The Color Yellow

This week, we took a break from our yellow manips.  Instead, we found more Sesame Street characters and a Sesame Street building at a yard sale.  I cleaned these up and left these out for the children to play and explore as they arrived.  They also have the option to eat breakfast brought from home, watch out the window, read a book, put together a puzzle, or watch a learning video on tv.

After all the children arrive and my little guy wakes up, we head outside if it is pretty out or downstairs to our learning room.

Once downstairs, they free play in centers while I prepare snack.  My centers include: A Dramatic Play Area (kitchen and dress up), Reading Nook, Music, Math Manips and flashcards, Blocks, Free Play (outdoor type toys that I have out during winter when we can't get out much such as a teeter totter, riding toys and a slide), art, writing, and sensory/science (this is a hit and miss if I have something included in this.

Learning Time Area/Writing Center

 Science Center: Blue water area was in here as well as our scavenger hunt items we found.  We used those items as color sensory play.

 Full view of our classroom from learning area.

 This area is actually in a separate room that I turned into a ball room so that we had another area to go during those long winter days.  I also had in this room a closet that we called the library with all my extra books and a keyboard for playing music as much as they want and a toy box of random toys.

 Music Center: We have a bucket of instruments below.

 Free Play Area and Blocks

 Manips/Math

 Reading Nook and puppets

 Dress Up (Hoping to figure out a way to organize this and even hang some up, but for now this is easiest for the toddlers to pick up and toss in box.)

 Dramatic Play Center

 Learning Time Table/Lunch and Snack Table

Working on Words/Letters: We worked on the color word yellow daily as well as names.  We would sing and follow along with Y.e.l.l.o.w Spells Yellow on Youtube. We would also review R.e.d. Red, and B.l.u.e. Spells Blue. After we sung about the colors, we would go over our color yellow sheet.  I took pictures of things that were yellow off of Google images, and the students would tell me what each item was and what color it was.  Then, I would hold up a name card and ask who's name it was.  After the students guessed right, we would sing that child's name song (All are to the tunes of Mary Had a Little Lamb or B.I.N.G.O.).  We would continue doing this until we got through all of the names.  We try to sing and point along with the alphabet song to review our letters daily as well.

On Wednesday, we did extra working with words letters instead of a writing activity.  I didn't plan it this way, but we got downstairs later than normal as well as our extra activity took a little longer than I expected.  I decided the toddlers were finally ready for a word wall.  Because they are so smart? Because they know words already? Because they can read already? No, I decided to put it up so that they can see their names all day long as well as see the color words we have been working on weekly.  I feel the more they see them, the quicker they will learn them.  They already know when I point to a certain letter on the chart who's name starts with that letter; therefore, I felt like they were ready to start recognizing their whole name.  Some already can just by recognizing that first letter on the name card.  So back to the word wall...I didn't want to just put it up and let the toddlers come in and see it.  Instead, I decided to put up the letters with them watching and helping me decide who's name goes under which letter.  Amazingly, they were able to help with this task.  We only did A through M at first because I don't have any of their names that start with letters after M.  However, it still took awhile, and we didn't get time to do a writing activity.   (Word Wall sheets came from Hubbard Cupboard! I absolutely love that site.  Forgot How much I enjoyed that site when teaching pre-k!)

We also started doing opposite words during this time.  I have little wooded puzzles that they can connect opposite words.  I only gave them one to start out with until they mastered putting it together and telling me the words.  Then, I gave them a second puzzle if they played with them correctly and didn't try eating them.  (That still seems to be an issue depending on the day. Typical toddler problem!)

 

Listening to Reading: We read several stories about colors. Big Bird, and of course ducks. Some of the stories we read were 10 Little Ducks by Eric Carle (one of my all time favorite authors), Early Bird on Sesame Street, 5 Little Ducks, (There is an amazing Youtube video that the students can watch and follow along with the words.  I love giving them chances to follow along as well as listen to stories on cds, so they aren't just hearing me read to them.) and I Am (used for our writing activity as well), We also read the Creation Story daily.

When reading the I Am, I read it through one time and stop on certain pages to see if they can finish the sentence I am___ by looking at the pictures.  Then, we reread it, but I have the toddlers help me on every page finish the sentence.  This story was very easy for them to pick up on! They were able to read back most of the story to me after only hearing it one time.

Working on Writing: The toddlers love to write! Usually they choose markers to write with; however, this week, they decided to write with them all! Some even wrote with two utensils at the same time!

Day 1: They had the choice to write with yellow markers, yellow crayons, or yellow colored pencils.

Day 2: We wrote our yellow journal entry: yellow sun!  We talked about how God said "Let there be light." and there was! Genesis 1:3. Of course this led to other things God created.  (More of a review for the Creation Story.)

Day 3: We ran out of time to do our writing activity due to spending a lot of extra time on working with words/letters.  

Day 4: Journal Entry-We read I Am and wrote our own entry stating what we are doing. 

Day 5: Yellow Paint! I never saw the toddlers come running to the table to easily before.  The minute I got the paint out, they all were trying to climb into their seats!  I love doing activities that they are excited about!

Reading to Self/With a Buddy: I allow them to read during free time, at the table or with a stuffed animal.  This time is really just picture reading or memorizing and 'rereading' stories such as Five Little Monkeys.  However, I feel it is a huge pre-reading step.  It gets them enjoying books and learning how to hold them correctly.  Some are even starting to picture read and tell me what is happening in the story.  Others are able to repeat almost every word in certain stories just by hearing them and looking at pictures!

Bible Time: We learned about the Creation Story again to go along with yellow sun.  (Like I've said many times before, toddlers learn best by repeating, repeating, repeating!)  We broke out my sample book that the kiddos made last fall, and I 'read' to them out of that. 

 

The next couple of days, we read from a children's Bible and a small board book.  (You have to be careful when reading from anything other than the Bible even children's story Bibles because they aren't always the most accurate; however, children prefer these because of the pictures so change up what is needed and allow them to enjoy.) 

Another day, we acted out the story.  Their favorite part was when I turned the lights out!  They also love pretending to rest on the 7th day!

 Extra Activities: Yellow Scavenger Hunt, Yellow sensory play, fine motor skills with shapes, play dough letters, and of course dress up is always a fun part of our day!  I also introduced mustard to them during lunch and we ate a yellow lunch with corn, mustard, nuggets, and bananas.

The Color Blue

In the morning as they arrive and eat breakfast, I have blue manips out for them to play with: MegaBlocs, Legos, Sesame Street toys, etc.

After they arrive, we play outside for awhile if the weather is nice.

When we come inside, we head downstairs to day care.  First, we have a morning snack.  Then, start on our groups.  (I used to not start on these until right before lunch, but being pregnant, I am trying to not lift them into their seats as often.)

Working on Words/Letters: This week's word we are focusing on is the color word blue.  We sing the color song: B.l.u.e. Spells Blue song (on Youtube).  Then, I showed them each of their name tags, and they guessed who's name it was.  After guessing correctly, we sung that child's name song.  We repeated until we have sung each child's name.  If they struggle with a name, sometimes we go over it again.  After names, we learn new words.  I looked up blue items on Google images that I don't think the children know about yet and some that they are really familiar with so that they guess some right each time.  I try to do each of these reviews daily because I feel the more you repeat, the more they learn it.

Working on Writing: Day 1: We colored with blue markers. (Again they had the choice to use colored pencils or crayons.) 

Day 2: We wrote in our journals our blue page.  On this journal entry we drew a picture of an ocean because they talk about oceans being blue in our B.l.u.e song. Again they had the choice to use colored pencils or crayons. (Markers would go through on our journal pages so I don't give these as an option on journal days.)  

Day 3:  They made a blue picture using blue markers,crayons, and colored pencils.

Day 4: We made a journal entry to go along with our story Cookie Monster Cleans Up.  I wrote on their paper their name and washes.  Then, they each told me what they washed. 

 Day 5: We colored with sidewalk chalk outside.

Listening to Reading: The stories we read this week are: Parts from these old Sesame Street books.  We read the parts about Cookie and Grover because both of them are blue.  One focused on Grover's body parts so we also watched The Best of Elmo because there is a part in it that focuses on body parts. We read: Cookie Monster Cleans Up, (You can see the writing activity we did with this story below.) Going Up with Grover, and Sesame Street Let's Eat. We also watched Let's Talk with Puppy Dog.  This video is amazing because it has a whole section on colors, shapes, and body parts.  (All are items we are focusing on this week, and the children love Puppy Dog!)

We usually read other books throughout the week during other parts of the day as well that does not pertain to what we are learning.  If a child hands me a book to read I rarely say no.  I try to stop what I am doing to read unless I am in the middle of diaper changes, preparing lunch or snack, or in the middle of working with another child.




Reading to Self/or a Buddy: Every day after lunch, they have the option to sit and read at our reading center or pretend to be the teacher and play with alphabet chart and name tags.  Below are several blue stuffed animals that they were able to cuddle with while reading.  (Cookie was our main character this week along with Grover! Somehow Grover disappeared before picture was taken.)

Bible: Our Bible story this week is Jesus Calms the Storm.  We have done this story before, but you can never review Bible stories too many times.  I liked this story because we are focusing on water and oceans to go along with our blue theme.  The toddlers loved acting out this story so much that we acted it out every day! We pretended to be in a boat and made our arms waves and rain (the storm and waves moving).  We pretended to be sleeping (Jesus falling asleep in the boat.) etc.

Extra Activities: We did lots of counting activities within our stories we read.  We played in blue 'ocean' water. The tots practiced scooping out water and pouring it into another container. (a standard two year olds should know how to do.)  We matched blue items. We went on a blue scavenger hunt. We built with blue Legos and MegaBlocs.  We watched the Magic School Catches a Wave to go along with our ocean theme for our Bible story. We ate blueberries for snack and lunch this week!