Speechy Sunday: Activities for Karma Wilson's Bear Books

Don't all you teachers and SLPs (and parents/aunts/grandparents!) just love Karma Wilson's wonderful "Bear" books?  She has written so many lovely rhyming books about Bear and his friends (the raven, the wren, the mouse, the hare, the mole, etc.).  My favorite of her books is "Bear Snores On," which is about a hibernating bear whose friends come by while he is sleeping and basically have a potluck party in his cave, and the craziness that ensues when he wakes up!  It's a great little book, and my daughter Flannery has loved it from the time she was 1 1/2, and she still enjoys it (and she's almost 6 now!).

I love these books because they typically include some wonderful more challenging vocabulary for young children (ex:  cuddle, heap, howl, flutter), and the books are usually very sweet stories about a group of animal friends being kind to one another in different ways.

But best of all, I just discovered that Karma Wilson has some free teaching materials and ideas for how to tie her book into other activities throughout the school day.  She lists some really great activities such as an imaginary potluck, a glitter activity to help children learn about how germs are spread, a seasons coloring page featuring Bear, and many more cute ideas.

Check them out, and let me know how it goes if you end up using them with your own students or kiddos!



What resource have you just discovered that you're excited to use or share?

Flanna's First Day of School

Flannery started school this month.  We were soooo lucky that she got into a wonderful preK just minutes from home and my work, AND it's the one so many of my friends had recommended to me. 

Flannery seems to like it.  At her old montessori school, they called all of the toys and manipulatives "works," and so the other day when I asked her how her new school was different than her old montessori, she said,

"Well, this new school doesn't have any works...it's all just toys, and we don't do any work...we just play!"

A lot of parents would freak out at this news. 

But I want her to love school and enjoy learning and not to think of school as work for as long as possible. 

So, more power to the toys!


What do you remember enjoying about your preschool experience?  I remember building with those large wooden blocks for hours on end, and cracking pecans on the back steps of the preschool during recess.  Such peaceful little moments of learning. 





 

Functional Writing Activities for Preschoolers

The more I read about the development of oral and written language, the more I am convinced that there must be a function, or a use, for all of our learning activities with children.  Some way to tie the activity to real life so that it's meaningful for children and motivating for them to participate with us.

Before we moved from Durham, I had a few things to finish up at work, and I brought Flannery with me to the office.  I was bustling around making copies, filing documents, and checking off my to-do list, and talking through my list with Flannery, when she asked if she could make me a to-do list.  I grabbed a pen and a post-it for her, and here's what she wrote for me, all on her own.

It was such a meaningful activity, tied to what was happening in our life.   Her writing had a function and really meant something to her.  That's what early writing activities should be like.  Not worksheets focused on letter formation.  There's a time and a place for handwriting practice, but we're just going to turn our preschoolers off to writing if we focus too much on form rather than meaning at this age.

Another neat activity Flannery did was to create her own scavenger hunt for us.  We came home from work one day, and her Grammie said that she had created a scavenger hunt for us to follow.  Here are the clues she left for us.


The scavenger hunt activity was incredibly motivating for her, and she's returned to it several times since.  It's so exciting to see her invented spelling taking shape, and the beginning of little sentences.   She also helps me make lists for grocery shopping, appointment reminders, and wish lists for her birthday (yes, already, even though it's not for 4 more months!).  I love that she's already using little transition words like "then," "when," and "now," and how complex her little sentences are.

Follow the squares

When you see mom's room go in there.

Now turn to the hall way

Now you have to go to Flannery's room

Now go to my bed. 

Now go to my shelf.

Now go to the closet. 

Take it out then find this.  (We found a treasure box with necklaces and gemstones!)

How have you supported children's written language development?

Create Name Songs to Teach Preschoolers Spelling of First Names

Has anyone else created a song to help your child learn to spell her name?

I thought that I was soooo creative for coming up with this idea.  And then I mentioned it to my friend, Lisa, and it turns out that she had come up with individual name songs for all three of her kids, to help them spell their names, too!

Aren't we both just brilliant?  And you can be brilliant, too!  Here's how:

First, you try to sing your child's name letter by letter, trying a variety of different tunes.  You can add in lines such as, "That's how you spell _____."  I think it's harder for very short or very long names, but here are some suggestions of good songs to try:


When the Saints Go Marching In - good for 4 letter names, you can just repeat the spelling a few times:
Oh my name's John.
J - O - H - N
Oh my name's John,
J-O-H-N.
Oh, yeah, my name is easy to spell.
John is spelled J-O-H-N


My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean:  good for 5 letter names; For example:
My name is spelled E - L- L -I - S.
My na-ame is easy, you see.
My name is spelled E- L- L- I- S.
Now, spe-eell my name with me.


The Farmer in the Dell - best for 6 letter names:
A -M- A- N- D- A,
A- M- A- N- D- A,
That's how you spell my name,
A- M- A- N- D- A.


Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - good for 7 letter names:
M-A-D-I-S-O-N
That spells Madison.
M-A-D-I-S-O-N
Madison, yes, Madison.
M-A-D-I-S-O-N
That's how you spell Madison.


Row, Row, Row Your Boat - good for 8 letter names
F-L-A-N-N
E-R-Y
That is how you spe-ell
Fla-an-nery


 Good luck!  (And, I'd love to hear how your song turned out!)




What mnemonic device do you still remember from school?

Does it Sink or Float? A PreK Science Vocabulary Activity

I was visiting a local scrap-shop last weekend, The Scrap Exchange, when my daughter and I found some cool corks in one of the bins.  She seemed to like the smooth and light feel of them.  As she was  holding one in each hand like tiny weights, I told her, "The cool thing about corks is that they float in water!" 

So, of course, we just had to buy a few (for 3 cents each, how could I pass them up?).  And of course, right when we arrived home, we just had to make them float in some water.  And then, of course, we just had to collect some other little objects to see whether they float or sink.  And then, of course, we just had to make a graphic organizer (Okay, so I might've initiated that step...) to show the results of what sinks, what floats, and what sinkish-floats (Flanna made up the last category name, if you didn't already guess that!).

My husband pointed out that it wasn't just weight that determined what sinks versus what floats.  It has to do with which objects don't break the surface tension of the water, and their density or something like that.  (I'll have to do some research before I teach that part of the lesson!)  But for now, I was happy with the idea of teaching some science vocabulary:  sink, float, heavy, light, above water, under water, and with helping Flanna learn to observe things carefully and record our process and results.  The idea of making knowledge more visual (with graphic organizers) and helping kids organize what they learn is one that I'm always thinking about with my students, and with Flanna, too. 




What science experiment or project do you remember enjoying from when you were a kid? 


By the way, HOORAY!  Just when I was overthinking and making myself crazy about job stuff, I got a fantastic job offer, and accepted it!  Starting this summer, I'm going to be a baby language/literacy guru!  More on that later!  And, YAY!

Cereal Can Make You Happy

Every once in a while, I'm trying to post interviews with amazing and insightful people who inspire me! Today's focus is Katie.

Katie was the assistant principal at a school where I used to work. (She’s now the principal there---yay, Katie!) I always remember that school, and that job in particular, as a happiness oasis in my past work experiences. And a big part of that was due to Katie. She always had a smile and a laugh ready, and she took the time to ask her teachers and staff about their lives, and to share in their joys and concerns. I was thrilled that, even with her busy life as a principal and mom of two, she found time to do a happiness interview! Here are her answers to my happiness questions:

1. What's something small that you do regularly that makes you happy or cheers you up?

Lately I have eaten a LOT of Chocolatey Delight Special K– yum! [By the way, that really is Chocolatey Delight Special K in the photo! Don't you want some now?] Of course, I don’t want to feed happiness, or I will be a blimp. Being in my husband’s arms or spending time with my daughters is the best pick me up around. God has blessed me with a beautiful family, and for that I am thankful. Often, I call my husband and just ask him to talk for just a minute or two. Just the sound of his voice helps. Jumping on the trampoline is a silly pick me up. Going into our Pre-K or special needs preschool classes is a pick me up. Oh, and I forgot to mention puppy kisses. They are the greatest!

2. What would you like for your children to know about happiness?

I try to stress all the time that although we may not have lots of money, we are so rich -– we are happy and healthy. Happiness is the most important thing to hope for in life. Strive for happiness, and your life will be good. Of course, there will always be sadness in life, but maybe that helps us to recognize the happiness that much more.

3. What do you do to keep yourself and your family happy amidst life's struggles?

We spend time together in a variety of silly ways. We always kiss goodbye, always give a happy hello, take deep breaths. I just try to keep putting life in perspective -– and to remember that there is nothing more important than family.

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I agree that chocolate, preschoolers, puppies, and hugs from my husband and daughter are really the best pleasures in life! I also love that Katie said that one of the things she does to keep her family happy is to be silly. I think we often discount the whole idea of being silly with the ones we love, and it’s a really important part of family happiness!



What are your favorite silly family memories from when you were a kid?

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On an unrelated, but totally amazing, sidenote, I just stumbled upon the blog of a young mom who had a traumatic brain injury, as well as her mom's blog documenting the ordeal, the recovery, and the miracles along the way. Talk about finding happiness amidst crippling struggles. This family shares the horror, the hope, and everything in between. I stayed up until after midnight reading this story, and am inspired and humbled by it.