Week 1 June 25 - July 1, 2023
Dear Friends,
The kindergarten teachers at Bells Mill Elementary School are so excited you are visiting our Countdown to Kindergarten website! We are giving you some fun ideas for activities that you can do to get an idea of what you will learn in kindergarten. In social studies, one topic we learn about is the United States and its symbols. We are starting with this since the Fourth of July is coming up soon! We have a link to a website where you can learn about symbols of the United States. We have a poem you can read to learn about the United States flag. Each week we will suggest a topic for you to use to talk and draw. This week we would like you to think and talk about the American flag, then draw a picture with at least one American flag in it. We want you to stay active and healthy this summer, so we also would like to suggest a special walk you could go on each week. This week we also have a fun Fourth of July scavenger hunt you can go on to get you up and moving! We also have a special red, white and blue recipe you could make with a grown-up to practice following directions and learn about time and positional words. We also have included summer calendars you can print and color so you can "Countdown to Kindergarten" with us!
We hope you have a fun time celebrating the Fourth of July with us!
Love,
The Bells Mill Kindergarten Team
The kindergarten teachers at Bells Mill Elementary School are so excited you are visiting our Countdown to Kindergarten website! We are giving you some fun ideas for activities that you can do to get an idea of what you will learn in kindergarten. In social studies, one topic we learn about is the United States and its symbols. We are starting with this since the Fourth of July is coming up soon! We have a link to a website where you can learn about symbols of the United States. We have a poem you can read to learn about the United States flag. Each week we will suggest a topic for you to use to talk and draw. This week we would like you to think and talk about the American flag, then draw a picture with at least one American flag in it. We want you to stay active and healthy this summer, so we also would like to suggest a special walk you could go on each week. This week we also have a fun Fourth of July scavenger hunt you can go on to get you up and moving! We also have a special red, white and blue recipe you could make with a grown-up to practice following directions and learn about time and positional words. We also have included summer calendars you can print and color so you can "Countdown to Kindergarten" with us!
We hope you have a fun time celebrating the Fourth of July with us!
Love,
The Bells Mill Kindergarten Team
Let's Read Together!In kindergarten, children learn about the way books and texts work. They learn where the title is, where to begin reading, which way their eyes go across the page as they read, where a word starts and ends, where the sentence or line ends, and to say one word for each word they point to as they read. These are important things to model as you read with your beginning reader.
In the resource section on this page is a copy of the poem. It is printed in a format and font we use with our beginning readers at school. There is more space between the lines, the font is bigger, and the font has the letter formation we will use with students as we teach handwriting in school. Print this poem and use it to read with your child. The flag is a symbol. It is something that reminds us of the ideals that are important to the people of the United States. The poem below tells about the meaning of our flag. Our Flag
Talk and DrawNow that you are thinking about our American flag and what it looks like. let's think about places you would see the flag. Think about your neighborhood. Do you or any of your neighbors have an American flag displayed outside? Think about places you visit often. Do they have a flag displayed? Think about our school. Where would you see the American flag at our school? Around the fourth of July, flags seem to pop up everywhere!
Read the poem once more and draw a picture that has at least one American flag in it. Be sure to draw a setting for your picture. The setting for this poem could be a parade, a neighborhood, a street, or your own home. The setting tells us where your picture story is happening. Symbols of the United StatesIn kindergarten we learn about symbols of the United States.
A symbol is something that stands for something else. Symbols represent and communicate values and beliefs. Symbols represent things that are important. The flag is only one symbol of the United States. What other symbols of the United States do you know? Symbols of the United States Scavenger HuntHave you ever gone on a scavenger hunt? On a scavenger hunt you are hunting or looking for certain items. This week you are going on a scavenger hunt to find things related to July 4th. You can look inside your home for most of these items, but you could also do this scavenger hunt at the mall or in a store. For this scavenger hunt, you will be checking off the items you can print from the list in the column on the right. So get ready to hunt for these July 4th items!
Find: a food that is red, white or blue a piece of clothing with stripes a flag an American symbol that is not a flag something that is red, white and blue only something with stars on it something that has a president or a president's name on it something that has an eagle on it
Calendar TimeAre you ready to start the countdown to kindergarten? You can find and print calendars for July and August in the resource section. Find the calendar for this month. Look for the bear at the top of the calendar. Beside the bear is the name of the month. Color in the name of the month. Find the days of the week on the calendar. These calendars have abbreviations for the days of the week. An abbreviation is a short way of writing a word. Some of the letters are taken out and there is a period at the end of the word. Say the days of the week and point to the abbreviated words on the calendar. Find today's date and put an x on it. Be sure to check your calendars every day!
When we use a calendar to find dates, we say the numbers in a special way. We say the numbers so we know the order of the days, so we use ordinal numbers. Ordinal numbers tell us the order things come in. For the 1 on the calendar we would say first. For the 2 we say second, 3 we say third, 4 we say fourth and for the 5 we say fifth. Practice pointing to the first ten numbers and use ordinal numbers to tell their position in the month. Looking for more fun? Color the date boxes on the July calendar in a red, white and blue pattern. Recipes for Families |
Riddle CornerWhat did the United States flag say to the President? Scroll to the bottom of the page to check your answer!
Scavenger Hunt Checklist
Patriotic Pop Recipe
Easy Peasy Patriotic Squares
Calendars
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Here are two easy recipes for great Fourth of July treats.
Patriotic Pops It's cool, refreshing and patriotic too! This recipe uses a timer or clock to keep track of the minutes your patriotic pop needs to be in the freezer so you can make red, white and blue layers. You can find and print a copy of this recipe in the resource section on the right. Easy Peasy Patriotic Squares Three ingredients is all you need for this quick recipe! Graham crackers, white frosting, m&m's! You will just need red and blue m&m's, so check to see if you can find the red, white and blue sharing packs. Follow the recipe to make a flag design, or make your own designs!
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Answer to the Riddle What did the American flag say to the President? Nothing. It just waved. |