Week 2
Let's Go to the Beach!
July 2 -8 , 2023
Let's Go to the Beach!
July 2 -8 , 2023
Dear Friend,
It's almost the Fourth of July! We hope you were able to do some of the activities we included in last week's learning ideas. Are you keeping up with the countdown using your calendars? If you didn't print them, the countdown calendars are in Week 1.
This week we are taking a trip to the beach! We will think about rhyming words, read a poem about the beach, make and extend patterns, and will learn to write your name the kindergarten way! You will talk and draw about the beach with someone in your family. In kindergarten, we learn about people and the jobs they do. This week we will learn about Jean Michel Cousteau and his job as an under the sea explorer. You can click on links to see what Jean Michel does as he explores under the sea. You will meet some creatures who live in the oceans and learn about their habitat. Of course we want you to keep moving this summer, so we also have suggestions for a summer Walk and Talk for you and your family. This week's Walk and Talk will be an afternoon sensory walk. We want you to get outside, enjoy nature, and look, listen, smell and touch the world around you.
We hope you have a fun time visiting the beach with us!
Love,
The Bells Mill Kindergarten Team
It's almost the Fourth of July! We hope you were able to do some of the activities we included in last week's learning ideas. Are you keeping up with the countdown using your calendars? If you didn't print them, the countdown calendars are in Week 1.
This week we are taking a trip to the beach! We will think about rhyming words, read a poem about the beach, make and extend patterns, and will learn to write your name the kindergarten way! You will talk and draw about the beach with someone in your family. In kindergarten, we learn about people and the jobs they do. This week we will learn about Jean Michel Cousteau and his job as an under the sea explorer. You can click on links to see what Jean Michel does as he explores under the sea. You will meet some creatures who live in the oceans and learn about their habitat. Of course we want you to keep moving this summer, so we also have suggestions for a summer Walk and Talk for you and your family. This week's Walk and Talk will be an afternoon sensory walk. We want you to get outside, enjoy nature, and look, listen, smell and touch the world around you.
We hope you have a fun time visiting the beach with us!
Love,
The Bells Mill Kindergarten Team
Rhyming Words
Before children can understand written language, they need to have a strong understanding of spoken language. Children need to actively explore and experiment with language in order to learn about the sounds of language. This week your child will listen to/read a poem about the beach, be working with rhyming words, and draw and talk about the beach. Words that rhyme sound the same at the end. Let's think of some beach words we can rhyme. Say each word and think of other words that end the same. Remember the end part of the word stays the same and the beginning sound changes. So if I say sand, I could rhyme the word band with it. Now it's your turn to try. How many words can you think of that rhyme with each word? sand fish boat sun If you have a beach ball, or any kind of ball, you can practice saying the rhyming words quickly with a partner or small group. Decide on a word to rhyme then toss the ball to your partner, or someone in the group and they have to say a word that rhymes with it and toss the ball to another player and add a rhyme. Let's Read Together!This week's poem is about coming home from the beach. Think about a trip you took to the beach. Make a movie in your head and think about how you felt when you were packing up to go home. Was your bathing suit wet? Was your hair wet? Did you have sand in your shoes when you were walking back to your car or to where you were staying? As you read this poem with someone in your family, make a little movie in your head. Read the poem a second time, but this time act it out. Pretend to take off your socks and shoes and use your body to show sand all around.
Families, Please print out the poem so your child can watch you point to the words as your read. This will help them learn about how print works and what their eyes need to do as they read. After reading the poem a couple times and understanding it, go back and read each section and find rhyming words.
Let's Make PatternsA pattern is a series of items that repeat. In kindergarten, we work on creating patterns and extending them. This week's learning activity will give your child a chance to work with a basic patterning task.
Patterns are a group of objects that repeat. Print out the beach pattern sheet and cut out the picture cards. You may color them if you like. Look at the example of a pattern and a non-pattern. Do you seen a repeating pattern on this webpage? Look around your house for things that have patterns that repeat on them. Now it's your turn to make your own pattern. Use the pattern cards to create your own pattern. Use two or three different things in your pattern.
In kindergarten, students learn to write their name beginning with a capital letter and use lower case letters for the remaining letters. So instead of writing "SANDY" in kindergarten we write "Sandy." You may want to use unlined paper with your child. If your child is showing better fine motor control, you may use the "I Can Write My Name" paper in the resource section. This paper simply has a line your child should use to make their letters sit upon.
In kindergarten we write our name the kindergarten way! We start with an upper case letter and use lower case letters for the remaining letters. Practice writing your name this way. Ask someone in your family to carefully print your first name on a card so you can copy it. Tell them to write it the "kindergarten way" so you can practice writing it correctly.
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Riddle Corner Why do sharks swim in salt water? Scroll to the bottom to find the answer! Talk and Draw
The following questions can be used to help your child get started in drawing a picture of the beach. Helping children think before they start is important because it helps them organize their thinking. Talking through what they would experience at the beach will help them think of important details to put in their picture. Think about a trip to the beach. What would you expect to see there? What would it feel like? Would you hear any special sounds at the beach you don't hear at home? What does the beach smell like? What colors would you most likely see a lot at the beach? What would you see people doing at the beach? Do all beaches look the same? Below in the slide show "Beaches" you will find different beaches around the world. beaches. Look at the photographs. What do you see that is the same in the pictures? What do you notice that is different? Now get started on your picture. Be sure to put the things you thought about in your picture. Remember, pictures tell a story and provide information. Your picture should show what you know about the beach! Walk and TalkTime to get up and get moving. Get outside and soak up some of that summer sun! Be sure to go on your walk with a grown-up! Don't forget a hat, sun screen and sunglasses. In kindergarten we learn about different times of the day in math. We learn about morning, afternoon and evening. This week let's take an afternoon walk. You can walk around your neighborhood or visit a local park. Different times of the day have different things to see, hear, feel, smell and maybe taste. Afternoon is a special time of day. On your walk you probably won't do any tasting, but you should be using your other senses. Use your eyes to look all around you. Be sure to check out the sky. Where is the sun today in the sky? What does the sky look like in the afternoon? Be sure to look low, medium and high on your walk. Take time to just stop and listen from time to time on your walk. What sounds do you hear that are from nature? What other sounds do you hear?
Beach Read Aloud
Listen to the story, A Beach Trail, to find out what Gregory saw on the beach. Draw a picture with Gregory in it to show something he found on the beach.
More Books About the BeachNon-fiction: Ocean Life (Visual Explorers Series), Toby Reynolds National Geographic Reader: At the Beach, Shira Evans Backpack Explorer: Beach Walk, Editors of Storey Publishing Fiction: Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach, Melanie Watt Sally Goes to the Beach by Stephen Huneck I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry Hello Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan All You Need for a Beach by Alice Schertle Pete the Cat: Pet at the Beach, James Dean Fancy Nancy: Sand Castles and Sand Palaces, Jane O'Connor If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't!, Elise Parsley Seashells by the Seashore, Marianne Berkes Pete the Cat: Scuba-Cat, James Dean Chex Beach TreatHere's a twist on the traditional Chex Mix that is perfect for the beach or a summer-time treat!
Riddle AnswerWhy do sharks swim in salt water?
Because pepper water makes them sneeze! |
Under the Sea with the
Jean Michel Cousteau
Curiosity is essential in becoming a lifelong learning. The clips below are intended to give our young learners a glimpse into the undersea world and begin thinking about their habitat. These short clips provide an opportunity for you and your child to wonder and discuss what you see. As you talk with your child, you are developing their oral language skills. When we work with oral language, we are working with expanding vocabulary and speaking to be understood.
Jean Michel Cousteau is an undersea explorer. He dives in the sea and learns about ocean and the living things there. He makes documentaries, films that teach, to help people learn about life in the oceans and seas. He is also an environmentalist. An environmentalist is someone who works to preserve our environment. Jean Michel Cousteau is the son of another famous undersea explorer named Jacque Cousteau. Jacque Cousteau was one of the first people to film under the sea and his documentaries inspired others to learn more about life under the sea and how to preserve it. Below are links to some of the films Jean Michel Cousteau has made to teach others about sea creatures. They have beautiful pictures and music. Some of the film clips have text, words that need to be read, so please watch with someone who can help you read the words. Enjoy these film clips and learn more about life under the sea!
Check these out!
Jean Michel Finds Nemo
A seven minute film produced by
Pixar and Jean Michel Cousteau to teach children about keeping our oceans healthy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khXMuxFVE5A&t=6s
WhaleBallet
A short clip of a pod of humpback whales filmed in the waters of the Hawaiaan islands. A pod is a group of whales. As you watch, what words can you think of that describe how the whales move?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnU-6pZL3eY
Sunflower Sea Star
Did you know sea stars are predators? Predators are
wild animals that hunt other animals for food. Sea stars are also known as starfish. Watch this clip and learn about how sea stars hunt for their food.
What words can you think of that describe how the Sunflower Sea Star moves as it
hunts?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALaMoS_vvNE
Mata Mata Turtle
Watch as Jean Michel gets up close to a Mata Mata turtle. What do you think the turtle is thinking when
it looks at Jean Michel at the end of the film clip?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nOvZ63hANk
Pygmy Seahorse
Do you like to hide? The pygmy seahorse is just an inch long when it is full grown. It hides from its predators in the pink coral. When an animal hides from it's predators by blending in to its surroundings it is called camouflage. Look closely and see if you can spot the pygmy seahorse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDBV8vmBa18
In kindergarten, we learn about people and the jobs they do. Jean Michel Cousteau is an under the sea explorer. He also works to make documentaries to teach others about the oceans. Which job would you most like to do? An under the sea explorer or would you like to make movies and documentaries? Tell someone in your family which job you would like to have and why you prefer that job.
Want to learn more about Jacques Cousteau? Check out these great biographies! Biographies are non-fiction books that tell about a person.
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau, Jennifer Berne
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, by Dan Yaccarino
Jean Michel Cousteau is an undersea explorer. He dives in the sea and learns about ocean and the living things there. He makes documentaries, films that teach, to help people learn about life in the oceans and seas. He is also an environmentalist. An environmentalist is someone who works to preserve our environment. Jean Michel Cousteau is the son of another famous undersea explorer named Jacque Cousteau. Jacque Cousteau was one of the first people to film under the sea and his documentaries inspired others to learn more about life under the sea and how to preserve it. Below are links to some of the films Jean Michel Cousteau has made to teach others about sea creatures. They have beautiful pictures and music. Some of the film clips have text, words that need to be read, so please watch with someone who can help you read the words. Enjoy these film clips and learn more about life under the sea!
Check these out!
Jean Michel Finds Nemo
A seven minute film produced by
Pixar and Jean Michel Cousteau to teach children about keeping our oceans healthy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khXMuxFVE5A&t=6s
WhaleBallet
A short clip of a pod of humpback whales filmed in the waters of the Hawaiaan islands. A pod is a group of whales. As you watch, what words can you think of that describe how the whales move?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnU-6pZL3eY
Sunflower Sea Star
Did you know sea stars are predators? Predators are
wild animals that hunt other animals for food. Sea stars are also known as starfish. Watch this clip and learn about how sea stars hunt for their food.
What words can you think of that describe how the Sunflower Sea Star moves as it
hunts?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALaMoS_vvNE
Mata Mata Turtle
Watch as Jean Michel gets up close to a Mata Mata turtle. What do you think the turtle is thinking when
it looks at Jean Michel at the end of the film clip?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nOvZ63hANk
Pygmy Seahorse
Do you like to hide? The pygmy seahorse is just an inch long when it is full grown. It hides from its predators in the pink coral. When an animal hides from it's predators by blending in to its surroundings it is called camouflage. Look closely and see if you can spot the pygmy seahorse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDBV8vmBa18
In kindergarten, we learn about people and the jobs they do. Jean Michel Cousteau is an under the sea explorer. He also works to make documentaries to teach others about the oceans. Which job would you most like to do? An under the sea explorer or would you like to make movies and documentaries? Tell someone in your family which job you would like to have and why you prefer that job.
Want to learn more about Jacques Cousteau? Check out these great biographies! Biographies are non-fiction books that tell about a person.
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau, Jennifer Berne
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, by Dan Yaccarino