Letter R is for Rocks and Number 18

Day 1    R is for Rocks     No. 18    Dime
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Circle Time:  Morning learning songs.Introduce letter R and review letters A-:Q.  Read "My R Book."  Introduce #18 and review #’s 1-17.  Review the vowel song.   Begin blending consonants with short a sound.  Introduce the dime!  Lately, I have been teaching the children some of the old-time songs and rhymes that I sung as a child.  Thus far, we have learned "This Old Man," "Where is Thumpkin?", and  "Hands On Shoulders."  Now we will move on to "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands:

He’s Got the Whole World
He's got the whole world in His hands (3x)
The whole world in His hands

Create your own verses:
He's got our family...
He's got the mountains and the rivers...
He's got the fish and the birds...

Snack:  After the students eat their snacks from home, I will share some rock candy with them that I purchased from Five Below.
Bible:  Watch Your Words from "The Big Book of Bible Lessons for Crafty Kids.  Vocab:  Argue:  To disagree in an angry way.  Getting Crafty:  Glitter Magnet:  Do Everything Without Arguing.
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Group Lesson:  Rock Facts and Rock Counting Worksheet
Lunch/Rest:  Read two books while children relax, listen and enjoy!
Gross Motor/Phys.Ed:  1.  Outdoor play if weather permits.  We have kind of gotten into a routine where, when we play outdoors, the children want me to chase them and try to catch them.  When our them of the week changes, I become whatever matches our theme and give chase!  I have been a Dinosaur for letter D, a Gorilla for letter G, and a Horse for letter H thus far.  Maybe for letter I Iguana might be appropriate!  For the letter J, it is the perfect time to become the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk and give chase!    For letter K, I could be a King and give chase!  Aerobics inside:  I will put on some fun music and show the children some movements they can do for exercise:  kicks, jumping jacks, side to sides, knee raises, hamstring curls--this is a little introduction to aerobics!
Art/Fine Motor: Crayon rocks from:  http://www.kinderartblog.com/2012/01/hot-rocks-melting-crayons-onto-stones.html:  To make these "hot rocks" you will need, clean rocks, a cookie tray, parchment paper, some wax crayons, a knife or cheese grater and an oven set to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. First, we took a cookie sheet and lined it with parchment paper.  I used a sharp knife to create some tiny crayon slices. I started with a cheese grater but found the knife was much more efficient. Once the crayon pieces were ready, I placed little piles of them on top of each of the rocks.  When all the rocks were covered with crayon bits, I put the tray in the oven (preheated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit). We left the rocks to "bake" until the crayon bits had melted - about 10 minutes or so. After the melting was complete - I took the tray out of the oven to let them cool.

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Review/Pack up/Dismissal


Day 2    R is for Rocks     No. 18    Dime
Sign In:  
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Circle Time:  Morning learning songs.  Letter R and review letters A-:Q.  #18 and review #’s 1-17.  Review the vowel song.   Begin blending consonants with short a sound.  Continue discussing the dime!  Lately, I have been teaching the children some of the old-time songs and rhymes that I sung as a child.  Thus far, we have learned "This Old Man," "Where is Thumpkin?", and  "Hands On Shoulders."  Now we will move on to "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands:

He’s Got the Whole World
He's got the whole world in His hands (3x)
The whole world in His hands

Create your own verses:
He's got our family...
He's got the mountains and the rivers...
He's got the fish and the birds...

Snack  

Bible:  Bible Story and Sequencing Card

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Group Lesson:  1.  Read "Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock (retold by Eric A. Kimmel; illustrated by Janet Stevens).  This may have to be read over a period of two days, as it is a little longer than most books for this age group.  It is a good book for predicting what will happen next in the story.

Lunch/Rest:  Read two books while children relax, listen and enjoy!  2.  What Will Dissolve in Water Experiment from Letter Q lesson plans (did not get to this yet).  I do believe the children will enjoy this experiment.  3.  
Gross Motor/Phys.Ed:  1.  Outdoor play if weather permits.  We have kind of gotten into a routine where, when we play outdoors, the children want me to chase them and try to catch them.  When our them of the week changes, I become whatever matches our theme and give chase!  I have been a Dinosaur for letter D, a Gorilla for letter G, and a Horse for letter H thus far.  Maybe for letter I Iguana might be appropriate!  For the letter J, it is the perfect time to become the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk and give chase!    For letter K, I could be a King and give chase!  Aerobics inside:  I will put on some fun music and show the children some movements they can do for exercise:  kicks, jumping jacks, side to sides, knee raises, hamstring curls--this is a little introduction to aerobics!

Art/Fine Motor: Rock Smashing:  I will show the children how to smash a rock into smaller pieces with a hammer (a lot of supervision is needed for this).  The children will then have an opportunity to hammer a rock into pieces.  We will use these pieces of rock to decorate a mosaic:  Rock Mosaic:

 

You need:
Play dough (recipe here) or
Salt dough
*1 cup salt
*2 cups flour
*3/4-1 cup water
-Mix ingredients well.  Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Small rocks
Rolling pin

Roll out dough.  Arrange rocks to make a pattern, picture, or whatever is desired!The great thing about this activity is it can be permanent or temporary!  If you use play dough, just take the rocks out and start again!  To make it permanent, use salt dough.  Bake at 250 degrees for about two hours, paint (if desired), then seal with several coats of acrylic spray.  From:  http://www.motherhoodonadime.com/kids/easy-rock-mosaic/

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Review/Pack up/Dismissal

Day 3    R is for Rocks     No. 18    Dime
Sign In:  
Free Play in Learning Centers
Circle Time:  Morning learning songs.  Letter R and review letters A-:Q.  #18 and review #’s 1-17.  Review the vowel song.   Begin blending consonants with short a sound.  Continue discussing the dime!  Lately, I have been teaching the children some of the old-time songs and rhymes that I sung as a child.  Thus far, we have learned "This Old Man," "Where is Thumpkin?", and  "Hands On Shoulders."  Now we will move on to "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands:

He’s Got the Whole World
He's got the whole world in His hands (3x)
The whole world in His hands

Create your own verses:
He's got our family...
He's got the mountains and the rivers...
He's got the fish and the birds...

Snack  

Bible:  Read a devotion and discuss.

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Group Lesson:  1. Rock Candy:  Discuss how the candy makes the popping sound (carbon dioxide).  Examine the pop rock candy under a magnifying glass to observe the tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide gas.  When the gas is released in your mouth, that is when you hear the popping sound.  Give each child their own package of Pop Rock candy.  2.  Salt Solution Experiment:  2  tsp salt; small bowl, plastic wrap, warm water, teaspoon.  Dissolve 2 tsp. salt in small bowl of warm water.  Let children taste a tiny bit to confirm it is salty.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in warm place for an hour or longer.  After an hour or so, you should see tiny drops of water on the plastic cover.  Remove the plastic carefully, and let the children taste the water on the plastic.  Result:  The water drops that accumulated on the plastic are not salty, as the salt dissolved in the water in the bowl does not evaporate, but remains behind in the bowl.    Variation:  Set the bowl aside for a few days without the cover until the water has evaporated.  Show the children the salt that remains in the bowl.  The separation of a dissolved substance from a liquid by means of evaporation is known as crystallization.  
 Lunch/Rest:  Read two books while children relax, listen and enjoy!  

Gross Motor/Phys.Ed:  1.  Outdoor play if weather permits.  We have kind of gotten into a routine where, when we play outdoors, the children want me to chase them and try to catch them.  When our them of the week changes, I become whatever matches our theme and give chase!  I have been a Dinosaur for letter D, a Gorilla for letter G, and a Horse for letter H thus far.  Maybe for letter I Iguana might be appropriate!  For the letter J, it is the perfect time to become the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk and give chase!    For letter K, I could be a King and give chase!  Aerobics inside:  I will put on some fun music and show the children some movements they can do for exercise:  kicks, jumping jacks, side to sides, knee raises, hamstring curls--this is a little introduction to aerobics!

Art/Fine Motor:  Decorate wooden boxes:  I purchased three wooden boxes, which the children can decorate with rocks and gems.  

Other Ideas for Rocks:  We can gather rocks…; We can look under rocks…; We can take a closer look at big rocks…; We can wash and polish rocks…; We can weigh rocks…; We can add animals to our rocks…; We can compare the sizes of our rocks…; We can make patterns out of rocks…; We can stand on rocks…; we can set up a rock stand and sell rocks. 
From: http://www.teachpreschool.org/2013/03/how-we-can-explore-rocks-in-preschool/

Cover a letter Rr with rocks (pebbles)

Dissolving Rock:  the only things you need are baking soda, water, food coloring, and vinegar.  And surprises to hide inside.  To make dissolving "rocks", start by making a dough from baking soda, water, and food coloring.  Start with one cup baking soda and a quarter cup of water and adjust from there.  I didn't even measure the second batch.  You want it moldable but not so wet that it won't hold its shape.  Roll your dough around some surprises.  I used some small plastic frogs I picked up in the party favor section.  When I ran out of those, I started using coins.  Allow your rocks to dry overnight. When the rocks are hard, fill a clear bowl with vinegar (we actually mixed ours with water) and drop them in! 

Rock Messages:   

Rock Counting:  

Rock Memory Game