The focus of the week was on our routines and getting to know each other. The kids did a great job following our visual schedule, with verbal time warnings and timers set. We practiced lining up and crossing the street as a group, and how to set the table and clear it after eating. With that being said, those are only a sample sized amount of routines we go through in a day. The returnees have been wonderful helpers!
Our morning meeting routine involved us playing group games, following the actions to movement songs, reading storybooks, and working on activities to practice identifying and matching letters in our names. Some of the games we played were Simon Says, Freeze Dance (You freeze when the music stops.), and Through the Hoop (Without letting go of each other’s hands we had to get the hula hoop to go around the circle). These games are great for listening skills, communication skills, gross motor movement and teamwork. This week’s names activities included matching letters to their names using Velcro letters and corresponding clothespin letters, using a Bingo dapper to dot along the lines of their names, and using their little fingers to tear and glue paper on their letters. A couple of our favourite books read this week were Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean, and Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? by Eric Carle.
Throughout the weeks our morning meeting routine may also involve the weather, counting days on the calendar, special leader activities, letter learning, fine motor activities, and theme learning. There is a lot to look forward to!
We also spent plenty of time outdoors. We are out now, while we are so fortunate to have nice weather! We went to multiple parks, took Bella dog through the field, climbed trees and kicked soccer balls around. The nice days offered us the opportunity to take some of our afternoon activities into the backyard as well. Our afternoon activities included baking, painting rocks, shaving cream + paint butterflies, and baking soda and vinegar experimenting.