Mothers and Babies

Divide the children into pairs. Have each pair decide who will be the mother whale first and who will be the baby. The mother whale will help its baby whale “swim” through an “ocean” obstacle course you have set up ahead of time. When the pairs have gone through the course once, have them switch roles and do it again.

Beluga Art

For each of your children, prepare a sheet of white construction paper by coloring in several simple beluga whale shapes with a white crayon (be sure to press hard). Prepare a blue paint wash by mixing water into blue tempera paint. Show the children how to make a beluga whale appear by painting over the paper with the blue paint wash.

Tail Game

People, Places, and Things

Making Games

Looking at Letters

Things to Do

Something from Home

All In A Day At School

Additional verses: The swings at school go back and forth (Rock back and forth); The merry-go-round goes round and round (Wave hand in a circle); The children at school eat their snack (Pretend to eat); Then it’s time to say goodbye (Wave goodbye).

Hint: At the end of the first day, gather your children together for a story or a few songs. Tell them about the plans for the following day. Let them know how much fun the next day will be and tell them to remember to come back!

1. Good story times are quiet, warm, and intimate. Frustrating story times are forced. Schedule story time when you know you will not be rushed or busy and when your children will be able to focus their attention. For example, after lunch is better time for stories than just before the children eat.

2. Sit on the floor with your children during story time and hold the book so everyone can see. Practice reading the book ahead of time so you are familiar with the words and can emphasize important parts.

3. Don’t expect all of your children to come to story time, and do expect some children to lose attention and wander away from the group. Sit where you can see the entire room and communicate the story to all of the children, even the ones who are not sitting with you.

4. Have seating mats available for the children who would like to sit and listen to your story. These mats could be carpet samples, small towels, or felt squares. Arrange the mats so that each child has his or her own space. Ask the children to sit on the mats while they are listening to the story.

5. Choose books for story time that are short, have large pictures that are easily seen, and have a simple story line instead of just pictures to identify. Select stories about topics toddlers can relate to, such as food, clothing, or bedtime.

6. When you read a book, use your voice to bring the story to life. Read slowly and be dramatic. Maintain eye contact with the children. Think about reading to them and not at them.

7. Read stories your children enjoy hearing. Toddlers love stories with repetition. They also love to hear the same stories day after day. If you find your children do not enjoy a particular book, they may not be ready for it yet.

8. Tell stories that have plenty of sound effects. Your children can use their hands or feet to add the sounds of a galloping horse, beating drums, a rainstorm, or a ball bouncing.

9. A few carefully-chosen props can make story time more captivating and memorable for your children. When you use props, it works best to select just one kind, for example, puppets or flannelboard characters. A story told with more than one kind of prop is likely to confuse toddlers.

10. Tell a customized story that your children will want to hear over and over again. Collect a few props and put them in a box. Take the props out of the box one at a time and use them to tell a story about your children. Be sure to include each child in one part of the story.

Water is one of the most important nutrients for the body. It carries other vital nutrients and waste products throughout the body, helps regulate body temperature, and performs other vital functions.

Encouraging children to drink water throughout the day may help boost their stamina and keep their moods on an even level.

It’s a good idea for adults, too, to drink more water!

1. He can recognize and respond to his own name.
2. He understands a lot of what is said to him and around him.
3. He has established a large repertoire of sounds; he “talks” at length with babbling that has intonations resembling our speech. He may even have some meaningful words in his vocabulary.
4. He imitates an assortment of sounds combined with movements such as grunting, coughing, lip smacking.

Don’t be upset if his speech is not precise at this age (around one year). He may make a variety of sound substitutions and omissions—”ta” for “cat” or “web” for red. He will require another two years—until he is around three years of age—before more of his sounds are clear and distinct.

What is involved in sound production? Dozens of small muscles in the throat, tongue, and lips must work together in perfect time.

Lots of practice helps to coordinate these muscles with sound which comes from the larynx or voice box.

The different ways in which the tongue and lips move makes the distinction between sounds.

For example, the tongue tip is important in the “t” sound. It scrunches up flat and curves carefully up to touch the gum behind the front teeth.

What about “’th?” The tongue shoots out between the front teeth while we blow air across it.

If you examine your own speech as you talk, you will recognize how complex the task is.

Remember, speech is learned, so it is not automatic. So, be patient with a child’s first attempts at speech—another two years of practice will make a big difference.