Big, Small & Same Size

The section for Big, Small and Same Size is found on pgs 88-95 in the Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills for Preschool.

We arranged the food containers from bigger to smaller and then from smaller to bigger. I also used three different types of containers per set: glass, aluminum and plastic. You can talk about the differences between the containers like how glass is breakable, how you can squeeze the plastic and how you can dent the aluminum. This would be a lot of fun for hands on teaching!

Our second project we used different sized plastic cups which we again order biggest to smallest and smallest to biggest. Once finished we poured water into the smallest cup until it was full. Once it was full, we poured the water directly into the next bigger cup to show how this cup is not full from the same amount of water. You can then add more water from your water container and once that cup is full pour into the next cup and so on. Once the largest cup was full I let J pour all of the water into the small cup and see how much it overflows! You can't beat making a mess! If the weather isn't warm enough where you are, you can always set up shop in the bath tub!

Shape Review

For our Shape Review we used pgs 84-87 in the Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills for Preschool. We traced, colored and matched shapes.

For our shape review craft J made some shape monsters! I cut out multiple shapes in different sizes and colors out of left over construction paper (you could also do with felt so it's reusable) Then cut out large shapes to make up the monster body. Let your kiddo glue to their hearts content! (You could use googly eyes if you're realllllly fun.)

Secondly, we simply collected one item of each shape from around the house.

Another idea you could do is Shape Simon Says. If the weather is nice you can draw shapes in chalk on the sidewalk and do it that way or you could tape paper shapes onto the ground inside.

Learning About Diamonds

Our Diamond section was pgs 79-83 in the Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills for Preschool. We traced, colored and wrote the word diamond.

For our first project I gave J triangle stickers and asked her to figure out how to make a diamond out of them. It took her a while so I gave her a few hints as we went: use only two triangles, have them touching, have one pointing up and one down and. I also ended up drawing a diamond to help her along. I had to use some self control to not move them around for her but she was very proud once she finally get it for herself! (If you want to simplify you could just start with two larger triangles.)

Second, we made kites with Glad Press n Seal and tissue paper pieces. You could also use contact paper if you'd rather. 

Learning About Ovals

Our Oval section was pgs 72-78 in the Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills for Preschool. We traced, colored and wrote the word oval. You can also talk about how an oval only has 1 side just like a circle.

In the spirit of Halloween we had two "spooky" crafts! For our first craft I simply printed out this tree and let J made some spooky leaves with her oval fingerprints. You could obviously used reds and oranges to make it more fall themed and colorful.

Secondly, I cut out a white ovals and a bunch of black ovals and J glues them on to make a skeleton face. You could also do this on felt to make it reusable. 

Hope you all had a very Happy Halloween! 

Learning About Rectangles

Our Rectangle section was pgs 66-71 in the Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills for Preschool. We traced, colored and wrote the word rectangle as well as counted the sides and wrote the number 4. We also talked about what other shapes have four sides, specifically, squares and diamonds. 

For our first application J sorted square and rectangular stamps. Once she was finished she got to play with them, of course! 

Secondly, I had her make a rectangle using legos. She initially ended up with a square but eventually figured it out. This was a good problem solving activity. 

Finally, some graham crackers for snacks!

Learning About Triangles

Today we did pgs 60-65 in The Comprehensive Curriculum for Preschool focusing on Triangles. We practiced writing the word triangle, tracing triangles, counting their sides and writing the number 3.

For our first project I drew some black triangles on black paper and had J cut them out with craft scissor. Once she finished her triangles, J glued them on a pumpkin to make a fun, fall face!

For our last project I cut some slits in the bottom of a toilet paper roll then shaped each square into a point to make triangles. This was a really fun stamping project and was great to make the sun and flowers. We also ended up with a color blending lesson where J got to see that blue and yellow make green and purple and yellow make brown!

Learning About Squares

My daughter, J, goes to preschool two mornings a week and does the typically 4 year old curriculum of a letter a week. For the rest of the time I wanted to start a supplementary learning program at home. We finished the Big WorkBook for Preschool this summer and she really enjoyed it so we moved on to the next book in the series. We are now using the Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills: Grade Preschool. It seems to cover a lot of ground so I am going to build some very basic lesson plans around this workbook. Just thought I would share in case anyone else wanted to come along for the ride! Happy Homeschooling!

Today's lesson was on squares. We used pgs 55-59 which included tracing squares, as well as the word square, and coloring in just the squares on a page with several shapes. We added counting the sides as J traced them and also practiced writing the number 4. J also added some family portraits for your viewing pleasure... =)

For an activity, we walked around the house looking for 10 squares. A very simple, but fun application! We went from room to room and even baby C had fun following us and watching J rummage around.

For our second game, I put some painters tape around a tile and had J sweep poms poms inside the square. This is a great activity for hand eye coordination. J got a kick out of me hamming it up by saying "AH-AH" whenever she would try to cheat and use her hands. When that game got old, we switched to her sweeping one color group at a time. And now you just worked on colors!

After our games we had some square crackers as a snack and called it a day!

I hope that this can help someone out there who has an a kiddo interested in learning but maybe you don't have the time to plan things out from scratch. I am learning that lessons don't need to be too long or involved to be effective. So this is my attempt to keep it simple and fun for parents and kids alike! Enjoy!