Inside the "Dinosaur Dig" Box

Well we had a very busy Christmas over here this year. We live in Michigan and most of our family lives in Illinois so we just got back from being away for over a week of visiting. While we were gone one of us was sick at some point the whole time. Let's say it is nice to be home and the kids sleeping in their own beds. Once we got home my husband asked me what we were going to do for New Year's and I honestly had not even thought about it. And then it occurred to me with New Year's means a new month and I had not even opened my new Mother Goose Time box!!! So since we have been gone I have been browsing through and getting excited for next month's Dinosaur Dig theme.

 This past month the kids enjoyed learning more about the winter through Mother Goose Time's Winter Wonderland. I think their favorite part was when we learned about igloos. They talked about igloos a good amount after that lesson.

January's Mother Goose Time theme Dinosaur Dig is perfect for my three and a half year old, Mason. Like most preschoolers he loves dinosaurs. Hailey will even give us a random roar with a dinosaur.While I was preparing for this unit I was looking through our books and found that we have lots of dinosaur themed books. I then went through Mother Goose Time's Planning Journal and found their books suggestions and requested them from the library. You can see the full book list here.

One of my favorite parts of Mother Goose Time's curriculum is the new book you receive with the curriculum every month. This month's book is titled Jurassic Jam. What's not to like- dinosaurs and music?!? I am really looking forward to cracking it open.

Library-Style Story Time Book, Every Month

We are introduced to this exciting book on day four. Before reading the book you will discuss different ways dinosaurs can move. Children will then be invited to explore the book before reading. During the first time reading the book children will be able to move like each dinosaur named in the book.

 On day seven students will revisit the story when talking about the stegosaurus. Students will be encouraged to name dinosaurs they know. They then will be able to use the Storytelling Pieces and recall the dinosaurs from the Storybook. Once the story has been retold the teacher will hide one or two of the pieces and invite the students to figure out which is missing.

125 Active Discovery Tools, Every Month

  Of the many things that my kids enjoy I think getting dirty and puzzles are pretty high on the list. So they are really going to enjoy two of the activities planned in "Dinosaur Dig". On day two students will discuss how scientists clean bones they find in dirt. They then will be able to dig out dinosaur bones from the sand. On day 14 students will have the chance to dig for puzzle pieces and then assemble their own dinosaur puzzle.

13+ Art Projects, Every Month

 On day five we will be learning about one of Mason's favorite dinosaurs, T Rex. In the activity Dino Headband students will discuss why they might be afraid of a T Rex. They then will have a chance to make their own T Rex headband with scary teeth. On day six you will learn about Brontosaurus. They will create their own Brontosaurus puppet and discuss what these dinosaurs ate. 

33 Skills Built. Every Month

Children will discover a manipulative provided by Mother Goose Time on day four. Students will use the shape manipulatives to recreate patterns into play dough. On day seven students will add spikes to a Stegosaurus according to number cards drawn.

20 Brand New Sing-Along Songs, Every Month

Hear a sample of this month's CD here!

If your child enjoys Mother Goose Time's music CDs provided every month check out Mother Goose Time's Dance n' Beats curriculum. A new series is available every month that goes along with the monthly theme.

Parents Want the Best, Every Month

 Caregivers are provided with a monthly Family Newsletter they can give to parents each month. This month's newsletter introduces parents to this month's book Jurassic Jam and gives a suggested book list. It also gives parents tips on how to have quality conversations with their preschooler. Lastly, it suggests at home activities parents can do with their children outside of preschool. More Family Connect Tools can be found here.

Child-led Exploration, Every Month

 At the bottom of many of the activities there are suggestions on how to simplify or make an activity more challenging. I feel I mostly need to simplify the activities for my 20 month old. I find that Mother Goose Time's Little Goose curriculum is very helpful for finding things I can do with just her while my three year old does the other activities in the curriculum. If you are finding your child needs more of a challenge please check out Mother Goose Time's More Math and Literacy.

Discover Games, Every Month

 On day five students will play the game Dinosaur Dig. They will take turns rolling the die and moving their pieces along the game board. They will have to follow the instructions as the land on each space. They will collect bones along the way and can count them all when they get to the end. On day 12 children will play Dino Roll and Graph. They will roll the game cube and identify the dinosaur on the top. They will then place a bingo chip above the matching dinosaur.

New My Little Journal, Every Month

 Students will be introduced to their field journal on the first day of the study. They will write their name on the front and then practice the names of the dinosaurs inside. For more writing practice please check out Mother Goose Time's More Literacy resource.

New I Can Read, Every Month

 Children will work on their reading skill on day 10 with their very own I Can Read book. Students will focus on three letters and three sight words throughout the month that are also focused on in the I Can Read book. I keep our letter and sight word flowers close during circle time and we look at them each time we do circle time. Many of the resources I use for our circle time are from Mother Goose Time's Welcome Kit. The kids especially love our Circle Time CD. When it starts to play they know it is time to start the day!

New Letters, Numbers, and Shapes, Every Month! 

 

This month students will explore the letters L, E, and V, numbers 5 and 15, the color purple, and the shape oval. Students will visit the letter sets over and over again throughout the month. They are a great long time addition to your learning space also. 

New Friendship Feathers, Every Month

 This month children will focus on being forgiving. On day three we will discuss when we should say "sorry". Students will practice forgiveness and learn that forgiveness mean that we stop feeling anger toward someone who has hurt is. At the end they will earn their "I am forgiving" bracelet. 

Monthly Skills Chart, Every Month

 A helpful skills chart and gathering list are included every month. The skills chart is a great piece to hang where parents can see. I refer to the gathering list each week before I go to the grocery store. 

Teacher Guide with Built-in Assessment, Extensions, Every Month

 You can find other resources under Member Resources on Mother Goose Time's website. The member code is included in your Teacher Guide each month.There are many other Teacher Tools included each month that makes the learning more interesting and the planning much easier!!

There is still time to order your very own Dinosaur Dig or you can join in the fun in February with Mother Goose Time's "It's a Small World" curriculum! Not sure if you want to dive all the way in yet? Check out one of Mother Goose Time's samples!!

I received curriculum from Mother Goose Time for honest and authentic stories resulting from my daily experiences in using the curriculum. I applied to be an official Mother Goose Time blogger and will continue to share my experiences throughout the 2014/15 school year.