April is National Occupational Therapy OT Month WEEK #4
myRepublica-Nagarik Network April 2020
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
20 National 21 National 22 Nat’l Earth 23 National 24 National 25 National Look-alike Day Kindergarten Day World Poem in Arbor Day Sense of Smell Day your Pocket Day Day
nationaldaycalendar.com yaleclimateconnections.org yaleclimateconnections.org 123rf.com
26 Kids and their 27 28 29 30 Pets Day (coming UP!)
Hello from Miss Clare (Miss Erin’s daughter) and Lola the softest bunny in the world!
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Welcome to April is National Occupational Therapy OT Month and fun National Days from Ms Welburn, Ms Erin and Ms Paula Week #4 AND Special guests! Each week ideas will be shared in hopes to provide all of you with OT support and continued development. Please refer to Weeks 1-3 for previous learning!
April 20 - National Look alike Day
TWINS! Sometimes they are identical and look alike and sometimes they just look similar. Twins are something very very special. Sometimes ‘siblings’ look-alike’ but are not twins. At J.W. Decas there are many friends who “look alike”.
Thank you Hailey, Alexandria, Austin and Logan, Amiyah, and Markus!
In making this day special for all of us, maybe you could share something unique about your relationship and friendship with your ‘twin’ and share it with your classroom teacher(s). Some of the ideas could be DRAWING a picture and writing about what your favorite things are to do together.
You can also find several activities involving learning and matching. Memory is an easy game to play at home if you have a deck of cards. Simply use only 2 of every suit and try to find 2 cards that ‘look alike’. Here are some other samples below that you can find on various sites such as etsy, pinterest, and
Etsy.com Busy Bags & Busy Books Printable for Toddlers & Preschoolers
Find ‘look alikes’ from mrsthompsonstreasures.com.(above)
Can you find 11 differences, things that are not alike?
Here (above) is a learning ‘look alike’ from worksheets.emasscraft.org.
https://eatingrichly.com Organizing the plastic container cupboard is an amazing task for children for several reasons: 1. It helps to develop visual-spatial symmetry (math). 2. Supports visual perceptual skills (reading/writing) while identifying similarities and differences. 2. Upper body strength is developed. 3. Using your right and left sides of your body enhances your bilateral coordination while attempting to push on the lids. Teaching all of these skills is important and can easily be done at home with a purpose.
Finally which one of these is the same? Since we are ‘all in this together’ matching socks at home continues to be a fun, functional way for our Decas friends to find the ‘look alikes’. Please refer to April 2nd for more information on other sock ideas. Do you see any ‘look alikes’ (below) in the sock picture? How many can you find _____? Man, they have a lot of socks! LOL How many socks does your family have?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8153271/Mother-four-comes-GENIUS-parenting-hack-using-socks.html
April 21 - National Kindergarten Day - In kindergarten, we learn about sharing, we learn about caring, and we learn about squares. We learn to be nice, we learn to roll dice, and learn how to draw mice. We learn to play, we learn what to say, and we learn to handle clay. We grow to be strong and we grow to be long, in a place we know we belong. Our Kindergarten Teachers help us with all of this for their ongoing surprises of endless bliss!
Compliments of Mrs. McQuade and all her kindergarten students. J.W. Decas 2019-2020
Hello to all our Kindergarten families, students, and teachers! This day is for you. Historically Kindergarten stood for “garden for the children”. It was Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel who started the very first Kindergarten in Germany in 1837. Frobel was a German teacher who recognized that children learn through play and experience. The first classroom was to help students learn to be with others for social reasons and for transitioning them from home to school more easily. In 1856, here in the United States, the first
kindergarten classroom opened in Watertown, Wisconsin.
HOW TO OBSERVE: Please send thank you via email, video, special drawing, or any way you can to your Kindergarten teacher on April 21st for the care and genuine compassion that she (or he) has given you in honor of National Kindergarten Day.
And FOR YOU, here is some fun stuff from our Kindergarten teachers !
Miss Fitzgerald Miss Fitzgerald used to love playing with friends outside and playing teacher when she was in kindergarten. She had her pile of crayons, pencils, and papers, read books to her friends, and created fun lessons in the neighborhood. Look at her now! Her GOAL of becoming a teacher came true! When she is not teaching, she loves taking her dog for
long walks. Here they are after a LONG, HOT walk! She also sends you a fun “Moon Dough” recipe to enjoy.
Compliments of Mrs. Wolcott!
Ms. Medeiros When Ms. Medeiros was 5 years old and in kindergarten, she loved play centers. Her teacher could always find her at the easel painting a colorful picture. If she wasn’t painting, she was mixing it up in the sand, splashing in the water table, mushing play dough, or dressing up in the dramatic play area.
This explains why she loves providing her students with ‘hands-on’ learning.
What’s inside?!?? Ewww Sometimes we like to make messes while we learn!
We’re making foundations with blocks and clay. We are painting houses for our construction unit.
Cubes and blocks, bears, and caves! Who said you can’t make caves with graham crackers and frosting?
Owl Moon painting, while Ben catches prey!
… all different kinds of beaks with a different kind of beach!
Mrs. Greene loved being outside in her safe neighborhood cul-de-sac with her brother and their friends when she was in kindergarten. She loved climbing trees, riding her bike, playing in the sandbox, and running in the field nearby. Her kindergarten teacher said she was a “wiggly” student. She always was moving, but kept learning! Now, she enjoys the beach and stand-up paddleboarding. She still loves to be outside.
Mrs. Greene and her students are fans of Author Studies. She loves reading books to her students. She finds engaging books with lovable characters. Mo Willems is one of her favorite authors and illustrators. The Knuffle Bunny Books, (Don’t Let the) Pigeon books, and Gerald and Piggie Books are just a few to add to her list. All of her students enjoy doing an author-related story craft upon completion of the book and comprehension discussion. This helps provide meaning and connection for them. They enjoy acting out parts using reading and language-retell strategies. The children are often asking for extension activities that go beyond the books into greater literacy and learning opportunities including Mo Willems’s “Lunch Doodles”.
Manipulating sounds & letters to make words paired with visual supports is fun for all. Mrs. Greene enjoys helping her students learn phonemic awareness, concepts of print and phonics so that they can read and write more independently.
Mrs. McQuade - Hello from Mrs. McQuade who, when she was a little girl, filled her room with crayons, paints, and paper. She leaped right into First Grade when she was young. Her town did not have kindergarten classes at the time. When she was 5 years old she LOVED going to see her grandmother. Her mom always found her coloring pictures or making homemade, special things for her grandmother. Now - Mrs. McQuade still loves to draw, paint, and create stuff. If you have been lucky enough to be in her class, you surely made some special things.
She also is a BIG FAN of Mr. Ryan Higgins and Bruce. She is never a grump like Mother Bruce. I wonder if she has ever nurtured any goslings… ? Here are 2 of her favorite books for you to enjoy.
#1 https://youtu.be/7etbTBS8U90 and #2 https://youtu.be/Hw6JzpBRaJg
#KidTimeStoryTime #kidsbooksreadaloud
Mrs. Sampson - Mrs. Sampson remembers spending a lot of time outside when in kindergarten. She loved riding her bike (https://youtu.be/40n56DmQ7L4), jumping rope (https://youtu.be/vVctfW2OCyQ), and hula-hooping (https://youtu.be/sUKBPAw4Nz4). Here are some videos if you want to learn too !
She is staying active as you can see at her home. She even has a basketball hoop! Wow, how fun huh?
I wonder how many times she can Hula Hoop around and around and around? Go Mrs. Sampson Go! She is having fun.
She has a BIGGER bike now then when she was in kindergarten. I bet she can ride fast. Maybe she has a bike path near her home.
Look she has a safety helmet. That is wonderful!
Mrs. Pires - When she was in kindergarten, she loved to color with her crayons and markers. She was always coloring pictures for her kindergarten teacher. (Maybe some of you from Mrs. Pires class can color a picture for her and post it on
your classroom site. She would like that.) She also read books to her sister. They were very close as ‘siblings’
Macys.com and had a special relationship. Playing with her barbies and riding her bike when the weather was nice were also fun activities. Now she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, reading, running, and going to the
beach.
Here are some shared Kindergarten GOALS
(above from http://keepingmykiddobusy.com)
(above from http://theysmell.com)
April 22 - Earth Day. It’s time to practice drawing lots of circles OOOO to represent the Earth where we live. Ahttps://www.earthday.org/ND ANYWHERE YOU ARE
yaleclimateconnections.org ON APRIL 22, EARTH DAY GOES DIGITAL
JOIN US FOR 24 HOURS OF ACTION
Are you looking for virtual Earth Day activities? Check out our Earth Day Live page. AT Earthday.org
Earth Day Resources http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/category/lessons/grades-k-5-lessons/ Posted on April 19th, 2017 by Mary Lord
Kids love exploring the world around them, and Earth Day offers a great way to introduce them to environmental science and engineering. The following sampler includes activities, lessons, and resources that promote green engineering and science learning.
How about visiting the Pacific Museum of Earth’s virtual museum 3D tour?
Here you can explore some natural wonders of our Earth. https://pme.ubc.ca/
For ALL how about heading virtually to New York’s American Museum of Natural History? Can you find the giant whale or how about the room with the dinosaurs? Did you see any velociraptors? American Museum of Natural History h ttps://www.amnh.org/
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History also has an exceptual virtual touring ability. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour
Create a sensory bin using outdoor items for young preschoolers (with adult supervision) to allow them to creatively feel and play in. Leaves, sticks, rocks, pinecones, pebbles, flowers, ferns, bark, stems, grass, and dried items can be piled all together in a bin for free play. Hide other items in there if you wish and use a clothespin or any type of grabber (even a hair clip) to ‘find’ hidden items in the ‘forest’.
Now is a good time to get that 20 minutes of sunlight into your eyes and BOOST your serotonin levels as noted on April 19th. Head outside and use this scavenger hunt to find things in nature while celebrating Earth Day.
pinterest.com
Can you find these: CLOUDS, DRIZZLE, DROUGHT, FLOOD, FORECAST, FROST, HAIL, HEATWAVE, HUMID, HURRICANE, LIGHTNING, BLIZZARD, MIST, OVERCAST, RAIN, SHOWER, SLEET, SNOW, SQUALL, STORM, SUNSHINE, THUNDER, TORNADO, WIND https://vvvv.getmyfindtime.com/2020/earth-day-19/
Starting a garden could be fun. https://youtu.be/B0DrWAUsNSc pic:eaffilter.com
Kasey Eaves/WBEZ Sometimes you can find people willing to give you seeds and soil sometimes if you need help. Just check on Facebook or Freecycle if you are looking. Seeds like lettuce, arugula, peas, and bush
beans are easy to grow inside. Tomato plants are very expensive so I started at least 20 plants by seed as well. You can use any small container to start including egg crates, but once it gets bigger, you’ll need to transfer very gently to a larger size yogurt or even salad containers.
If you want to print your own workbook here is a link for one 13 pages to print: http://homemom3.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Earth-Day-Workbookprint.pdf
Earth Day Projects, Earth Day Worksheets and more searches like Earth Day - [email protected]
April 23 - National Poem in Your Pocket Day https://www.writeshop.com/ and Erin Waters brings us these poems for our ‘pockets’: I Meant to Do My Work Today Little Things Growing Up? By Richard LeGallienne By Ebenezer Cobham Brewer By Erin Waters
I meant to do my work today, Little drops of water, I’m growing very fast, they say But a brown bird sang in the apple tree, Little grains of sand, But that’s not what I’m thinking And a butterfly flitted across the field, Make the mighty ocean The truth of the matter is And all the leaves were calling me. And the pleasant land. That my pants have started shrinking! My feet are poking out And the wind went sighing over the land, Thus the little minutes, And my ankles are now showing. Tossing the grasses to and fro, Humble though they be, They better stop shrinking soon And a rainbow held out its shining hand, Make the mighty ages Before it begins snowing! So what could I do but laugh and go? Of eternity. I’ll grow one day I’m sure, Perhaps in the fall. Oh look--my belly button! Now my shirt is turning small!
vectorstock pexels.com
To Tell the Tooth Mr. Shark By Erin Waters
By Erin Waters
I lost my tooth, and there is proof In the dark gap in my mouth I ate an apple, crunched right down And over my lips it popped. I took it home and showed it off Over it my parents hovered. Now it lies beneath my pillow For the tooth fairy to discover. I was swimming in the ocean blue In the morning I’ll wake up Splashing all around To a wonderful surprise When a giant shark came up to me Shiny coins that jingle And swam around and round. And gleam before my eyes. I said hello and asked him As nicely as could be If I could look inside his mouth To count all of his teeth. He smiled at me and opened wide, So I could see them right I started counting—1,2,3 And then---BITE!
From Erin Waters (BELOW - Teachers Pay Teachers)
Now it's time to create your own…
Our favorite Dr. Suess… allpoetry.com
April 24 - National (Hug a Tree) Arbor Day treehugger.com
Can you draw a tree and practice making your V’s? V’s can make trees! https://youtu.be/oA4fay_Er7I
Did you know that trees protect us? It’s true! There are 2 million reasons to love trees. Trees help us breathe. They help our
123rf.com houses stay clean if we have some around our home because they protect a lot of the bad air from coming inside our house. Studies have proven that adults with high stress jobs who are able to look out the window to look at a
were happier! Trees like Ms. Welburn’s peach and apple trees feed wildlife and her belly all year long! A single fruit tree can produce up to 20 bushels of fruit per year! Trees cool our houses and provide shade on a hot summer day by lowering air temperature by up to 10 degrees while releasing water vapor into the air through their stress-soothing leaves. Trees help purify the air by providing us with increased oxygen to breathe. Trees help us live longer and feel better! Arbor Day Foundation
Did you know that the United States was one of the first countries in the world to celebrate Arbor Day, a holiday dedicated to tree planting. https://www.awarenessdays.com/
When the weather is nice go outside and find some sticks, twigs, leaves, flowering buds from a variety of trees in your yard. Put them in your ‘sensory bin’. Study what is alike and what is
different. Feel them and group things by size, shape, color, texture. If you can lay on your stomach to work your muscles while looking at these items. https://www.childfun.com/holidays/spring/arbor-day/Can you make some letters or your name, or practice your spelling words - then use your ‘wooden’ pencil? Sort the Sticks - Great fine motor & math manipulatives. Pile the sticks and sort by size, shape, width, color, or texture. Sticks can be used to create gorgeous art or mobiles for decoration inside or outside of your home. Consider the following materials to be used in your stick mobile using string, yarn, twine, wire, fishing line, shells, and bottle
caps. How about designing a stick vehicle or towers, log cabins, buildings, or bridges? Make stick people! muminthemadhouse.com
The 3D effect is cool! https://rockyourhomeschool.net/hands-on-learning/
https://www.google.com/url?https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arborday.org
Enjoy Music and Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJqy967xs1c & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOOKQimko4M
April 25 - National Sense of Smell Day. Did you know that the sense of smell is exceptionally powerful and goes directly to memory areas in your brain? It is our quickest sense. Smell and emotional memories are stored together. Which one of these sweet animals do you think has the greatest sense of smell?
If you guess the bloodhound, you are correct. https://youtu.be/-ksnH-wYgJ0 Watch more!
Do you find certain smells pleasant? Why? Do they bring happy memories to you - Like the smell of a holiday balsam tree? Or the smell of roses? This is why many candle companies make Balsam/Pine Scented and Flower Scented candles. The nice smell = happy memory = calmness. When it comes to certain smells of food that we like IF we smell it again, we are likely to feel good, happy, and energized - How do YOU feel when you smell coffee, cookie baking, melted chocolate, pumpkin pie, popcorn, or turkey dinner cooking?
Now when it comes to that skunk… we do not like that stinky smell (most likely). The majority of us are trained to walk away in fear of a skunk so the not so happy thought of being sprayed takes over. There are however people who do not mind the smell of the cute critter. They were interviewed and it was discovered that they used to see skunks during a ‘happy, special time’ in their life - like a childhood memory of visiting their grandparents out on a farm in the summers and/or that 1 week of camping on Cape Cod where so many fun memories and times were had.
Smell is an alerting tool and it makes quick connections with how we feel. If you are feeling down, find a smell that helps you feel more upbeat or alert like vanilla, cloves, lemon, eucalyptus, or peppermint. If you are feeling tense or stressed, smells such as roses, balsam, and cinnamon can be helpful for some. You can buy certain oils and inexpensive spray bottles. A little oil goes a long way. In terms of the film canisters, all you need to do is poke holes (adult only) in the lid and add your items. Start with 1 hole and keep the canister in a zipped up bag to prevent drying out the items when not in use.
Amazon Individual containers can have popcorn, cinnamon, lemon, vanilla, eucalyptus leaves Film Canister
Picture by Serge Bloch
In an article posted Aug. 5, 2008 in The New York Times titled The Nose, an Emotional Time Machine written by By Natalie Angier, Maria Larsson professor of psychology at Stockholm University, described the power of smell as an almost magical time machine with potential for treating individuals with memory issues and sadness. Other researchers found that when 3 different sets of the
same memory cue were given to unique populations (one as a word, one as a picture, and one as a smell), the scientists found that while the word and picture (visual) cues helped teens, the smell cues were most thought provoking for children under the age of 10. Again, this supports the fact that smell memories ARE our first sensations to develop and mature. In learning, if at all possible, consider making a necklace with an individualized smelling capacity attached so that your son/daughter has access to feeling his or her emotional best.
Activity: What's That Smell? The Nose Knows Reviewed by: Eric H. Chudler, PhD Guess this smell https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/experiment-smells.html
You can recognize a lot of different smells. How many? Try this and see.
● A grown-up to help ● A friend or two ● A blindfold ● Small, lidded containers that you can't see through ● Smelly stuff, such as lemons, bananas, orange peel, pine needles, a cotton ball soaked in perfume, chocolate, coffee, dirt, vanilla, garlic, onion, mint, vinegar, rose petals, pencil shavings, or ginger
1. Have a grown-up poke small holes in the container lids. 2. Put one "smelly" object in each container. 3. Write a number on the side of each container. 4. Tape a label to the bottom of each container to say what's inside. 5. Blindfold your friend and have him or her smell each container. 6. Write down the number of the container and your friend's guess about what's inside. Are the answers right? Which are good smells? Which are gross?
Thank you everyone for taking part in this special week. A BIG SHOUT OUT goes to Hailey, Alexandria, Austin, Logan, Amiyah, and Markus and their families for providing pictures as well as teachers, Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Augustson, and Mrs. Wolfe for their support. Secondly, BIG THANKS to Miss Fitzgerald, Mrs. Medeiros, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Sampson, Mrs. McQuade, and Mrs. Pires some of our J.W. Decas Kindergarten Teachers who graciously shared their 5-year old passions! Be well everyone! Karol Welburn, Erin Wurlitzer, and Paula MacKay. Peace to all. Final Week #5 coming soon.