When I was doing my student-teaching in a developmental kindergarten, I was asked to begin the year with a unit on apples. It is a very common theme, and there are a ton of activities you can find while searching this topic on the World Wide Web. One of my favorites is a counting lesson that was often used as a classroom activity, but can easily be changed to be completed with a single child.
Before you begin the lesson with your child, you will need a copy of Dr. Seuss’s (AKA Theo LeSeig), Ten Apples Up On Top!, a long strip of paper that measure approximately 3″ x 24″, a picture of your child (3″ x 3″ or smaller), 10 apple clip art pictures (2″ x 2″ or smaller), and glue.
Read the story together with your child. Laugh along as the animals compete to have more and more apples stacked upon their heads!
When you finish with the story, have your child try to balance one apple on her head. Then, help your child glue her picture to the bottom of the strip of paper. She should then glue ten paper apples as though they were balancing on her head in the picture!
*Note: The measurements given are simply one way to complete the activity. It could be completed on a smaller or larger scale. You could use apple stickers or even have your child draw the apples, as well.
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Written by Laura on October 3, 2011
Ian Falconer has hit on something big with his series of Olivia books. My own preschooler can’t seem to get enough of them. Although I have a little boy, he does not mind if the books are about princesses and babies or Halloween and Christmas. He enjoys them all.
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Written by Laura on September 21, 2011
When I was young, I remember sitting in my room repeatedly reading through my latest issue of Highlights magazine from cover to cover. I loved the jokes and puzzles. I especially loved the picture comparisons where you had to figure out the differences from one picture to the other.
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Written by Laura on August 19, 2011
Earlier this week at the library, I was drawn to a book that had a very overweight cat pictured on the cover. The title read simply as “Chester”. As it turns out, Chester is quite a humorous feline! So much so that we have read his story half a dozen times in the past few days.
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Written by Laura on July 29, 2011
My preschooler loves cars, trucks, and pretty much anything that moves. He is not unlike most other boys his age. This is why I found it so frustrating that there weren’t any books that teach concepts preschoolers should be learning. There are fairy books and princess books galore that reinforce counting, shape, and alphabet skills. Why aren’t there any books for these skills that
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Written by Laura on June 20, 2011
I like to dabble in paints. I can paint a little bit of scenery with watercolors or acrylics, but I have never felt any of my work is good enough to show off. I have never had any formal training so perhaps I feel a bit intimidated by “professional” artists. Apparently, the lesson I need to take, is one offered by Max in David Wiesner’s most recent book.
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Written by Laura on June 3, 2011
The first poetry to which I remember being exposed isa wonderful collection of poems that have now been read to pieces. Shel Silverstein’s book, Where the Sidewalk Ends, was a gift from my mother. I don’t remember the specific occasion, but I can remember spending hours sitting in my closet or lying on my bed, giggling ...
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Written by Laura on May 20, 2011
My family’s best friends live in Tennessee. Although it takes us twelve hours on a good trip in order to get there, we still go to visit them, and they come up to Pennsylvania to see us. The south is a bit different than the northeast part of the United States. The first thing you notice is the accent. However, our pasts are different as well, and trying to explain to a child why someone
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Written by Laura on April 8, 2011
I was sitting at the library with my older child helping him complete a writing assignment. Brennen loves to dawdle, and five-year-olds are not the quickest writers in the world to begin with. So my mind was wondering onto the shelves around which we were seated. I was delighted to find a wonderful book to take home to my preschooler.
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Written by Laura on March 21, 2011
It can be difficult for adults, let alone, children to identify feelings they are experiencing. It is also challenging for people of all ages to understand that having those feelings is okay. We are often taught that you are not allowed to be angry or you shouldn’t be sad. Although the people telling us these things have the best of intentions, the fact of the matter is that it is alright
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Written by BRWI Staff on February 18, 2011
Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence to teach your preschooler the joy of reading and writing.
Sponsored by Bridges Reading & Writing Institute -- teaching the JOY of reading and writing to students in preschool through 12th grade.
