Black Color Bags!

Please help your child find one or two things around your home that are BLACK that they can put in their bag and bring to school by May 12th.

Here is the song we are learning in class and practicing each week for the month of May:

Mike and the Bike

In Class:
This week in class we read:


We targeted final /k/ again. This book also has a lot of rhyming in it. We used this opportunity to talk about bike safety as well. If your kids came home telling you "$17 at Walmart!" that's because I told them that I bought my son a helmet at Walmart for that price.

Home Activity:
Print this page and cut out the pictures. Glue the target words (sock, cake, rake, book, lock, fork) to the back of the bike cards. Lay the cards with the bike face up to make a matching game. Choose two cards per turn. If you don't get a match, say each target word 3 times. If you get a match, say the match target word 10 times!! Make sure to remind your kiddos to get their tongue back and make a good /k/ sound.

My Truck is Stuck!

In Class:
This week in class we read My Truck is Stuck!


This book is great for targeting s blends as well as final k, and many kiddos are working on both of those! It can be hard to find in libraries, but Walmart does carry it online.

We played with trucks in a sensory bin full of rice so we could make them get "stuck!" You could also do this at home with rice, beans, sand, etc.

At Home:
Print out the trucks (preferably on cardstock) and color them. You can put them in your sensory bin if you make one, or drive them on the road provided or around the house. Have them get stuck and say "My truck is stuck!!!!" Make sure your kiddos get their good /k/ sounds (remind them to get their tongue back) and s blend (show them the snake motion). Have fun getting stuck!

The Grumpy Dump Truck

In Class:
This week in class we read The Grumpy Dump Truck! (My APPLE class read My Truck is Stuck, we will be reading the Grumpy Dump Truck in a few weeks)


This book can be kind of hard to find, but some libraries have it. Walmart also has it. We read it to find out why the dump truck was so grumpy. We talked about things that make us grumpy, and what we do to feel better.

At Home:
Print off a copy of the dump truck. Color it in and make it your own! Is it grumpy or happy?? Print and cut out the target word pictures. Glue the pictures inside (or around) the dump truck. Say each word 5 times, and then say a sentence about each word, before gluing it on. Once they are all in the dump truck, make up a story about all the items in your dump truck!

Fish Out of Water

In Class:
This week in class we read Fish Out of Water!


This is an OOOOLD book that came out in the 60's. It is so cute, and the kids absolutely loved it! We talked about why the fish kept growing and predicted what the boy could do as Otto got bigger and bigger. We practiced the /sh/ sound while reading the story.

At Home:
Print off two copies of this large fish, preferably on cardstock. Glue, staple or tape along the edges but leave an opening at the top, big enough to fit the target word cards in. Print off the target words and cut them out. As you practice the target words (at the word, sentence, or story level), put them inside the fish when you're done. Have fun!!

Purple Color Bags!

Please help your child find one or two things around your home that are PURPLE that they can put in their bag and bring to school by April 14th.

Here is the song we are learning in class and practicing each week for the month of April:

Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea!

In Class:
This week we read Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea!


We played in the "ocean" to see what we could find in the deep blue sea!




At Home:
Make an ocean of your own! Water, blue food coloring, and a little soap if you want some bubbles. Have your child help you find things to put in the sea. As you play, help them with their language skills. If they are at the labeling stage, have them label items they pull up. Sentences stage, have them say a sentence such as "I found a ____ in the sea!" To make this an articulation activity, have your child find things in the house that start with their speech sounds. Put them in the ocean and when you pull them up have them say each word 5 times. To make it a sentence level artic activity, add a carrier phrase like "I found a ____ swimming in the sea!"

Flotsam

In Class:
This week we read Flotsam!


This is an awesome wordless book and I got so much language out of the kids. We talked about each page and how you don't need words to read a story. They helped me tell the story by looking at the pictures. We talked about what we would take a picture of if we found the camera from the story.

In APPLE class, Miss Marcia brought us the supplies to make these awesome cupcake octopuses!


Home Activity:
Help your child use your phone or camera to take some pictures. Have them use their good language to describe what they captured in each photo. You can also use this as an articulation activity. Have your child take pictures of things that begin with their speech sound, then as you look through the pictures, have them say each word 5 times!

The Pout Pout Fish

In Class:
This week in class we read The Pout Pout Fish!


We practiced two sounds this week- initial P and final SH. This book is great for choral reading so the kids helped me read it and we got lots of practice with our sounds!

We played Let's Go Fishing during centers to get more individual speech time. It was a huge hit, and we've got some great fishermen in our classes!

Home Activity:
Print off the following page on cardstock if possible. You have a few options here! Do one, or all of them!

1. Print 2 copies, and cut out the fish and play matching or Go Fish.
2. Print 1 copy, cut out, and hide the fish around the room, Take turns finding the fish and practicing the word as you find them.
3. Print 1 copy, cut out, and attach a paper clip to the front of each fish. Use a magnet at the end of a pole as a fishing rod and once you catch a fish, practice the word!!

Green Color Bags!

Please help your child find one or two things around your home that are GREEN that they can put in their bag and bring to school by March 10. 

Here is the song we are learning in class and practicing each week for the month of March:

The Little Squeegy Bug

In Class:
This week in class we read The Little Squeegy Bug!


We practiced the /g/ sound like in the word buG. We talked about what kind of bug the squeegy bug is (a firefly, or lightning bug) and if the kids had ever seen a real one before.

In our APPLE class, Miss Marcia brought us the supplies to make squeegy bug snacks. They were delicious!!!

Home Activity:
See what kind of bugs you can find around your house. Use your good speech sounds to call them by their names (ex. lady bug, beetle, fly, etc.). If you are feeling really adventurous, you can give the bugs names! I like to name the first bug I find with an A name, the second a B name, third a C name and so on. This helps us practice lots of speech sounds, too :)

Dog Breath

In Class:
This week in class we read the book Dog Breath!


Just like Hally Tosis has stinky breath, we talked about other animals that have specific features that are unique to them!

• Kangaroos have pouches for their babies
• Skunks can spray when scared
• Pufferfish puff up and when feel threatened
• Porcupines have quills to protect them
• Octopus can squirt ink to help them escape danger without being seen
• Anglerfish live in the dark and have their own "flashlight"

Home Activity:

Find ten items in your house that have a scent. Decide if they are STINKY or NOT STINKY. Make sure that your child says their good /s/ blend word when saying "Stinky"! How many stinky items did you find? How many not stinky items?

My Daddy Snores!

In Class:
This week in class we read My Daddy Snores! We were practicing our /s/ blend words.


We mostly worked on our speech sounds in class this week. We played a version of the activity that you can make to play at home!

At Home:

SINGLE most important skill for your child??

The Benefits of Reading Aloud to Children (from Too Small to Fail)

Reading aloud to children from birth has many benefits for both parents and children—and can be great fun!  No matter how young, children can learn a lot when they are read to, and benefit a great deal from the cuddling and bonding that accompanies a reading session. In addition, the act of reading aloud to children is highly beneficial to both their vocabulary growth and in preparing them for school later on.

Even from birth, children are absorbing language by listening to their parents and caregivers talk, read and sing to them and others.  When parents and caregivers read to their children, they help instill a love of learning and language in their children that helps build self-esteem, confidence and curiosity. According to research by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reading has been found to be the “single most important skill” for a productive life.

Unfortunately, according to Read Aloud 15 MINUTES, only 48% of young children in the United States are read to each day. And studies have shown that as many as 10 million children struggle with basic reading in school.

Parents and caregivers can inspire a love of books in their young children by reading books together every day, in any language. And it doesn’t matter how young the child is; even newborn babies show interest and excitement when their parents read simple books to them as they cuddle or nurse them, or when parents describe the pictures in a book during a short play session. No matter the book—and no matter the age—children will learn to love reading if it means spending more time with loved ones.

Albert's Impossible Toothache

In Class:
This week in class we are reading Albert's Impossible Toothache!

We talked about the initial /t/ sound and practiced lots of words with this sound.

We talked about toothaches and other aches- tummy aches, head aches, toe aches, etc. If your child says someone bit their toe, its because of this silly book :)

Home Activity:
Print off the following pages. Cut out the words and help your child decide the things that are "good" for our teeth (edible) or "bad" for our teeth (not edible). Place them accordingly on the paper under the good or bad section. As you place each word, practice it 5 times for lots of good initial /t/ word practice!

Pink Color Bags!

You will be receiving this month's color bags in your child's backpack shortly. Please help your child find one or two things around your home that are PINK that they can put in their bag and bring to school by February 10. 

Here is the song we are learning in class and practicing each week for the month of February:

Big Dog, Little Dog

In Class:
This week in class we are discussing the /f/ sound, as well as opposites!!! We read Fred and Ted: Big Dog, Little Dog:


This book is so cute, and kids love the characters. It is a simple plot and a great way to learn opposites! Fred is BIG, Ted is small. Fred always has money, Ted never has money. Fred drives slow, Ted drives fast! The end has a fun solution to a problem, and the kids enjoyed that part the most, they said.

Home Activity:
Make up silly stories about Fred using these initial f words. For example, "Fred ate four fish" or "Fred sat on a fan"! The sillier the better. Help your child say their /f/ sound by cueing them to make the "fan sound" or to "bite your lip". Sometimes a mirror can help with placement if they are not getting it. If sentences are too hard, just practice each word individually. Write down a few of your stories and send them in to me (or comment below!) so I can see what you thought of! Have fun!

That's Good, That's Bad!

In Class:
This week in class we read That's Good, That's Bad!


We practiced the initial z sound and talked about what has happened when we have gone to the zoo!

In Apple class, Miss Marcia brought the cutest snacks. We made lions to eat!

Home Activity:

Find which words have the "good" or "bad" /s/ sound. In each box, one word is an s blend word, and the other is not. You can have your child circle the "good" s sound word, and then practice saying each word 10 times. Also, do this multiple times throughout the next week to get maximum practice! Use the words to make stories as well and make sure your kiddos use all their good snake sounds.

Animal Strike at the Zoo!

In Class:
This week in class we read Animal Strike at the Zoo! We focused on the /z/ sound.

We sang Old MacDonald Had A Zoo and talked about what we have seen at the zoo. Some children claimed to have seen some interesting things at the zoo.. but it kept class fun and exciting!

In the APPLE class, Miss Marcia helped us make a zoo snack! We got to pick what animal to put into our "cages" and then eat it all up :)

Home Activity:
Print off your keys. Color and cut them out. You can print them on cardstock to make them sturdy, and then put a hole in the top of each one and put it on a key ring or tie with string. As your child uses their keys like the zookeepers do, they can practice each initial /z/ word!

A Very Special Snowflake

In Class:
This week in class we read A Very Special Snowflake and practiced our /s/ blend words (s + another consonant like SNow SPoon SWing, etc)! Snowflake is hiding on different pages throughout the book, so we found where she was and described her using our best language and articulation skills!

We sang Little Snowflake by Super Simple Learning and had our snowflakes land on our heads, noses, and hands. 

For Snack in APPLE, we made snowflakes using marshmallows and stick pretzels! During centers we worked on individual language and speech sounds 

Home Activity:

Print (preferably on cardstock) and cut these s blend word cards out. You can choose black and white or color. Play Memory or Go Fish! When you get a match, say the word 5 times with your good /s/ blends!

White Color Bags!

You will be receiving this month's color bags in your child's backpack shortly. Please help your child find one or two things around your home that are WHITE that they can put in their bag and bring to school by January 13. 

 Here is the song we are learning in class and practicing each week for the month of January: