2015/2016 Themes and Curriculum for Tots

After working most of the summer on a new curriculum for 2 year olds, I decided to take a twist on what I was working on and gear it towards the interests of my 2 year old little guy.  This idea came to me this past week when I decided to take my little guy exploring at the 4h fair.  He is all about Dora the Explorer, Deigo and maps; therefore, I dressed him as Diego, hand drew a map and told him we were going exploring.  I showed him the map and asked him to tell me what we were going to be looking for.  He pointed to each picture in order and told me.  Then he couldn't wait to go exploring with me.  We spent the afternoon exploring the fair and got see the animals, tractors, and kid's corner.  He had a blast! Below are some of the pictures I took from that day exploring.

The map I made for him for the fair.

The items in his backpack

Dressed and ready for a day exploring

Pointing to where we go next on the map.  I think his map was his favorite thing.  He held it in his lap the entire time almost.
Enjoying his time at Kids Corner

Singing "We Did It. We Did It" If you have ever watched Dora you know this song! It's at the end of every episode.
 


  His reward was ice cream!










After seeing how much fun he had, I decided to turn my Bible Alphabet Curriculum into an Exploring the Bible Curriculum. I plan to have a map for the tots to look at that they will have to go exploring and look for each week's new theme on Monday.  Then the rest of the week's theme will go along with the item that they found.  The item or items will have something to do with a story from the Bible.  Then depending on the story, a regular alphabet theme will go along with the Bible theme. After searching for ideas on Pinterest, I came across a great site called God's Little Explorers. This blog had an entire curriculum a lot like the one I was planning; therefore, several of my ideas will be taken from her site as well as my own thoughts and twists as the year goes on.  God's Little Explorers by Motherhood on a Dime is a great place to look for ideas as well.  I love that I stumbled across this site! You should definitely check it out!  Some of my themes and letters match whereas others may not.  I tried to also go in order of the Bible; however, there were a few holidays I wanted to do a certain Bible story with; therefore, it may be off a little from the order found in the Bible.


Although, we may not follow this exactly, with a little one on the way, I wanted to have my year mapped out the best I could before the school year actually starts.  So below is the schedule I hope to follow.  I hope to continue to incorporate The Daily Five into this as much as possible (only we do them a little differently: Working on Letters/Words, Working on Writing, Listening to Reading, and Reading with a buddy or to self.)
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August
Week 1: X Marks the Spot (Exploring the Bible as a whole); Letter Xx
Week 2: The Creation Story (Gardens and apples); Letter Gg
Week 3: Noah's Ark (Animals); Letter A
Week 4:  Tower of Babel (Buildings, Towns, and Cities); Letter Tt


September
Maternity Leave


October
Week 1:  Abraham (Nature and Camping); Letter Nn
Week 2: Isaac (Insects); Letter Ii
Week 3: Fall Fun Week (Pumpkins compared to Christians)


November
Week 1:  Joseph (Colors); Letter Cc
Week 2:  Moses as a Baby (Boats and Baskets); Letter Bb
Week 3:  Thanksgiving (Being Thankful for what God has given us; Five Finger Prayer)


December
Week 1:  Moses (Manna and Quail); Letter Qq
Week 2:  Samuel (Voices; Vision; Five Senses); Letter Vv
Week 3: Jesus (Christmas); Letter Jj



January
Week 1:  David and Goliath (Rocks); Letter Rr
Week 2:  David, Solomon, and Josiah (Kings); Letter Kk
Week 3:  Fiery Furnace (Fire Prevention Week); Letter Ff
Week 4:  John the Baptist


February
Week 1:  Jesus's Disciples (Friends; Servants); Letter Ss
Week 2:  Good Samaritan (Love); Letter Ll Valentines's Day
Week 3:  The Prodigal Son (Money-Pennies and Presidents); Letter Pp Prsidents' Day
Week 4:  Daniel and the Lion's Den (Godly Men and Women); Letter Mm


March
Week 1:  Dr. Seuss Spirit Week
Week 2: Jonah and the Whale (Water); Letter Ww
Week 3: Jesus Dies; Letter Dd
Week 4:  Easter; Letter Ee
Week 5:  Jesus Heals (Healing-People in Our Community); Letter Hh


April
Week 1: Jesus Feeds the 5000 (Sharing)
Week 2: Jesus Calms the Storm (Under Water Creatures); Letter Uu
Week 3: Lost Sheep; Lost Son, Lost Coin;  (Jesus  Loves all of us no matter how small or young)
Week 4: Jesus Loves the Little Children (You); Letter Yy


May
Week 1:  Zacchaeus (Climbing and Trees) Letter Zz
Week 2: Martha and Mary (Opposites); Letter Oo
Week 3:  Review Week; Summer Party




Summer Schedule Starts!


I know my day probably won't go exactly this way with an infant, but below is an idea of how I hope my days will go:


Arrival/Free Play/Learning Video/Learning Box
Calendar Time/Bible
Life Skills/Centers/Outside Play
Snack
Daily Five
Coloring/Drawing/Writing/Free Play in kitchen while lunch is being prepared
Lunch
Story/Quiet Learning Video
Nap/Life Skills
Snack
Outside Play