HOPE Preschool

Jennifer Garner

Cute book, including a song at the end that Ms. Caryl sings in her music class. Make a monster mask to wear while singing and dancing to the song!! (Jennifer Garner's page is full of books read aloud. Also ~ reminder that the Laurie Berkner Band has lots of songs and fun activities on YouTube.) Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/JenniferGarner/videos/233451414670675/

“Monster Boogie” by Laurie Berkner Band, illustrated by Squiggles & Scribbles by Ben Clanton - read and performed by Laurie Berkner Band 👹🎶

THIRTY MILLION CHILDREN rely on school for food. Responding to the needs of kids during these school closures, Save the Children US and No Kid Hungry have a new fund #SAVEWITHSTORIES to support food banks, and mobile meal trucks, and community feeding programs with funds to do what they do best—and also—with educational toys, books, and worksheets to make sure brains are full, as well as bellies.

If you can manage a one time gift of $10, please text SAVE to 20222. If another amount would work better for you, please visit our website—http://ow.ly/gxuV30qq1nf. There is no maximum and there is no minimum—together we will rise and together we can help.

Thank you and stay safe. XX

[04/27/20]   FYI ~ Netflix has added Leap Frog Letter Factory, Phonics, and Numberland!

A fun sensory activity using plastic Easter Eggs...
https://playtolearnpreschool.us/?s=sound+matching+game

A fun quarantine activity!
1 cup corn starch and 1/2 cup conditioner makes MOON DOUGH!
It’s like play dough and slime combined.
Not sticky and super fun to play with.
Tons of entertainment for $2 total!
Food coloring is optional. Try purple and blue.
Then combine them for a tie dye effect.

Thank you to one of our HOPE families for allowing me to share this idea with all of you. It’s so simple and rewarding within 2 days when you see sprouts. Got some eggshells? Lentils? A cotton pad? Then you can make little eggheads whose hair grows faster than yours during quarantine. (Place a wet cotton pad or cotton ball in empty egg shell. Place seeds or beans on cotton ~ lentils, lima beans, etc. Keep the cotton pad moist and the eggs in a place where they can get some sun.)

Happy Earth Day! In honor of Earth Day, please enjoy a poem read by Mrs. Duggan (Lucky Duck class) and a project demonstrated by her sweet little daughter. :). (Also, stay tuned for a cool project that one of our HOPE Mom's posted yesterday.)

Enjoy "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" read by Mrs. Blackford from the Owl Class!

[04/17/20]   The Loudoun Literacy Council is hosting Read Across Loudoun. They have videos of Loudoun County residents books aloud in fun ways ~ with music, with animals. They even have one read by Wayde Byard! This book is Sheep in a Jeep read on a farm in front of a herd of sheep! :)
https://www.facebook.com/loudounliteracy/videos/248224673248465/

We LOVE this idea! After working on recognizing their first names and last names, HOPE's teachers begin working with their students to recognize/memorize their parents' phone number and their home address. This is a great way for you to work on this at home.

Dry Erase Stick Man Trick

Here is a really cool experiment that uses only a dry erase marker, a dish with a flat bottom and water. I also saw a version where someone drew 6 black spiders and watched them "crawl" away!
https://youtu.be/f5AZbOL_WDM

Make a dry eraser stick man dance using water and a marker! Made by Christopher Tibbott

[04/16/20]   Check out, and "like," The Dad Lab on Facebook. Lots of fun science activities for kids and their parents!

Virtual Field Trips You Can Take With Your Kids - Zoo Live Cams Edition

Virtual Field Trips ~ Zoo Live Cams
https://freefuninaustin.com/virtual-field-trips-you-can-take-with-your-kids-zoo-live-cams/

freefuninaustin.com Virtual field trips are a great way to teach your kids about cultures without leaving home. Here are some of the best zoo, aquarium, and wildlife live cams.

EDUCATIONAL APPS FOR KIDS
https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/educational-apps-for-kids/

One last song with Ms. Caryl...

[04/10/20]   Sending each of you virtual hugs! Happy Easter!

More singing fun with Ms. Caryl! Enjoy and be happy!

Children's Music Time ~ St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Sterling VA ~ Thursdays at 10 am

Clap your hands and stomp your feet and shake your sillies out!
Join our Choir Director, Kevin Fletcher for Children's Music Time on Thursdays at 10am.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/867737899?pwd=WlhHNDFMYkZhQTllMS9EaVdwR1YyZz09

Meeting ID: 867 737 899
Password: church

Preschool Science Growing Grass in a Cup - Pre-K Pages

This is another fun science experiment in the Spring. At HOPE, our students decorate the cup with eyes, nose, and mouth. The grass then becomes the hair ~ their own Chia Pet! :)
https://www.pre-kpages.com/planting-and-growing-grass-in-preschool/

pre-kpages.com Growing grass in a cup for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. A fun planting and growing grass science activity for kids.

Science in a bag!

This is a very popular "science experiment" in HOPE's classrooms in the Spring. It is fun to watch the beans sprout!
https://lifeovercs.com/germinating-seeds-bag-science-experiment-kids/

lifeovercs.com Kids will love sprouting their own seeds in a plastic baggie! With just a few materials, kids can watch seeds sprout by germinating seeds in a bag.

Greetings from Ms Mary, Ms Connie, and Ms Francie!

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt Printable

Easter Egg coloring sheets or Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt!
https://www.passionforsavings.com/neighborhood-easter-egg-hunt-printable/

passionforsavings.com Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt is the perfect way to bring togetherness in your community while following the social distance order. This printable Easter Egg hunt is great to get set up for your community. How To Do The Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt The concept is that families in the neighborhood can...

[04/06/20]   The HOPE Preschool staff REALLY miss our little friends. Posting Ms Caryl singing one of their all-time favorite songs. Feel free to post videos of your little ones singing with her so we can see their cute little faces. :)

Paper Handprint Bunnies | Easy Easter Craft Using Construction Paper

Super cute Easter project! The One Little Project website has many other cute projects!!
https://onelittleproject.com/handprint-bunnies/?fbclid=IwAR2FLCOIeWKW-qZvdz6PLVhdVPJIR562zzui-iXJ-AR6VjW002dUWlSZnoI

onelittleproject.com These handprint bunnies are SO CUTE and they're so easy to make!! Such a fun construction paper kids craft for Easter (or anytime). You only need 3 things!

The Laurie Berkner Band

Lots of fun songs to sing and dance to with your preschooler!
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLaurieBerknerBand

youtube.com Engaging and enriching music videos for kids - that parents love, too! From "The queen of kids' music" (People Magazine) NEW MUSIC VIDEOS RELEASED EVERY FIRS...

A fun activity for today or tomorrow....

Schoolhouse Rock Video Clips

A blast from the past but so much fun!!
https://abc.com/shows/schoolhouse-rock/episode-guide/season-01

abc.com Watch video clips and the latest episodes of ABC's Schoolhouse Rock free online. Catch behind the scenes moments, full episodes and more.

Virtual Preschool Circle Time

https://playtolearnpreschool.us/virtual-preschool/?fbclid=IwAR3XhflmAQ6QhokVspH-6qGmR3thJKPwVieJe10I8fNTvi8zISbLZB7LxGY

playtolearnpreschool.us Free, online virtual preschool videos-- circle time lessons that include stories, songs, games, fingerplays, and fun. Includes related printable activities.

Sorting is a great activity for preschoolers. This Lego Color sorting activity is just one example. Set up sorting activities for your preschooler using things around your house ~ beads, buttons, stickers, toys, blocks, etc. You can have them sort by color, shape size, and even make patterns. Older preschoolers can do a sorting graph.

Time to sing and move with Ms. Caryl! The Tempo Marches On is a great song to work off excess energy and it is great exercise for parents and siblings also!!

Center for Puppetry Arts

The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta will do The Little Red Hen today at 11am. They have other events to make puppets and shadow puppets too.https://www.facebook.com/CenterforPuppetryArts/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARDoq7xIEpobfvEuS1DqzLv6Rxc-Rl7xwJwg5jhXhqi8F_q8o0l66lJVKlurZ2FkaGEQDd642IpRVN-u

www.puppet.org

Cute idea to go with The Very Hungry Caterpillar from yesterday! (Keep an eye out tomorrow for another song from Ms Caryl!)

63 Easy Science Experiments for Kids Using Household Stuff

These look like fun, even if they get a little messy. Getting messy isn't always a bad thing. Have fun and learn at the same time!!
https://mommypoppins.com/kids/50-easy-science-experiments-for-kids-fun-educational-activities-using-household-stuff?fbclid=IwAR3NRPoNj57KwBjWM6ihLnvVSzzB3eZ7ad5vWVhmkoRNrZpX8NvfEdrLrNo

mommypoppins.com Execute mind-blowing science experiments with stuff you have around the house.

Eric Carle reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Here is a great spring time story read by it's author.....The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkYmvxP0AJI

See Eric Carle, the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, reading this classic Puffin picture book out loud. An exclusive glimpse of this incredible book an...

[03/27/20]   One more video from Ms Caryl today. This is the March Bible Verse song for Joyful Noise Music classes ~ He's Got the Whole World In His Hands.

Time to Come In, Bear: A Children's Story About Social Distancing

Here is a very cute story about social distancing.
https://youtu.be/DA_SsZFYw0w

Written by Kim St. Lawrence Read by Ryan St. Lawrence Note from the author: No children's story should be written in a weekend, but I wanted to get this out ...

Sing with Ms Caryl! :)

Meet Google Drive – One place for all your files

Ignore this post ~ having a few technical difficulties. :) Hoping to have a video of Ms Caryl in a few minutes!!

accounts.google.com Google Drive is a free way to keep your files backed up and easy to reach from any phone, tablet, or computer. Start with 15GB of Google storage – free.

Miss Connie has a joke for you! :) (A big "thank you" to Alyssa Chiado for her technology skills!!)

[03/26/20]   It looks like a great morning for the Alphabet Walk that we posted yesterday!! :)

I have been saving this idea for a nice day but it is such a good one that I'm going to put it out there now. :). Take an "Alphabet Walk," looking for letters of the alphabet on license plates, street signs, neighborhood signs, etc. (You can also do this with numbers.). One of our wonderful teachers' children show how they found A, B, and C!

Passing along a list of Educational Websites for Kids. Two of these websites are listed "join for free" but many websites are allowing people to join for free during the time of social distancing.

A few art and sensory activities for indoor fun until we finally make it to spring weather. The activities which use a pinching motion (cereal necklace, bead or straw towers, bracelets) help to strengthen finger muscles and improve fine motor skills. Have fun!!

HOPE Preschool

[03/23/20]   On this rainy Monday, sharing a few ideas from HOPE's classroom routines that you can do at home:
1) Keep a calendar with your child. Print a blank March, April, etc calendar and fill in each day as it comes (for example, it would be filled to the 23rd if you start today. Review the month and the days of the week with them. This will help give them an anchor each day.
2) Give them plenty of opportunity to color, draw, and write. Have them write their name. For the little ones, they can trace the letters of their name with their finger.
3) Play with puzzles
4) Any type of alphabet and letter review ~ magnet letters, play foam or wicky sticks to make letters, search the house for letter sounds and objects
5) Make patterns together ~ use letters, shapes, colors, pictures
6) Build with legos and blocks
7) READ, READ, READ! And, read "real" books not just books from an ipad.
Stay well!