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More Reward Charts

Teaching Nursery Rhymes are one of the best things you could do for your child. It has been proven that if a child knows his or her nursery rhymes, he or she reads faster and has an easier time. Nursery Rhymes are also a good way to teach other subjects, like Math. I made this paper for my son and put it in the front of a three ring binder. We are going to be memorizing different nursery rhymes and putting them in our book. Every day we will read the book. Gradually we will have more and more nursery rhymes in our book! He will also be coloring each rhyme to go into his book. Yes I could just read him a nursery rhyme book, but this way we are spending time together, he is practicing coloring, and he will feel more ownership to his special little book. At the end I also put a good website about Nursery Rhymes. Not only do they have loads of ideas, but they also explain more about why Nursery Rhymes are so good. http://www.nurseryrhymesonline.com/

By the way: May is National Egg Month. May 4th is Bird Day. The 2nd Saturday in May is International Migatory Bird Day

Bird Lessons!

One of my favorite things to do in preschool is learn about birds. Today I woke up and looked out my window and saw this:

I couldn't believe that this bird stole my kids club house. But the preschool teacher in me, thought of all the fun you can have learning about birds. Here is an example of activities you could do for preschool, or just for fun at home.

Science #1: Find a real bird nest (not in use of course), show how it is made. Ours has a Mother in it, but we can still look if we are careful.

Science #2: Go Bird Watching!

Art #1: Make birds nests! Let them gather materials from outside as well as paper and craft stuff from inside the house. Glue or weave the pieces together. Make little eggs to put in the nest.

Art #2: All birds look so different and are all different colors. Let the kids watercolor different birds. At the end show them, that they were all different.

Art #3: Make a bird feeder or bird bath. (The peanut butter pinecone with seeds is always a big hit)

Art #4: Bird Seed Art- use glue and cardstock.

Snack #1: Recently I put the idea of doing bird nests for Easter. But for Snack you could that.

Snack #2: My Favorite idea ever! I do a bird tasting. Serve them things that birds eat: lots of different kinds of Seeds and Nuts, Worms (gummy of course), Bugs (again gummy), French Fries (ever been to lunch outside), Bread, and of course fruits and vegetables. Remember to give them beaks (Chopsticks) so they can see how not having hands would be.

Math #1: From snack 2, do a bird taste graph. Let everyone put their vote on their two favorite bird foods. Then everyone counts together to see the results.

Language/Math #2: Print on your computer bird matching game. Any birds will do, but make sure you know their names, to help with language.

Reading #1: Read the cute book, Are you my mother?

Reading #2: Read Don't let pigeons drive the bus! or really any bird book will do.

Writing: Write a story about a bird, or practice writing the word: bird.

Writing/Question of the Day: What color of bird would you like to be? (have them tell you the color and then practice writing it)

Large Motor #1: Put squares of material in both hands. Turn on music, and fly like birds.

Large Motor #2: Hide Eggs (Easter kind) all around outside. Tell the children that the Mother bird went to look for worms and lost all her babies. When you say go- they all get to gather them back together.

Large Motor #3: Blowing Feathers! Everyone gets a feather and when the music turns on (classical of course) they can start blowing their feather- but no touching unless you have to pick it up.

Show & Tell: Go to place that has birds to look at, or go to someone's house and see their bird.

Rhyme: Five Little Blue Birds

Five little blue birds, hopping by my door
One went to build a nest, and then there were four

Four little blue birds singing lustily
One got out of tune, and then there were three

Three little blue birds, and what should one do,
But go in search of dinner, leaving only two.

Two little blue birds singing for fun
One flew away, and then there was one.

One little blue bird sitting in the sun
He took a little nap, and then there was none.

72 Hour Kid Kits

I started something a few years ago that really works well for our family. If we were having an emergency I wanted the kids to be able to grab something that would help them through that emergency. So I took some old school backpacks and wrote in magic marker their first name, clearly on the outside. Then I filled it with all sorts of things that would help them. Some of it includes:
1. Foil Blanket
2. Regular Small Blanket
3. 2 Water Bottle
4. 3 Cans of Soup, meal, or vegetable (Pop open kind)
5. Gum & Candy
6. Small Stuffed Animal
7. Small First Aid Kit
8. Change of Clothes
9. Coat
10. Flashlight
11. Coloring Book
12. Colored Pencils
13. Book
14. Hand/Foot Warmers
15. Diapers/Pully if needed
16. Formula/Bottles if needed
17. Garbage Bag
18. Card Games
19. Toothpaste
20. Toothbrush
21. Shampoo
22. Medication
23. Foil Sleeping bag

After it was all full, then I put it in a closet right by the door. Right now they are up high and wouldn't be easy to grab. I hope to put them on hooks low in the closet, because we don't use that closet for clothes.

Anyway that is your idea for today.

Another Thought

I just realized these charts would also be great for getting your kids to read books in the Summer. Once all the stars have been signed on they get their prize. I was excited when I realized all the things these could really be used for, and thought I would quickly share.

Reward Charts!

I have two kids that have been having a REALLY hard time in school. One of the two also has a really hard time communicating. So we set up behavior folders for each of them. On the cover it lists their first name, teacher, and grade. Inside the folder has a pocket on each side and a three hole area for the middle. One side of the folder has a place for their homework (since it was being thrown away), grades, or things that are coming home for us to see. The other side is for extra papers (I try to make up a couple months worth of papers). The three hole area has a calendar (one of my kids sees three teachers a day so she has a calendar that has a place for all three teachers to place comments. This is what hers looks like. The other child has just one teacher and so she has a more of a month calendar! It also has a reward chart that has a goal they are working on. I have the teachers pick the goal, but if you were doing something for home, you would want to. Our goals have been: Sitting in your seat and raise your hands if you need to tell the teacher something (since one likes to follow the teacher around), Telling the truth, bringing the folder to all the teachers to sign and then back home, Reading a book and telling the plot of the story at the end, Doing 10 subtraction problems, etc. If it is a hard one like sitting in your seat, then I divide that into three time periods and the teacher can give her up to three smiley faces or check marks on her reward sheet.

It also lists the reward they are going to get. So far we have done: Getting to go to the movie store and pick out your own movie to watch with the family, sleepover with grandma, Late night, game with mom and dad. It has been working really well.My problem though is that I had to make this up as I went along. The teachers are more than happy to do the goals, and to check things off and make notes, but not to organize the whole thing. I also thought I would have been able to find really cute goal/reward charts on the Internet that I could print off. I did find some and I will put that at the end of this post, but not many. So I decided I would just make my own. That way I can decide how many they need to get in order to get their reward. When I started this, they only had to get like five. Now I have increased it, so they are having to work harder for their prize.

It has really worked for us so far. Do we still have problems? YES! At least once a week I get a note from the teacher that something has happened, and once I got a call from the principal. But overall they are working harder, being more responsible, being more behaved, and getting better grades! If I end up making more, I will post them. Also this is the site I have been using a little:

http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/singlebehaviorcharts.htm

Out of Town!

Sorry we went out of town, and I haven't been posting. But now we are back, I will try to do better! So check back soon and you will find a new post!