Have a Routine.

Routine is one of the keys to successful discipline.

As many are home schooling for the first time, you will have great success when you set a routine.  Everything will go smoother with a routine.

• It is good to have a routine or schedule.  It will help your day run smoother.

• Whether it is in a classroom or at home, children handle everything better if they know the routine (Bed time, reading time, homework time, etc.).

• Most children feel more comfortable with an established routine.

• When the routine has to be changed, it will go smoother if they are told in advance the routine will be changed.

• Children need to learn to handle last-minute changes but it is good to practice that in a controlled situation, not when you need it to happen now.

Fresh Air Cookies

Fresh Air Cookies       

(Fun to make when teaching the AIR sound.  This is fun to eat outside in the fresh air.)

1. Mix:

• 2 cubes Butter
• 3 cups Brown Sugar

2. Mix in:

• ½ cup Applesauce
• 2 teas. Vanilla
• 3 Eggs

3. Combine and mix in:

• 3 cups Flour (part whole wheat flour)
• 1 teas. Baking Soda
• ½ teas. Salt

4. Mix in on low:

•  2 cups regular Oatmeal
•  ½ -12 oz bag of Chocolate Chips

5. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

7. Eat outside in the Fresh Air.

Granola

          

 

         

Granola

 

Heat the oven to 300 F with the rack in the middle.

Place in a large bowl and mix:

• 3 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
• 1/4 cup almond flour or regular flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Place in a pan and warm to melt:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

Put 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or 1 teaspoon vanilla in the honey/oil mixture. 

Then pour over the oats mixture and mix.

Spread the mixture on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes then stir.  Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes until lightly brown around the edges.

Place on a rack to cool.

Add about 1/2 cup of dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins, dates) and about 1/2 cup of nuts or seeds (I prefer pecans.)   I also add about a 1/2 cup of ribbon coconut.

Stir every 15 minutes as it cools to break up the clumps.

Store in airtight container.

Enjoy!   We like it with Cashew Milk.  

 

Letter Formation

Teaching Handwriting

Teaching a one-stroke method for Lowercase letters (except for “f, i, j, k, t, and x”) makes handwriting easier, neater, faster, and makes cursive easier when they are older.   Letters are started one of 4 ways:

1. First, “l, i, j, t, h, b, p, r, n, and m” are started with a straight line down, and finished with an up and over the hill in the case of “h, b, p, r, n, and m”.   The “b” is made by coming straight down, then up and over like an “h”, then tucked under.  (Associating “b” with “h” and helping children connect their similarities will help children keep “b” and “d” straight in their mind.)
2. Second, the letters “a, d, g, q, s, and o” are started by writing a “c”.  Such as, “a” starts like a “c”, then go up and touch where the “c” starts, and come straight down.  Wait about 6 weeks after you have taught “b”, to introduce “d”.  This will help children keep these two letters straight.  Associating “d” with “a” and connecting their similarities, will help children be less confused between “b” and “d”.  Most children get them mixed-up.  Just keep comparing “b” to “h” and “d” to “a”, and they will eventually get it straight.  Here is a sample instruction for “d”:   “d” is made by starting at the broken line, go around like a “c”, then go up to the top line, then come straight down to the bottom line.
3. Third, “u” and “y” are started by drawing a smile, then come straight down.  In the case of “y”, add a hook like in the j and g (For example see picture below).  Teaching “y” this way will do two things.  It will make the “y” easier, and it won’t look like an “x”.  Also, it will make the transition to cursive easier.
4. Fourth, v, w, x, k, and z are the angled letters.  These are harder for children to form.  Teach these later in your instruction, unless the child has one in their name.

We have phonics based lesson plans that provide great ideas for kindergarten, preschool, or home schools.  Visit our website.  www.phonicsbyspelling.com

Alphabet

Alphabet Lesson

(The letter sounds are more important for reading than the letter names, but the letter names give you and the child a vocabulary for learning to read.  Work on both letter sounds and names, but give the sounds more focus.  Make sure phonics sounds are made clearly without an “UH” at the end.)

Objective:  To create an awareness of letters and their sounds in children and, informally assess what they know.  Also, to help children recognize the first sound in their name.

Preparation:

• Copy the ABC song, one for each child, on colored card stock.   ABC song
• Have music and pictures of the letter sound. http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/  (Optional)
• Have a name card for each child.
• Have tracing paper and pencils.

Lesson:

• Give each child an alphabet card and sing the ABC song.  Have each child touch the letters as you sing the song.  You may need to sing the song real slow the first time.  Sing it slow from Ll to Pp.  End the song with, “next time won’t you touch the letters with me.”  This will help children connect the song to the letters.  Do this song several times over the next few weeks.
• If you have the music and pictures for each sound, http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/  play the song for the first letter in every child’s name while showing their name card.

Activities:

Give each child their name card, tracing paper and a pencil.  Let them trace their name.  Then have them write their name without tracing.  (This activity lets you assess their writing skills, while still being fun.)

An additional activity is to make a name book for each child.   These can be the words for the four pages.   (My name is ______.  I am ______ years old.   I like school.  I like ________.) Children can draw the pictures for each page.

For more educational tips and information visit www.phonicsbyspelling.com

Possible Units for Each Month

This is a list of possible units that can be used for Kindergarten, Preschool or Home school.  We have on this blog many free ideas for some of these units.  We like to teach all phonetic sounds to young children using music and pictures, thus making it easier to learn to read.  Check out our website for products. 

http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

August/September

• Names/Alphabet
• Germs/Hand-washing
• Summer/Autumn/Fall
• Sounds Aa, Cc, Ll, Tt, Ff, Hh, Bb
• Manners/Class Rules
• Homes, Needs, Bodies
• Leaves/Trees
• Numbers 1, 2 ,3, 4
• Colors/Primary/Secondary
• Same/ Different

October

• Sounds Pp, Mm, Nn, Ii, Rr, Ss, SH
• Review Ll, Tt, Hh, Ff, Bb
• Harvest/Pumpkins/Plants
• Measuring/Inches
• Insects/Spiders
• Numbers  5, 6
• Number Review
• Needs/Homes
• Magnets

November

• Sounds Cc/CH, Oo, TH,  Aa, Dd Kk
• Food Groups-Healthy/Junk
• Opposites
• Thanksgiving
• Numbers 7, 8, 9

December

• Sounds Ee, Gg, Jj
• Sharing/Giving/Helping
• Review Pp, Rr, Mm, Nn, Kk
• 5 Senses
• Shapes
• Music/Program

January

• Sounds Yy, Ww, WH, Uu, Qq
• Winter/Seasons
• Animals-Mammals/Reptiles/Birds/Fish/Amphibians
• Review Cc, Dd, Ss, Gg, Jj
• Review WH, SH, CH, TH
• Time/Year/Months/Clocks
• Count by 5
• Numbers 10, 0, Odd/Even
• Dinosaurs

February

• Sounds Zz, Vv, Xx
• USA/Symbols of our Country
• Review Qq, Vv, Ww, Yy, Zz
• Review Vowels
• Presidents
• Money
• Word Endings
• Safety

March

• Sounds AIR, AR, OR, ER, EAR
• Farms-Animals/Plants/Machines
• Review and Blend Sounds
• Spring
• Numbers 11, 12 and Review
• Number 100 (or whenever you reach 100 days of school.)
• Weather-Air/Water/Sun

April

• Sounds OW, OY, OO, OO, AW
• Transportation
• Nursery Rhymes
• Y as a Vowel
• Community Helpers
• Manipulative Addition/Subtraction
• Planets/Sun/Moon

May

• Sounds NG, _S_, Vowels
• Long Vowel Sight Words
• Y as a Vowel
• Family/Friends
• Review and Blend Sounds
• Rocks
• Fairy Tales
• Music/Program

Check out our website for helpful products for teaching the phonics sounds.  We have lesson plans, reproducible workbooks with simple readers for children, simple songs for each sound with fun pictures children enjoy.   http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

Chunky Junk

Chunky Junk

( This is fun to make when teaching the “NG” sound as in SING, KING, JUNK.  If an “N” is followed by a “K” the “N” has the “NG” sound.)

1. Melt in the micro wave for 1 minutes:

• 20 marshmallows
• ½ cube of butter
• ½ cup of peanut butter

 2. Stir and melt for 1 more minute.

 3.  Mix in:

• 1 cup Oat O’s cereal
• 1 cup Crispy Rice cereal
• 1 cup pretzels
• ½ cup peanuts
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup M & Ms

4.  Spread out in buttered pan.

 5.  Cool and enjoy.

Long Vowel Simple Sight Words

Long Vowel Simple Sight Word Lesson: ( Free worksheets.)

Do a lesson for each long vowel sound.

Preparation:

• Make cards for the words  me, we, he, she.
• Copy the long vowel worksheets. Worksheet for long vowel E words Worksheet for long vowel I words Worksheet for ay long vowel words (You may want to do another lesson on AY words. may, say, day and a lesson for I words. I, hi, sky, fly, why)
• Locate  the book: He Bear, She Bear by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Lesson:  Rule:  Vowels not followed by a consonant and end a syllable, especially the first syllable, are usually long.  

• Discuss the rule.
• Read together all the word cards.
• Read the story He Bear, She Bear by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

Activity:

• Do the worksheet together. Write the letter to finish the word and review the sound, combine the consonant with the long vowel and sound out the word, then draw a picture  of each word.
• Repeat with each word.
•  Have the children read the words to as many people as possible for their homework.

Options:

• On the back of the worksheet have them write some other long vowel E words and draw pictures for each.  ( tree, bee, free, see, )
• Put this sentence on the back of the worksheet.  ( See the bee in the tree.)   Have the children draw the picture for this sentence.
• Make a simple book where they draw the pictures with these words,  He sees  _____.  She sees_____.  We see _____. I see  ______.

Family

Objective: Children gain knowledge of the concept of families and where they fit in as well as an understanding of rules and chores that are necessary in families.

Preparation:

• Find pictures of families from the internet, pictures books, magazines or old calendars.
• Have crayons for the children to draw with.
• Be prepared to draw family or find a family tree work sheet on the internet to copy. 
• Decide on a book to read.

Suggested books:

• Me And My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney
• I Love My Family by Wade Hudson
• I Am Responsible! by David Parker
• The Family Book by Todd Parr

Lesson:
Read the book(s) then discuss:

Discuss the structure of families. These are some aspects you may want to included depending on the children you are teaching:

• Some have step children or parents.
• Some have single parents.
• Some have a lot of children some only have one.
• Many people think of other loved ones as family even if they are not related.
• Lots of families have pets, but many don’t.
• Uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents are part of families.

Explain that every member of the family is important and has a role to play to make the family work like:

• Every family member has chores and responsibilities to keep the house and yard clean, fix meals and pay bills, etc.  Ask each child what their job or chore is that contributes to their family.
• Family member can be kind to each other to help make a happier family.  Ask what they can do to help make a happier family.
• Rules are important in families too. Discuss rules in the families of each child has and why they are important.

Activity: Make a family tree or draw family.

• Have each child draw pictures of themselves and other family members in each corresponding circle.
• Have them color and decorate the tree.

Make and Bake Cupcakes

(Black Bottom Cupcakes)

These are simple to make with the filling inside.  No need to frost these.  Fun to make with children.  Fun to make when learning to read long vowel A words.

1. Mix:

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 c. small chocolate chips
• Set aside.

2. Mix:

• 1 ½ c. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. cocoa
• 1 t. baking soda
• ½ t. salt
• 1. c. water
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1 T. vinegar
• 1 t. vanilla

3. Fill lined muffin cups ½ full with batter.

4. Place a heaping spoonful of cream cheese mixture in the middle of each cup of batter.

5. Bake at a preheated oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

6. Cool and Enjoy! (Makes 24 muffins)