THIS ISSUE'S THEME: The Letter H

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Volume 7, Issue 19
November 9, 2009
Theme: The Letter H

Art by Bobbie Peachey, Web Clipart Guide (about.com) Used with permission

The Happy Letter H

Try this action rhyme with children to celebrate the letter H.

Letter H is hammer --
Bam, bam, bam. (kids imitate banging a hammer)
Letter H is hiding --
Where is Sam? (kids look around)

Letter H is happy --
Laugh, grin, giggle. (kids laugh or giggle)
Letter H is hogs on farms --
With tails that wiggle, wiggle. (kids wiggle around room)

This school year, each of our newsletters will bring you and your children activities featuring a letter of the alphabet. We know that many of you introduce the alphabet to your children one letter at a time, sharing activities that reinforce it during the course of several weeks. We hope our new format will support your teaching and give you some new ideas to enhance your alphabet instruction.

Susan LaBella
Editor, Early Childhood Education Newsletter

HONEYCOMB, OH, HONEYCOMB…
Using a very coarse sponge, have children lightly dab yellow paint onto a piece of drawing paper. This should give the effect of a honeycomb (with holes in it). When the yellow paint is dry, let children dip a finger into black paint and press onto various places on the honeycomb. These are bees’ bodies. Next, let children use black crayons or markers to add wings and antennae to their bees. Finally, share with children Honeybee’s Busy Day by Richard Fowler; ask them to follow the honeybee as you read aloud. (Note: This book is an out-of-print classic, so it is only available through book dealers at very high prices. If you do not have a copy in your personal library, check with local libraries or your state library service. As an alternative read-aloud, you might use Honeyb ees: Jump Into Science by Deborah Heiligman.)

HAPPY HANDS
Give each child a large sheet of drawing paper. Turn the paper vertically. Help children place their spread-out hand and arm (up to the elbow) flat onto the paper. With pencil, trace a line around the hand, fingers, and arm. This becomes a tree with branches. Invite children to color their tree trunks/branches. Next, give children four or five simple leaf shapes cut from orange, yellow, or red paper. Help children write on each leaf the name of someone or something that makes them happy. Glue leaves onto the “tree” branches and let children share their happy thoughts with the class.

IT STARTS WITH H
Print out this capital H. Give a copy to each child.
--- Let children cut out from old magazines any pictures of items whose names begin with H. (You may also wish to provide cut-out items such as hearts, houses, and hives for each child.) Help children glue their pictures onto the enlarged H pattern and say the name of each item.
--- Give children strips of yarn and thread of varying lengths. Let them glue the yarn and thread onto the pattern to make a “hairy” H!
--- Trace the H pattern onto poster board. Cut the pattern into 6 puzzle pieces. Let children assemble the H puzzle.

GIVE 'EM A HAND
Fill each finger of a clean plastic glove with a different type of finger food -- popcorn, carrot rounds, goldfish crackers. Assemble a glove for each child for a “handy” snack! (Note: Be sure to use gloves that have no powder or chemicals inside.)

HAMBURGERS ANYONE?
Let children vote on which toppings -- ketchup, mustard, relish, or onion -- they like best on their hamburgers. Create a graph with pictures of each topping down the left side. Use a hamburger icon to represent each child’s vote. Review the graph together and ask children questions about the results.

YOUR WORD CORNER
Here are some words you will need.
See them, say them … hey, you can read!!

how
help
her

Check out the following Web sites for additional background and activities.

Itsy Bitsy Book-Letter H
Print this out and have fun with some H words.
http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/learning-letters/ib-book-h.htm

Habitat Craft
Follow the instructions to create one for your classroom.
http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/mhabitat.html

Hug
Read this endearing book aloud as children repeat the word.
http://astore.amazon.com/schoolnotes_books-20/detail/0763645109

Heart Man
Try this craft to bring on the smiles.
http://www.freekidcrafts.com/heartman.html

Have you visited Education World's newest early childhood feature, the Early Childhood Activity Bank? Here you will find hundreds of activities from past Early Childhood Newsletters arranged by month or subject. Below are a bunch of activities you might enjoy trying out in the weeks ahead.

‘Feather Together’ Turkey
Move Like a Turkey
Plan a ‘Corn Week’
Thanksgiving Word Match
Savory Snacks for November
Learn About Pilgrim Children
A Hand-y Turkey (Art)
Pinecone-and-Leaves Turkey
Thanksgiving Corn (Science)
Let’s Make Gravy
“I Am Thankful for…”
Pizza for Thanksgiving

If you enjoy some of these activities, you might want to search more more by date or by subject.

COMING NEXT ISSUE
November 23, 2009
The Letter I

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Each week, Education World spotlights books of interest to educators. This week, read a brief summary of two more of our "top 50 books for educators."

No Contest: The Case Against Competition
One of the most prolific education writers, Alfie Kohn is also one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking. This book makes perhaps the most profound argument Kohn has ever fielded -- that "healthy competition" is an oxymoron, that competition is not an essential or desirable aspect of human nature, but rather a part of our animal nature that we must transcend. Of course our educational system has a love-hate relationship with competition: we don't want kids to feel like losers, but our society demands that schools identify a small number of winners. A truly essential read!
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

The Absorbent Mind
Maria Montessori's classic underscores her belief that learning is a natural characteristic of the human being, and that the process of education is best conducted as a nuturing of that natural impulse, rather than something that has to be imposed on one's otherwise savage little charges. Along with this is her belief, much more radical in its time than now, that people's personalities are not fixed at birth, but that a child's early years are in fact crucially formative.
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

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LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING
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Phone Practice

A high-school football player was stressed because he had forgotten the time for the next day’s practice. Not wanting to be late or miss a practice, the player picked up the phone to call his coach. The coach’s wife answered the phone and said the coach was not home.

“I will have him call you as soon as he gets home,” the coach’s wife said. “What’s your number?”

“Twenty-six,” the flustered player replied.

Payback Time

A professor was giving a big test one day. He handed out all of the tests and went back to his desk to wait. At the end of the testing period, all the students handed in their tests. The professor noticed that one of the students had attached a $100 bill to his test with a note that read, “A dollar per point.”

The next class period, the professor handed back the tests. The student who’d attached the $100 bill got back his test and $64 change.

Little Johnny Strikes Again

Little Johnny’s English teacher assigned the students to write an essay on what they’d do if they had a million dollars.

After about 10 minutes, the teacher began to wander the classroom to see how her students were doing. She paused as she saw that Little Johnny’s paper was blank. “Johnny,” the teacher said, “you have written nothing. Why not?”

“Because if I had a million dollars, that's exactly what I would do!”

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