Gems, Crystals, Rocks: Day 3 (Simple Preschool At Home)
Our rock study got a bit sparklier on day 3! My son was happy to change things up a bit, and change our focus to gemstones. We focused mainly on art/fine motor, and a little bit of math today. Read on to see what Day 3 of our gems, crystals, rocks learning at home looked like!
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GEMS, CRYSTALS, ROCKS: WEEK 1 dAY 3
Gems, Crystals, Rocks: Day 3 Ideas
Letter of the day:
G is for gem. I created a simple free printable ‘G is for Gem’ page on Twisty Noodle. My son added gemstone stickers I picked up on an essential grocery run to embellish his letter.
Word of the day:
Instead of working on his name, my kiddo wrote ‘gem’ with 4 different writing instruments. (I grabbed that printable page from First And Kinder Blue SKies on Teachers Pay Teachers!)
Book of the day:
Stone Crazy. By Tracy Gallup.
Journal prompt of the day:
I wish I could find a gem made out of…
[Dad joke alert… geminems! My hubs is a cheeseball.]
Activities and play we enjoyed:
I printed a free gemstone coloring page from Crayola’s website, and paired it with some of their glitter crayons. This gave my kiddo a chance to work on fine motor (coloring) as we talked about gemstones a bit. The glitter crayons add some gem-appropriate sparkle, and novelty to a basic task for a young child.
For a little math work, I pulled out a small tray I picked up at Target this past fall. I added a ten-frame sticker (also a fall 2019 Target find), and a space for dry erase writing. By cutting up a number poster from the Dollar Tree, I made some basic number cards to choose from. I added a jar of plastic ‘gems’ that I grabbed from the Dollar Tree as well. My 4 year old pulled a card, identified the number, and filled the 10 frame with the appropriate number of gems. He was a crab, so I didn’t make him write the number, but it’s always an option to add on a better day.
YOU MAY NEED THESE TO LEARN ABOUT GEMS, CRYSTALS, ROCKS…
colored pencils / crayons / marker/ transparent tape / pens / scissors / pencils / double sided tape / composition notebook / index cards / fancy crayons / gems / tray
But PLEASE Remember…
This is what is working for us during the pandemic, for the time being. It may seem overwhelming to your family to attempt anything like this. Or if you’re like me, you may welcome a little structure in your days. It’s important for you to consider the needs, emotional health, and learning styles of your entire family, and make adjustments as needed. The goal is NEVER more stress, more comparisons, or more guilt.
Keeping the above in mind, here’s a little bit more about our process…
- We’re aiming for about an hour of ‘school-ish’ work a day. This might included coloring, painting, writing, drawing, stickers, and more. My 4 year old is used to attending UPK for two and a half hours a day, 5 days a week, so 1 hour seemed like a good starting point at home.
- I build a ton of breaks and flexibility into our days and weeks. I plan 5 days of ‘school’ each week, and we generally accomplish all the activities by stretching them out over 7 total days. Some Wednesdays, we just can’t do school. So we’ll make it up later, if we can. Again, the goal isn’t stress or pressure, so flexibility is key.
- Variety is helpful for my kiddo. His attention span is short, so most of what I plan is quick, and we change styles of learning often. You know what will work best for your own families.
- Our journal is simply a basic notebook. Every day, I provide a prompt, and my child draws a picture on a blank index card. I tape that into the notebook, and write most of the prompt. At least one or two words are written larger, in dots, so my son can trace them.
- I have a pretty well stocked supply of craft and learning materials already, and know that may not be the case for you. Be creative, be flexible, and be open to compromise! We also have a large home library for the kids, which is very helpful right now!
