Today we started talking about animals that live in the jungle. When I say the words " theme teaching " I cringe. I need you to understand that my goal is not teach the kids all they can learn about jungle animals so that when you visit the zoo they can spill it all back to you and you can pat us on the back to say " Job well done! He knew what a rhinoceros was ! " Themes are the VEHICLES I use to teach all of the things our children need to experience to be ready to move on to kindergarten. Now.. notice I didnt say MASTER .... I said experience. While we are learning about all the jungle animals ( which they love ) I can help them build social and emotional skills. We can sort and count and trace and hear colorful stories. We can use great language to broaden their vocabulary. The BONUS is that they learn actual facts while we are doing all of the other important things. Did that make sense ?
Today we made binoculars to go on a safari hunt .
We also learned that a giraffe is about 16 feet long. First we estimated how tall we thought a giraffe was. I got answers from this tall ( pointing above head ) , to as tall as a house. After we made guesses the kids helped me mark off 16 feet on the floor and then the kids laid head to toe on the carpet . It took 5 kids to make 16 feet ! Now.. we have a better idea of how tall 16 feet is.
I had about 10 inflatable jungle animals that the kids enjoyed.
We also sang new songs like " Mary Mack" , " Im being swallowed by a Boa Constrictor" and" Five Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." Our book today was " Rumble in the Jungle."
Randy and I were gone in the afternoon to a professional development
What a fun day !
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