Homeschool Kindergarten Lesson Plans - Week 10

We're getting into a good rhythm with our homeschooling time and the girls have been enjoying a wide variety of learning activities.  I've been starting to integrate some themed units 2-3 days a week (like our mini unit on Johnny Appleseed and more learning units I'll post about next week), so this really helps to break up the monotony and makes the kids more receptive to the 'regular' school activities that we do the rest of the week.  Here's the latest from this week...

Language Arts

I've found a fun way to let my twins work on spelling and allow H (2 years old) to learn his sight words.  H enjoys watching Preschool Prep's video series: Meet the Sight Words (which was also how L and E learned 40+ sight words by age 2.5), but the girls complain that its a "baby show".  To solve the problem I handed them each a small clipboard with paper and a pencil and told them that they had to see if they could spell all the words that appeared.  This is a great way for them to practice spelling and handwriting, and to keep them engaged while their little brother watches his "word show". 

 The girls also decided to practice their sight word reading skills with the game pictured above (I think it is called Pop for Sight Words) where each popcorn piece has a sight word they need to read.  It was easy for them but good practice since now that they are becoming better readers they occasionally skip over words or somehow mess up the easy words they already know.  As a bonus, I let them jump on the couch if they turned over a popcorn piece that said "POP".

They also helped their little brother with his word matching puzzle.  I have to remember that I need to include enough of these easier activities so they get a good sense of mastery and accomplishment, rather than just pushing them with reading activities that are at a harder level.

For writing, the kids are still working on Handwriting Without Tears at least a couple days a week.  We should be through the workbook Letters and Numbers for Me by Christmas.

I make a really big deal when they write words "like grown-ups", which seems to encourage them.

For our read-aloud book, we are still reading The Witch Family.  I've had a cold all week so our nightly read aloud time has been shortened to help preserve my voice.

Independent Reading Log:

Martha and George
The Surprise Family
Red Eyed Tree Frog
Jump Frog Jump
I Believe in Me

Math & Logic

Although the girls are getting better at counting to 100 (with some limited help), they don't quite recognize their 2 digit numbers yet, so we did a lot of activities this week reinforcing that skill. 

The Hundreds Board was a big hit, and it was fun to watch the girls discover their own patterns in the numbers.

E even decided to make up her own math problems using some plastic stir sticks that I found when cleaning out the homeschool supply closet.  She arranged the sticks to make an addition problem and then wrote out the equation and solution on a piece of paper. 

One day instead of keeping their activities in trays and taking them out one at a time, I arranged them at different tables around the house and told them that they were "centers".  This, strangely made a big difference in their level of enthusiasm as they got to pick their next center.  We worked on a lot of logic puzzles this week, which are always fun.

It's fun seeing the girls advance to the more challenging levels in the logic games we have.

Art

The twins have really been into crafts lately.  Their scissor skills are amazing and they love creating new things. 

I've been using crafts and art projects as a type of incentive ("first we'll do a math lesson, and then we'll make something."). 

E came up with the idea of making robots - didn't they turn out cute?