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kindergarten

Fun In The Sun Free Scavenger Hunt And Outdoor Kindergarten Activities

March 2, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a free printable park scavenger hunt and some more outdoor kindergarten activities. Also, look at my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum for more ideas.

At the first sign of the sun being out longer and winter fades away, it’s time for us to get outside.

Too, all learning does not take place inside.

Fun In The Sun Free Scavenger Hunt And Outdoor Kindergarten Activities

So I’ve created a fun park scavenger hunt guaranteed to keep the kids observing the things around them.

Too, if allowed by the park, have your child bring a small bag to collect some favorite things.

Also, I’ve created treasure maps of the park for our co-op but a scavenger hunt helps kids to exercise and burn off energy.

GREAT BOOKS FOR SCIENCE UNIT STUDY MAIN SPINES

Besides, you can create a unit study or do one at the park based on your child’s treasures.

Look at some of these books that make great science and nature spines to guide you in a science unit study.

17 Favorite Unit Study Science Spines

I love to pair a living book about a topic with a reference book to use as spines. Sometimes, it’s easier to use a reference book as a spine and add living books as we go along. These are some of my favorite science spines.

DK Eyewitness Collection 15 Books Set (Human Body,Ocean,Volcano & Earthquake,Animal,Planets,Periodic Table,Dinosaurs,Mythology,Ancient Egypt,Tudor,Victorians,Ancient Rome,Ancient Greece and More)

(Human Body, Ocean,Volcano & Earthquake, Animal, Planets, Periodic Table, Dinosaurs, Mythology, Ancient Egypt, Tudor, Victorians, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece and More)

The Water Cycle!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

Drip―Drop―Splash! Water is essential to all forms of life. So let’s learn all about it! The Water Cycle! With 25 Science Projects for Kids captures kids’ imaginations with a deep look at the world of water. Combining hands-on activities with history and science, The Water Cycle! invites kids to have fun learning about the water cycle, water resources, drinking water and sanitation, water pollution and conservation, water use, water folklore and festivals, and the latest in water technology.

Skulls and Skeletons!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

What would happen if you had no bones? You might fall over flat on the floor!

Bones are those hard parts of our bodies that make up our skeletons and skulls, and we need them in lots of different ways. In Skulls and Skeletons! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, readers learn about the bones in their bodies and why we can’t live without them. And bones aren’t just good for humans―many animals can’t live without them! But do all animals have bones? No, they don’t! And why do fish look so much different from birds, even though both have bones? Organisms use their bodies in different ways to successfully live in different habitats. For example, a bird’s light bones are great for flying, but would not support them deep in the ocean.

Weather and Climate!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

What’s it like outside? Is it a day for building a snowman, constructing a sandcastle, or planting a garden? Weather and Climate! With 25 Science Projects for Kids introduces kids ages 7 to 10 to the fascinating world of meteorology and all of the ways what’s going on in the atmosphere above our heads can affect us here on the earth! Plus, discover how weather and climate change are linked but not the same, and figure out ways to be part of the solution to the problem of global warming.

The activity in our atmosphere plays a critical role in our lives and in the health of our planet. Today’s weather determines what clothes you wear and what you are going to do after school, while the local climate influences what kind of car your parents drive, what kind of house you live in, and―believe it or not―what foods you eat!

Rivers and Streams!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

Did you know that without rivers, human life might not have developed as it did? We might be a very difference species if it wasn’t for rivers, as would the other plants and animals who depends on rivers and streams for food, transportation, water, and power!

In Rivers and Streams! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, readers ages 7 to 10 dive in and discover how rivers change the shape of the land while plants, animals, and humans change the shape of
rivers. Through fun facts, engaging content, and essential questions, kids learn about the vital role that rivers and streams have played in human history and explore the ways rivers and streams might affect our future. Science experiments that promote critical thinking and creative problem solving encourage kids to make their own discoveries about the waterways they might pass every day.

Kitchen Chemistry: Cool Crystals, Rockin’ Reactions, and Magical Mixtures with Hands-On Science Activities

Bring chemistry to your kitchen with a book that offers hands-on science activities that can be done with ingredients from your pantry and the refrigerator!

What’s going on when you cook in the kitchen? Science!

In Kitchen Chemistry: Cool Crystals, Rockin’ Reactions, and Magical Mixtures with Hands-On Science Activities, readers ages 9 to 12 discover that the cooking, mixing, and measuring you do in the kitchen all has its roots deep in science―chemistry to be exact!

Explore Rivers and Ponds!: With 25 Great Projects

Explore Rivers and Ponds! with 25 Great Projects, introduces kids to the fascinating world of freshwater habitats and the creatures they contain. Combining hands-on activities with ecology and
science, kids will have fun learning about the freshwater biome, including lakes and ponds, streams and rivers, and wetlands. Entertaining illustrations and fascinating sidebars illuminate the topic and bring it to life, while Words to Know highlighted and defined within the text reinforce new vocabulary. Projects include assembling an ecologist’s field kit, creating a fishless aquarium, pouring casts of animal tracks, and building a watershed replica. Additional materials include a glossary, and a list of current reference works, websites, museums, and science centers.

Robotics!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids

Where was the last time you saw a robot? Did you read about one in a book or see one in a movie? Maybe you saw one in a video game!

Some people think robots exist only in our imagination, but actually, robots are all around us right now. Robotics! With 25 Science Projects for Kids offers readers ages 7 to 10 an introduction to the history, mechanics, and future use of robots! Readers explore the history of robotics and discover how the first types looked and moved and what people expected they could do. Compare these early robots to those we have today, some of which don’t even have bodies! Kids discover how robots have changed as decades have passed and see how they now look, think, sense, move, and do things.

Gutsy Girls Go For Science: Astronauts: With Stem Projects for Kids

Hands-on space science projects help launch kids ages 8 to 11 into learning about fearless female astronauts who broke barriers across space and gender in this full-color book full of real-world connections!

Do you dream of going into space? Do you wonder what it’s like on the moon? In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Astronauts with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 through 11 explore the lives of some of the world’s most amazing female astronauts, including Bonnie Dunbar, Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, Sunita Williams, and Serena Auñón-Chancellor―all pioneers in the field of space exploration. Their hard work and dedication to science and experimentation gave the world much new knowledge about space, biology, and more. These brave women took risks and pushed the limits of what we know about life in space.

Energy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power & How We Get It

Energy is a vital part of our lives. It powers our computer, lights our home, and moves our car. It also costs a lot of money and pollutes our environment. In Energy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power and How We Get It, kids ages 9–12 learn about the history and science of the world’s energy sources, from nonrenewable fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas to renewable sources such as solar and wind power.

Zoology: Inside the Secret World of Animals (DK Secret World Encyclopedias)

This visual reference book starts with the question "what is an animal?" and takes you through the animal kingdom - mammals, reptiles, birds, and sea creatures. It uses a unique head-to-toe approach that showcases in spectacular detail special features like the flight feathers of a parrot, the antenna of a moth, or the tentacles of coral.This visual encyclopedia is filled with clear and fascinating information on everything about the social lives of animals. Read exciting stories like how animals communicate, defend their territories, and attract mates.

The Animal Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of Life on Earth (DK Our World in Pictures)

This inspiring children’s reference guide welcomes you to the animal kingdom where you can meet more than 1,500 species, ranging from ants to zebras and everything in between. Stunning pictures bring you face to face with giant predators you know and love, including polar bears and tigers, as well as mysterious microscopic life, including amoebas and bacteria.

Space A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

From the Moon, Sun, and planets of our Solar System to space exploration, black holes, and dark matter, this completely revised and updated children’s encyclopedia covers all you need to know about the cosmos. The most up-to-date images from space agencies such as NASA and ESA combine with info panels, timelines, interviews, diagrams, and activities you can do at home to help you understand the majesty and wonder of space. 

Backyard Biology: Investigate Habitats Outside Your Door with 25 Projects

BIOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF LIFE. Life is everywhere, thriving in the city and in the country, teeming in ecosystems around the planet—in deserts, oceans, and even the Arctic. And life is right outside your door! Backyard Biology invites children ages 9 and up to investigate living things —especially in yards, parks, nature areas, and playgrounds. Trivia and fun facts bring animals, plants, and microorganisms to life, in all their wonder.

Inventions: A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

This stunning visual guide explores and explains the greatest inventions, ideas, and discoveries throughout the ages, and introduces their inventors. From fire, stone tools, and the wheel to ploughs and paper, discover the first inventions that shaped societies and grew mighty civilizations and empires such as those in ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and ancient China.

The Arts: A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

From the first strokes of paint on prehistoric caves to contemporary street art in the 21st century, every artistic style and movement is explored and explained in stunning detail. Special features celebrate the lives of groundbreaking painters, sculptors, and photographers, from Dutch master Johannes Vermeer to photography pioneer Julia Margaret Cameron. Many best-loved pieces of art are showcased in iconic images. Marvel at Leonardo da Vinci's mysterious Mona Lisa, the most famous painted lady. March alongside China’s statues of the Terracotta Army, and gaze in awe at Barbara Hepworth's stunning Pelagos sculpture.

Ocean: A Visual Encyclopedia (DK Children's Visual Encyclopedias)

From the shimmering surface to the darkest depths, this breathtaking visual encyclopedia presents our blue planet as never before. Stunning photography, accessible information, and fascinating facts are spilling over in this essential guide to the oceans. Take a dip in all the world’s waters to experience their incredible diversity. Make a splash in the icy Arctic waters before warming up in the tropical Indian Ocean. Experience the super size of mighty whales compared to swarms of tiny krill. Cast your eyes to the skies to see circling sea birds before diving down to meet mysterious creatures of the deep. 

Next, look at some more outdoor kindergarten activities.

MORE OUTDOOR KINDERGARTEN ACTIVITIES

  • Homeschool Kindergarten Life Science – Hands-on Fun Nature Tree Study
  • Nature Sensory Hunt
  • Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity
  • Bug Scavenger Hunt 
  • Homeschool Science Ideas for K – 2
  • Cloud Spotter
  • 10 Exciting Forest Kindergarten Activities That Your Child Will Love
  • How To Make Geography For Children Fun: Free 50 States Park Quest
Fun In The Sun Free Scavenger Hunt And Outdoor Kindergarten Activities

Finally, look at how to download your free copy.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PARK SCAVENGER HUNT

Now, how to grab the free printable. It’s a subscriber freebie.

When you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

 1) Sign up on my email list to follow me and get this freebie and many others.
 2) Grab the printable.
3) Last, look for my emails in your inbox as a follower. Glad to have you following me!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, kindergarten, nature, scavenger hunt, state parks

How To Go From Phonics To Reading With 20 CVC Wheels

January 16, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Helping a child to transition from phonics to reading is a natural flow for a budding reader. Also, look at my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum for more fun ideas and activities.

First, you teach a child letter sounds not necessarily letter names.

A strong foundation in phonics can be taught through natural conversations, games, hand play, music and storytelling.

How To Go From Phonics To Reading With 20 CVC Wheels

Too, it’s not necessary that a child masters all the sounds as he will continue to learn them and reinforce them with the use of a CVC wheel.

Next children need to put sounds together to form words. That is how we learn to read.

Sure, teaching sounds in isolation is important but then again children are smart and want a reason to use them.

Learning CVC words is the next step. Consonant-vowel-consonant words gives your budding reader immediate satisfaction. They are now seeing how the sounds come together to form words.

EASY BOOKS FOR BEGINNER READERS

Also, strengthen their reading skill level by these beginning books.

12 Books For Beginner Readers

Bob Books Sight Words: Kindergarten

The set of Bob books have been keepers for years in the homeschool world and there are several reasons.

One is because it normally takes only about 10 to 15 minutes a day.
The second reason is that the books hold your child’s attention and are
short.

Go, Go, Go (Read with Dick and Jane)

You’ll get mixed feedback on the Dick and Jane series that so many parents remember from their childhood.

Although what may seem as funny repetition, the books works for budding readers.

New readers need the constant repetition found in these series of books.

Too, it’s been my experience that struggling readers do well with this series since the text is predictable.

Maisy Mouse Collection 10 Books Set Series 2 Lucy Cousins Early Learner Children

Then, Mouse Mouse book series hails from England and your kid gets a nice influence to other cultures.

While reading about everyday things like bedtime, your beginning reader is entertained while his reading skills are sharpened. It’s just a fun and sweet series which entertains your kids.

A story of visiting the bookshop for the first time from the multi-award-winning Lucy Cousins. Maisy goes to the bookshop to buy a new book, and she also wants to get one as a present for her friend Tallulah. Titles in this Set Includes Maisy goes to Bookshop, Maisy Goes by Plane, Maisy Sports Day, Maisy Plays Football, Maisy Goes To The Cinema, Maisy Goes To Nursery, Maisy Goes To Hospital, Maisy Goes To The Library, Maisy Goes on a Sleepover, Maisy Charley and The Wobbly Tooth.

Usborne My First Phonics Reading Library Collection 12 Books Box Set (Phonics Readers) (WITH FREE AUDIO ONLINE)

Usborne My First Phonics Reading Library Collection 12 Books Box Set (Phonics Readers) (WITH FREE AUDIO ONLINE):Titles In This Ape's Great Escape (Phonics Readers)Chimp with a Limp (Phonics Readers)Hyena Ballerina (Phonics Readers)Giraffe in the Bath (Phonics Readers)Goat in a Boat (Phonics Readers)Bug in a Rug (Phonics Readers)Kangaroo at the Zoo (Phonics Readers)Mole in a Hole (Phonics Readers)Lizard in a Blizzard (Phonics Readers)Flamingo plays Bingo (Phonics Readers)Raccoon on the Moon (Phonics Readers)Phonics Llamas in Pyjamas

Usborne Very First Reading Boxed Set Collection Pack with 16 books

The beauty of the phonics readers is that text is still predictable and rhyming. Decoding which is the common thread with phonics readers makes the Usborne phonics readers a keeper.

Remember the power of little lessons done often creates a master reader.

The Cat in the Hat

I remember using the Cat in the Hat series to teach my first reader and every kid after him.

However, I had no idea how this series of books set up all my kids for reading success lifelong. Maybe Theodor Geisel didn’t have a clue either.

Whatever the case, building stories around sight words is not easy. Building a silly story with sight words is what worked for all of my kids. Too, this series is great for many ages, not just beginning readers.

I remember reading how Dr. Seuss was trying to kill the 1950s Dick and Jane series which some viewed as boring

Beginner Books are fun, funny, and easy to read! Launched by Dr. Seuss in 1957 with the publication of The Cat in the Hat, this beloved early reader series motivates children to read on their own by using simple words with illustrations that give clues to their meaning. Featuring a combination of kid appeal, supportive vocabulary, and bright, cheerful art, Beginner Books will encourage a love of reading in children ages 3–7.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Additionally, filling my bookshelves and yes floor with books with repetitive texts like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See was something else I did right.

Little did I know then that repetitive text in fun books in how kids learn to read.

Multiple exposures to text encourages mastery..

Know that readers are nurtured by reading nursery rhymes at the newborn to preschool ages turns to repetitive text in books in the early years of reading. That equals mastery and brings meaning to reading.

Elephant & Piggie: The Complete Collection (Includes 2 Bookends) (An Elephant and Piggie Book)

Although the Elephant and Piggie series is classified closer to a first grade level, grade levels are subjective; we know that as home educators.

Besides you need a variety of levels as your child repeats and reads higher level books. Then he backs up and reviews basic concepts from lower grade levels.

Reading well is accomplished by pushing the boundaries to the next level without your child feeling any pressure.

Photo Credit: www.happyhomeschoolmom.com

McGuffey’s Eclectic Readers Free PDF Downloads

Here are the six McGuffey Eclectic Readers free PDF downloads in one convenient location! Plus, I’ve also included the McGuffey Speller free PDF download as well.

Splat the Cat: I Scream for Ice Cream (I Can Read Level 1)

One of the best things about the I Can Read series is the multiple levels. From prek to level 4 you have many choices of fun stories to go up and down in level to repeat texts as your budding reader needs it.

Splat can barely sit still during the bus ride. He's imagining the mountain of ice cream he thinks he'll get to eat! But when Splat gets there, that mountain becomes more of an avalanche. It's up to Splat and his classmates to save the day!

Beginning readers will practice the –eam sound in this easy-to-read addition to the Splat series.

I Can Read It! Book 1

Next, like the other readers listed with controlled vocabulary which means that a handful of words are repeated, the I Can Read It Series does the same.

What I also love about them as a parent is not just the predictable text, but in the fourth volume there is a word list which is helpful to me.

Controlled-vocabulary stories, with real plot, action, and humor, engage your childs attention and interest. Reading lessons move your child through a natural progression of phonetic and spelling patterns. Easy to use. Includes I Did Read It! diplomas. Fun!

Buzz Said the Bee, Grade 1 (Hello Reader)

Lastly, I used the Hello Readers from Scholastic to not only teach my new readers, but the sight word practice found in each book was needed for my kids

know some of these books will work for you because they have worked for homeschool families for years. Our needs at home vary because we want to teach phonics, love of reading, and sight words all in a natural way.

Also, look at how rhyming and learning cvc words form a strong foundation for reading.

HOW TO STRENGTHEN CVC SKILLS BY RHYMING

For instance, rhyming is not just a fun child’s game. When a child rhymes he can hear shared sounds.

And recognizing those sounds helps a child to learn to group word families together.

Blending is what a child does when he puts the letters sounds he learned together.

And when a child learns one rhyming pattern he increases his vocabulary with more similar words

Hands on is the best way to teach reading.

HOW TO USE CVC WHEELS TO TEACH READING

For example, one of the tools I love to use are cvc wheels.

It takes just a few minutes to put therm together.

But once they’re together and fastened a child can read and review the cvc words repeatedly.

How To Go From Phonics To Reading With 20 CVC Wheels

And once you put the cvc word wheels together you can use them for your next reader.

Using the cvc wheels in conjunction with a reader nurtures your child’s desire to read.

MORE READING ACTIVITIES

  • How to Choose a Phonics Program Like a Pro (& recommendations)
  • How To Get Your First Homeschooled Child Reading
  • 12 of the Best Books For Beginner Readers Being Homeschooled
  • 5 Easy Steps to Putting Together Your Own Homeschool Phonics Program
  • 10 Best Homeschool Phonics Curriculum For Kindergarten
  • How to Make A Fun ABC Flip Book Fingerprint Activity for Kindergarten
  • Shark and Oceans for Kindergarten Fun Sight Word Activity
  • How To Determine The Best Beginner Reading Books For Kindergarten & Recommendations
How To Go From Phonics To Reading With 20 CVC Wheels

Additionally, look at the word wheels included in this .pdf download.

  • -at family
  • -ab family
  • -ag family
  • -am family
  • –an family
  • -ap family
  • -ar family
  • -ed family
  • -en family
  • -ig family
  • -in family
  • -ip family
  • -ot family
  • –ob family
  • -og family
  • -op family
  • –it family
  • -ug family
  • -un family
  • -ut family

HOW TO GET THE 20 CVC WORD WHEELS

You can get it now!

TOS
Important: READ THIS FIRST.

Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.
• All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store. A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar.
• Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.
• The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.
• Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (of course substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

  • 20 CVC Word Wheels for Budding Readers

    20 CVC Word Wheels for Budding Readers

    $4.00
    Add to cart

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Kindergarten Tagged With: CVC, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolreading, kindergarten, language arts, languagearts, phonics, reading

Free Printable Kindergarten Worksheets | Awesome Winter-Themed Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

December 1, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m sharing free printable kindergarten worksheets and a fun winter alphabet scavenger hunt. Also, look at my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum for more fun ideas and activities.

Although I’m a huge advocate of hands-on but beginning penmanship skills need to be reinforced too.

So a worksheet or two should be another tool we have to boost alphabet and phonics recognition.

Free Printable Kindergarten Worksheets | Awesome Winter-Themed Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

One way of doing that is by themed worksheets.

By focusing on a theme or unit study children are engaged with a topic while learning about the alphabet.

Then, another way to nurture penmanship skills is to play a game.

For example, with my printable winter themed alphabet scavenger hunt kids are doing both.

They’re enlarging their vocabulary with winter themed words and practice writing skills by noting things they find in the scavenger hunt.

BEST PHONICS FOR KINDERGARTEN

Next, along with learning the alphabet it’s important first to teach kids sounds that letters represent.

Through games and books, it makes teaching phonics easy.

11 Best Phonics for Homeschool Kindergarten

Teaching kids how to read doesn't have to be hard, you just have to have the right tools.

You'll love these phonics resources.

Photo Credit: www.allaboutlearningpress.com

All About Reading Level 1

Package includes: one Teacher's Manual, one Student Packet, and three readers

Evan-Moor Daily Phonics, Grade 2, Homeschooling, Phonemic Awareness, Decoding, Word-Study, Teaching Editions, Reproducible Worksheets

Provide explicit, systematic phonics instruction and practice in just 15 to 20 minutes a day!

Daily Phonics, Grade 2 helps students in second grade—including students learning English—develop the phonics skills necessary to become proficient, on-grade-level readers.

The 32 weekly units in grade 2 cover:

Photo Credit: www.starfall.com

Welcome to Starfall PreK & Kindergarten

Starfall.com® opened in September 2002 as a free public service to teach children to read.

Since then it has expanded to include language arts and mathematics for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and third grade.

Starfall’s emphasis on phonemic awareness, systematic sequential phonics, and common sight words in conjunction with audiovisual interactivity has proven effective in teaching emergent readers

Explode the Code 4 Books

Explode the Code is a research-based, multisensory program geared to improving literacy with direct, systematic, phonics instruction.

Photo Credit: www.progressivephonics.com

Progressive Phonics

Progressive Phonics all-in-one reading program that is easy, fun, and totally FREE---that's right, totally and completely free.

And with Progressive Phonics, ANYONE can teach a child to read and write in just a few minutes a day, which makes it ideal for parents, teachers, tutors, volunteers and home-schoolers.

Photo Credit: www.opensourcephonics.org

Open Source Phonics

Free Phonics Materials for Teachers, Tutors, and Families Literacy is a civil right.  The research supporting phonics is too strong to ignore. All families deserve access to high-quality phonics materials.

Foundations by Logic of English

Help you child learn to read and spell - while having fun. Teachers and parents are raving about it! This first step in the Logic of English Foundations series opens the door to reading with phonemic
awareness activities, fun lessons that practice the sounds of a-z, and creative blending games

Horizons K Phonics and Reading

Prepare your child for a lifetime of reading and successful learning with the Horizons Kindergarten Phonics & Reading Student Book 1 from Alpha Omega Publications.

Photo Credit: winterpromise.com

Early Language Arts Overview - WinterPromise

Adventures in Pine Hollow is designed to engage students so thoroughly that whether they can’t wait to read or would rather wait forever, they are pulled into a forest world, where they join critter adventures and forget there’s learning going on!

First Start Reading, Book A

First Start Reading covers consonants, short and long vowels, 45 common words, and manuscript
printing, accompanied by artist-drawn coloring pictures and drawing pages for every letter.

Alpha-Phonics Primer

Mr. Blumenfeld created Alpha-Phonics (spiral-bound) to provide parents, teachers and tutors with a sensible, logical, easy-to-use system for teaching reading. It is an intensive phonics instruction
program based on the author's many years of research and experience in the reading instruction field

Additionally, you need a variety of ways to teach the alphabet not just worksheets.

I’ve uses games, songs, art and even dance.

8 WAYS TO TEACH PHONICS OF THE ALPHABET

Look at this list of easy ways to teach the alphabet for your kindergarten size kids.

  1. Play a is for apple and d is for dog as you spend time throughout the day.
  2. Kids love sensory trays. It promotes tactile learning. So use a sensory tray to dig for the letters of the alphabet or to find items to match a letter. Even place items for 2 different letters in the tray. Have your child match the item to the correct letter sound.
  3. Scavenger hunts encourage moving which is a natural part of learning at this age. Don’t fight the need to wiggle. Use the need to move while locating things around the house or better yet outside to fit the letter sound you’re focused on.
  4. Along with the printable kindergarten worksheets, read story books like Chicka Chicka Boom and Dr. Seuss’s ABC.
  5. Songs and dance also allows kids to move and learn.
  6. Some kids love to color letter worksheets.
  7. Too tracing letters is another way to engage senses. Kids can do this with their finger.
  8. Use edible peanut butter dough to form letter. Doesn’t hurt if your kids take a taste or two as long as they have no allergies.

Also, look at these free printable kindergarten worksheets.

FREE PRINTABLE KINDERGARTEN WORKSHEETS

  • Free Beginning Alphabet Sound Worksheets
  • Help your child quickly master their alphabet with these capital letter recognition worksheets.
  • Alphabet Printable Chart Coloring Pages
  • Free Printable Uppercase & Lowercase Letters Worksheets
  • Printable Dotted Letter Tracing Pdf Worksheet
  • Free Printable Uppercase Alphabet Dot Marker Coloring Pages
Free Printable Kindergarten Worksheets | Awesome Winter-Themed Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

Finally, look at how to grab the free winter themed scavenger hunt for kindergarten.

HOW TO GET THE FREE WINTER THEMED SCAVENGER HUNT

Now, how to grab the freebie. It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Kindergarten Tagged With: alphabet, kindergarten, phonics, reading, scavenger hunt, winter season, worksheets

Physical Science For Kindergarten: Free States Of Matter Pages

November 24, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Teaching physical science for kindergarten level should be fun. Also, look at my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum for more activities and ideas.

Besides teaching science covers a wide range of topics and many topics overlap.

Until a child reaches middle or high school grades, there is no need to break physical science down into branches.

For instance, physical science includes chemistry, physics, and astronomy.

Also, mathematics is a science.

Physical Science For Kindergarten: Free States Of Matter Pages

For example, at an early age you can teach children how many, how few, how hot, how cold, how large, how small, how far, and how near.

And one excellent way to teach physical science for kindergarten is by coloring.

Children are naturally curious about the world around them.

So, learning about the properties of matters should be a natural process.

WHAT IS MATTER

By this age children can distinguish between living and nonliving things.

They can observe water (a liquid) change to ice (a solid).

And matter is anything that takes up space and has weight, like the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Matter can change from one state to another one.

There are three main states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.

Look at some easy definitions and items to use as examples.

WHAT IS A SOLID

A solid has a definite shape.

As your child grows you can explain that molecules are packed together closely. This will lead to a discussion of atoms.

For now, they understand that solids have definite shape and volume. They stay hard.

Here is a list of some solids to share with your child.

  • wood
  • rocks
  • ice (as long as it stays below freezing)
  • wooden blocks
  • toys like dolls
  • ball
  • book
  • crayon
  • pencil
  • fork
  • eraser
  • backpack
  • shoe

Then move on to what are liquids.

WHAT ARE LIQUIDS

Too, this concept is better illustrated by items. But liquids can flow and pour.

But a liquid takes the shape of its container.

Molecules are not packed as tightly and move around.

This allows liquids to flow.

Here are some examples of liquids.

  • orange juice
  • milk
  • syrup
  • dish soap
  • liquid glue
  • rain
  • water
  • river
  • honey
  • tea

Finally, move on to gases which may be a bit more difficult to explain because we can’t see them.

WHAT IS A GAS

However, we can see what they do.

But a gas does not have a fixed shape or volume.

Look at some ways to illustrate it.

  • Helium is used to blow up balloons.
  • When water boils and gets hot we see steam. That is a gas.
  • Air is what we breathe, and it is made up of gas.

Too, let your child explore with water, which is a liquid, then freeze to turn to ice, a solid, then boil to see the steam which is a gas.

Besides it’s better to see the states of matter in action for kids this age.

MORE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES FOR KINDERGARTEN

Also, here are few more science activities.

  • Quick Unit Study & Easy Salt water Density Ocean Science Experiments For Kindergarten
  • 10 Kindergarten Fall Crafts and Craft Fun Bean Mosaics
  • How to Make an Edible Kindergarten Earth Science Tectonic Plate Activity
  • T Is For Simple Fun Thunderstorm Activities For Kindergarten
  • 8 Best Summer Unit Studies For Kindergarten | Free Ant Study
  • Growing a Seed Activity For Kindergarten Science Kids Activity
  • 8 Stellaluna Kindergarten Activities | How To Make A Coffee Filter Bat Craft
  • Rock Activities For Kindergarten And Fun Edible Rock Cycle
Physical Science For Kindergarten: Free States Of Matter Pages

Then, look these fun color by code states of matter free pages.

HOW TO GET THE FREE STATES OF MATTER COLOR BY CODE PAGES

Too, these pages work for any early grades, not just kindergarten.

Now, how to grab the freebie. It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: color pages, coloring, coloringpages, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, kindergarten, science, states of matter

Enhance Your Language Arts Kindergarten Curriculum with Free Flip Books

October 11, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

A good language arts kindergarten curriculum is important. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum.

Besides, a strong kindergarten language arts program creates foundational skills children need to become successful readers, writers, and communicators.

Enhance Your Language Arts Kindergarten Curriculum with Free Flip Books

But it doesn’t need to be an exhaustive or expensive box curriculum.

You can build your own by including a good variety of activities that cover the basics and builds upon skills that they learn.

It also does not need to be based on heavy writing and practicing perfect penmanship, that will come later.

You can introduce writing

A good kindergarten language arts curriculum should include a variety of activities that help kids develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Too, it should teach phonemic and print awareness.

KINDERGARTEN LANGUAGE ARTS GAMES

Also, look at these fun books and games that can be part of your fun kindergarten language arts curriculum.

13 Phonics Readers and Games for Homeschool Kindergarten

You can never have enough decodable books and hands-on ideas and games.

The Fidget Game Learn to Read in Weeks Master 220 Sight Words

LEARN TO READ IN WEEKS – Created by a Kindergarten teacher devoted to exploring fun ways to teach reading to young kids,

The Fidget Game aims to teach curriculum-appropriate Dolch
words or sight words from Pre-K to Grade 3 kids.

Wooden Reading Blocks Short Vowel Rods Spelling Games

Wooden Spelling Toy: Includes a wood tray, 5 Handheld Sets of Rotating Blocks with 3-letter word movable blocks. Along with 48pcs sight words flash card (24 pcs foldable word 2-in-1 cards, 24 pcs word cards). Appropriate for teaching very basic reading skills.

Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers

Bob Books are back, now with a bright, unique box display and colored illustrations throughout that make learning to read even more fun.

Bananagrams: Word Game

FUN FOR EVERYONE – Gather your family and friends and race against each other to build crossword grids. This anagram game that will drive you bananas.

Alphabet Jigsaw Puzzle Building Blocks

A bright graphic design,teaching children to recognize letters and numbers correctly.

Learning Resources Pop For Sight Words

BUILD early literacy, increase vocabulary, and improve fluency.

Snap It Up! Phonics & Reading Card Game

Engage kids in building reading and phonics skills with this fast-paced game!

Maisy Mouse Collection 10 Books Set

A story of visiting the bookshop for the first time from the multi-award-winning Lucy Cousins.

Elephant & Piggie: The Complete Collection

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.Gerald and Piggie are best friends.

First Little Readers Parent Pack: Guided Reading

Jumpstart reading success with this big collection of 25 motivating storybooks correlated with Guided Reading Level D. The books features simple text, decodable words, strong picture cues, and two to four lines of text per page to support readers with just a little experience under their belts. C

Dr Maggie's Phonics Readers, Set 2

Set includes six 15-page readers and a parent guide.

Green Eggs and Ham

I do not likegreen eggs and ham.I do not like them,Sam-I-am.With unforgetable characters and signature rhymes, Dr. Seuss’s beloved favorite has cemented its place as a children’s classic. Kids will love the terrific tongue twisters as the list of places to enjoy green eggs and ham gets longer and longer...and they might even find themselves craving something new!

The Cat in the Hat

“I know some new tricks,” said the Cat in the Hat. “A lot of good tricks. I will show them to you. Your mother will not mind at all if I do.” A rainy day turns into a wild romp when the Cat in the Hat and his troublemaking friends, Thing 1 and Thing 2, unexpectedly appear! A favorite among kids, parents, and teachers, this story uses simple words and basic rhyme to encourage and delight beginning readers.

8 BASICS OF A LANGUAGE ARTS KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

Next, look at the components of a language arts program.

1. ALPHABET RECOGNITION

The first step in building literacy skills is learning the sounds of each letter in the alphabet.

2. VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

Vocabulary development is the process of learning new words and their meanings, and how to use them in different contexts.

Kids are naturally exposed to new words daily through listening but at this age we will begin to become more intentional about teaching.

3. PHONEMIC AWARENESS

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the individual sounds in words and understanding the relationship between letters and sounds. 

This is blending, segmenting, identifying sounds, and changing sounds.

Rhyming is important too because it helps your child to recognize word patterns. It can build reading fluency quickly.

For example, if your child knows the word “dog”, he can quickly see the pattern in the words fog, bog, frog, log and hog, etc.

4. PRINT AWARENESS

Print awareness is the understanding that print has meaning and that it can be used to communicate.

Environmental print is any print that can be found in everyday life, such as signs, labels, and logos.

How many of our kids recognized the big yellow M of McDonalds before they could even talk? That’s environmental print.

5. READING COMPREHENSION

Reading comprehension means to develop the ability to construct meaning from text and speech.

It includes comprehension, syntax, and sentence structure.

6. BLENDING

Blending is the process of gradually sounding out individual letters in a word to form a word and then be able to read it.

7. COMMUNICATION AND ACTIVE LISTENING

Talking and listening skills are part of a child’s communication and literacy development.

Basically, it is listening with a purpose.

8. WRITING

Writing helps children build language fluency and express themselves, but I consider this the least important of the language arts skills at this age.

Enhance Your Language Arts Kindergarten Curriculum with Free Flip Books

MORE KINDERGARTEN HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

  • How to Create the Perfect Kindergarten Homeschool Set Up
  • Best Kindergarten Health Curriculum Easy Ideas For Activities
  • 8 Best Summer Unit Studies For Kindergarten | Free Ant Study
  • 10 Kindergarten Sensory Bin Ideas | How To Make A Summer Sensory Bin
  • How to Create a Kindergarten Math Game With Popsicle Sticks
  • 8 Stellaluna Kindergarten Activities | How To Make A Coffee Filter Bat Craft
  • First Day Of Kindergarten Homeschool Ideas | Free Scavenger Hunt Cards
  • Math Made Easy: Engaging Addition For Kindergarten Dice Activities
  • T Is For Simple Fun Thunderstorm Activities For Kindergarten
  • Fun and Easy Tissue Paper Crafts for Kindergarten
  • Fun Kindergarten History Activities: How to Create Royal Peg Dolls
  • Enhance Your Language Arts Kindergarten Curriculum with Free Flip Books

Rather than rigorous perfect handwriting practice its a great time for gentle instruction.

Now that you know what the most important aspects are of a language arts kindergarten curriculum let’s look at how you can easily incorporate them into your day.

ACTIVITIES TO BUILD YOUR LANGUAGE ARTS KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

Learn how to Make A Fun ABC Flip Book Fingerprint Activity for Kindergarten to work on letter recognition, beginning letter sounds, and more.

Grab these free Alphabet Stew Letter Recognition Mats

Get kids up and moving, working muscles and brain development with this Rainbow Hop Letter Sounds Game.

Play rhyming games. Once they have mastered letter recognition and sounds you will want to go heavy on working on rhyming and word families.

The 10 word families you will focus on are -at, -an, -ad, -am, -et, -it, -ig, -ing, -og, and -op.

Check out my free ick, ack,og, and at flip books for a gentle introduction to rhyming words I have for you below.

This fun and colorful activity Build a Flower Letter Sounds is a great way to practice beginning letter sounds.

Alliteration games Jack Hartmann.

While kids are just making art they can be learning letters and their sounds at the same time with the Hidden Letter Hunt.

Syllable counting – Clap out the syllables in words as you say them to help your child understand how to divide them up.

Blending and segmenting sounds-I discovered these 6 Hands-On Blending and Segmenting Activities that are easy to put together.

Point out print in the environment- Look for big signs overhead at your favorite stores, practice identifying the letters in the words.

Choose a letter for the day for example ‘S’ and as you do your grocery shopping encourage your child to find it everywhere they can-signs, packages, etc.

Enhance Your Language Arts Kindergarten Curriculum with Free Flip Books

Finally, look at how to grab the free flip books.

HOW TO GET THE FREE PRINTABLE -OG, -ACK, -AT, AND -ICK WORLD FAMILY FLIPBOOKS

Now, how to grab the free word family flipbooks. It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Teach Kindergarten Tagged With: flip books, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschool, homeschoolanguagearts, kindergarten, language arts, languagearts, word families

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