Who Stole the Baby From the Baby Bed

This week for Large Group, we continued to work on recognizing and using our names and our classmate's names.  We also worked on saying the "B" sound in words and phrases and answering yes/no and "wh" questions.

We sang the song Baby Blowing Bubbles.  We learned some actions to do with our hands while we sing the song.

We played the game Who Stole the Baby From the Baby Bed.  Teacher Heidi told us that when she came to school today, she noticed that someone had stolen her baby from the baby bed.  We played a game where we closed our eyes and teacher Heidi hid the baby behind one of us and when we opened our eyes, we guessed who stole the baby.  We taps our knees to the beat while we chanted...

"Who stole the baby from the baby bed?"

We took turns guess who we thought was hiding the baby.  If we couldn't say the name of our classmate or if we forgot, we used our picture board with our class pictures on it and pointed to the person we thought might have the baby.  We then tapped our knees to the beat while we chanted...

"Heidi stole the baby from the baby bed."

If we had the baby, we would say "Yes, I have the baby."  If we didn't have the baby, we would say "No, I don't have the baby."  We had a lot of fun guessing who had the baby and at the end of the activity, we finally returned the baby to her bed so she could take her nap.

You can work on asking and answering questions at home by playing the game or a variation of it with your child.  You can also work on answering "wh" and "yes/no" questions by asking your child questions about things they see while on walks, at the store or in pictures when reading books. 

Bumblebee Bumblebee Will You Say Your Name to Me?

Last week in Large Group, since it's a new school year, we worked on learning our names and our classmate's names.  We also worked on saying the "B" sound in words and phrases.  We sang the song Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee.  

Teacher Heidi brought a stuffed bumblebee to class and we all took turns holding the bumblebee.  When it was our turn to hold him, the rest of the class patted their knees to the beat and chanted, 

"Bumblebee, Bumblebee will you say your name to me?"

We then told the class what our name was.

We played another name game where we were able to get up and move.  We also took turns choosing how the rest of the class would move.  We sang a song to the tune of If You Are Happy and You Know It, but we used the following words....

If your name is Heidi clap your hands.

If your name is Heidi clap your hands.

If your name is Heidi.

If your name is Heidi.

 If your name is Heidi, clap your hands.

We were given opportunities to choose who in the class we were going to sing about and what action we were going to do.  If we couldn't say or remember the name of our classmate, Teacher Heidi let us point to a picture.  Since we are just learning, we have pictures of all of our friends on a board so we can choose if we forget a name.  We chose to clap, march, twirl, shrug our shoulders, wiggle, run in place, blink our eyes and touch our toes.  

It was fun being able to move our bodies while learning the names of our friends in class. 

You can work on the "B" sound at home by singing the song Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee. Have your child show you the actions we use when singing this song.  Try not to get stung!!

You can also help your child learn to recognize and say his name by playing a "Simon Says" game at home with siblings or friends.  Ask a specific child to do an action by saying..."Simon Says Heidi should touch her nose."  You can also have your child be Simon and use the names of siblings or friends to tell them to do an action. 

"B" The Bouncing Sound

The Bouncing Sound

"B" is the Bouncing Sound

This month we are going to be working on the "B" sound or the bouncing sound.  We have practiced saying the "B" sound while moving our arms like bouncing a ball, while moving our knees bouncing up and down and while jumping up and down.  

We have talked about different objects that start with the "B" sound and practiced saying them.  We are going to play some games this month that help us practice saying the "B" sound in words and phrases.  We are also going to sing some songs with the "B" sound in them like, Baby Blowing Bubbles ,  Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee and Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy. 

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.

Hi Friend

This week for Large Group, we talked about the "H" or panting dog sound.  We looked at different objects that start with the "H" sound and practiced saying the names of them.  We practiced saying the word hippo, horse, house, hat, helmet, hanger and hi.

We sand the Hi Song where we sang about saying "hi" to different objects.

We went around the circle and said our names and when we did, our friends said "hi" to us.  

We played a game where we said the name of a classmate and then rolled a ball to them and then they said the name of someone else and rolled the ball to them.  Everyone got a chance to catch and roll the ball.

We sang and danced to the song, Hello Neighbor.  When we were singing this song, we turned to our neighbor, or the person NEXT TO us and greeted them, gave them a fist bump and then turned around.  We learned that the word neighbor can mean someone next to you.  We pointed to who was next to us and said their name.  

You can practice this at home by saying "hi" to things or people you see.  You can also work on the concept next to by having your child put things next to them or identify what is next to them.

"H" The Panting Dog Sound

 

For the month of May, we are going to be talking about, singing about and practicing saying the "H" or panting dog sound.

 In order to produce this sound, you just have to open your mouth and breathe!!  This sound is unvoiced, which means what you hear comes from the movement of air through your throat and mouth.

To practice this sound at home, you can do any of the activities listed below:

-Go on a walk and say "hi" to objects, people and animals you see.

-Pretend to be bunnies and hop across a room or the yard. Say "hop" each time you hop.

-Pretend to cook something with your child and talk about the food being "hot".

-During a game or activity where your child needs assistance, model using the word "help".

Pete the Cat and His Shoes

This week in Large Group, we met Pete the Cat.  We read and talked about the story, Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin.  In the story, Pete loves his white shoes, but as he walks along, he steps in different things like strawberries and blueberries that turn his shoes different colors.  

When we saw the things that Pete stepped in, we made a prediction about what color we thought his shoes would be.  We also used our words to help sing Pete's song about how much he loved his shoes.  

We talked about our shoes.  We talked about how some of us had on boots, some had on sandals and some had on tennis shoes.  We talked about what colors we saw in our shoes too.

We played a game where Pete the Cat told us to do different things.  We got to take turns holding Pete while he whispered to us what we should do.  We practiced saying, "SHHH listen to Pete the Cat.  Turn around, 3 times just like that."  Pete had us turn around, fly like birds, do jumping jacks, touch our toes, clap our hands, jump and march.  

You can read Pete the Cat at home and sing Pete's song about his shoes too.  Click below for a reading of Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes.

Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes