Pop Beads For Learning

I have not seen these beads, probably since I was a young girl. We were in Walmart one day, in the craft section, and my daughter saw these. She wanted them, and at first I said no, because they just didn't seem necessary at the time. However, she reminded me she still had some birthday money left, clever isn't she, and that she wanted to buy them. So, I gave in, and home these beads came. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, these ones came from Amazon, but there are all different shapes, including stars, bears, hearts, dolphins, etc and little rings so you can make rings. I must admit once she got this home, and began playing with it, I could see all kinds of educational oppurtunities. If you have a preschooler, or kindergarten aged child, learning sequencing these are wonderful. You start the sequence, and they have to follow the pattern. They are awesome for color recognition, shapes, counting, adding, subtracting, sorting, following directions, and so much more. Plus it is a fun way to teach, that your child will be interested in. It has been well proven, that younger children learn best through play type activities. This definitely suits that purpose. Amazon has these for 19.99, I think we paid 14.99 at Walmart. They are well worth the price, in my opinion.

Summer Vacation, Blogging, Kindergarten Curriculum

I have had a few people ask me, if the new logo, means I do not blog through the summer. The answer is no. We will be on Summer Vacation, from lessons, but I still blog all summer long. I do some paid posts, and may explore other topics to discuss.

DJ is not feeling well today, so he is just going to read his Harry Potter book. We need to finish it up by the end of the year. He will make up todays work tomorrow, which is test day.

This time of the year, is when I start doing my curriculum for next year, and finding the info to cover the lesson plans. I am posting Caitlin's kindergarten curriculum, with DJ's to follow soon. Because I do my own, I add or remove things I do not want in there. Some of the kindergarten stuff was kind of dumb, and I took it out. If you are looking for a free curriculum for your kindergarten child, please feel free to use it.

Kindergarten Mathematics:

Simple counting to 20
One to one relationships
Concepts of less, and more
Sequence of events
Recognition of basic sets
Simple addition, and subtraction
Introduction to a number line'
Shapes- elementary geometry
Introduction to a calendar, and clock
Basic money skills
Basic problem solving strategies

Kindergarten Health:

Personal hygiene
Good eating habits
Care of teeth
Major body parts
Physical fitness
Safety

Kindergarten Science:

Observation of everyday, familiar things
Common animals, and plants
Classification of living/nonliving things
Farm Animals
Care of Pets
The sun, our principal source of energy
Weather, and seasons
Temperature
Light
Colors
Senses
Same/different
Simple measurement

Kindergarten Social Studies:

Meanings of Holidays, traditions, and customs
Understanding and appreciating other cultures
Individuals role in family, community, and church
Work and jobs
Safety rules, and symbols
Basic human needs
Self respect, and self awareness
Location of home

Kindergarten Language Arts:

Phonics
Sight words
Listening to music, literature, and poetry
Nursery rhymes, fables
Social listening
Constructing visual images while listening
Oral communication skills
Role play
Following and giving directions
Organizing ideas
Relating events, and experiences using complete sentences
Beginning handwriting

I also add Music, Art, and Spanish. These are add ons, and we try to do them at least one day a week.