He Bear and She Bear

This week during large group we met my friends He Bear and She Bear.  We used He Bear and She Bear to help us learn how to use the pronouns he and she.  We talked about how He Bear is a boy and when we are talking about boys, we can use their name or we can use the word he.  We talked about how She Bear is a girl and when we are talking about girls, we can use their name or the word she.

We played the game "He Bear or She Bear What Should We Do?".  We took turns using He Bear or She Bear to tell the class what action we should do.  We worked on asking questions, answering questions and using pronouns in sentences.  After we did the action He Bear or She Bear told us to do, we told the class what he or she did for example, "He clapped his hands" or "She turned around 3 times".

To practice the "b" sound, or the bouncy sound, we sang the song Bubblegum.  We sang the song fast and we sang the song slow.

You can practice using pronouns in sentences at home by looking at pictures in books and describing what is happening by using the words "he and she" in sentences.

Build A Bear

This week for Large Group, we talked about body parts.  We named some of the parts of our bodies.  We pointed to our eyes, nose, mouth, ears, legs, arms, hands and feet.  We talked about all the things our bodies can do.  We counted how many fingers and toes we have.  We even learned about our elbows, ankles, knees, shoulders, back, neck, chin and wrists.  We played a game to help our friend Brown Bear find his body parts.  We used some dice to help us decide which body part Brown Bear needed next.

We took turns building Brown Bear.  When we were finished, Brown Bear had all of his parts so he could run, hear, talk, smell, play and dance!

We sang the song Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and pointed to each as we sang.  We also sang the Bye Bye Song which helped us practice putting two words that start with the "b" sound together.

You can work on body parts at home by asking your child to identify and name their body parts.  You can play a game where you take turns using parts of your bodies to do an action (march with your feet, wave with your arms, clap with your hands).

Where Are You Brown Bear?

This week for large group we sang the Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? song.  We used the pictures from the book to help us remember what to say as we sang along with the song.  You can download this song to sing at home by searching Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?  on iTunes.

Our friend Brown Bear came back to visit our class.  Brown Bear likes to hide and we had to use our eyes to look for him. We took turns finding Brown Bear.  We practiced saying "wh" questions by asking, "Where are you Brown Bear?" when it was our turn to find him.

Some of our friends that have a hard time putting words together used the Big Mac switch to help them say, "Where are you Brown Bear?"  Everyone wanted a turn to push the Big Mac switch.

We practiced using prepositions by telling the class where we found Brown Bear.  Brown Bear is good at hiding.  We found him under chairs, under tables, next to bookcases, in boxes, in drawers, hanging on the whiteboard, on buckets, behind teachers and even in the marble tree!!

You can practice using "wh" questions and prepositions at home too by hiding a favorite stuffed animal at home and looking for it. 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

This week in large group, I introduced my preschool friends to my friend Brown Bear.  Brown Bear starts with the "b" sound that we have been practicing this month.  We read the story Brown  Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?.  We talked about the different animals that Brown Bear saw and we talked about what they looked like.  We practiced answering "wh" questions and putting two words together as the kids told me that Brown Bear saw a "red bird", a "yellow duck" or a "purple horse".  We also worked on our prediction skills as we tried to predict what animal Brown Bear would see next and we practiced recognizing our colors.
  

After we read through the story the first time, we read it again and the students helped me answer the question of what each animal saw.  We used a GoTalk to help some of us that have a hard time putting two words together.

We had a lot of fun reading and talking about Brown Bear and all of his animal friends.
You can read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? at home and talk about it too.  If you don't have it you could check it out from the local library or you can watch a reading of it on YouTube just search Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See read aloud.

After we read the story, we practiced saying the "b" or bouncing sound.  We thought of words that start with that sound and we sang the song Bouncy, Bouncy, Bouncy.  We learned how to use our hands for sign language for the words "stop" and "wait".  Ask your child to teach you the Bouncy, Bouncy, Bouncy song.

Bouncing Sound "B"

This month we are working on the "b" sound or the bouncing sound.  We will be practicing saying this sound by itself, in words and in sentences.  When we practice saying the "b" or bouncing sound in preschool, we move our hands like we are bouncing a ball.  We will be singing lots of songs to help us practice the "b" sound.  Some of the songs are; Bouncy  Bouncy Bouncy,  Bus Bike and Boat, Bubblegum, Bye Bye, Baby Fish and Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee.  When we sing the songs in preschool, we also use our hands to sign some of the words and our bodies to act out some of the words.  

Some activities you can do at home that will give your child many opportunities to practice using the "b" sound are:

-Play with stuffed animals or dolls and have your child say "bye" to each animal or baby.

-Set up a play store by finding objects around home you can "sell".  Ask your child to shop by saying "buy" for each item he or she chooses.

-Roll or toss a ball to your child.  Have him or her say "ball" as they catch it and again as they toss it or roll it back.

-Play toy cars or trucks with your child.  Encourage him or her to say "beep" every time your vehicle gets in the way of his or her car or truck.

-Read the story Goldilocks and The Three Bears or read the book The Wheels on the Bus.  While you are reading talk about what you see, ask your child what he or she thinks will happen as they look at the pictures.  Name the things you see in the pictures emphasizing the "b" sound.