Mother Goose Time's "Weather All Around Us" preschool curriculum is coming to an end. We have one more week to enjoy. While we finish up this unit it is fun to look forward to the next. We received our new box yesterday and I was excited to jump right in and see what is in store for us. November's Mother Goose Time unit is called "Rainforest Adventure". While the weather is getting cold here maybe we can dream of being in the warm rainforest during this study.
All of Mother Goose Time's units are broken into four areas all relating to the main theme. Mother Goose Time provides us with a beautiful web to see how the unit is broken down.
Along with learning about the main theme there are also basic concepts like letters, numbers, colors, and shapes that are focused on each month.
Every month your child will enjoy many activities that will help them discover new things. A few of my favorites from this month include the I Spy Rainforest, Swinging Experiment, Fastest Path, and Build a Gecko.
In the activity I Spy Rainforest students will use the Theme Poster and Looking Glasses (these are included every month!) and discover new plants and animals that can be found in the rainforest. You will be able to help students create their own rope swing in Swinging Experiment to demonstrate how monkeys swing in the rainforest. In Build a Gecko you will talk about what geckos like to eat. Students will then measure items in the room with the bug rods provided by Mother Goose Time. Lastly students will build a gecko out of blocks and measure their geckos with the bug rods. I love how students will learn they can measure with more than just a ruler. These are just a few of the 125 discovery tools you will find this month.
There are so many great art projects in this month's box it was hard to decided which one I wanted to feature. On one of the last days of the unit you will discuss jobs you can find in the rainforest. One of those featured is basket making. Children will have their own chance to weave paper like baskets in the activity Weaving Art. You are provided with a cardboard base, elastic bands, and paper to complete this project. Other art projects I am really looking forward to include Bugs on a Vine where you use bug stickers provided by Mother Goose Time and create your own rainforest tree branch with bugs and Gecko Headband Design where you create your own headband with a decorated gecko on it.
Each month Mother Goose Time strives to help your child build at least 33 skills. This month I am featuring four activities that will help build various skills. When completing the activity Stick Shapes students will work with pattern blocks to create a design on the Shape Design mat. Students are also provided with a blank mat where they can create their own unique design. In the activity Counting Monkeys you will hide plastic monkeys (think Barrel O' Monkeys) provided by Mother Goose Time around the room. You will then encourage your students to find three hidden monkeys and place them on the number three counting card. Student will continue to make piles of three monkeys to reinforce counting to three. Students will work on their pattern skills with pictures of sloths and geckos in the activity Sloth in Hiding. Lastly the activity Fishing for Letters will challenge students to both identify letters and work with money. Children will draw one of the fish cards out of a pot and identify the letter on the fish. They then will sell their fish for the amount listed on the poster.
A themed CD is included every month with the Mother Goose Time curriculum. There are many times throughout the day that the kids will ask to listen to the new CD. There are also many times that the activities will encourage you to play the CD while students are working on a project. This is such a great addition to every unit.
There is a story book included every month. This month's story, Chimidyue, is a sweet tale about a little girl that finds her way into the rainforest by accident but meets many new friends. Along with a book to add to your library you will also find many activities that relate to the book throughout the month. In the game Chasing Butterflies you will help Chimidyue find her way through the rainforest. Children will be able to use the Storytelling Set in the activity Butterfly Flutter and retell the story they heard earlier in the unit.
Not only does Mother Goose Time provide so much for their students and teachers they also take time to think of the parents. Each month they provide a family newsletter for each student. The newsletter outlines the unit, provides a book list, includes the theme web, and gives ideas of how to extend the study at home. This month the family newsletter gives parents tips on helping their child learn how to learn.
Discover games are included with every Mother Goose Time curriculum. Two games your child will enjoy this month are Chasing Butterflies and Matching Rainforest Animals. Chasing Butterflies is a basic board game where children will help Chimidyue find her way through the rainforest by rolling a die and moving their game piece. In Matching Rainforest Animals children use pictures of rainforest animals to try to find two of the same.
Students will focus on the letters M, J, and D this month. These letters are reinforced with Letter Sets. Each letter will have three brightly colored cards. One features the upper and lower case letter. The other two cards feature a picture of something that begins with that letter. These are cards that I feature in my learning space all month.
Every month each students has their own My Little Journal. This month they will begin using their journal by writing their name and drawing a picture of themselves in the rainforest. Throughout the month they will look at the month's shape, color, and letters in their journal.
This month students will focus on the sight words "we", "jump", and "can". Mother Goose Time provides sight word flowers to include in your circle time set up to be visited every day. These sight words are reinforced in the I Can Read book. Every child will have their own book where they will find the sight words and master reading the story.
This month's friendship feather features being grateful. What great timing with Thanksgiving right around the corner! In the activity Grateful students will create a pretend rainforest together. Students will express their gratitude for help of their teachers and friends in making the rainforest. They will then receive their own "I am grateful." bracelet.
Every month Mother Goose Time provides educators with materials like the gathering list and monthly skills chart to help them each day.
They also provide a detailed Teacher Guide and Planning Journal with every preschool curriculum. I find the Planning Journal very helpful when I am preparing for my next lesson. I also use it a lot to take notes about my students or about things I want to remember.
I am very impressed with curriculum for November. Not only do we have a great curriculum about the rainforest but there is also a bonus day we get to enjoy about Thanksgiving. I am all about the holiday activities so look for a post about our Thanksgiving day here soon. I think the kids are going to love exploring the rainforest this month!!
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