Kindergarten Readiness – Kinder-garten

Over 150 years ago, on May 1,  Friedrich Froebel coined the term ‘Kindergarten’.  As a teacher his dream was to provide an education for children that developed not only their minds and bodies, but also their spirits by tapping into children’s playful and creative natures. The German word Kinder-garten, child’s garden, describes children growing and blooming like flowers as they play and learn. Kindergarten itself is the ‘seed’ year that grows the roots for a child’s educational career that spans at least one and possibly two (!) decades of school. Children starting this fall graduate from high school in 2023. Kindergarten grows into the future.  Thank you, Mr. Froebel and Happy May 1.  How will you play and learn today?

Kindergarten Readiness – Alphabet In Our Genes

While finding and remembering a variety of alphabet activities for the daily blog entries I also searched some information and was astounded by the results.

The alphabet is not just for kids. A dance troupe has recreated all the letters of the alphabet in ballet like poses and compiled the photos into a book called Pilobolus, The Human Alphabet. I found an entire blog of different alphabet fonts from bread, pasta, nails and screws to toothpaste.

There are websites devoted to trivia about the alphabet, how many letters are symmetrical, which look the same upside down, etc. The Ultimate Alphabet is a book of 26 works of incredibly detailed art that has a fan base.

Stock traders discuss the Greeks, Greek alphabet letters that signify volatility, change, and functions of time. We all know that fraternities and sororities also use Greek letters as do scientists when they measure brain waves. The ancient Roman and Egyptian alphabets have intrigued us for centuries.alphabet in our genesThe most AmaZing finding is that our very cells have a genetic alphabet. How cool is that! No wonder the alphabet fascinates us, it’s in our very genes.

Kindergarten Readiness – String up the ABC’s

One of my favorite gifts from a student is a letter name bracelet. Although stringing beads is definitely a craft for older kids who have outgrown the tendency to put everything in the mouth, it should be done with careful adult supervision just in case. Pick up some beads at a craft store and start stringing. Children can make their name or someone else’s or a special wish or word.  An entire alphabet might make a whole necklace. Seeing, sorting and hunting for letters all contribute to letter knowledge. Saying them while looking at or for them links names and shapes. Putting beads together in a meaningful way, contributes to the skills of using and manipulating letters. So much learning in such a simple package-beads!

Kindergarten Readiness – Learning That Sticks

Stickers are another great fun project for practicing the alphabet and inexpensive, too. To add an extra layer or two of learning, point to the letters and say their names. Or have your child say the names. Randomly pick a letter for your little one to find. Notice which letters look very different, and which the same. … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Learning That Sticks

Kindergarten Readiness – Fridges and Alphabets

I am almost reluctant to remind families about using magnetic letters as a tool to help children learn the alphabet. Even though it has been years and years, I remember one pre-supper ‘arsenic hour’, when I gave my daughter a few letters to amuse her while I worked in the kitchen. Somehow, one of the letters got caught … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Fridges and Alphabets

Kindergarten Readiness – ABC Activities for Learning Styles

Each of us has a preferred learning style. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory and others are kinesthetic. People with a visual learning style prefer seeing or reading about something new; auditory learners like explanations and stories; kinesthetics need hands-on manipulating and feeling. This is very over-simplified. In reality, we learn using all three … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – ABC Activities for Learning Styles