Patriotic Star Prints
Children make star prints in celebration of the upcoming holiday.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Creative Arts: shows curiosity, exploring a wide variety of art media through sensory experiences, uses a variety of materials in exploring and creating age-appropriate artwork, and chooses and participates in art activities, using different materials to create artwork.
Math: listens and responds to an adult counting; responds to question of wanting more, recognizes and matches some familiar shapes, expanding to shapes of different sizes and orientations; names attributes of shapes with adult support, and shows interest in auditory, visual, and tactile patterns.
Physical Development and Health: gains control of small muscles while learning to use art media (uses scissors to snip; paints with large paintbrushes, uses large crayons); uses fine motor muscles in a variety of ways (blows bubbles, clicking/clucking tongue, etc.).
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Star Song
Book: Stars (Shapes Books)
My Burger
Children sing a song about making a delicious burger.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Language/Literacy: listens and responds with interest to sounds and verbal communication of others; watches and responds to body language, gestures, and other forms of nonverbal communication, uses and imitates sounds, gestures, or signs to express needs and wants, and enjoys songs and rhymes and plays with sounds (imitates nonsense syllables, makes animal sounds, etc.).
Dual Language Learners: responds to gestures and simple directions in home and second language; begins to understand simple words in home and second language; listens with interest to picture books read aloud, follows one- and two-step oral directions in second language with adult support; gains meaning and responds to texts read aloud with adult and context clue support; gains meaning from conversations with others, and communicates with others in second language by expanding sentences using increased vocabulary; listens and responds to texts read aloud, answering more complex questions in second language with adult support.
Creative Arts: responds to and shows interest in musical sounds by turning head or moving body; explores vocal sounds through imitation, shows interest and participates in a wide variety of music and songs; sings some simple songs; explores volume, and moves and dances alone or with others; performs movements in songs and fingerplays.
Social-Emotional Development: responds differently to familiar and unfamiliar adults; engages in behaviors that build relationships with familiar adults; shows emotional connection and attachment to familiar adults, responds to and shows awareness of other children, and shows interest in other children; responds to other children.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Let’s Make a Burger
Video: Burger Recipe
Book: Burger Coloring Book
Mitt Sort
Children sort BBQ mitts.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Math: listens and responds to an adult counting; responds to question of wanting more, grows in rote counting; begins to understand concept of "one" and "two"; identifies more/less in sets, and becomes next in daily routines, familiar songs, simple patterns.
Approaches to Learning: exhibits interest, curiosity, and eagerness in exploring the world in sight of an adult; becomes increasingly aware of colors, shapes, patterns, or pictures, tries several strategies to solve a problem (tries forcing a puzzle piece in place, then turns it until it fits), remains attentive and engaged, finishes self-selected tasks (completes a simple puzzle, listens to a storybook), and recalls information in new situations; remembers where a toy was put away; knows where things are kept in their environment.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Mittens Colors
Book: Mittens
Ice Cream Stack
Children begin their ice cream project by painting their ice cream cutouts with foam dauber brushes.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Creative Arts: shows curiosity, exploring a wide variety of art media through sensory experiences, uses a variety of materials in exploring and creating age-appropriate artwork, and shows interest in own works of art and the works of others with prompting.
Math: explores sizes and shapes of objects with hands and mouth, explores shapes and objects and how they fit together, and recognizes and matches some familiar shapes, expanding to shapes of different sizes and orientations; names attributes of shapes with adult support.
Physical Development and Health: uses hands or feet to make contact with mouth, objects, or people, eventually using hands to grasp small objects between thumb and fingertips; transfers objects from one hand to another; claps, uses both hands to hold and manipulate objects (holds block and adds another block to top), and coordinates hand and eye movements and controls small muscles when doing simple tasks (uses tools for feeding, hammers pegs, uses large crayons for scribbling); uses fingers and hands to grasp and eat finger foods and drink from cups; uses tools for feeding; drinks with a straw.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: The Ice Cream Song
What a Treat
Children sing a song about foods and treats served at cookouts.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Language/Literacy: listens and responds with interest to sounds and verbal communication of others; watches and responds to body language, gestures, and other forms of nonverbal communication, begins making specific sounds, gestures, facial expressions to communicate, and continues to explore and play with sounds (extends and repeats phonemes [individual sounds in a word], mimics rhymes, etc.).
Dual Language Learners: responds to gestures and simple directions in home and second language; begins to understand simple words in home and second language; listens with interest to picture books read aloud, follows one- and two-step oral directions in second language with adult support; gains meaning and responds to texts read aloud with adult and context clue support; gains meaning from conversations with others, and begins to combine words from home and second languages to communicate needs and wants, and to participate in two-way conversations; responds to texts read aloud, songs, and rhymes, repeating simple words and phrases and answering simple questions as a sign of comprehension with adult support.
Social-Emotional Development: develops awareness of self as separate from others; reacts when hearing own name; begins to realize their own hands and feet belong to them; shows interest in mirror image, seeks familiar adults for cues about how to respond to environment for comfort and support; shows attachment to trusted adults, and accepts comforting from a familiar adult, eventually discovering ways to self-soothe (stuffed animal, thumb-sucking).
Creative Arts: responds to and shows interest in musical sounds by turning head or moving body; explores vocal sounds through imitation, shows interest and participates in a wide variety of music and songs; sings some simple songs; explores volume, and explores musical rhythms through movement, with and without instruments and props.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Good Foods
Video: Are You Hungry?
Book: Sweets & Treats
Eats and Treats Search and Find
Children review the theme with a fun search and find.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Language/Literacy: listens and responds with interest to sounds and verbal communication of others; watches and responds to body language, gestures, and other forms of nonverbal communication, uses and imitates sounds, gestures, or signs to express needs and wants, and demonstrates interest and involvement with books and other print materials; selects books to be read and chooses favorites; names items in pictures; recognizes books by their covers.
Dual Language Learners: responds to gestures and simple directions in home and second language; begins to understand simple words in home and second language; listens with interest to picture books read aloud, uses gestures, facial expressions, and single-word utterances to communicate needs and wants in home language, moving to second language; responds to rhymes and songs by repeating simple words or phrases, and begins to combine words from home and second languages to communicate needs and wants, and to participate in two-way conversations; responds to texts read aloud, songs, and rhymes, repeating simple words and phrases and answering simple questions as a sign of comprehension with adult support.
Approaches to Learning: exhibits interest, curiosity, and eagerness in exploring the world in sight of an adult; becomes increasingly aware of colors, shapes, patterns, or pictures, pays attention to people, objects, and sounds; tries to reproduce a desired outcome; cries to receive attention, and recalls information in new situations; remembers where a toy was put away; knows where things are kept in their environment.
Math: explores sizes and shapes of objects with hands and mouth, explores shapes and objects and how they fit together, and recognizes and matches some familiar shapes, expanding to shapes of different sizes and orientations; names attributes of shapes with adult support.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: It's Time to Eat
Video: Benefits of Vegetables
Book: My Magical Foods
Bounce 2023
Children read, make sounds, and explore assorted balls together.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Language/Literacy: listens and responds with interest to sounds and verbal communication of others; watches and responds to body language, gestures, and other forms of nonverbal communication, uses and imitates sounds, gestures, or signs to express needs and wants, and shows interest in songs, rhymes, and stories; explores books with mouth and hands; attends to colorful pictures and photos.
Dual Language Learners: responds to gestures and simple directions in home and second language; begins to understand simple words in home and second language; listens with interest to picture books read aloud, communicates with others in second language by expanding sentences using increased vocabulary; listens and responds to texts read aloud, answering more complex questions in second language with adult support, and begins to combine words from home and second languages to communicate needs and wants, and to participate in two-way conversations; responds to texts read aloud, songs, and rhymes, repeating simple words and phrases and answering simple questions as a sign of comprehension with adult support.
Science: explores objects and world through all five senses (touches and brings objects to mouth, focuses attention on people or objects), uses senses to explore and manipulate objects to observe how things work; varies behaviors to observe results, and uses senses to explore; shares what is seen, heard, and touched; makes simple predictions based on previous experiences; observes the effects of their actions on others.
Math: explores sizes and shapes of objects with hands and mouth, explores shapes and objects and how they fit together, and uses words to describe differences in quantity and length; compares sizes of objects; explores ways to measure using non-standard units of measure.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Bouncing Ball Dance
Video: Bounce the Ball
Baseball
Children learn about baseball.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Language/Literacy: listens and responds with interest to sounds and verbal communication of others; watches and responds to body language, gestures, and other forms of nonverbal communication, participates in simple two-way verbal or nonverbal (signs) conversations to express and talk about needs, wants, experiences, ideas, and demonstrates interest and involvement in handling books without help; looks at pictures, photos, and drawings; participates in shared reading by pointing to pictures and turning pages.
Dual Language Learners: responds to gestures and simple directions in home and second language; begins to understand simple words in home and second language; listens with interest to picture books read aloud, follows simple routine directions in second language with adult support; listens and participates in rhyming activities to hear the patterns in language; understands some common words in simple picture books read aloud, and begins to combine words from home and second languages to communicate needs and wants, and to participate in two-way conversations; responds to texts read aloud, songs, and rhymes, repeating simple words and phrases and answering simple questions as a sign of comprehension with adult support.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Let’s Play Baseball
Video: Baseball Basic Rules
Book: Let's Play Baseball
Shape and Color Review for Super Sports
Children review shapes and colors with a hide-and-seek game.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Language/Literacy: listens and responds with interest to sounds and verbal communication of others; watches and responds to body language, gestures, and other forms of nonverbal communication, uses new words each day for objects, actions, and to describe feelings, etc.; begins to understand some opposite concepts, and shows interest in songs, rhymes, and stories; explores books with mouth and hands; attends to colorful pictures and photos.
Dual Language Learners: follows one- and two-step oral directions in second language with adult support; gains meaning and responds to texts read aloud with adult and context clue support; gains meaning from conversations with others, follows simple routine directions in second language with adult support; listens and participates in rhyming activities to hear the patterns in language; understands some common words in simple picture books read aloud, and communicates with others in second language by expanding sentences using increased vocabulary; listens and responds to texts read aloud, answering more complex questions in second language with adult support.
Science: explores objects and world through all five senses (touches and brings objects to mouth, focuses attention on people or objects), uses senses to explore and manipulate objects to observe how things work; varies behaviors to observe results, and uses senses to explore; shares what is seen, heard, and touched; makes simple predictions based on previous experiences; observes the effects of their actions on others.
Math: explores sizes and shapes of objects with hands and mouth, explores shapes and objects and how they fit together, and recognizes and matches some familiar shapes, expanding to shapes of different sizes and orientations; names attributes of shapes with adult support.
Approaches to Learning: uses senses to explore immediate environment, stays attentive and engaged for increasing periods of time; repeats difficult tasks to achieve mastery, and shows ability to acquire and process new information; remembers the location of objects that are meaningful to them, eventually developing understanding of object permanence; searches for missing or hidden objects.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Shapes Are All Around
Video: Names of Shapes
Book: Big Box of Shapes
Find the Ball: Infant
Infants play a fun hide-and-seek game with a ball.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Math: explores sizes and shapes of objects with hands and mouth and explores moving body in space and observes other people and objects as they move.
Science: explores objects and world through all five senses (touches and brings objects to mouth, focuses attention on people or objects).
Physical Development and Health: begins to control body to gain mobility (scoots, crawls, pulls up to stand), begins to coordinate body movements (picks up rolled ball, uses hands and feet to make contact with objects, claps); begins to develop proprioception - knowing where one's body is in space (tummy time, reaches for feet), and begins to control body, developing vestibular sense - balance and spatial orientation understanding (pushes up, sits upright, maintains upright posture/balance when sitting or standing, twists to roll over, reaches across body, enjoys swinging, rocking, swaying to music, etc.).
Language/Literacy: begins making specific sounds, gestures, facial expressions to communicate.
Approaches to Learning: uses senses to explore immediate environment, ettends to objects, eventually experimenting with different ways to interact with them; responds to playful interactions with smiles, giggles, and recognizes familiar people, places, and things; after repeated experiences, remembers that unseen objects are still there.
Play & Learn at Home:
Video: Where is the Ball?
Book: Balls
Shoot and Score Sports Cup
Children start on the Shoot and Score Sports Cup project.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Creative Arts: shows curiosity, exploring a wide variety of art media through sensory experiences, uses a variety of materials in exploring and creating age-appropriate artwork, and shows interest in own works of art and the works of others with prompting.
Math: listens and responds to an adult counting; responds to question of wanting more, shows interest in and awareness of numbers and counting during daily routines and activities; understands differences in quantity: more, all gone, less, and grows in rote counting; begins to understand concept of "one" and "two"; identifies more/less in sets.
Physical Development and Health: uses hands or feet to make contact with mouth, objects, or people, eventually using hands to grasp small objects between thumb and fingertips; transfers objects from one hand to another; claps, uses different actions on objects (kicks, pats, swipes, shakes); explores food with hands and fingers; coordinates sucking/chewing and swallowing, eventually grasping easy-to-handle foods, and uses hands and eyes together to complete tasks requiring a moderate amount of control (completes three or four piece puzzles, thread beads with large holes, uses shape sorter).
Social-Emotional Development: shows preference for familiar people and objects, develops and expresses preferences for food, objects, textures and may push away non-preferred items, and begins to interact with other children; side-by-side play progressing to interactive play using same materials; begins to show preference for some children over others; uses imitation or pretend play to learn new roles and relationships.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Throw the Ball
Video: The Basketball
Book: Dribble, Shoot, Score!
Tennis Racket Prop
Children make tennis racket props.
Key Learning Outcomes
Creative Arts: shows curiosity, exploring a wide variety of art media through sensory experiences, uses a variety of materials in exploring and creating age-appropriate artwork, and chooses and participates in art activities, using different materials to create artwork.
Physical Development and Health: uses hands or feet to make contact with mouth, objects, or people, eventually using hands to grasp small objects between thumb and fingertips; transfers objects from one hand to another; claps, coordinates hand and eye movements and controls small muscles when doing simple tasks (uses tools for feeding, hammers pegs, uses large crayons for scribbling); uses fingers and hands to grasp and eat finger foods and drink from cups; uses tools for feeding; drinks with a straw, and gains control of small muscles while learning to use art media (uses scissors to snip; paints with large paintbrushes, uses large crayons); uses fine motor muscles in a variety of ways (blows bubbles, clicking/clucking tongue, etc.).
Social-Emotional Development: responds to and shows awareness of other children, shows interest in other children; responds to other children, and begins to interact with other children; side-by-side play progressing to interactive play using same materials; begins to show preference for some children over others; uses imitation or pretend play to learn new roles and relationships.
Language/Literacy: uses and imitates sounds, gestures, or signs to express needs and wants, participates in simple two-way verbal or nonverbal (signs) conversations to express and talk about needs, wants, experiences, and ideas, and imitates adult writing, experimenting with different kinds of writing tools to make scribbles; understands people use writing to communicate.
Approaches to Learning: recognizes familiar people, places, and things; after repeated experiences, remembers that unseen objects are still there, shows ability to acquire and process new information; remembers the location of objects that are meaningful to them, eventually developing understanding of object permanence; searches for missing or hidden objects, and recalls information in new situations; remembers where a toy was put away; knows where things are kept in their environment.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Do You Like Sports?
Video: Tennis
Book: Goodnight tennis
Soccer Ball Art
Children sponge paint soccer balls.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Creative Arts: responds to or shows interest in visual stimuli (bright colors, toys, mobiles, stuffed animals, etc.), shows interest in visual stimuli (wall hangings, photographs, paintings, etc.), and shows interest in own works of art and the works of others with prompting.
Physical Development and Health: uses hands or feet to make contact with mouth, objects, or people, eventually using hands to grasp small objects between thumb and fingertips; transfers objects from one hand to another; claps, coordinates hand and eye movements and controls small muscles when doing simple tasks (uses tools for feeding, hammers pegs, uses large crayons for scribbling); uses fingers and hands to grasp and eat finger foods and drink from cups; uses tools for feeding; drinks with a straw, and uses hands and eyes together to complete tasks requiring a moderate amount of control (completes three or four piece puzzles, thread beads with large holes, uses shape sorter).
Math: explores sizes and shapes of objects with hands and mouth, explores shapes and objects and how they fit together, and recognizes and matches some familiar shapes, expanding to shapes of different sizes and orientations; names attributes of shapes with adult support.
Approaches to Learning: exhibits interest, curiosity, and eagerness in exploring the world in sight of an adult; becomes increasingly aware of colors, shapes, patterns, or pictures, recognizes familiar people, places, and things; after repeated experiences, remembers that unseen objects are still there, and recalls information in new situations; remembers where a toy was put away; knows where things are kept in their environment.
Science: explores objects and world through all five senses (touches and brings objects to mouth, focuses attention on people or objects), uses senses to explore and manipulate objects to observe how things work; varies behaviors to observe results, and uses senses to explore; shares what is seen, heard, and touched; makes simple predictions based on previous experiences; observes the effects of their actions on others.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: I Can Be A Super Athlete
Kicking Skills
Children go outside to practice kicking.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Social-Emotional Development: develops awareness of self as separate from others; reacts when hearing own name; begins to realize their own hands and feet belong to them; shows interest in mirror imagers, begins to interact with other children; side-by-side play progressing to interactive play using same materials; begins to show preference for some children over others; uses imitation or pretend play to learn new roles and relationships, and learns social skills, and eventually words, for expressing feelings, needs, and wants; manages outbursts with adult help; begins to label feelings and emotions.
Physical Development and Health: begins to coordinate body movements (picks up rolled ball, uses hands and feet to make contact with objects, claps); begins to develop proprioception - knowing where one's body is in space (tummy time, reaches for feet), coordinates body movements in place (begins kicking stationary ball, begins throwing overhand, catches rolled ball, etc.); continues to develop proprioception (participates in tummy time, uses both hands equally, sucks/blows with drinking straws, begins messy play), and coordinates body movements in place to interact with objects and surroundings (kicks stationary balls, throws overhand at target, attempts to catch balls, begins dribbling balls with hands, jumps on 2 feet in place); continues to develop proprioception (participates in tummy time, continues messy play).
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: The Soccer (Football)
Video: How to Kick a Soccer Ball
Book: Kicking a Ball
I Spy Collage, Part 1
Children start on the I Spy Collage project.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Creative Arts: shows curiosity, exploring a wide variety of art media through sensory experiences, uses a variety of materials in exploring and creating age-appropriate artwork, and shows interest in own works of art and the works of others with prompting.
Science: uses hands or feet to make contact with mouth, objects, or people, eventually using hands to grasp small objects between thumb and fingertips; transfers objects from one hand to another; claps, uses different actions on objects (kicks, pats, swipes, shakes); explores food with hands and fingers; coordinates sucking/chewing and swallowing, eventually grasping easy-to-handle foods, and coordinates hand and eye movements and controls small muscles when doing simple tasks (uses tools for feeding, hammers pegs, uses large crayons for scribbling); uses fingers and hands to grasp and eat finger foods and drink from cups; uses tools for feeding; drinks with a straw.
Social-Emotional Development: expresses a range of emotions related to basic needs with facial expressions, body, and voice, expresses a range of emotions related to a problem or conflict, using body language, facial expressions, and possibly words to communicate feelings, and learns social skills, and eventually words, for expressing feelings, needs, and wants; manages outbursts with adult help; begins to label feelings and emotions.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: I Spy With My Little Eye
Video: I Spy Food
Book: I Spy Animals
Friendly Bowling Game
Children play a bowling game together.
Key Learning Outcomes:
Social-Emotional Development: shows confidence in increasing abilities through actions and language; attempts to accomplish activities independently; begins to help clean up work/play space with guidance, shows interest in other children; responds to other children, and begins to interact with other children; side-by-side play progressing to interactive play using same materials; begins to show preference for some children over others; uses imitation or pretend play to learn new roles and relationships.
Math: listens and responds to an adult counting; responds to question of wanting more, shows interest in and awareness of numbers and counting during daily routines and activities; understands differences in quantity: more, all gone, less, and grows in rote counting; begins to understand concept of "one" and "two"; identifies more/less in sets.
Physical Development and Health: participates in a variety of moderate to vigorous play activities for short periods of time; tries new games, coordinates body movements in place (begins kicking stationary ball, begins throwing overhand, catches rolled ball, etc.); continues to develop proprioception (participates in tummy time, uses both hands equally, sucks/blows with drinking straws, begins messy play), and uses hands or feet to make contact with mouth, objects, or people, eventually using hands to grasp small objects between thumb and fingertips; transfers objects from one hand to another; claps.
Creative Arts: shows curiosity, exploring a wide variety of art media through sensory experiences, uses a variety of materials in exploring and creating age-appropriate artwork, and chooses and participates in art activities, using different materials to create artwork.
Play & Learn at Home:
Song: Bowling
Video: Meekah & Blippi Go Bowling