Hi families! Here are our videos and activities for today:

 

Morning meeting: Join Teacher Patricia and Banjo for morning meeting — telling a story and singing a song!

 

Silkworm video: Under the microscope! A big thank you to Tasman for this wonderful up-close look at a baby silkworm with commentary!

 

Nature/silkworm journals: Recording. When outside, have your child collect nature treasures and come back home to draw them in their journal. They can dictate their observations. (Prompting questions: “What does it look like?” “How does it feel?” “Where did you find it?” “What happened?”)

  • Ideas for silkworm journals: Draw and count eggs and silkworms. Record how many days until hatching. Record when they hatch. Record how many hatched. Have your child dictate to you as you write — Prompting questions: “Do you want to tell me the story of getting the silkworms?” “How do we feed the silkworms?” “What did it feel like to wait?”

We’ll tell you more about ways to incorporate literacy and math skill development into journal-keeping in the coming days.

 

Literacy activity: Getting sensory! Engaging multiple senses supports learning, as the more senses that are “awake” during a learning moment helps to encode the information and makes the experience more memorable. Here are some ideas:

  • Salt tray writing: Place salt on a baking sheet and have your child trace letters in it

  • Shadow letters: In a dark room, set up a flashlight and make shadow puppets against the wall by putting fingers in front of the flashlight. Then, try and form letters with hands and bodies.

  • Writing in the dirt or mud using a stick or fingers! Writing in a substance that provides resistance also increases fine motor strength.

 

We’re thinking about you! Keep on sending your silkworm and non-silkworm related updates, we are always so thrilled to see and hear what you’re all up to. We’re missing everyone so much.

 

Rachel Ford and Patricia Houston