Sample Week
This week gives a glimpse into what the curriculum looks like. Typically we stick to a theme and each week is very cohesive. This sample week shows bits and pieces of what a 2-4 week All About Me theme would entail. If we were doing a month of All About Me, we might have 1 week of exploring our name, 1 week of exploring our senses, 1 week of self portraits, 1 week of inside our bodies (preschool level anatomy and physiology), and maybe 1 week of either our family or community. This is pieced together with science, literacy, math, and art activities and prompts. The way these are set up, you can do a different activity each day, or focus on one or two per week. If you have the room, you potentially could set up areas each week with the different prompts to explore. This is a play to learn curriculum, that can be used to promote fully child led learning. Most of these activities are on the free activity page. The curriculum saves you the time of planning week after week, the stress of juggling pleasing parents and giving the children what they really need- play! The annual fee comes out to just $6.25/month- most of us make that in just one hour from just one kid. That's all you need to save yourself *hours* each month. Plus- you get 25+ pages of print out activity and busy book pages, *every month* that go with the activity themes. On Thursday of the sample schedule, the activity is from a busy book page, to show how quick and mindless it is to print and set up! Once you have joined the curriculum page, you have access to extra content and community support. Join now and the annual fee is waved- that's right, only pay once and have access to every year's curriculum, print outs, and busy books. This is an insane deal! If you want in, now is the time!
Monday- Loose Parts Self Portrait
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For this prompt, gather materials you have that can be used to create facial features. Set out mirrors for the children to observe their face to create their portraits. Ask them questions like, 'how many eyes do you have? What color are they? Where should they go on your portrait?'
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Give them each a blank slate to work on- a piece of paper, a tray, or perhaps a frame. Older children could glue theirs down depending on what materials you set out.
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Examples of loose parts for this include: pom poms, pipe cleaners, cut up pieces of paper in shapes, wooden blocks, beads, stickers, felt pieces, string, etc. You could add in chalk, markers, crayons, or paint as long as you don't mind the materials getting drawn on. You could also do this outside, using what is around you. For example, rocks, sticks, flowers, leaves. You could set some out, and/or give children a bucket to gather their own. Safety scissors work great on grass! Make sure to bring a mirror or mirrors outside, and a surface to work on.
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If they need help, you can start making your own for them to watch, or be more involved in their process at the beginning. This is a great art invitation to leave out all week and watch the process evolve. Start out simple, and let them lead!
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Or Try This!- Mirror Self Portrait
Tuesday- My Name
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Let's learn about the letters in our name! Print out the letter cards, or write each name in large print on a piece of paper. You also could stick to the first letter of each name, using paper or cutting out from cardboard (old cereal boxes are great!)
You can set up each spot with the right name or letters, or have letters out for older preschoolers to find and piece together. Have materials out for the children to follow the letter shapes of their name.
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You can do this by setting out string or pipe cleaners for curved/rounded letters and popsicle sticks for straight lines, or smaller pieces such as stickers, cotton balls, dried pasta, or hole punched paper. You can have out glue bottles or sticks for older preschoolers to practice their gluing skills, or leave it for them to come back and do the shape again.
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This could double as a great take home craft. You could double stick tape their name or letter to cardboard (leftover Amazon boxes, again- old cereal box), to make a sturdy keep sake. You could hot glue ribbon to create a handle for hanging. Maybe even leave room on the paper next to their name for a hand print! -Or just leave materials out all week for a name invitation they can come back to and build on skills.
Click on the PDF
to view and print!
Wednesday- Sensory Jars
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What a great way to explore our senses! Set up these sensory jars and start a discussion!
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You can do this a couple different ways:
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You can set up one jar for each sense, with something that really focuses on that sense
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You can focus on one sense per day, setting up jars with to explore different ways we can experience that sense
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Or you can set up jars and talk about how each sense experiences what's in the jar (some might not be anything- like something we can't taste or something that doesn't really smell like much). These can be jars where kids can reach in and grab, or you could focus more on looking and hearing if you are trying to keep the mess to a minimum. I suggest taking these outside and letting them get really messy for touch and taste. This could leave the jar and go to a sensory bin as well. Taste could also be incorporated into snack time if you are focusing on one sense per day. Do what works for you!
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Click on the links below for ideas of what to put in your jars!
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Pt 1 focuses mainly on food items, pt 2 is mainly household items, and pt 3 is nature items. Browse through for ideas or inspiration!
Thursday- Fingernail Painting Counting
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Print out the corresponding activity page, or make this activity on your own!
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Click here to see how to create this if you don't have access to a printer.
Friday- My Lungs, My Air, Thank you Trees!
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This is a fun way to learn about our lungs and the air we breathe.
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If you do not want to set up the activity, you can just discuss breathing in and out air and where it goes, then move on to the second part of this.
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For the activity, you will need a balloon, and a tube or straw. Place a straw or tube inside a deflated balloon. Wrap or tape around the end so not a lot of air comes out. You could double up on this, tieing or taping each tube together to create two 'lungs". Once this is set up, decide if you want to give one of these each to the kids, or just have one to demonstrate. You could have one set up to demonstrate with an air pump attached so they can all take turns. Or you could have one set up, you blow into the tubes, and give each child just a balloon to practice blowing into. That being said, you could get away with just using balloons, but I like to show the path of the air down the tubes, like it would inside of your body. Show how breathing pushes air inside your lungs to inflate. and breathing out pulls that air out.
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After this, go on a nature walk if it is available to you. Discuss how the trees give us clean air. We like to walk around and say, 'thank you trees!'