October: Pumpkins!

This month’s thematic theme for preschoolers is PUMPKINS! Like September, there are other autumn topics sprinkled in the midst--and even a couple apple activities from September (if you didn't get to them already). 

Wondering how this works? Use the compiled list below as a starting point for your own homeschooling or use for supplemental activities. I will post monthly thematic units as the year continues. Next month's theme...THANKSGIVING, of course! 

Enjoy! Genevieve 

Amendments
10-5-12: Tons of high quality (& free!) pumpkin printables from 1plus1plus1equals1 and from 2teachingmommies for both math and writing/reading. Honoring the original creators' requests, you have to go directly to the site and then click on the downloads. But TOTALLY worth it!

Reading, Vocabulary, & Literature

• Read a minimum of 20 minutes per day to your child
• Go to your local library and look-up/checkout both fiction and nonfiction books on pumpkins and autumn. Let your child help you select the books. Have her read the pictures or retell the story to you.
• Vocabulary Words: pumpkin, orange, autumn, fall, life cycle, seed, vine, carve, stem, fruit, pulp
• Pumpkin Feels Lonely (video)
• Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on the Gate poem & printable
• The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything Ideas #1
• The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything Ideas #2
• Pumpkin Adjectives 
• Recommended Book: 

Letters & Writing 

• Pumpkins & "P"
• Printable Letter “P” #1 with Pumpkin theme
• Printable Letter “P” #2 with Pumpkin theme
• Printable Letter “P” #3 with Pumpkin theme
• Pumpkin acrostic poem
• “L” is for Leaf
• Create a pumpkin simile 

Math

• Pumpkin Math Mat while practicing addiction using dice
• Play Pumpkin Bingo while practicing shape identification
• Pumpkin Glyph
• Pumpkin Seeds Match-Up Game 
• Pumpkin Symmetry
• School House Rock Counting by 5's (video)
• Scarecrow Pumpkin Counting by 5's
• Create Estimation Jars using pine cones
• Counting Tree Leaves 

Art & Fine Motor

• Leaf Man 
• Leaf Garlands
• Leaf Suncatcher

• Fall Magnet Pages
• Cut out play dough with pumpkin cutters
• Autumn Tree
• For bigger kids, try hammering golf tees into pumpkins
• Make a pumpkin out of lunch paper bags
• Marble Painted Pumpkins 

Science

• Venn Diagram a Pumpkin & an Apple
• Time Lapse of Pumpkin Vines Growing (video)
• That's How a Pumpkin Grows Song (animated video)
• Share the lifecycle of a pumpkin plant 

Cooking

• Pumpkin pie
• Quinoa Pumpkin pancakes
• Pumpkin seeds
• Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

Music

• Where is Pumpkin (super cute!)
• 10 Little Leaves
• Hojas, Hojas is a spanish song teaching colors

Outings, Sensory, & Large Motor 

• Visit a farm and pick out pumpkins! 
• Go for a nature walk and take pictures. Make a photo book of your pictures together.
• Cut open and explore the insides of pumpkins
• Rake and jump into leaves
• Collect acorns, pine cones, and leaves often. These are needed for many of our fine motor art activities!
• Fall Sensory Table

Faith & Love

• Pumpkin Carving & Poem
• How a Christian is Like a Pumpkin

Online Educational Fun

• Starfall
• ABCya
• Dance Mat keyboarding (do not focus on hand position at this age)

Pumpkin photo© Copyright RichardBowen and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licencehttp://www.storyit.com/pcolor/rhymes5pump.htm

Home Preschooling in September: Apples!

This month’s thematic theme for preschoolers is APPLES! I’ve also included some beginning autumn activities here and there. 

Wondering how this works? Use the compiled list below as a starting point for your own homeschooling or use for supplemental activities. I will post monthly thematic units as the year continues. 

Enjoy! Genevieve 

Reading, Vocabulary, & Literature

• Read a minimum of 20 minutes per day to your child
• Go to your local library and look-up/checkout both fiction and nonfiction books on apples and autumn. Let your child help you select the books. Have her read the pictures or retell the story to you.
• Ten Apples Up On Top (also a Art/Fine motor activity)
• Vocabulary Words: apple, red, green, yellow, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, seed, tree, picking, orchard, pollinate, apple, cider, apple sauce, core, apple pie, Johnny Appleseed (source: Busy Teachers Cafe)
• Flannel Story: Five Little Apples

Letters & Writing 

• Appleseed “A” 
• Printable Letter “A” #1 with Apple theme
• Printable Letter “A” #2 with Apple theme
• Printable Letter “A” #3 with Apple theme
• “L” is for Leaf
• Alphabet Apple Tree

Math

• Apple patterning
• Apple graphing
• Apple dot-to-dot (1-10)
• 100 Apples
• Edible Math Apples
• Apple Fraction Faces
• Create estimation jars using acorns

Science 

• Create a diagram of the parts of an apple
• Apple Facts (pick and share one fact a day with your child)
• Johnny Appleseed Book Video (Scholastic) 
• Johnny Appleseed Song (Disney)

Cooking

• Bake an apple pie
• Stir up some traditional apple sauce
• Make my favorite…apple crisp!
• Dare to make Red Hot apple sauce

Art & Fine Motor

• Apple Star Stamping
• Apple Turkey (might want to save this for November too!)
• Family Hand Print Tree
• Apple Pie Play Dough

Music

• Apple Seed (tune: Twinkle, Twinkle)
• Apples, Apples (tune: Twinkle, Twinkle)
• More Apple Poems & Songs
• The Apple Song

Outings, Sensory, & Large Motor 

• Visit an apple orchard and pick apples!
• Apple Sensory Tub
• Apple Toss (use rolled up socks if need be!)
• Autumn Tree
• Apple & Acorns Sensory Tub
• Have kids roll down the hill or on the grass like apples
• Bob for apples

Faith & Love

• Apple Garland 

Online Educational Fun

• Starfall
• ABCya
• Dance Mat keyboarding (do not focus on hand position at this age)
• Phonics Song #1
• Phonics Song #2

Apple Stacking photo© Copyright Hugh Chevallier and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Homeschooling Preschoolers through Thematic Learning

Welcome! My name is Genevieve, and I am a new stay-at-home mommy to two beautiful children…Ella, an inquisitive, four year old fairy princess, and Ethan, an adventurous, two year old ball fanatic. Before having the privilege of staying home, I educated young minds and hearts as an elementary librarian for two years, as a third grade classroom teacher for five years, and as a technology integration specialist for one year. I have a bachelors in Elementary and Middle Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership. I am also certified as a Library Media Specialist.

Based on both my training and experience, this is what I believe:

1. Kids learn best through experience and fun…aka…playing.
2. Introducing a concept for a day or two and then moving on to something new is almost guaranteed to fail the average child.
3. Repetition of an activity or idea sets learning into the long-term memory.
4. Thematic learning is a way to have fun, gain experience, and integrate learning on a deep level. Thematic themes interweave big topics into smaller learning goals, skills, and educational benchmarks, creating cohesiveness and bridging children’s rapidly spreading brain synapses and life-connections. 
5. Every child is different. Every child has different strengths, learning styles, and learning goals. Learning is most effective when it is varied and tailored to individuals. 
6. Literature and technology play a valuable role in educating today’s youngest generation. They become even more powerful when integrated into learning.

Motivated by these pedagogical beliefs, I am homeschooling my preschoolers through thematic learning. For example, the thematic theme of September will be APPLES. Most of the activities in math, writing, science, cooking, art, music, large motor, etc. will revolve around apples. 

Every month I will focus learning on a new theme. I will compile a new set of online resources into a list (teaching 101: never reinvent the wheel). The resources will be organized by type of learning experience…my attempt at keeping it well-rounded and multiple-intelligence minded, although many of the activities will fall into multiple categories. 

You can use the compiled lists as a starting point for your own homeschooling or simply use them for supplemental activities. If you find you like the thematic activities I have compiled and are looking for more, there are SO many resources out there for you to discover and use with your preschoolers. 

Enjoy! Genevieve

Photography by Kirsty Gungor. Visit her blog Lovelies In My Life