December Curriculum at Ella's School

Week 1 Exploring the Arctic Tundra
Discovery Time- Nothern Lights mural painting, "How the Arctic Animals Keep Warm" book, sugar cube igloos, easel painting Arctic animals, Arctic tundra terrarium, Arctic food chain, investigating lichen.
Circle Time- dircovering the fragile ecosystems of the tundra that support an intricate web of life.
Small group time-Older group: Attribute Block game (comparing/contrasting sizes, shapes, and colors), Phonics workbooks (phonemic awareness and letter formation of -J, -F. Younger group: Introductioin to the letter -S, numeral sequence to 10 with dot to dot puzzles
Music and Movement- Arctic songs and fingerplays
Story- The Igloo, Amazing Arctic Animals, This Place is Cold, Tundra Discoveries, One Small Square: Arctic Tundra, Little Caribou.

Week 2- Feed the Birds
Discovery Time- making Chickadee Pudding, stringing berries, orange baskets, bird feeders from recycled materials, child sized bird wings, , drawing birds with guest artist Marylynn Intebetow, investigating bird's nests, recognizing and graphing birds that come to our feeder.
Circle Time- recognizing winter birds, discovering by beak and by foot shape a bird's dietary and habitiat needs
Small Groups- Older group-measurement (length), math workbooks, phonics workbook ( phonemic awareness and letter formation of -G and -H), writing and drawing in journals.
Younger Group- intro to the letter -G, color by numeral pictures
Music and Movement- bird songs and games
Story- Backyard Birds of Winter, Birdfeeder Banquet,Birdfeeders Kids Can Do, Chickadee Winter, Birds at My Feeder, The Late Little Robin, Bird Count, When Winter Comes

Week 3- Old Fashioned Games, Stories, and Toys
Discovery Time- making old fashioned toys including pom-pom bunnies, walnut shell boats, clothespin dolls, and folded paper toys.
Circle Time- Circle Games and Mother Goose Rhymes
Small Groups- Older group-measurement (weight and volume), math workbooks, phonics workbooks (F, D, and W)
Younger Group- intro to the letter R, ordinal numbers
Music and Movement- old fashioned skill games
Story- Tasha Tudor stories and The Tales of Peter Rabbit