Reading With Your Child

Today was a cold and snowy evening as I sat down to blog.  I knew what I wanted to write, had pictures ready to post, when my phone lit up with a text from my daughter.  As I glanced down at my phone, I saw a snapshot into their lives today.  Texting and pictures are nothing out of the ordinary.  We text pictures back and forth every day.  Happy pictures, throwing a fit pictures, milestone reaching pictures, new tooth pictures, good night pictures.  I look forward to these pictures of my grandchildren.  I love being part of their lives and getting frequent updates in between our treasured Nana K times together.  But today's picture was so special to me.

In today's world of blogging, there are so many blogs that share insight or advice about being a parent or teaching children.  Most start with numbers.  5 things all parents should know. . .  10 ways to raise your child . . .  25 ways to get your child to . . . 7 easy ways to get your child ready for kindergarten. The lists go on and on about what to do or not to do with your child.  There are funny blogs sharing glimpses into the not so glamorous moments of parenting.  There are serious blogs that share the dangers or ramifications of our choices with our children.  There are viral posts that remind us that our babies will one day grow up in a blink of an eye and to cherish the time that we have. I know all about these blogs as my daughter shares her favorites with me.  Some make me laugh, some make me tear up, and some make me tell my daughter that only she can make the choices that are right for her child. Blogs and books are just glimpses into the lives of others and what worked for them.  Being a parent is rewarding, exhausting, fun, gut-wrenching, or as a I tell her, a "roller coaster" of emotions.  But oh what a miraculous ride it is.  Sometimes you will get it right.  Sometimes you will wish you had made better choices or decisions.  I know because I've been there.

So when she sent me this picture of a very special moment shared between a father and his child, it stopped me straight in my tracks of blogging.  What I was going to say didn't seem as important.  I knew my focus now.  I knew what to say.  As I looked at my precious 8-month-old granddaughter mesmerized with Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See, I smiled and was reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Emilie Buchwald.  "Children are made readers in the laps of their parents."

I could go on and on and give lists of what to do to get children to read.  I could give ideas on how to make the reading experience enjoyable for both parents and children.  I could make a list for teachers about the importance of read alouds.  Instead, I will just leave you with this picture and a reminder of what helps young children to become readers more than anything.  Parents make a difference.  It all begins with you.  Small moments shared together cuddled up with a book will do more to prepare your child for a lifetime of reading than any picture on Pinterest or suggestion from a blog.

To my daughter and son-in-law:  You're doing it right.  Breathe, enjoy our little M, and read on.

Nana K is very proud.

Take a Closer Look at November Blog Hop

Hi everyone! 

I am teaming up with some great teacher bloggers to bring you another Take a Closer Look blog hop featuring one of our favorite November products.  We want to give you a closer look and a FREEBIE from the unit to try out with your class.

I wanted to give you a closer look at my

FLIP THE FIVE AND TEN FRAMES AUGUST - DECEMBER BUNDLE

This is just a glimpse at the November frames included in the packet.  You can use them as 5 frames or 10 frames.  I invented these frames to keep the activity hands-on but without having to keep track of all the pieces.  Copy, laminate, and add velcro for your small group lessons. 

Use the anchor chart 10 frame student version or the larger cards for whole group instruction.  Students can color the black and white version too!

If you choose to copy in color, make enough for a small group (5-6), then copy the black and white version for the students to use in whole group, independent centers, or for homework.  Your parents will be able to see how the children use 10 frames to solve math problems.You can also copy the black and white version on colored card stock.

This packet comes with both color and black and white options, student printables, recording sheets,  and teacher story problems. 

  

Here is a freebie from my unit!

Download the preview file for the Flip the Turkey 10 Frame for FREE.

Like it? Love it?

Gotta have it?

We are throwing our stores 15% for the next two days to celebrate! 

And now, I'm sending you off to another amazing freebie! 

Hope on over to my blogging buddy's blog. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Five Little Turkeys Math and Literacy

Five little turkeys can be used to teach one-to-one correspondence, ordinal position, and combinations of 5.  I made DIY turkey puppets out of oven mitts that I found at the Dollar Tree.  I know - I live way too close to one :)  Let your children act them out using my math poem or put red solo cups inside them so one or two children can play the game.

MATERIALS NEEDED

• 5 brown or tan oven mitts
• 1 piece of red felt
• 1 piece of yellow felt
• I piece of orang felt
• 1 googly eye
• Glue gun

DIRECTIONS

• Cut out 5 red, yellow, and orange feathers.
• Cut out the beak and snood. 
• Glue the feathers, snood, beak, and eye on the turkey mitt.
• Ready to play!

LET'S LEARN!

I wrote a poem and made a pocket chart go with this rhyme last November.  You can find that post HERE to read about it and download the free activity.

Have fun teaching your students with this activity.  If you are a parent or a grandparent, have fun playing, learning, and making memories.

Let the Thanksgiving ideas begin!  Don't forget to sign up by email at the top right corner, so you don't miss any blogposts.

Thanks for stopping by!

10 in the Bed Math and Literacy Activities

Using songs, nursery rhymes, and chants to teach literacy and math skills can be fun and engaging for children.  These type of activities build oral fluency which will lead to reading fluency.  Children can also rewrite their own songs, poems, and chants based off of their favorite ones.  This is a new version of an old song 10 in the Bed.  

You can use this song to work on subtraction within numbers of 10 and focus on the skill of one less. The song is repetitive and the children can visually see and kinesthetically manipulate the monkeys as they sing the song.  By using a paint stick and clothespins it becomes a hands-on game that builds fine motor skills.  You can make several different versions of the bed.  For directions on making the bed below,  read my post about Five Little Monkeys Jumping of the Bed HERE.  

MATERIALS

Paint stick

10 clothespins
1 piece of felt
Free printable
Glue gun 

MATH LEARNING ACTIVITIES

• one-to-one correspondence
• counting
• subtracting one from a set
• decomposing numbers (taking the number 10 - monkeys and breaking the set into 2 parts).
• 9 on the bed 1 off the bed
• 8 on the bed 2 off the bed
• 7 on the bed 3 off the bed
• 6 on the bed 4 off the bed
• 5 on the bed 5 off the bed
• 4 on the bed 6 off the bed
• 3 on the bed 7 off the bed
• 2 on the bed 8 off the bed
• 1 on the bed 9 off the bed

The monkeys on this printable are a smaller version than the ones in Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed to allow 10 to fit on the bed.

You can also use duct tape and cover the paint stick to make a bed.  There are so many different colors of duct tape to choose from now.  Check out the Dollar Tree.  They carry duct tape in different colors.  The rolls do not have as much on them as the ones you find in Target or Walmart, but you can buy a variety of colors for smaller projects.  Here are some examples on Amazon.

WORDS TO THE SONG

There were 10 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."

And they all rolled over and one fell out. 

There were 9 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."
And they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were 8 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."
And they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were 7 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."
And they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were 6 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."
And they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were 5 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."
And they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were 4 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."
And they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were 3 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."
And they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were 2 in the bed and the monkeys said, "Roll over. Roll over."
And they all rolled over and one fell out.
There was 1 in the bed and the monkey said, "Good night!"

Want the words to this in a book format?  CLICK HERE for the FREE printable.

Another option is to let the children paint their own with Do-A-Dot Rainbow Markers .

 

 Want to make a fancy bed?  Use doll clothespins, extra long popsicle sticks, and a piece of felt or material.

MATERIALS NEEDED FOR BED

4 round doll clothespins

2 Extra Jumbo Craft Sticks

4 short popsicle sticks

Small piece of material or felt

Glue gun

Don't forget to sign up by email in the top right corner so you don't miss any blog posts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monsters Math and Literacy Activities

Monsters can be funny, silly, and educational too.  Here is a fun twist on Five Little Monkeys.  It teaches counting, one-to-one correspondence, addition, subtraction, cardinality, and number sense too!

As always, nursery rhymes, chants, and poems are powerful literacy tools too.  Remember to sign up by email in the top right corner, so you don't miss any blog posts.  

Disclosure:  Amazon links are included.

MATERIALS NEEDED

• 5 colorful pom poms
• 10 pipe cleaners
• Dot markers
• 5 googly eyes
• 5 clothespins
• 1 paint stick
• glue gun

DIRECTIONS FOR MONSTERS

• Cut the 10 pipe cleaners in half.
• You need 4 - 1/2 size pipe cleaners for each monster.
• Fold the smaller pipe cleaners in half.
• Twist together.
• Glue pom pom onto twisted pipe cleaner.
• Glue onto the front of a clothespin.
• Add googly eye.
• Ready to play!

BED DIRECTIONS

• Lay a piece of large scrap paper, plastic table cloth, or copy machine lid on table.
• Children use dot markers to paint their beds.
• Let dry.
• Ready to play!

TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

Use the prop to teach literacy, fine motor, and math skills just like in The Five Monkeys.

After the children learn the chant (download FREE printable for words), give them opportunities to play using the prop in the traditional manner.  Then use the prop for listening and following directions.

• Put 1 monster on the bed.
• Take 1monster off the bed.
• Put 3 monsters on the bed.
• Take 2 monsters off the bed.
• Take the 1st monster off the bed.
• There are 5 monsters on the bed.  
• How many do you need to take off so there are only 2 monsters still on the bed.

No time to make the monsters?   I have included a FREE printable with friendly paper monsters to use along with a reading book, math printables, and literacy tips for reading the book.   CLICK HERE.

Here are some of my favorite, fun monster books.

Don't forget to sign up by email to receive updates from my blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Activities

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.  One fell off an bumped its head. Chants, nursery rhymes, and poems are the cornerstone of early childhood classrooms.  They help children play with the rhythm of language, build oral fluency, and build number sense.  They cover important skills such as rhyming, fluency, and cardinality.

It's never too early or too late to introduce children to these classics. My granddaughter is only 7 months and she squeals when we say these to her. She is listening to our pitch, volume, and tone while learning about language. My 3 year old grandson is learning about rhyming words and counting.  Pre-K, kindergarten, and 1st grade students are learning about one-to-one correspondence, number sense, subitizing, and decomposing and composing numbers (adding and subtracting).

I love to use paint sticks to make these hands-on props for story retelling. The children can hold onto the handle with one hand while manipulating the clothespins with the other.  Anytime we can build in natural fine motor practice it's a win-win situation. I've included directions for turning this paint stick into a bed along with a FREE printable.  Don't forget to sign up by email in the top right corner to receive notification of my new blog posts.

MATERIALS NEEDED 

• Paint stick
• 5 Clothespins
• 1 Small piece of felt
• Glue gun
• 5 Monkey Felt Pieces

I used felt monkeys that I found at Michaels craft store to glue onto the clothespins. They have removable stickers on the back.  Leave the backing on the monkeys and glue to the clothespin.  If you remove the backing it will make the whole back part sticky.  I also made a FREE printable with monkeys in case you can't find the felt ones or prefer to use the paper ones.  I also included the words to the rhyme.  The printable will be towards the end of the post.

DIRECTIONS

1ST THIS

Disclosure: Amazon links are included in this post.

THEN

YOUR BED IS READY!

NEXT

Glue the monkeys onto the clothespins as seen in the picture below. Your project is complete!  Keep reading for ideas for teaching and learning. 

FINE MOTOR

• Children hold with one hand.
• Children open and close the clothespin with the other hand, which will require using a pincer grasp.
• Children cross the midline (body position) when they remove the monkeys closest to the handle.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

LITERACY

• Teach the rhyme to the children.
• Use pitch, tone, and volume (be dramatic) to engage the children.
• Play echo-repeat.
• Teacher/adult says one line.  
• Children repeat.
• Vary the tone, pitch, and volume.
• Children repeat.
• Do a choral version (everyone says it together).
• Leave off the last word of the sentence.
• Children fill in the missing word.
• Talk about how the words bed and head sound the same at the end.
• Tell them that the words rhyme.
• Think of other words that rhyme with bed. 
• fed, head, led, Ned, red, said, wed, bread, fled, Fred, shed, sped
• Clap the syllables in the rhyme.
• five, bed, fell, off, bumped, head, called, said, no, more = 1 syllable
• little, monkeys, jumping, mama, doctor = 2 syllables

MATH LEVEL 1

• Children put the monkeys on the bed one at a time while counting.
• one-to-one correspondence
• Talk to the children about ordinal positions.
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
• Have the children take turns touching the first monkey.
• Have the children take turns touching the last monkey.
• Continue with the 2nd through 5th.
• Children say the rhyme and remove one monkey at a time.
• one-to-one correspondence
• number sense or cardinality 
• Children say how many are left after removing one monkey.
• Counting which will lead to subitizing.
• Subitizing is knowing how many are in a set without counting.

MATH LEVEL 2

• Through repetitive play, children understand that the numeral 5 represents a set of 5 monkeys.
• By removing 1 monkey off the bed, children will build number sense. 
• Children will work on taking the number 5 (monkeys) apart and make other number combinations sets (decomposing numbers).
• 5 & 0, 4 & 1, 3 & 2, 2 & 3, 1 & 4, 0 & 5.

LEVEL 3 MATH CONVERSATIONS

• What do you notice about our monkeys?
• Can you put the monkeys into sets or groups?
• 2 monkeys are on the bed
• 3 monkeys are NOT on the bed (or on the floor)
• What will happen when one more monkey falls off?
• How do you know?
• What will happen if one monkey jumped back on the bed?
• How do you know?
• Model mathematical conversations with children so they will use math conversations with their peers during play.

ALTERNATIVES

No felt or no time?  You can use duct tape or painters tape to decorate your bed.  Or give the children some dot markers and let them create their own bed out of a paint stick.

CLICK HERE for the FREE Five Little Monkeys which includes a book, math sheet, and monkey manipulatives for the clothespins.

Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to sign up by email to receive notification of new blog posts.  My next one is going to be fun :)