Wednesday, May 6

Thank you to all our parents who are nurses!  We have quite a few.

Today is National Nurses Day!

We appreciate all you do for your community.  I'm sure this time is twice as difficult for you, so thanks!

EVERYONE

Break out the pillows and blankets!  It's time to build a fort.

Throw a sheet or blanket over the kitchen table, get some flashlights, a stack of books and some snacks.

My kids would spend hours under there.  Hopefully yours will too!

Link to Preschool Private Page CLICK HERE

2s:  Colors and the Zoo 

1.  Story Time

Listen to the story The View at the Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom read by the keeper from the Lincoln Zoo.  The View From the Zoo

2.  Lions

A lion was one of the animals that the zookeeper told to get ready when opening the zoo.

We're going to make our own lion!

From your bag, you'll need the yellow plate, the sticker eyes, the black triangle nose, and the yellow crinkle paper.  You'll also need some glue.

Show your child the picture of the lion and his fabulous mane.  Tidbit: the length and color of a male lion's mane indicate the cat's fitness to reproduce and fight.

Have your child put the eyes and nose on the plate.  Next have them put glue on the outside of the plate.  Have them take the crinkle paper and smoosh it around the outside of the plate for the lion's mane.  If they want, they can draw a mouth on the lion.  Rawr!

3.  Color Sorting

From our website, print out the 2s Color Sorting activity.

Look at the pictures with your child.  Identify the colors in the pictures.  Point out that the other two pages have colored boxes on them with color words.

Cut apart the pictures and mix them up.  Stack them into a pile.

Turn over the top picture or have your child choose a card.  Have them identify the object in the picture and what color it is.  Have your child place the picture in the appropriate box.

Go through the entire set of pictures.

Is your child ready for more?  Print out the 3s version.  There are twice as many pictures.

3s: The Zoo

1.  Story Time

Listen to the story The View at the Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom read by the keeper from the Lincoln Zoo.  The View From the Zoo

2.  Lions

A lion was one of the animals that the zookeeper told to get ready when opening the zoo.  Remember, he had bed-head?

We're going to make our own lion!

From your bag, you'll need the yellow plate, the sticker eyes, the black triangle nose, and the yellow crinkle paper.  You'll also need some glue.

Show your child the picture of the lion and his fabulous mane.  Tidbit: the length and color of a male lion's mane indicate the cat's fitness to reproduce and fight.

Have your child put the eyes and nose on the plate.  Next have them put glue on the outside of the plate.  Have them take the crinkle paper and smoosh it around the outside of the plate for the lion's mane.  If they want, they can draw a mouth on the lion.  Rawr!

3.  Counting Practice

From our website, you can print out the 3s How Many Zoo Animals activity.

Look at the blocks of pictures with your child.  Each block has animals and three choices of numerals.

First, have your child identify the animal.  Have them count the number of animals.  Look at the choices of numbers.  Which one is the one you're looking for?  Color in the correct circle.

4.  Writing Practice

From our website, print out the Hungry Monkey Tracing activity.

Look at the page with your child.  One side has the monkeys and the other side has the bananas.  The monkeys need to get to the bananas.

Have your child use a crayon, marker or pencil to draw along the line from the monkey to the banana.  Encourage them to take their time and stay as close to the line as possible.

4s: The Zoo

1.  Story Time

Listen to the story The View at the Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom read by the keeper from the Lincoln Zoo.  The View From the Zoo

2.  King of the Jungle

A lion was one of the animals that the zookeeper told to get ready when opening the zoo.  Remember, he had bed-head?

We're going to make our own lion!

From your bag, you'll need the yellow plate, the sticker eyes, and the black triangle nose.  You'll also need a pair of scissors and some glue.

Show your child the picture of the lion and his fabulous mane.  Tidbit: the length and color of a male lion's mane indicate the cat's fitness to reproduce and fight.

Have your child put the eyes and nose on the plate.

Using the scissors, have your child cut on the lines around the edge of the plate to form the lion's mane.

3.  Scent Hunt

Lion Facts:

• A lion's eyesight is five times better than a human being. 
• A lion can hear prey from a mile away. 
• A lion's roar can be heard from five miles away.
• The sense of smell in lions is well developed. Lions can smell nearby prey and estimate how long it was in the area. Like all cats they possess a special olfactory organ on the roof of the mouth called a Jacobson's organ. The lion grimaces after smelling something, which passes the scent over this organ.

Can you use your nose to hunt, like the lion?

Parent, you'll need to do some prep...

You'll need to print out the Scent Hunt Game activity pages from our website.  You'll also need cotton balls or rounds.  If you don't have cotton balls/rounds, use a folded piece of paper towel.  You will need some scented oil or lotion but you could also use an extract like vanilla or mint.  You should be able to smell it from about a foot away.

Print out the activity pages and cut the cards on pages 2-6.  Your child will be using page one to mark on.  You don't need to use all the pages; you can choose the amount of animals to play with.

You'll need a cotton ball/round/folded paper towel for each animal you choose.  Take HALF of them and put a dab of the scented oil or extract on the cotton ball, but don't soak it.  You don't want to be able to see it through the other side.  The other half will be unscented.

Dab some glue on the corner of each picture and randomly place a scented or unscented ball on each.  The animals with a scented ball will be 'prey', the others will not.  Hang the pictures around the house.

Now, tell your child about how lions can smell prey from far away.  Can they use their nose to find prey?

Have them take the first page from the print-out and locate all the animal cards.  They should determine, using only their sense of smell, which cards are 'prey'.  Have them circle the pictures of the animals that are marked as 'prey'.  

4.  Wild Animal Race

From our website, you'll need to print out the Zoo Animal Race activity page.  You'll also need something to write with and a die.

Have your child identify the animals.  Let them predict who they think will be the winner.

Have your child roll the die.  Circle the first numeral in the row of that number.  For example, if they roll a 5, they will circle one of the 5s in that row.  If they roll a 3, they will circle the first 3 in the row.  Roll and circle until one of the rows is filled.  That animal is the winner!

5.  Number Writing Practice

Hopefully, your child has been practicing writing their name every day.

Today, have them practice writing their numbers.  Print out the Number Practice page from our website.  You can print multiple copies of the numbers and alphabet practice so that you have them handy when you need them.

Have your child practice their writing.