Sports Theme, Day 1

First, a little about us. We are 4 SAHM moms, we each take turns teaching in our homes. We teach 4 boys. We teach two weeks at a time, two days a week, for two hours each time. We met together and planned the themes that each of us wanted to teach. Then we assigned letters, numbers & shapes for each segment. There really is no rhyme or reason to my lessons. I try to follow the schedule that us four moms agree upon, but as for the actual material, I like to try new things each time. I get my ideas from the internet.

For music time, I put together a preschool CD that is divided into four parts. Each part lasts about 15 minutes. I use the same CD each time I teach. The kids love it, and since we only meet every six weeks, they don't get tired of doing the same thing over and over. I like it because I know that I have 15 minutes of each day already planned! They especially love "Goin' on a Bear Hunt" by Greg & Steve Kids in Action. We get out our pretend backpacks and put our pretend snacks inside (and don't forget the camera!), then we sling our pretend backbacks on and we're on our way. When using instruments, I try to have them follow the beat.

Theme: Sports

Letters: Mm & Qq

Numbers: 13, 14

Shape: Pentagon

Day 1

9:30-9:45 Circle Time

9:45-10:05 Letter Stations – Letter Mm (5 minutes each)
Sing the alphabet song. Introduce the letter of the week, Mm. Discuss what the lowercase and uppercase letter looks like, sound like and words that start with it. Do action words that start with the letter Mm- (pretend you’re using a) Mop, (act like a) monkey, (drink a glass of) milk, (putting on a pair of) mittens. (Thanks Cristi for the idea!)

Break into stations:

• Computer station: starfall.com “Letter M” only
• Worksheet station: Matching “M” words
• Chalkboard station: Tracing the letter Mm (you write Mm on the chalkboard and then have each child trace over the letter with chalk)

10:05-10:10 Lesson – Body Movement
Ask the children what sports they like to play or watch. Have them pretend they’re playing soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming, fishing, hiking, football, etc.
Talk about soccer
What are some of the rules? (No hands except for the goalie, you can use your feet or head)
What do you wear? (Jersey, shorts, cleats, long socks, shin guards) Show pictures from the picture book, Morgan Plays Soccer.

10:10-10:20 Reading
Morgan Plays Soccer by Anne Rockwell

10:20-10:35 Snack

10:35-10:45 Play Time
Soccer in the hall

10:45-11:00 Music
Goin’ on a Bear Hunt by Greg & Steve Kids in Action (action song)
Shoo Fly by Susan Salidor Come and Make a Circle (use instruments)
Jungle Gym by Jack Johnson Sing-a-longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George (use instruments, or creative dance using colorful scarves)
Tap your Toe and Follow Me by Susan Salidor (Action song)
The Wheels on the Bus by 101 Toddler Favorites (action song)

11:00-11:10 Math- Number 13
Have each child share their “13” of something (they had a homework assignment to find "13" of something and bring it to preschool)-practice counting

11:10-11:25 Art Activity

Print this soccer ball onto cardstock: http://www.lil-fingers.com/coloring/images/soccer.gif. Point out the pentagon shape on the soccer ball, have then squeeze glue onto the pentagons only. Then have them sprinkle glitter on the glue.

11:25-11:30 Closing
Read books on their own