At the Rodeo

We started a new theme with Mother Goose Time, desert discovery.  Week one was spent learning about things at the rodeo, like boots, hats, lassos, etc.

Every monthly box comes with a new themed cd.  We use this as background music, or to get up and dance to.

The kids used look and find glasses to find items on the monthly theme poster.  This shows them the kind of topics we will be covering for the month.

We played horse shoes.  The kids picked either a big N or little n and threw their horse shoe to the same lettered star.

The kids made different shaped lassos out of twine.

Then they made their own lassos out of paper plates and practiced catching toys.  They had lots of fun using their lassos.

The kids used pokey balls to paint cowboy boots.

They took turns throwing counting cubes (this months manipulative) into a boot.  Then they guessed how many cubes were in it and we counted to see who was closest.

The kids matched cowboy hats to the person with the same colored boots.

Then they used twine to paint their own cowboy hats that we made into headbands.

This months shape is the star.  We sang a song while moving in a circle and whosoever names were called had to race to grab the star shapes.

Every monthly box comes with new name tags that the kids practice either writing or tracing their names on.  

And we always get letter work by coloring letter books focusing on the letters of the month.  Next week we start learning about the desert.  

Finishing up Health and Fitness

We finished up learning about health and fitness with Mother Goose Time.

Making play first aid kits and talking about safety and what to do if someone is injured was a great conclusion to the month.  Each kit came with a cotton ball, band-aid and tongue depressor.  The kids used them to bandage and clean pretend injuries.  

We took turns voting using the would you rather cards, and then tallied up the votes for each category.

The kids used the fitness domino's to play a game together.

All month long the kids have been working in their journals to improve handwriting and letter/number recognition.

The kids used the loose letter parts to build this months letters:  Q, A, and G.

We played a game where the kids would roll the pocket cube and put their marker on the corresponding letter.  The helped reinforce the letters we've been working on.

The kids decorated rulers and made measuring wands out of corn starch noodles.  

The kids balanced "apples" on the magnet person that went along with this months story of the month.  They took turns picking a card and counting out the same number of "apples."  

The kids had lots of fun using ribbons as balance beams.  They took turns rolling the pocket cube and then everyone would do the action, like walk backward, do a somersault, jump, etc.

At the end of every month the kids get to design a post card related to the monthly theme.  Next we move onto desert discovery.  

Movement and Fitness

This month's Mother Goose Time theme, food an fitness, has had lots of games that get us up and moving.  

The kids have been stretching and loosening up their muscles.  

We had a contest to see who could jump the farthest.  Everyone got a turn and marked where they landed. 

We all worked together to throw and catch a ball 12 times without it hitting the floor.  It took quite a few tries to get to 12.  

The kids got to take turns kicking a ball and knocking down as many cups as they could.  Then they had to identify the letter on the cups they knocked down.

They also took turns rolling _an words and then racing to the matching word hanging on the wall.  

I read From Head to Toe while the kids acted it out.  

They also made a ball toss game to take home.  They decorated cups and then attached pom poms to the inside.  They had to try and swing the cup and catch the pom pom inside.  

They practiced patience waiting for their turn to toss a beanbag.  They had to pick a card and throw the bean bag into the corresponding colored hoop.

We spent a day doing jumping activities, making frog headbands was a perfect ending to the day.

Everyone got a turn to dip balls in paint and roll them around to make a picture.  They always have fun when we do this type of craft.  

One of the letters we're working on this month is Q.  The kids colored their letter Q books to take home.

In keeping with the theme, the kids did patterning work using basketball and soccer ball pictures.