Let me first start by saying this yellow school bus box is extra exciting because not only do you receive September's curriculum "My Amazing Body" you also receive Mother Goose Time's 2014-2015 Welcome Kit. The great thing about Mother Goose Time is that even if you order later in the school year you still get a Welcome Kit. Refer to my previous post to see all that is included in this year's welcome kit. But this post is all about the wonderful things you will find in the box for Mother Goose Time's "My Amazing Body" curriculum.
Every month there are 125 child discovery tools. One of my favorite discovery tools from this month is an activity called "Which Coat?" In the third week of the curriculum we talk about what we use to dress. On this particular day we are talking about wearing a coat. For this activity kids are forced to think outside of the box and recognize that animals wear coats also. There are pictures of animals and their coats. The children have to match the coats to the correct animal.
Possibly my favorite part of Mother Goose Time are the art projects (there are 13+ every month!). Having a three and one year old is fun because often their art projects look so different. One thing they included in the new curriculum is a little piece of paper with the directions for the art project and a picture of what the finished product could look like. I think this will be a very helpful tool. I think it will help Mason envision what he is creating. For the first day the kids were to create a puppet of themselves. Of course Mother Goose Time provided us with all the supplies we would need.
Not only is Mother Goose Time a lot of fun the kids actually learn too! There are 33 skills addressed every month in each Mother Goose Time theme. In the activity pictures below (Wash away Words) students are encouraged to put different letters in the space and sound out what words they have created. I think this hands on experience is a great way for students to learn how letters can work together to make words.
The kids know that it is "school time" when I turn on Mother Goose Time's Circle Time CD. The kids love all the songs on the CD and it creates a great learning atmosphere. Each month Mother Goose Time provides a themed CD that goes with each unit. It is so fun to listen to the new CD and revisit old CDs. This month we are looking forward to enjoying "My Amazing Body" CD.
Every month Mother Goose Time provides a library style story time book. This month we get to look forward to Beatriz, Bananas and the Very Big Hat. Not only are we provided with a great book but also story telling tools to revisit the story over and over again.
As I have said before I am a "retired" first grade teacher. When I was teaching parent communication was key. Mother Goose Time provides a monthly family newsletter. Although this is not a tool I use now I do imagine it is a very useful tool. It breaks down what their child will be learning, gives some at home book and activity ideas, and helps parents extend the school theme after school hours.
As we know students all learn very differently. Mother Goose Time addresses how to adjust lesson plans to meet each student's needs.
Another tool Mother Goose Time uses are games to help teach concepts. One of Mason's favorite games are matching games. In this game "Matching Parts" we get to talk about your five senses. Children get to compare their own body parts to those on the cards. The pictures are printed on high quality paper so children can play a matching game with the cards over and over again.
Mason is at a point where he recognizes letters and sounds so the next step for us is for him to start to understand letters can go together to make words. Mother Goose Time's I Can Read books are a great tool for kids like Mason to start to see that they can read. There is a lot of repetition and rhyming in this great first reader books. I look forward to reading "It Smells" over and over again.
My Little Journal is such a fun tool for preschoolers. I feel like Mason takes great pride in his journal each month. Each month's letter, number, and shape is addressed in the journal.
Each month Mother Goose Time has you focus on a letter, number, and shape. This month the focus is on letters A, B, and H, numbers 1 and 11, and circle. These are great tools that are incorporated into our circle time area.
Each month students collect friendship feathers. They will learn a variety of positive characteristics. This month we will focus on being polite.
Another great tool provided by Mother Goose Time for teachers is a chart that shows the skills addressed each day. This would also be a great tool to post for parents to see which skills their children are working on. Another teacher tool I love is the gathering list. Although Mother Goose Time provides almost everything you need sometimes you have to grab a few things around the house or at the store. I check the list while making my grocery list to make sure I have everything I need to for the week.
Lastly, the teacher's best friend each day of Mother Goose Time preschool is the teacher guide. The teacher guide writes everything out that you need each day. A new tool for this year is the planning journal. I look forward to using this tool. I think it will be helpful with blogging to write down what happens in each lesson.
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