Monday - Reading
Today, Monkey created a giraffe out of the letter "G" to hang up on our alphabet wall. Creating a letter of the week is a great way for Monkey to practice some fine motor skills. I found this cute letter "G" giraffe at the Blessed Country Mom. I helped cut out the parts for this project, but Monkey assembled it all by himself. He really liked the giraffe, and I did too.
We hung up the giraffe above our alphabet board. This gives me the chance to talk to Monkey about big "G" and little "g", and show where this letter is found in the alphabet. Then, we moved onto reading books that featured the letter "g". These books are revisited throughout the week. When we read other books, I make sure to point out the letter "g" and talk about the sound letter "g" makes.
Because Monkey loves play dough, we enjoyed another day using the play dough letter cards from the website, makinglearningfun.com. I know I have shown these in all my previous posts, but I just can't help it! They work so well and helps Monkey learn how to make his letters. Plus, Monkey has fun using cookie cutters to cut out various shapes and letters.
Tuesday - Science
Since Spring is just right around the corner, I wanted to teach Monkey about how seeds grow. So today we made a greenhouse from a 2 liter pop bottle. Using a pair of scissors, I cut the pop bottle in half about 5 inches from the bottom. On the bottom half of the bottle, I cut slits about every inch. This makes it easier to fit the top part of the bottle onto the bottom part.
I had Monkey help me fill the bottom with dirt that I got from outside. Then, I helped him plant some seeds into the dirt. We poured some water into the dirt, and then placed the top half of the pop bottle onto the bottom part. It was fun teaching Monkey about greenhouses and how they work.
We finished the day by doing the "Discovery Bag". Monkey just loves this activity. This is a bag filled with objects that start with the letter "G". I labeled each word (for example: Green) so Monkey will learn to connect the letter "G" with the words that start with "G". He enjoys pulling out the items. I think next time, I am going to do something different since he is not as excited about this as before. I think a scavenger outside will be great now that it has finally warmed up.
Wednesday - Math
The funny thing about this activity is that Monkey had no previous knowledge of gumballs or gumball machines. But, the counting activity still worked! I found a great gumball machine printable off the website, makinglearningfun.com. Because I felt ambitious, I colored the gumball machines and numbered them 1 -10. I then helped Monkey practice associating the number with the correct amount of objects.
Then, I helped Monkey count the number of gumballs according to color. Monkey is getting better at his numbers which makes me happy. I wish he would speak more, but I know time (and some additional help from qualified professionals) will help with that.
Thursday - Art
I really can't wait until spring is here! I have been cooped inside far too long. So I decided to bring Spring inside my house by painting a garden with Monkey. I got 4 pieces of 12" x 12" white papers and taped them together. Then I cut 2 inch strips of construction paper and made some grass to glue on the bottom of the "canvas". I cut slits in the green paper, and even Monkey helped do it too! 
Monkey made hand print flowers by putting his hand in paint and stamping his hand over the paper. I even tried to get him to make purple butterflies. They didn't turn out as well since Monkey was more interested in stamping his hand print on the paper. Because Monkey is obsessed with blue paint, I had him paint the blue sky while I painted a sun and stems and leaves on the flowers. It was a lot of fun to paint together.
Friday - Physical Exercise
We didn't do anything special or creative today. We just went outside and enjoyed the warmer temperature. The snow has finally melted and our grass is visible. Monkey, Roo, and I just enjoyed walking around in our backyard. We live on 0.7 acres so playing in the backyard really is a workout! While we played outside, I made sure to talk to Monkey about "g" is for grass, garden, gate, and garage. It was fun talking about words that start with the letter "g" outside the house!
Saturday - Music
I'm still new to this whole home preschool concept so I'm still adapting. I have been doing songs on Music day, but Monkey doesn't really get into them. He loves to listen to music and watch music videos, but he won't sing with me. Monkey loves the StoryBots songs so we listen to them each week.
So I decided to teach music through a hands-on way by making a cardboard box guitar. And, it was a hit!! Monkey loved it and didn't want to set it down. The construction of the guitar ended up being a family project because my husband was way excited about the idea of it. I love the way it turned out.
Sunday - Religion
Sundays are fairly busy days for my family because of church, meetings, and visiting family. So I tend to do something that doesn't require tons of prior planning. Eventually, I will look up some fun activities and crafts to do that teach about the scriptures!
Anyways, today I taught Monkey about David and Goliath. This story is found in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. While reading a few scriptures and summarizing the story, I had Monkey look at a picture of David and Goliath from this gospel art book. I made sure to teach him that we can conquer any of our problems, "our Goliaths", when we put our trust in God.Then we watched The Animated Stories From The Bible - David and Goliath. These videos might be a little cheesy, but I love how they teach principles I want Monkey to learn. Plus, Monkey asks to watch them over other kid shows!!
Want more ideas on how to teach the alphabet? Check out these posts on the following letters:
Letter A
Letter B
Letter C
Letter D
Letter E
Letter F
And, I would love to hear how you teach your kiddos the alphabet! Please share your thoughts and experiences.
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