bowl in 15 seconds.

Tell your child to put all the cubes back in the first bowl. Pour 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid over the cubes. Gently mix the detergent and the cubes so that the cubes are well-coated. Have her use the same method as before to transfer as many cubes as possible in 15 seconds.

Throw away the cubes and detergent and wash and dry both bowls. Put 15 new cubes into one bowl and pour 1/4 cup water over the cubes, again making sure the cubes are thoroughly coated. Tell your child to see how many cubes she can transfer in 15 seconds.

Again, throw away the cubes and water. Put 15 new cubes into one bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of vegetable oil over the cubes. Make sure they are well coated. Have her see how many cubes she can transfer in 15 seconds.

Ask your child to answer the following questions:

o With which liquid was she able to transfer the most cubes?

o With which liquid was she able to transfer the fewest cubes?

o Which liquid was the best lubricant (the slipperiest)? Which was the worst?

(Helping Your Child Learn Science, n.d.)

5.

Grade Level: Preschool-Kindergarten Subject: Science

Title: Breaking the Tension Overview/Appropriateness:

These simple activities demonstrate surface tension.

Surface tension results when the hydrogen in water molecules stick to one another as well as to the water below them. This creates a strong but flexible film on the water's surface. The detergent disrupts the molecules and "breaks the tension," making the boat go forward and the pepper move to the sides of the glass

Activity:

What You Need

Index card Safety scissors

Sink filled with water

Glass half filled with water

Liquid dishwashing detergent

Ground pepper

Toothpicks

What to Do

From an index card, cut out a boat shape, like the one on this page. Make the boat about 2-1/2 inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide. Have your child place the boat gently on the water in the sink. Have him pour a little detergent at the notch end of the boat. Ask him to describe what happens. (Note: To repeat this experiment, you'll need to use fresh water to make the boat move.)

Next, sprinkle a little ground pepper on the water in the glass. Give your child a toothpick and tell him to dip it in the middle of the pepper. Ask him what happens. Then tell him to put a drop of the detergent on another toothpick and dip it into the pepper. Now what happens?

(Helping Your Child Learn Science, n.d.)

Social Studies/History

1.Grade Level: K-1

Subject: Social Studies/History

Title: Make a Timeline


Learning how to use and create a timeline will help your child understand the order of events. It also will help him see how events are connected to one another. Timelines have a beginning date and an ending date. Events are displayed on a timeline in chronological order, from the earliest date on the far left to the most recent date on the far right.

Some timelines show the order of historical events. This timeline shows three important events in American history. These events are organized by date.

Some timelines show the order of personal events. This timeline shows three important events in a student’s day at school. These events are organized by time.

Activity Tell your child that you are going to talk about the order in which things happen by making a timeline.

Think of five events that happened during your child’s day. Write the events you think of below, but do not put them in chronological order. For example, you might write the following: Jessie ate dinner, Jessie got dressed, Jessie went to school, Jessie did homework. Read each statement aloud to your child. Ask her to tell you which event happened first, second, third, and fourth. Write which event happened first, second, third, fourth, and fifth below. Work with your child to put the five events you just put in chronological order on the blank timeline provided below. The timeline should be organized with the time of day on top; the events your child named should be written underneath the timeline. When the timeline is complete, ask your child questions about it: What happened before [event]? What happened after [event]? Which happened first, [event] or [event]? What happened between [event] and [event]?

What Happened During Your Day? Event 1: __________________________ Event 2: __________________________ Event 3: __________________________ Event 4: __________________________ Event 5: __________________________ Timeline


2.Grade Level: 3-5

Subject: Social Studies/History

Title: Name that Region


Learning about the five regions of the United States will help your child understand more about the diversity of the country in terms its physical characteristics. The United States includes 50 states and covers more than 3.5 million square miles. When we study the United States, we often focus on its five distinct regions.

Activity Tell your child that you are going to play a game called ―”Name That Region”. You will name a state, and your child will tell you in which region the state is located. Start with the states listed in the chart below and continue with other states as desired.


3.

Grade Level: All AgesSubject: Social Studies/Civics

Title: Getting to Know Others—from Near and Far

Overview/Appropriateness

We want to help our children learn about character. We need to take any available opportunity as it arises to teach the values that we prize and want to encourage in them. Parents are their children’s first and most important teacher. Children imitate what they see. Children need to be shown and taught that other people have feelings, beliefs and hopes, just as they do and that there is a lot to be learned from other cultures, societies, religions and countries..

Activity:

What to Do

Show your child by your actions that you are interested in learning about and from other people. Let her know that you care about family by telling her interesting things about relatives, such as their hobbies or jobs. Let her see you being a friend to neighbors, store clerks, community workers and others. Let her see you reading books or watching TV shows and videos about people from other cultures, religions or countries. Talk with her about the interesting things you've learned from your reading and viewing. Invite people from other cultures or countries to your home.

Visit the library with your child, and ask the librarian to help you choose books, videos, magazines and other materials that will help him learn about many different countries and people. Listen attentively when your child wants to tell you about things she has discovered about the geography, history, religion, music or art from other cultures and countries.

(Helping Your Child to Become a Responsible Citizen, n.d.)

4. Grade Level: All AgesSubject: Social Studies/Civics

Title: Gifts from the Heart


A gift that shows effort and attention can mean more than a gift from the store. Children may have heard the saying that it is better to give than to receive, but it will mean little to them if they do not think about what they can give others to show that they care.

Activity:

For the birthday or other special occasion of a relative or friend, encourage your child to make a gift instead of buying one. Help her decide what to give by asking her to think about the special talents she has. If she likes to sing or act, she might like to perform a special song or write and

act out a skit or play. A young child might pick some flowers from the yard and take them to a neighbor. An older child might do chores for mom, dad or a neighbor. She might, for example, wash the dishes for a week, clean the hall closet, babysit or run errands.

If the gift is an activity or chore, have your child make a card and write a note, telling what the gift will be.

Teach your child to think of others by encouraging her to choose some of her toys or good clothing that she's outgrown to give to community drives for homeless or needy children. Encourage your older child to consider giving the gift of his time as a volunteer for various community charitable efforts.

5.Grade Level: Grades 1-3Subject: Social Studies/CivicsTitle: Telling the Truth

Overview/AppropriatenessBenefiting from manipulating or lying to others is dishonest and can destroy trust. Parents should be careful to follow through on things they say to their children. Commitments and promises that may seem minor to a parent can be very important to a child. If parents cannot follow through, they need to explain why they cannot meet the commitment

What to Do

Tell or read to your child the fable "The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf." Point out that when the boy yells "wolf," he is lying as a way to get attention. Make sure your child understands that the boy paid for his lies: He had alarmed the villagers so many times, nobody came to his rescue when a real wolf showed up!

Ask your child if anyone has misled her with a lie. How did that make her feel? What did she do? Does she still like and trust the person who told the lie?

If you catch your child telling a lie, let him know that you do not approve and assign him some consequence—no watching of a favorite TV show, for example. But also ask him why he lied to you and reinforce the idea that he can always tell you the truth—regardless of how unpleasant it might be.

You especially need to model honesty with your older child. Keep talking with her, being honest and expecting honesty in return. Adolescence is a time when children are faced with more temptations and often less supervision. They need you as a positive role model.

(Helping Your Child to Become a Responsible Citizen, n.d.)

Reading/Language Arts

1.Grade Level: Kindergarten

Subject: Reading/Language Arts

Title: Practice Rhyming

Overview/Appropriateness Pattern recognition in any form helps children to develop their language. Songs, poems, nursery rhymes and so forth are caregiver’s natural inclinations when playing or interfacing with their children. Rhyming is not only fun, but highly developmental for language skills such as spelling and pronunciation.

Activity Together with your child, sing a song with rhymes to practice producing rhymes. Examples of songs with rhymes are ―Down by the Bay ―This Old Man, ―On Top of Spaghetti, ―A-Hunting We Will Go, and ―The Ants Go Marching.

After your child is familiar with these songs, sing a line of the song until the part where there is a rhyming word.

Pause to have your child fill in the blank. Your child can say any rhyming word, not just the ones you have already thought of.

For example, in ―”Down by the Bay”, sing: Down by the bay Where the watermelons grow, Back to my home I dare not ______. (go) For if I do, My mother will say, ―Did you ever see a dog Sitting by a ______ (log, frog) Down by the bay? For ―”A-Hunting We Will Go”, sing: A-hunting we will go,

A-hunting we will go, We'll catch a fox And put him in a ______ (box) And then we'll let him go.


2.Grade Level: All ages (reading strategies)

Subject: Reading/Language Arts

Title: Make a Checklist of Reading Strategies


Some texts your child reads may be difficult for him to understand. Learning some reading strategies and how to use them will help your child understand difficult texts. Reread, check context clues, predict, summarize, question, and clarify are all strategies that you can work on with your child. – Have your child read the difficult passage of text again and read the text more slowly.

Re-read - By rereading, your child may learn more about the text than the first time she read it.

Check context clues – Have your child look at the text surrounding the text he is having trouble reading. Use what he understands to help him figure the meaning of text he doesn't understand.

Predict – Have your child use what she already knows about the text to predict what will come next. After your child has developed a prediction, she can compare her prediction with the text, revising her prediction as necessary.

Summarize – Have your child summarize the most important parts of a text. By summarizing what he already knows about the text, your child may be able to determine the meaning of a passage he can't understand. You will also be able to determine if your child understands the main ideas of a text before trying to help him with specific passages of text he may have trouble understanding.

Question – Have your child ask questions about the text. For example, as she reads, your child could ask herself: How is this organized? What is this paragraph telling me? By asking questions about a text, your child will stay more engaged while she is reading, promoting better understanding of a text.

Clarify by checking other sources – Have your child read an easier text about the same subject to find information that helps explain the meaning of a difficult passage. You could also have your child look in a glossary or dictionary if he doesn’t understand a difficult word.

Activity: Help your child create a checklist of reading strategies to use when she is reading.

Make a checklist of the reading strategies listed above, with definitions of each strategy. Have your child create a drawing of each strategy that helps her remember how to use it. Have your child use the checklist of reading strategies when she reads a text that is difficult.

Each of these reading strategies can be used on their own to understand difficult texts; they also can be used together.


3.

Grade Level: Birth to 1 year

Subject: Language

Title: Baby Talk


Babies love hearing your voice. When you answer your child's sounds with sounds of your own, she learns that what she "says" has meaning and is important to you. It's so important to talk to your baby! With your help, her coos and gurgles will one day give way to words

Activity:

What to Do

Talk to your baby often. Answer her coos, gurgles, and smiles. Talk, touch, and smile back. Get her to look at you.

Play simple talking and touching games with your baby. Ask, "Where's your nose?" Then touch her nose and say playfully, "There's your nose!" Do this several times, then switch to an ear or knee or tummy. Stop when she (or you) grows tired of the game.

Change the game by touching the nose or ear and repeating the word for it several times. Do this with objects, too. When she hears you name something over and over again, your child begins to connect the sound with what it means.

Do things that interest your baby. Vary your tone of voice, make funny faces, sing lullabies, and recite simple nursery rhymes. Play "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake" with her.

(Helping Your Child Become a Reader, n.d.)

4.Grade Level: Pre-K to Grade 1

Subject: Language Arts

Title: As Simple as ABC

.


Sharing the alphabet with your child helps her begin to recognize the shapes of letters and to link them with the sounds of spoken language. She will soon learn the difference between individual letters—what they look like and what they sound like. When you show your child letters and words over and over again, she will identify and use them more easily when learning to read and write. She will be eager to learn when the letters and words are connected to things that are part of her life.

Activity:

What You Need

Alphabet books ABC magnetsPaper, pencils, crayons, markersGlue and safety scissors

What to Do

The first activities in the list below work well with younger children. As your child grows older, the later activities let her do more. But keep doing the first ones as long as she enjoys them.

With your toddler sitting with you, print the letters of her name on paper and say each letter as you write it. Make a name sign for her room or other special place. Have her decorate the sign by pasting stickers or drawing on it.

Teach your child "The Alphabet Song" and play games with her using the alphabet. Some alphabet books have songs and games that you can learn together.

Look for educational videos, DVDs, CDs, and TV shows such as "Between the Lions" that feature letter-learning activities for young children. Watch such programs with your child and join in with her on the rhymes and songs.

Place alphabet magnets on your refrigerator or on another smooth, safe metal surface. Ask your child to name the letters she plays with and to say the words she may be trying to spell.

Wherever you are with your child, point out individual letters in signs, billboards, posters, food containers, books, and magazines. When she is 3 to 4 years old, ask her to begin finding and naming some letters.

When your child is between ages 3 and 4, encourage her to spell and write her name. For many children, their names are the first words they write. At first, your child may use just one or two letters for her name (for example, Emily, nicknamed Em, uses the letter M).

Make an alphabet book with your kindergartner. Have her draw pictures (you can help). You can also cut pictures from magazines or use photos. Paste each picture in the book.

Help your child to write next to the picture the letter that stands for the object or person in the picture (for example, B for bird, M for milk, and so on).


5.Grade Level: Ages 3 – 6Subject: LanguageTitle: Match My SoundsOverview/Appropriateness

Listening for and saying sounds in words will help your child to learn that spoken words are made up of sounds, which gets him ready to match spoken sounds to written letters—an important first step toward becoming a reader. Helping children learn to pay attention to sounds in words can prevent reading problems later on.

Activity:

What You Need

Books with nursery rhymes, tongue twisters, word games, or silly songs

What to Do

The first activities in the list below work well with younger children. As your child grows older, the later activities let him do more. But keep doing the first ones as long as he enjoys them.

Say your child's name, then have him say words that begin with the same sound; for example: David—day, doll, dish; Jess—juice, jam, jar.

As you read a story or poem, ask your child to listen for and say the words that begin with the same sound. Then have him think of and say another word that begins with the sound.

Read or say a familiar nursery rhyme such as "Humpty, Dumpty." Then have your child make it "Bumpty, Lumpty" or "Thumpty, Gumpty."

Help your child to make up and say silly lines with lots of words that start with the same sound, such as, "Sister saw six silly snakes."

Say two names for an animal, and tell your child to choose the name that begins with the same sound as the animal's name. Ask, for example, should a horse's name be Hank or Tank? Should a pig be Mattie or Patty? Should a zebra be Zap or Cap?


Arts

1.

Grade Level: Ages 3 – 6

Subject: Arts/Reading

Title: Take a Bow!


When your child acts out a poem or story, she shows her own understanding of what it is about. She also grows as a reader by connecting emotions with written words. Play acting helps a child learn that there are more and less important parts to a story. She also learns how one thing in a story follows another.

Activity:

What You Need

Poems or stories written from a child's point of view.

Things to use in a child's play (dress-up clothes, puppets)

What to Do

Read a poem slowly to your child. Read it with feeling, making the words seem important.

If your child has a poem she especially likes, ask her to act it out. Ask her to make a face to show the way the character in the poem is feeling. Making different faces adds emotion to the performer's voice. After her performance, praise her for doing a good job.

Tell your child that the family would love to see her perform her poem. Set a time when everyone can be together. When your child finishes her performance, encourage her to take a bow as everyone claps and cheers loudly.

Encourage your child to make up her own play from a story that she has read or heard. Tell her that it can be make-believe or from real life. Help her to find or make things to go with the story—a pretend crown, stuffed animals, a broomstick, or whatever the story needs. Some of her friends or family also can help. You can write down the words or, if she is old enough, help her to write them.

(How to Help Your Child Read, n.d.)

2.

Grade Level: Grades Pre-K to 3

Subject: Arts

Title: Make an Apple Print Caterpillar

All you need is an apple, knife, paint and some googly craft eyes to make this cute apple print caterpillar. Watch our video tutorial to show you how.

What you need:

Apple Tea towel

Sharp knife

Paint and paintbrush

Paper

Googly eyes

(Curious George Web Site, n.d.)

3.

Grade Level: Birth to Grade 6 (or older)

Subject: Arts

Title: Dance Party


Dancing is a great way for children to get exercise, express creativity, communicate feelings and enjoy music. Parents and children can participate in the fun.

Activity

Kids dance like they can’t stop, then freeze like a statue.


4.

Grade Level: age 3 and above

Subject: Arts

Title: Coloring in Patterns


Children learn to color at an early age, but this activity combines creating the coloring pattern, and then making a stain glass like coloring of their pattern.

Activity:

What you need:

Paper Lead pencil

Colored pencils

Put your pencil on the page and let your hand move freely across the page.

Feel free to cross lines and cut up circles

Color in each shape, space and division you have created and watch a pattern materialize.

(Coloring in Patterns, n.d.)

5.

Grade Level: all ages

Subject: Arts

Title: Make Ice Cream in a Bag


Culinary arts are just as important as creative arts. Learning alternative methods for doing things that make life fun is a good activity for parents and children. can make ice cream in a bag in five minutes and it's ready to eat straight away! A quick and easy ice cream recipe for all ages.

Activity:

What you need:

300ml cream 2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 trays of ice cubes

6 tbsp rock salt

1 medium sized ziploc bag

1 large sized ziploc bag

tea towel or oven mitts

Step 1: Place the cream, sugar and vanilla into the medium sized ziploc bag and combine the ingredients. Be sure to zip up the bag securely first.

Step 2: Place the ice into the larger ziploc bag.

Step 3: Spoon the salt over the top of the ice in the larger ziploc bag.

Step 4: Place the medium bag containing the cream mixture inside the larger bag on top of the ice and salt and zip up the bag securely.

Step 5: Shake and massage the bag for five to ten minutes or until the mixture becomes the consistency of ice cream.

Step 6: You might like to wrap the bag in a tea towel or wear oven mitts while you’re shaking as it can get quite cold! It’s also a good idea to do this part outside as the water can drip out of the bag as the ice begins to melt.

Step 7: Once ready, remove the bag of ice cream and give it a wipe to remove the salt from the outside of the bag.

Step 8: You now have your own homemade ice cream.

Step 9: You can snip a hole in a corner of the bag and squeeze out the ice cream into a bowl or cone or simply grab a spoon and start eating straight from the bag!


References

Academic Activity Book for K-6, n.d.. Retrieved August 2012 from http://www.parentsk12.com/resources/pk12/implementation/pk12_activitybook-eng.pdf

Coloring in Patterns, (n.d.). Retrieved August 2012 from http://www.kidspot.com.au/kids-activities-and-games/Craft-activities+1/Colouring-in-patterns+11049.htm

Curious George Web Site, (n.d.). Retrieved August 2012 from http://www.pbs.org/parents/curiousgeorge/activities/pc_activities.html

Helping Your Child Become a Reader (n.d.). Retrieved August 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/part5.html

Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics, (n.d). Retrieved August 2012 from http://www.sdcoe.net/districts/spencer/math.pdf

Helping Your Child Learn Science, (n.d.). Retrieved August 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/science/index.html

Helping Your Child to Become a Responsible Citizen (n.d.). Retrieved August 2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/citizen/part7.html

http://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/citizen/part7.html

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