Alphabet Pasta Sensory Box

I filled one of the workboxes with alphabet shaped pasta and added some wooden letter string beads. I added the laminated flip book of letters & words that we created to use with "Teach Your Child to Read in 10 Minutes a Day" and instructed Mya to pick out 3 words from the list that she can already read.

She had to find the letters from the word, put them in the correct order with the letter beads on the string, one word at a time, and finish by saying the word out loud.

She really seemed to enjoy this activity, and even chose to spell the last word with the tiny pasta letters!

Play Dough Alphabet Activity

I had printed and laminated the alphabet stencils from Shirley Erwee's "ABC Fun & 1-2-3" a long while back, and was reminded of them today as I was looking for ideas for Mya's workboxes! We have used them with "Teach Your Child to Read in 10 Minutes a Day" to introduce letters, and have traced them with our fingers as a reminder how to properly write a letter. Now, we will use them with playdough for a fine motor activity!

It's simple enough. We make our own play dough - Dad even got in on the fun this time! Mya asked him to help her make it and, of course, he couldn't resist. Here is our favourite play dough recipe: Best Ever No-Cook Play Dough.

For the alphabet play dough activity, the child makes play dough snakes and forms the letters right on top of the cards. If she finishes with the letters that we have already learned quickly, then I will just give her free time with the play dough until I am ready for her to move onto the next box.

I am so glad I was reminded of them before I printed new ones. There are many free printables out there. Just search "Play Dough Alphabet Printables" if you need some!

The Letter B

This is what we've done for the letter B...

• Read Old Bob's Brown Bear (over and over and over and over)

• Memorized a "B" verse 

 Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.
Luke 11:28b


• Found objects around the house/garden that start with B
• Added "B" to our laminated flip book of letters & words, along with new words we can read (BAG, BAT, BUG, TUB, CUB, CAB, COB, BOB, BUT)

• Decorated a letter B with beans
• Read a Buffalo Poem from our favourite Alphabet Book (It has an animal, poem and recipe for every letter of the alphabet.)

• Found B's in a bowl of all the letter magnets and arranged them on cookie sheet.
• Play with our Leapfrog Alphabet Magnets.
• Made B from our Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) wood pieces and learned how to make G's with HWT's My First School Book and Slate Chalkboard.

• Watched Sesame Street's "B" videos

The Letter G

This is what we've done for the letter G...

• Read The Day Gogo Went to Vote (over and over and over and over)(Gogo is Zulu for Grandma)

Here are some links to free unit studies for this book:
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/SteCar/

http://www.kidsvotingaz.org/KVAZLessons/lessonDetail.cfm?Lesson_ID=73

http://www.wcmu.org/radio/childrensbooks/cbdlquestions-2008.html#36

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/micmea/index.htm

• Memorized a "G" verse 

 God is love.
1 John 4:8b


• Found objects around the house/garden that start with G (grapes, grass, glue, garbage, glitter, globe, glasses, guitars)
• Ate Grapes
• Added "G" to our laminated flip book of letters & words, along with new words we can read (HUG, GOT, TAG, TUG, HOG, GAG, GAP)

• Decorated a letter G with glue and glitter
• Read a Giraffe Poem and made Giraffe Giggles from our favourite Alphabet Book (It has an animal, poem and recipe for every letter of the alphabet. I was kind of disappointed that the animal for the letter G didn't have the "hard" G sound, but Giraffe are my favourite African animals, so I guess it's ok.)

• Found G's in a bowl of all the letter magnets and arranged them on cookie sheet.
• Play with our Leapfrog Alphabet Magnets.
• Made G from our Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) wood pieces and learned how to make G's with HWT's My First School Book and Slate Chalkboard.

• Watched the Sesame Street Podcast, Play Inside the Letter G
• Watched Sesame Street's Grover and the Growing G
• Used ideas from EasyFunSchool Introducing the Letter G

ABC Memory Verses

We are working on one memory verse with each letter of the alphabet we learn. I printed them all on A5 sheets, laminated them, punched them and added rings so they are easy to study and review.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord. Colossians 3:23a

Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. Luke 11:28b

Casting all your care upon Him, for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Depart from evil and do good. Psalm 34:14a

Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Colossians 3:13

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

God is love. 1 John 4:8b

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down. Proverbs 25:28

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. John 20:31b

Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking lies. Psalm 34:13

Lying lips are abomination to the LORD; but they that deal truly are His delight. Proverbs 12:22

My God shall supply all your need. Philippians 4:19a

No man can serve two masters. Matthew 6:24

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good. Psalm 118:1

Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; Psalm 147:1

Quit you like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13b

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

Seek ye the Lord while He may be found. Isaiah 55:6a

Trust in the Lord forever. Isaiah 26:4a

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: Psalm 75:1

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. John 6:47

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

eXceeding great and precious promises are given unto us. 2 Peter 1:4

Ye are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14a

Zion heard and was glad. Psalm 97:8a

The Letter O

This is what we've done for the letter O...

• Read Why Can't I Fly (about an ostrich) (over and over and over and over)

Why Can't I Fly?

• Memorized an "O" verse 
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
Psalm 118:1


• Found objects around the house shaped like O
• Added "O" to our laminated flip book of letters & words, along with new words we can read (hot, hop, top, pop, pot, cot, cop)

• Decorated a letter O with Otees (Cheerios)

• Read an Ostrich Poem and made Ostrich Omelets from our favourite Alphabet Book (It has an animal, poem and recipe for every letter of the alphabet. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this book??)

• Found O's in a bowl of all the letter magnets and arranged them on cookie sheet. I asked Mya to make a word with an "O" in it, and she spelled out the word, "MOM" on the cookie sheet.

• Made O from our Handwriting Without Tears wood pieces

• Watched the Sesame Street Podcast, Celebrating the Letter "O!"(free from iTunes)
• Memorized a portion of the Little Housewife ABC book, 

O stands for Order, each thing in it's place,

Anything, Anywhere, - what a disgrace

Teach Your Child To Read In Just 10 Minutes A Day

I found this book on kindle and bought it on a whim. It is an easy read, and so easy to understand and implement. I had decided to do a letter a week (or so) and it fit right in!

Sidney suggests teaching the letters in a specific order so that your child feels the accomplishment of reading quickly. For example, the first letters you learn are "U" and "P", and then you can already read up and pup. I copied that order, implemented his ideas, and off we went!

I decided to center our weeks, for now, around each letter. I am using the Little Footprints on our Land curriculum, which is based on African children's stories, so I just pick a story that best fits that letter and we're set for the week. After I choose from Little Footprints what activities I would like to do, I just add in whatever activities that sound fun to us that I can find based on that letter.

I also created a little laminated flip books of letters & words, so that Mya can master the sounds of the letters and sounding out each subsequent word. I typed them all in MS Word and printed, cut and laminated them. Then I used a 2 hole punch to punch holes in them and added rings. We try to practice every day. There are so many cards that in the end we will have 3 of these books, as the pile of them is too thick for the rings.

The Letter H

This is what we've done for the letter H...

• Read Charlie's House (over and over and over and over)

• Memorized an "H" verse 

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down.

Proverbs 25:28

• Found objects around the house that start with H
• Added "H" to our  to our laminated flip book of letters & words, along with new words we can read (hat)

• Decorated a letter H with sticker H's

• Cut and pasted a Hippo picture
• Downloaded a new iPad app to practice writing letters (free for a limited time)

• Read a Hippo Poem and made Hippo Hoorahs from our favourite Alphabet Book (It has an animal, poem and recipe for every letter of the alphabet. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this book??)

• Made an H girl with hair!
• Made a handprint heart

• Made H from our Handwriting Without Tears wood pieces