Kindergarten-Readiness Weekly Activities

Kindergarten-Readiness Weekly Activities

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PROGRAM WATCH & PLAY

The contents of ELINOR WONDERS WHY were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. The project is funded by a Ready To Learn grant (PR/AWARD No. U295A150003, CFDA No. 84.295A) provided by the Department of Education to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. PBS KIDS and the PBS KIDS Logo are registered trademarks of Public Broadcasting Service. Used with permission.

Monday,May 3, 2021at 10:30am

DONKEY HODIE

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

EPISODES - A Big Favor for Grampy/A Fair Way to Bounce

FOCUS - Being fair and taking turns PA STANDARD: 16.3.PK.B – RECOGNIZE THERE ARE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE WAYS TO BEHAVE IN DIFFERENT PLACES.

1.5.PK.C – RESPOND TO WHAT A SPEAKER SAYS IN ORDER TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS, SEEK HELP, OR GATHER INFORMATION.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Discuss with your child how we can find a fair way to decide who goes first so we can take turns. Practice taking turns doing things together when playing games or doing activities such as building with blocks (you lay one, I lay one). Take a moment

to recognize and verbalize when your child is acting out of fairness. “That was so nice of you to let your friend go first.” You can also introduce and play some “Who starts?” games such as coin toss (“heads or tails”), or “Rock, Paper, Scissors” with older children. Remember rock (fist) beats scissors (v with fingers), paper (flat hand) beats rock and scissors beats paper.

Tuesday,May 4, 2021 at 11:00am

SESAME STREET

EARLY LITERACY

EPISODE - Rudy Blows His First Bubble

FOCUS - Literacy activity: B is for Bubbles PA STANDARD: 1.1.PK.B – IDENTIFY BASIC FEATURES OF PRINT. 1.1.PK.D – DEVELOP BEGINNING PHONICS AND WORD SKILLS.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

On a piece of paper, make a bunch of circles to represent bubbles. Pick 3-5 letters including the letter B and write one letter per bubble. Ask your child to find the letter B and color the bubble in. For older children, pick 3-5 words that start with the letter B and a few other words that start with another letter. Ask your child to pick out the words that start with the letter B and color in the bubbles. Then grab some bubbles and wands and head outside for some bubble play. Be sure to show your

child how to breathe in deeply and exhale slowly while blowing the bubbles out.

Thursday,May 6, 2021 at 11:30am PEG + CAT

MATH THINKING

EPISODES - The Magic Uke/The Rocking Out Problem

FOCUS - Exploring lines of symmetry

PA STANDARD: 2.4.PK.A.4 – CLASSIFY OBJECTS AND COUNT THE NUMBER OF OBJECTS IN EACH CATEGORY. 2.3.PK.A.1 – IDENTIFY AND DESCRIBE SHAPES.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

You can explore lines of symmetry with your child by using a mirror and finding symmetrical objects around your home or outside. Place the mirror along the line of symmetry to show that the object is symmetrical (both sides are the exact

same when split in half). You can also make symmetrical shapes using playdough or paper and dividing the shape in half by either cutting the playdough shape or folding the paper shape. Talk about how both halves are the same. To reinforce this

concept, stack the two halves on top of each other (if cut in half).

Wednesday,May 5, 2021 at 10:30am

ELINOR WONDERS WHY

SCIENCE THINKING

EPISODES - The Paper Trail/Bath Time

FOCUS - How animals keep themselves “clean” PA STANDARD: : 3.1.PK.A.5 – NAME THE BASIC PARTS OF LIVING THINGS. 4.4.PK.A – IDENTIFY WHAT PLANTS AND ANIMALS NEED TO GROW.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Talk to your child about the importance of keeping ourselves clean in order to maintain a healthy level of hygiene. Ask: Why do you think we need to take a bath or shower? Do you like to take a bath or shower? Why or why not? Talk about

how animals also have to stay clean. Some animals like lions, cats and dogs keep themselves clean by licking their fur while elephants and rhinos take baths by rolling in dust and mud and then shake. Before the next bath time, encourage your child

to act out how an elephant or rhino takes a mud bath—roll on the floor and then get up and shake!

Friday,May 7, 2021 at 10:00am

DONKEY HODIE


EPISODES - Super Duper Sleepover/Mountain Climb Time

FOCUS - Exploring light and dark PA STANDARD: 4.1.PK.A – IDENTIFY LIVING AND NON-LIVING THINGS IN THE IMMEDIATE AND SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT. 3.3.PK.B.1 – IDENTIFY OBJECTS THAT CAN BE FOUND IN THE DAY

OR NIGHT SKY. 16.1.PK.A – DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EMOTIONS AND IDENTIFY SOCIALLY ACCEPTED WAYS TO EXPRESS THEM.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Is your child afraid of the dark? Talk about how sometimes things look different when the lights are off, but things are the same in the light and in the dark. Turn on different lights—for example, an overhead light, a bedside lamp and a nightlight—

one at a time. Talk about how the room looks when the different lights are on or off. Which one makes the most light/the least light? Where do we see shadows? Look out the window and talk about how it is getting darker outside. Dim the lights

and play with a flashlight on the ceiling or wall. How can we make shadows with our hands and fingers?





SESAME STREET

EARLY LITERACY

EPISODE - A Dog and a Song

FOCUS - Literacy activity: Dog songs and rhyming with –OG wordsPA STANDARD: 1.1.PK.D – DEVELOP BEGINNING PHONICS AND WORD SKILLS. 1.1.PK.C – DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING OF SPOKEN WORDS, SYLLABLES, AND SOUNDS (PHONEMES).

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Warm-up by singing and playing some dog related songs with your child including “BINGO” and “How Much is that Doggie in the Window?’. Then, on small pieces of paper or letter cards, lay out the letters “D”, “O” “G”. Talk about each letter and the sound they make. Point to each letter, say the sound together and then blend the sounds together to make the word “Dog”.

Remove the letter “D” and replace with a new letter card, “L”. Ask: What letter is this? What sound does it make? You can help or give clues if they do not know. Then together sound out and blend together the letters “L”, “O”, “G”. Tell your child that the word “Dog” and “Log” rhyme. They have the same ending sound! Try other combinations and see how many new words and

rhymes you discover.


DONKEY HODIE


EPISODES - The Yodel Birds Are Coming/A Lot of Hot!

FOCUS - Mistakes happen, keep trying to reach goal PA STANDARD: AL.2.PK.A – WORK TOWARD COMPLETING A TASK, EVEN IF CHALLENGING, AND DESPITE INTERRUPTIONS. AL.4.PK.C – ATTEMPT PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE A

POSITIVE OUTCOME. 16.1.PK.A – DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EMOTIONS AND IDENTIFY SOCIALLY ACCEPTED WAYS TO EXPRESS THEM.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

You can build your child’s frustration tolerance by modeling how to work through a problem, slow down, take breaks, breathe and hopefully figure out a solution. Gently remind your child that when we make mistakes, we don’t give up but keep trying to reach our goal or finish what we are doing. Try playing cooperative, skill-based games that are age-appropriate such as

Chutes and Ladders or building something together like a tall tower with blocks. Does it fall down? Try it again. How can we build it so it doesn’t fall down?


MATH THINKING

EPISODES - The Arch Villain Problem/The Straight and Narrow Problem

FOCUS - Understanding straight, narrow, curved lines PA STANDARD: 2.4.PK.A.4 – CLASSIFY OBJECTS AND COUNT THE NUMBER OF OBJECTS IN EACH CATEGORY. 2.3.PK.A.1 – IDENTIFY AND DESCRIBE SHAPES.

10.4.PK.A – DEMONSTRATE COORDINATION OF BODY MOVEMENTS IN ACTIVE PLAY.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Introduce your child to straight and curved lines by using strings of yarn or ribbon. Lay one string out straight and the other one curved. Ask: “Are the lines the same? Are the lines different? How are they different? Which one is the straight line?

Which one is curved?” Let them experiment making straight and curved lines. Observe with your child straight and curved lines in your home or outside. Then play “jump the brook” using two strings, skipping ropes, or drawing lines with sidewalk chalk. Make two parallel, straight lines that are narrowly apart. These lines represent the brook. Line up single file and jump over the brook. If you successfully jumped the brook, widen the brook and jump again. Keep going until you are unable to jump over the brook without getting “wet”. While playing the game, be sure to use the math words “narrow” and “wide”.


ELINOR WONDERS WHY

SCIENCE THINKING

EPISODES - Butterfly Babies/Elinor’s Circus

FOCUS - Exploring balance PA STANDARD: 10.1.PK.B – IDENTIFY AND LOCATE BODY PARTS. 10.4.PK.A – DEMONSTRATE COORDINATION OF BODY MOVEMENTS IN ACTIVE PLAY.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Have your child try to stand on one foot. Make this into a contest with the whole family and see who can maintain their balance the longest. Next you can try building a pretend balance beam by placing two lines of tape on the floor and practice

walking on it. The space between the two pieces of tape could start large (6 inches) and progress to 4 inches apart. Was it easy or hard to do?


DONKEY HODIE


EPISODES - Chili Jamboree/Hoof Dancing is Hard

FOCUS - Learning something new takes lots of tries AL.2.PK.A – WORK TOWARD COMPLETING A TASK, EVEN IF CHALLENGING, AND DESPITE INTERRUPTIONS. 16.1.PK.B – RECOGNIZE THAT EVERYONE HAS PERSONAL TRAITS

WHICH GUIDE BEHAVIOR AND CHOICES. 10.4.PK.A – DEMONSTRATE COORDINATION OF BODY MOVEMENTS IN ACTIVE PLAY.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Learning something new takes lots of tries! Share with your child things you have practiced and how you have gotten better. It could be things from your childhood or as a grownup. Ask your child to share about something they recently learned. Was

it hard to keep trying? How did they feel when they finally learned how to do it? Then together, imagine what it is like to be a tightrope walker. Make a “tightrope” by taping a piece of masking tape on the floor or a piece of string. Take turns trying to

walk the tightrope by placing one foot in front of the other, heel to toe. Then try tiptoeing, galloping, and hopping!






ELINOR WONDERS WHY

SCIENCE THINKING

EPISODES - Frozen Fish/Pirate Treasure

FOCUS - Exploring maps and landmarks PA STANDARD: 7.1.PK.A – EXPLAIN HOW A MAP IS A REPRESENTATION OF PLACES.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Does your child recognize any landmarks that are close to your home? Next time you are out, be sure to point out landmarks you see together. Talk about how we use landmarks to help us orient where we live and how we get places. Landmarks can be number of different places—a recognizable feature that stands out. It doesn’t have to be famous or

big—it can be more ordinary such as gas stations, super markets, parks, etc. With your child, you can make a simple map of where you live and include drawings or pictures of the landmarks. Then, the next time your child recognizes a familiar

landmark, they will know that they are close to home!


DONKEY HODIE


EPISODES - Squibbit/Teamwork Challenge

FOCUS - Teamwork PA STANDARD: 1.5.PK.C – RESPOND TO WHAT A SPEAKER SAYS IN ORDER TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS, SEEK HELP, OR GATHER INFORMATION.

16.2.PK.A.7 – PLAY COOPERATIVELY WITH A FEW PEERS FOR A SUSTAINED PERIOD OF TIME.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

When we have a hard problem to solve together, everyone can help by finding something they’re good at and work together. Grab a towel or small bed sheet and place a small stuffed animal or a ball in the middle. Each partner holds a side

at arm’s length in the air. Try to keep the item from falling out by working together. Or play hide and seek using “hot and cold” clues. One partner hides an object somewhere in the room while the other partner waits in another room or covers their eyes. The “finder” will then try to find the hidden object by receiving clues from the other partner: “You are getting

warmer” if they are close to the object – or – “You are getting colder” if they are far away from the object.

Thursday,May 20, 2021 at 10:00am

DONKEY HODIE


EPISODES - The Waiting Game/Planet Purple Party

FOCUS - Making lists PA STANDARD: 1.1.PK.D – DEVELOP BEGINNING PHONICS AND WORD SKILLS. 1.1.PK.C – DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING OF SPOKEN WORDS, SYLLABLES, AND SOUNDS (PHONEMES).

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Do you make “To Do” lists? When we have a lot to do or remember, making a list can help get it all done. Next time you make a shopping list, invite your child to help you. Say an item you need out loud, then say each sound slowly—for

example, “M-I-L-K” as you write it down. Beginner writers can help by writing the beginning sound or by writing the word out phonetically such as “mlk”. Ask your child, “What letter do you think starts the word ‘milk’? What letter do you think

comes next?” It is not important for your child to spell the work exactly right. The idea is to help them make the connection between the letter and the sound it makes.

Wednesday,May 19, 2021 at 11:30am PEG + CAT

MATH THINKING

EPISODES - The Package Problem/The Train Problem

FOCUS - Exploring timePA STANDARD: 2.1.PK.A.1 – KNOW NUMBER NAMES AND COUNT SEQUENCE. 2.4.PK.A.1 – DESCRIBE AND COMPARE MEASURABLE ATTRIBUTES OF LENGTH AND WEIGHTS OF EVERYDAY

OBJECTS. 10.4.PK.A – DEMONSTRATE COORDINATION OF BODY MOVEMENTS IN ACTIVE PLAY.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Use a kitchen timer to time your child doing various activities. This helps them to understand the concept of time as you compare one activity to another. For example, time your child as they run ten feet. Then ask your child to crawl the ten feet

back and time them. Which one took longer? Or, try timing your child running a lap around a playground, then spend the same amount of time standing still. This helps them understand that time can seem to go by faster at some times more

than others.


SESAME STREET

EARLY LITERACY

EPISODE - There’s A New Count in Town

FOCUS - Literacy activity: C is for Counting PA STANDARD: 1.1.PK.D – DEVELOP BEGINNING PHONICS AND WORD SKILLS. 1.1.PK.C – DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING OF SPOKEN WORDS, SYLLABLES, AND SOUNDS (PHONEMES).

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Together, write the letter “C” on a piece of paper and practice saying the sound “C” makes –“ka”. Say a few words that begin with the letter “C” to help them hear the beginning sound—such as cookie and counting. Then go on a scavenger hunt around your home and collect objects that start with the letter “C”. How many items did you find? Ask your child to

count with you. Encourage your child to tell you about the objects you collected and say each object’s name to practice the beginning sound of “C”. Older children can write phonetically the items they find.






DONKEY HODIE


EPISODES - Royal Sandcastle Builders/Bobski Bounce

FOCUS - Building natural structuresPA STANDARD: AL.2.PK.A – WORK TOWARD COMPLETING A TASK, EVEN IF CHALLENGING, AND DESPITE INTERRUPTIONS.

AL.4.PK.C – ATTEMPT PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE A POSITIVE OUTCOME.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Encourage your child to create natural structures and problem-solve along the way. Build sculptures or castles out of sand, dirt, mud; or design a village or create a fairy house using twigs, rocks, leaves and other found objects. Draw patterns and create textures in the dirt or sand. Construct stone sculptures by stacking or making faces out of rocks. Take a photo and

then leave your child’s creation for someone else to discover.


ELINOR WONDERS WHY

SCIENCE THINKING

EPISODES - Bubble House/The Syrup Tree

FOCUS - Trees and how they help usPA STANDARD: 3.1.PK.A.5 – NAME THE BASIC PARTS OF LIVING THINGS. 4.4.PK.A – IDENTIFY WHAT PLANTS AND ANIMALS NEED TO GROW.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Do you like maple syrup on your pancakes? Maple syrup (made from maple tree sap) is just one of the many different products we get from trees. Talk to your child about some of the ways trees help humans. Then together make a tree by

tracing your child’s hand and wrist on brown construction paper and cutting it out. The fingers are the branches of the tree. You can add leaves to your branches. For the trunk of the tree, use a toilet paper roll and paint or color it brown. Glue the wrist part of the hand cut-out just inside or below the top of the roll. You can use a lid to a shoe box or cut out the back of

cereal box for your base. Talk about the different parts of the tree—roots, trunk, branches, and leaves.


MATH THINKING

EPISODES - The Camp Problem/The Two Homes Problem

FOCUS - Patterns: AABBPA STANDARD: 2.4.PK.A.4 – CLASSIFY OBJECTS AND COUNT THE NUMBER OF OBJECTS IN EACH CATEGORY.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Introduce your child to the “AABB” pattern by gathering a group of two different items. For example, outside you can use rocks and sticks—lay out two rocks and then two sticks. Then add two more rocks and ask your child what item would come next. Once your child figures out the pattern, let them build until you run out of rocks or sticks. You can also do this inside using two different items such as snack or food items (apples and oranges), spoons and forks, or toys and stuffed animals.


DONKEY HODIE


EPISODES -Art Show Today/The Lavender Lights

FOCUS - Friends can help when we are afraid PA STANDARD: 16.1.PK.A – DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EMOTIONS AND IDENTIFY SOCIALLY ACCEPTED WAYS TO EXPRESS THEM.

16.2.PK.E ASK FOR AND ACCEPT OFFERS OF HELP WHEN NEEDED OR APPROPRIATE.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Remind your child that friends, family and grownups can help them when they are feeling afraid. Sometimes kids are frightened because they have misunderstood a situation or don’t have key pieces of information. Ask your child, “What are you worried about?” or “What are you afraid might happen?” to clarify their concerns. Then talk about what it would be like to go in outer space and fly in a spaceship or rocket. Ask: “If you could fly in a spaceship, would you be afraid? What would help you to not feel afraid?” Then act out a trip to the moon—set up a pretend rocket ship using chairs or your couch and

blast off!


SESAME STREET

ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS/LITERACY

EPISODE - Dog Day Engineers

FOCUS - Literacy Activity: E for Engineer PA STANDARD: 1.1.PK.B – IDENTIFY BASIC FEATURES OF PRINT AL.2.PK.A – WORK TOWARD COMPLETING A TASK, EVEN IF CHALLENGING, AND DESPITE INTERRUPTIONS. AL.4.PK.C – ATTEMPT

PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE A POSITIVE OUTCOME.

ACTIVITY: TRY THIS

Young children love to discover how things in their world are built and how they work. This is engineering! Explain to your child that an engineer is someone who invents and designs things from the toys we play with to the machines (i.e. washing

machine) we use every day. With play dough and ABC letters your child can build alphabet towers. Use the playdough to connect the letters either flat on a table or stacked vertically. Make the letter “E” and other letters using blocks, Legos; out of homemade materials such as spoons; recycled materials such paper towel or toilet paper rolls; and/or outside with sticks

and rocks.


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Kindergarten-Readiness Weekly Activities