Rocks, Dirt, Digging: Day 5 (Simple Preschool At Home)
We’re finishing up our first full week of simple preschool at home! For the final day of our week inspired by rocks, we turned to a topic my mess-making kiddo particularly likes. Read on to see how we incorporated rocks, dirt, digging into our last day of home preschool for the week.
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rOCKS, DIRT, DIGGING: WEEK 1 dAY 5
Rocks, Dirt, Digging: Day 5 Ideas
Letter of the day:
D is dirt. I created a simple free printable ‘D is for Dirt’ page on Twisty Noodle. First, my son colored the D with a brown crayon to represent dirt. Next, he used some bright pink gel pens to add worms through out his D. (He reallllly wants a pet worm, so this was the highlight of his letter page today!)
Word of the day:
Instead of working on his name, my kiddo wrote ‘dirt’ with 4 different writing instruments. (I grabbed that printable page from First And Kinder Blue SKies on Teachers Pay Teachers!)
Book of the day:
Rocks! Rocks! Rocks! By Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.
Journal prompt of the day:
I dug in the dirt and I was surprised to find…
Activities and play we enjoyed:
We pulled out the bin of stones we used on Day 1, and the plastic gems we used on Day 3. I hid the gems through out the bin of stones. My son had a lot of fun digging through the stones to find all the gems. It was a super simple, low-prep sensory activity. You could add basic math practice in by rolling a die to determine how many gems to find on each turn. Or hide small letters for a fun literacy idea.
No week of rocks, dirt, digging would be complete without a dig of your own! The boys had a lot of fun with this rock dig kit by Smithsonian. Digs like this are a great opportunity to work on both fine motor control and sensory exposure. After all the treasures have been excavated, soapy water and a spare toothbrush make a great ‘cleaning station’ to keep the fun going. Don’t forget to sort your gems and stones into the rock collection box from Day 1!
YOU MAY NEED THESE TO LEARN ABOUT ROCKS, DIRT, DIGGING…
colored pencils / crayons / markers / transparent tape / pens / scissors / pencils / double sided tape / composition notebook / index cards / stones / dig kit
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!