Kinder Curric: Is this realistic???

[Savoir Faire]

So....I pulled out the lesson plan book I had started ALMOST A YEAR AGO for my Kinder daughter. I figured it was all crap and planned on erasing and starting over. But then...I kind of liked it. I did lots of research from other books/online but am still wondering if I'm on the right track. I'm hoping you can take a quick look and tell me what's excessive or is missing. I guess I'm worrying that I'm leaning to the excessive....

WEEK 1: Theme is Apples and 5 in a Row book is Madeline (though she's Kinder so really, probably only like 3 in a row).

Monday:
Weigh apples. Guess the number of seeds in the apples.
Work on handwriting without tears.
Put apple in bag. Say words that describe the apple.
Read: How do Apples Grow?

Tuesday:
Practice writing "apple" and "red."
For 5 in a row-- find and color France on a map.
Cut apples into 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8
Read the book "apple fractions"

Wednesday:
Read Johnny Appleseed
5 in a row: Symmetry and size from Madeline-- sort apples by size
Make apple cinnamon dough
Do a homemade math worksheet (color 3 apples red, 2 yellow etc) with apples

Thursday:
How apples grow sequences (from a teacher book I have)
Practice cutting apple shapes on paper (aka circles)
Madeline: Make the french flag, discuss flags and countries
Read: Orange, pear, apple bear

Friday:
Make caramel apples, draw pictures of the instructions
Use Unifix cubes to copy apple patterns I have drawn (so red, green, yellow, red, green, yellow).
Read: Apple picking time

[elizawill]

i don't think it's too much. with my kids, i'd probably do even more apple crafts (apple stamping is a must!). it sounds fun and age appropriate imo. we did an apple theme in september when my dd was in kindergarten....it was really fun for her!!! honestly, it doesn't matter what i think though, lol. your daughter will let you know how she's liking it!! just pay attention to her cues. i think if your plans are flexible, you two will have a lot of fun!!!!

[elizawill]

oh, one more thing. a fun science project with apples can be found here: http://www.littlegiraffes.com/apples.html

scroll down to science. we borrowed this idea and my dd LOVED it. we bought different apples and she had to compare and contrast them. she loved tasting them all!!!

[True Blue]

Looks light and fun to me!

[AAK]

Is there a place you can go and actually pick apples? I see you are in Arizona, so I am assuming not, but if there is. . . add that to the list. We are in WA state and apple picking is a tradition in the fall--it is because of the fieldtrip that apples are a common theme for education.

Amy

[AngelBee]

What else you got in your book?

:

[Savoir Faire]

Ok good, thanks. I started last fall when I realized I only had a year to prepare. (I can be slow. And distracted!) I WISH we had somewhere to pick apples...but unless they grow on cactus (we live in Tucson), i doubt it.

Apple stamping!!! I forgot about that!

I actually have a zillion themes for 30+ weeks...though a couple ones are almost empty because, seriously--- what theme could one do around foxes and owls?????

Mucho thanks. Still nervous but glad to know I don't need to go and erase everything like I almost did last night!!!!!

[Serendipity]

Hey I'm in Tucson too, there is this apple orchard .

[kgianforti]

That looks very fun! How long each day do you think you will HS?

From experience: I would also have more stuff ready to do in case she wants to do more. I used a very simple curriculum for my dd last winter and had to scramble to get more cause she always wanted to do more. Then I wised up!

[Savoir Faire]

APPLE ORCHARD!!! Holy cow, I'm so excited.

What would you keep on hand to do "extra" stuff with them? I have no idea how long all this will take-- especially because we have a 3-year-old boy who seems to make it his mission to be crazy all the time.

Oddly enough, my daughter seems to like worksheets-- so maybe just have a few of those.

[kgianforti]

Originally Posted by Savoir Faire

APPLE ORCHARD!!! Holy cow, I'm so excited.

What would you keep on hand to do "extra" stuff with them? I have no idea how long all this will take-- especially because we have a 3-year-old boy who seems to make it his mission to be crazy all the time.

Oddly enough, my daughter seems to like worksheets-- so maybe just have a few of those.

Yeah, maybe some worksheets or an extra craft project. I had both handy when dd wanted to do more. Or sometimes I had to run to the computer and print more sheets out to do!

My dd loves worksheets too. I pulled out worksheets from a preschool workbook and had them sitting nearby, just in case too.

[Callimom]

Originally Posted by Savoir Faire

APPLE ORCHARD!!! Holy cow, I'm so excited.

What would you keep on hand to do "extra" stuff with them? I have no idea how long all this will take-- especially because we have a 3-year-old boy who seems to make it his mission to be crazy all the time.

Oddly enough, my daughter seems to like worksheets-- so maybe just have a few of those.

A few ideas:
~ Apple taste testing - try different kinds of apples and rank them - you can graph from here if you want to go there.
~ Do an experiment about apple slices going brown - which kinds go brown faster, does putting it in a bag make a difference, what about if you dip it in lemon juice.
~ Make apple sauce or apple butter,
~ Read How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World and check out the trip on a globe - make your own apple pie.
~ make an apple life cycle poster (seed, seedling, tree, blossom, fruit, seed) either with drawings or photos you can print
~ make an apple doll
~ make dried apples
~ try planting apple seeds and see what happens

Here are some resources

~ apple education
~ cultural and international myths around apples
~ Enchanted learning has some apple pages

have fun
Karen

[justmandy]

Originally Posted by Savoir Faire

I have no idea how long all this will take-- especially because we have a 3-year-old boy who seems to make it his mission to be crazy all the time.

He can do almost everything on your list. Give him playdough to make apples (balls) let him cut paper, who cares if it's a circle or jagged triangles (you'll have more jagged triangles, I'm guessing) When dd is doing the color patterns, have him match the colors, or put them in the same color bowl (green in green, yellow in yellow) let him paint with applesauce on a cookie sheet. Give him a "Worksheet" of a big letter A to color. When you're guessing the seeds, ask him as well and make a chart.

I have a K and preschooler this year as well, I'm sort of in the zone when it comes to working them together. If you'd like I could do this for all your weeks...and no, I'm not trying to steal your lesson plans...really

I have to admit I was ready to trash your lesson plans (I hate lesson plans and in general think they're a bit nuts for K's) but I love what you are doing! You have it really thought out but not ovet the top. Well done!

[Savoir Faire]

Mandy...I just might have to pick your brain

[justmandy]

Originally Posted by Savoir Faire

Mandy...I just might have to pick your brain

Do it! My boys are 4 and 5, I feel like I've been doing preschool activities forever!!

I'm feeling bad about saying I was going to trash your plans...I hope no one thinks I would be rude or discouraging. I've seen so many over the top K currics that I was bracing myself for the worst. (I've known too many people who follow plans like a religion and only stress out mom and kids before they ever get to thier first break).

Again, I wanted to say these are brilliant. You have a perfect balance of structure with room for exploration and your plans will keep you from having to run to the store or library in a panic.

[Lysa]

I have to agree with Mandy - I was thinking you were going to be over the top with your lesson plans as well. Great job!!!

As far as ideas for foxes and owls... There are some great picture books by Lindsay Barrett George with some awesome artwork and some great storylines that involve animals. Also check out some books by Jan Brett for some ideas. Coming to mind is The Mitten, which has both animals. How many things could your kids put into a mitten? You could learn to finger knit, as well. (Very simple, and very fun, but would be too difficult for my 5yo.)

Now, we have foxes and owls on our property... so it's easier for us to take a walk and look for signs of them (we found a clump of deer fur one day), but a zoo, a nature center, a taxidermy display (Cabela's - there's also a privately owned and operated one near us), or a museum might be an idea to experience them. One library we lived near had a collection of great photographs and posters of animals, which was open for all educators to borrow from, as well. Just giving you some ideas to think outside the box for resources, as it looks like you have been thinking outside the box anyway.

[rahrahgobg]

I see you have some math and a little bit of language/phonics every day. Why don't you add to draw a big letter A, cut it out, and then go through a magazine and find things that start with A and paste them to the letter. Go over the sounds that A makes. Differentiate between long A and short A...do this after a few days spent on short A. It seems you are doing language arts, but I think you could throw in some phonics. Work on a different letter every week, or every other week.

Some things I worked on last year - my son was 4. I did phonics everyday that I did lessons (2-4 times a week). Some of you may think this is too early, that's fine. I had to prove to my husband I could homeschool, and he was ready for phonics since he knew all the letters and the sounds they made. I used Saxon phonics and liked it - my college library had it and I was able to use it for free...he can read if he tries now - he is 5 and would enter K this year. I'm doing 1st grade phonics with him this year.

Worked on teaching him the calendar...I bought a Melissa and Doug magnetic calendar, and we would put it together every month and put things on the days that we were doing something. It took a few months, but he can now say the names of the week and months of the year very easily. I know they work on this in K. He loves doing the calendar and playing with it. Then on holidays, etc., we do something related to that holiday just like they would in K. I had fun with the Chinese New Year.

Telling time. I bought a little clock that you could turn the hands and write with dry erase marker what time it was. He can tell time if he tries...I need to break it out more. Telling time helped him count by 5's easily.

Counting to 100. Perhaps some may think this is too much, but it was a goal of mine. It took about 6 weeks of working at it every day, and he can now do it. I bought an abacus...and he was able to slide a 'dot' over for each number he was counting. I taught him to count by 10's to 100, and this helped him to count to 100 because when he would get to 29, he would go back up and say '10, 20, 30...31, 32'... Originally, I wanted him to count to 20, then I went to 30, then 40...I worked up to 100. Others may think I'm crazy, but it worked for him. The abacus is an awesome tool - $13 at the teacher store - it will help add, subtract, multiply and divide. It's a great counter tool with math.

Cuisenaire Rods...math - these are lessons in and of themselves. Abstract math before using numbers, but they are fun to use. My son likes playing with these. My math was nothing concrete - I used games and manipulatives and made it fun.

Weather-I started the year off with just having him read the thermometer (digital) on the window and telling me what the temperature was (so he could recognize 2 digit numbers) - then I would have him tell me if it was cloudy, rainy, sunny, etc. Just having him notice his surroundings. At the end of the year, I would have him guess if it was warm or cold outside by reading the temperature. I got books out about the weather and read them too him. This led to an obsession with the sun...and then the planets. The kid loves anything about planets. It was something that took about 3 minutes to do everyday...you could turn this into a graph lesson for math if you wanted. It was just a way for him to notice his surroundings.

After I finished the year, I re-read the requirements for K in Texas by reading their TEKS on what a K should know. I was lacking in history. So this year I have the 'Story of the World' and 'The USBorne book of World History'. I use these together for history.

I do love doing unit studies and covering many subjects while covering a theme. Just thought I would throw out a few other things for you that can still make learning fun, and things I know they still teach in K.

[Savoir Faire]

THank you! We just had our cuisinaire rods come in the mail, though I'm not sure how to use them

She knows the sounds of letters (it seems that almost her preschool taught most things that K teaches-- most of these things I see to do she already knows) though putting them together just isn't happening yet.

I still have to figure that aspect out. We got the BOB books...so I'll see. She just turned five in July so she's still a young K.

Thanks for reminding me of the clock and stuff....I've been meaning to find something about time!

[rahrahgobg]

Cuisenaire Rods...do you have cards or books to go with them? Each card can be a math lesson...and into older grades. Those things are awesome. If you don't have books or cards, you should buy some.

[**mom2one**]

WOW!! That is exactly what I was looking for! I have known since my first dd was born that I would teach her at home and on and off I would look at websites etc for info, and since then 2 of my friends have started hsing their kids and it all seemed great. But now that she is 3.5 (almost 4) I am getting nervous! I have been doing a lot of research and looking for ideas etc and I LOVE LOVE LOVE your lesson plans - and the suggestions of everyone else too! Now - if I could just get the rest of the year planned! It has given me a place to start - now I can think of lots of stuff that I could add if needed! So even though you posted it looking for advice - I just wanted to thank you for helping me! So - do you have questions on the other weeks you have planned - I am sure if you posted them someone would help you - and then I could copy them for myslef! lol