Today, the school bell rings for me and that means back to packing a lunch. I went to the store to pick up needed items. While I was there so were lots of other families. Did you know that a trip to the store is a great time to help little ones learn lots of things they need to know for later on at kindergarten? The fruit section has a whole rainbow of colors: red apples, orange oranges, yellow bananas, green grapes, blue blueberries and purple plums. Vegetables, too. Store shelves have lots of different shape containers to practice circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. There’s lots of opportunities for counting and simple adding and subtracting. Other learning includes comparing, vocabulary, sizes, noticing letters on packages, planning, choosing, and even debating, and presenting an argument. Children pick up social cues such as waiting for a turn, sharing available space, and how to use polite words. School isn’t the only place for learning, the grocery story has lessons, too. What other food for thought is at the store?

During the school year, breakfast time is much shorter at our house. Except on Saturdays! The song, Pancakes On A Saturday, recorded by Andrea and David Spalding and their folksong family BrandyWine, soon became a favorite. But pancakes are good for more than just eating. Pour them into letter shapes, cook them and use them to practice the alphabet. Or form them into circles, squares, triangles and rectangles. Promote lots of vocabulary: crispy, soft, light, fluffy, golden,  crusty, lacy, tasty, underdone, overdone, and even burnt. Talk about how to make them. Older kids may want to ‘help’ do a little research on different kinds of pancakes. For instance, some have eggs and some don’t. What is the ingredient buckwheat? Make a simple chart with 3 or 4 different kinds and ask others to choose a favorite. What kind is most popular? (My kids liked “the ones that Dad made.”)  Tally up how many each person eats. Added all together, that makes … ! Compare sizes. Do we eat more small pancakes or more large ones? Letters, shapes, reading, writing, math, and more.  Pancakes make for lots of learning. And that was only breakfast. Are pancakes the same around the world? What’s your favorite recipe or ingredient?

And on the 9th month, there was school. Now, that children all over North America have started school–or even if they are still in daycare or going to a preschool program–their parents can ask them, “What did you do in school today?” And, quite often, the answer will be, “Nothing.” As the teacher who has … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – On the 9th Month →