Listed below are the objectives I am focusing on for the themed weeks. I have updated our objectives a second time because I felt like we were ready to focus on something new. I plan to continue to implement activities to practice and reinforce our previous objectives while putting more emphasis on our new objectives. Some of them won't necessarily be targeted with specific activities during our weeks, but I wanted to list them to help me remember to practice them continually. The highlighted objectives are ones Carter received exposure to during our theme this week:
- Continue to improve fine motor skills and drawing (specifically I'm looking for him to be able to copy a circle and a square as well as draw a person with 2-4 body parts).
- Understand same and different.
- Accurately tell stories as well as retell the story from a book.
- Use age appropriate scissors.
- Develop a better understanding of time (for example, be able to describe when things happen using morning, afternoon, night)
- Group objects based on a category (sort by defining feature).
- Count and understand what the numbers mean.
- Our Highlights magazines have games or books to tear out and make. I had saved one back called "Dinner at Paulina's". First I pulled out the cards and we identified what we saw and talked about the pictures. We discussed the before dinner and after dinner pictures, talking about how they were the same and how they were different. Then I had Carter match the cards that were alike. Next I made up a story about the pictures and showed Carter the pictures as I made up the story. Then we played memory but I only used 3 different pictures at a time to make it a bit easier. Carter did quite well and even won without me letting him win! When we were finished I asked Carter if he wanted to play again and he did not.
Matching the like pictures. 
Listening to a story I made up about the pictures. 
Playing Memory 
The cards we used to talk about same and different. - I put together a Thanksgiving sensory bin for Carter and Elise. My mom bought us some corn from the feed store by their house. We used that as the base and then I added feathers, pine cones, and some toilet paper turkeys we made. It was fun to fill the toilet paper roll with corn and then dump it out, unfortunately all of our turkeys lost at least one googly eye during their time in the sensory bin.
I put it together during naptime and Elise woke up first so she got to try it out first. 
- I also got out some craft feathers for Elise to have some sensory playtime. She absolutely loved them and would get so excited she'd straighten her legs all the way out and shake her arms around. We were playing with her sensory bin while Carter was napping and he woke up toward the end of our play. To include him and add a challenge, I pulled out a couple of empty wipe containers. I had Carter practice shoving the feathers in the wipe container and either reaching in to pull them back out or opening the lid to dump them out. I would put the feathers in Elise's wipe container so just part of it was hanging out and she could grab it and pull it out. As we played we said the color names of the feathers "to teach sissy" as Carter said.
Pulling a feather out of the wipe container. 
Stuffing feathers in the wipe container was Carter's favorite activity. 
- When it was time to put the feathers away at the end of the week I had Carter help me sort them. I had two different kinds of feathers, long skinny ones and shorter wider ones. He very easily sorted them with me. Then I asked him which color he thought we had the most of and he listed the colors in order of which he thought had the most to least. I grouped the colors and then we counted to see if he was correct. He did quite a good job of estimating just by looking at the pile. He correctly guessed which color we had the most of and which we had the least of. He just got a few of the middle colors out of order. I had planned to make patterns with our feathers, but got so wrapped up in estimating that I forgot to do it before we put them away and didn't feel it necessary to get them back out.
- We played a Thanksgiving version of hide and seek we called turkey and hunter. I figured we'd switch up rolls, but Carter wanted me to be the turkey the whole time. I put on one of our turkey stocking caps my mom made and would hide from him. When he found me I would gobble as I ran away. He thought it was hilarious!
- I used the same pictures of green beans, turkey, and pumpkin pie that we used last year. I had Carter sort them which was easy peasy. Then I asked him how the items were alike and how they were different. He didn't have much interest in the activity so I gave him quite a bit of support.
- We used the shape turkeys we made to play hide and seek. He hid the turkeys for me and then gave me clues so I could find them. Then I did the same for him. We did one round and he was over the game so we stopped.
- I had planned to make a thankful turkey with Carter like I had made in the past with my students. You make a turkey and then cut out feathers, write something you are thankful for on each one, and then glue them to the turkey. Then I saw Sarah's post about writing down something they were thankful for each day and I decided I wanted to do something like that. So I decided to make a thankful chain. Each morning Carter and I would get a strip of paper and write down something we were thankful for. Then we stapled the strips together to make a chain. When we had enough for a Christmas countdown I stapled them to a Christmas bell we used to use in class as a countdown. That way as we countdown to Christmas we can read what we wrote and be reminded to be thankful for all our gifts in life.
Writing his first thankful strip.
- I cut shapes out of construction paper to make shape turkeys. We then played Roll a Turkey to create the turkey. Carter was excited to use a die for the first time. He'd roll the die, we'd count how many dots were on the face that landed up and then take the corresponding part of the turkey's body
to make his turkey. I made enough materials to create 5 turkeys so we
could also sing "5 Little Turkeys" and use them as props, but Carter was
only interested in making one so I made the rest. As we put the turkeys together we talked about what shape each body part was. Carter was so funny because he wanted to add another wattle to the turkey. I told him he just needed one because turkeys only have one. Later he brought me Elise's turkey stocking cap to show me that the turkey on her hat had 2 wattles.
Counting dots on the die while playing Roll a Turkey. 
Carter's finished turkey. 
Game materials for Roll a Turkey. It's on chart paper because I used it in my classroom. - I saw an adorable footprint turkey somewhere online and knew it was the perfect Thanksgiving craft to do with the kids. Each kid made a brown footprint and then Carter helped me pick out which color feathers to glue to each turkey. They were so adorable!
- Using toilet paper rolls we created turkeys by adding an orange triangle beak, a red oval wattle, and two googly eyes. Then to get that practice with ripping paper in, we ripped different colors of paper into sections to glue on as feathers. When we were finished we added the turkeys to our sensory bin to play with.
Ripping some paper. 
Elise decided to rip paper too, but she used her mouth! We were working and I looked over to see her like this!
- We all enjoyed a delicious spread for Thanksgiving dinner. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, cranberries, corn, and dressing. Carter loved it all and even enjoyed cheering everyone with his glass as we ate. Elise, of course, was a fan as she is a BIG eater!
- While Carter was playing with his sensory bin he pretended to make food for a Thanksgiving dinner. He made corn bread and corn muffins.
Serving up his corn muffins.
- We used our 5 shape turkeys as props and I sang a version of "5 Little Ducks" that I made up.
5 little turkeys went out one day,
under the fence and far away.
Farmer Brown said,
Hey, hey, come back!
But only 4 little turkeys came back.
4 little turkeys went out one day,
under the fence and far away.
Farmer Brown said,
Hey, hey, come back!
But only 3 little turkeys came back.
Continues on until no turkeys come back...
1 little turkey went out one day,
under the fence and far away.
Farmer Brown said,
Hey, hey, come back!
But none of his 5 little turkeys came back.
Farmer Brown said,
What will I do?
It's Thanksgiving,
and I want food.
- We also used the turkeys to do this little rhyme I made up. I made it up on the fly and it came out a bit morbid, but what can you do. At least they ended up safe at the end!
5 little turkeys sitting at the farm.
The first one said, "Is there reason to be alarmed?"
The second one said, "Oh no, I wouldn't worry!"
The third one said, "Well, I'm getting out of here in a hurry!"
The fourth one said, "We are the favored Thanksgiving treat."
The fifth one said, "We do have delicious meat!"
They all went running away from the farm.
They wanted to be safe from any harm.
- Just like last year we sang and acted out a poem about turkeys. Carter thought it was hilarious to watch me act it out.
I have a turkey, big and fat.
He spreads his wings...
And walks like that.
His meal of corn he would not miss
And when he talks he sounds like this...
- We also enjoyed doing the Turkey Hokey Pokey again. I ended up doing it by myself with Carter watching because he decided he didn't want to do it, but he giggled the whole time I did it.
You put your right wing in.
You put your right wing out.
You put your right wing in ,
And you shake it all about.
You do the turkey pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.
Additional verses:
Left wing (arm bent as a wing)
Drumsticks (legs)
Stuffing (pushed out tummy)
Wattle (put fingers at chin to make the wattle)
Tail feathers (hiney)
Turkey body (whole self)
- I sang Carter a couple of songs I sang to him last year and I used to sing with my students in class.
On Thanksgiving Day
Sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb
Turkey is so good to eat,
Good to eat, good to eat,
Turkey is so good to eat,
On Thanksgiving day!
Friends and family gather round,
Gather round, gather round.
Friends and family gather round,
On Thanksgiving Day.
For all these blessings we give thanks,
We give thanks, we give thanks.
For all these blessings we give thanks,
On Thanksgiving Day.
I'm Thankful
Sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb
I'm thankful for my friends I have,
Friends I have, Friends I have,
I'm thankful for my friends I have,
and their families, too!
I'm thankful for my family,
Family, family.
I'm thankful for my family,
And my home, too! - Carter did the Turkey Day Fun Run. He did it last year as his first fun run and ran/walked the whole mile, loving it. This year he took off running and then sat down on the ground covering his ears. He ended up being carried most of the race, only running for a little bit twice, but he still enjoyed himself.
Carter ready for the Turkey Day Fun Run. - We also enjoyed a Thanksgiving-themed storytime at the library.
- Thanksgiving Is For Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
- Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
- Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by Justine Fontes
- Thanksgiving Mice! by Bethany Roberts
- Squirrel's Thanksgiving Surprise by Valerie Tripp
- The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin by Stan and Jan Berenstain
- Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano
- Arthur's Thanksgiving by Marc Brown
- Splat Says Thank You by Rob Scotton
- Gus, the Pilgrim Turkey by Teresa Bateman
- Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman
- The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli
- Biscuit Is Thankful by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
- Run, Turkey, Run by Diane Mayr
- The Firefighters' Thanksgiving by Maribeth Boelts
- All of Me! A Book of Thanks by Molly Bang
- I'm A Turkey! by Jim Arnosky
- In November by Cynthia Rylant
- Hide-and-Seek Turkeys by Judith Ross Enderle
- My First Thanksgiving by Tomie DePaola
- Look and Be Grateful by Tomie DePaola
- Thanksgiving by Robin Nelson
- Thanksgiving by Alice K. Flanagan
- Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson
- Who Will Carve the Turkey This Thanksgiving by Jerry Pallotta
- I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson
- Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit! by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
- Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George by Cynthia Platt
- One Is a Feast for a Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox
- 1, 2, 3 Thanksgiving by W. Nikola-Lisa
- Turk and Runt by Lisa Wheeler
- Too Many Turkeys by Linda White
You can tell Elise is excited by the feathers!
ReplyDeleteOh man, did she love them!
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