How I Taught My Dragon

Week 3 – Moana

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This week is Moana, the 2016 film by Disney. I thought it would be nice to be able to go star-gazing when it’s not too cold but gets dark a little bit earlier. And this week has great viewing opportunities for Jupiter and Saturn at the beginning of the week (Mon-Wed).

Here is the link for the downloadable materials.

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
Watch movieStar-gazingBake with coconutObjects floating in waterFlex
Summary of the week

Daily details:

Dance

Ballet and martial arts on alternate days

Music

Singing, listening to different pieces, learning piano

Crochet

The project she is working on (currently she is making herself a poncho)

Basic Information

We talk about the days of the week and play games with the cutouts of the names. We do the same thing with the names of the months of the year. You can find the print-outs here.

Printing words

Downloadable materials

Counting objects/math-type activities

Practice counting objects and writing how many of each type – in downloadable materials

Draw x number of coconuts on a palm tree

Count and talk a bit about the planets (before going star gazing!)

Storytime

Activity

Star gazing – Best days to view Jupiter and Saturn this week are Mon-Wed 2020 (just check weather first!) During the day – talk about the two planets and what to expect while observing them

Bake with coconut – cookies? Any option you like

Objects floating in water (experiment link)

Next week: Tinker Bell (2008)

Week 1 – Tangled Results

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Dragon’s first week of Jr Kindergarten went well. There were some hiccups with technology for her virtual classes for her real school on the first day, but after getting a new link (and downloading new firmware for the camera) the second day went much smoother – other than several meltdowns from a very tired Dragon. We’re trying to figure out how to have her be part-time (one day a week), with the teacher’s assistance.

As for the part of her week taught by me, that also went well, for the most part.

Dance

Ballet was a big hit

Music

We listened to a bunch of French music. Coeur de Pirate was the favourite.

Crochet

We managed to get a few stitches in.

Printing words

Worked really well. The blank sheet was used on the second day with the filled in sheet as a guide for spelling.

Writing words

Counting objects/math-type activities

The download sheet worked really well. She got to practice writing numbers and she counted well.

Counting

Storytime

She enjoyed the books, but I’m not sure she understood them

Activity

Baking – cake – talked about mixing colours and measurements.

  • The cake!
  • How do we make purple? Red and blue food colouring (and blueberries).
  • Stuffing yellow icing into the piping instrument
  • Piping the yellow sun
  • The sun!
  • Look what I made!
  • We had leftover yellow icing, so Papa added to the design.
  • Perfect cake.

Painting – free-style with Crayola washable paint on paper – talked about mixing colours.

  • The sky
  • Adding grass…
  • Rapunzel’s tower
  • Rapunzel’s hair
  • I’m finished, mum!
  • Completed picture

Make a paper lantern – need construction paper, paper bag, stencil (in download material), cardboard box, paper towel folded in fourths, and screwdriver thumb tack, and pen (instructions are Number 11). Put the paper bag over the cardboard box, and slide the folded paper towel in between the box and the bag. Place the stencil over-top of the bag/paper towel. Use the screwdriver to punch holes in the stencil/paper bag. Be careful not to move the stencil, or you will mess up your design. (Edited in italics after attempt.)

  • First attempt at the lantern – the push pin was too small for her to hold, and the cardboard too stiff to push into. She pushed on my fingers as I made the pricks – not as much fun for her.
  • It worked REALLY well, but better for an older kid.
  • Attempting to get a good picture of the lantern without the mottling of the construction paper.
  • Using the screwdriver and a paper bag was much easier for her
  • She did the whole thing by herself! (I held the paper in place.)
  • Completed paper lantern!

Week 2 – Cinderella

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Cinderella is one of my favourite classic Disney movies. Dragon agrees with me.

Here is the link for the downloadable materials. (Again, please let me know if you have any problems so I can fix it!)

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
Watch movieSewing a buttonLearn about miceMake paper dollsFlex
Summary of the week

Daily details:

Dance

Ballet and martial arts on alternate days

Music

Singing, listening to different pieces, learning piano

Crochet

The project she is working on (currently she is making herself a poncho)

Basic Information

We talk about the days of the week and play games with the cutouts of the names. We do the same thing with the names of the months of the year. You can find the print-outs here.

Printing words

Download materials

Counting objects/math-type activities

Practice counting objects and writing how many of each type – in download materials

Work on clocks – putting numbers on a clock and understanding hours (web link to blank clock faces)

Cinderella has how many stepsisters?

How many different types of animals help Cinderella? Mice, birds, dog, horse

Count popcorn kernels

We also added a clock activity! Here is the link to the clock.

Storytime

Activity

Sewing a button

Learn about mice (info here)

Make paper dolls (web) – do not use this link. The clothes are missing flaps and do not stay on the dolls.

Next week: Moana!

Week 1 – Tangled

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The first week, we will be focussing on Tangled, the DIsney movie released in 2010. We are starting on September 7, even though it’s a holiday, because we’re just watching a movie on the first day. So her first real day of school will be the 8th.

I thought it was fitting after several months of quarantine to watch a movie about a girl locked in a tower for 18 years.

Here is the link for the downloadable materials. (I hope this works…please let me know if you have any problems so I can fix it!)

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
Watch movieBakingPaintingPaper lanternsFlex
Summary of the week

Dance

Ballet and martial arts on alternate days

Music

Singing, listening to different pieces, learning piano

Crochet

The project she is working on (currently she is making herself a poncho)

Basic Information

We talk about the days of the week and play games with the cutouts of the names. We do the same thing with the names of the months of the year. You can find the print-outs here.

Printing words

Download material

Counting objects/math-type activities

Practice counting objects and writing how many of each type –(in download material)

One Stabbington brother plus one Stabbington brother equals how many?

Three people stole the crown, but one had a change of heart. How many are still bad guys?

Storytime

Activity

Baking – cake

Painting – free-style with Crayola washable paint on paper (please note that this might be a good outdoor activity – check weather in advance and move days if necessary)

Make a paper lantern – need construction paper, paper bag, stencil (in download material), cardboard box, paper towel folded in fourths, and screwdriver thumb tack, and pen (instructions are Number 11). Put the paper bag over the cardboard box, and slide the folded paper towel in between the box and the bag. Place the stencil overtop of the bag/paper towel. Use the screwdriver to punch holes in the stencil/paper bag. Be careful not to move the stencil, or you will mess up your design. (Edited in italics after attempt.)

Next week: Cinderella (the 1950 edition)!

How I Taught My Dragon

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Kindergarten education through genre media

As you may be aware, we have chosen to keep our Dragon home from Jr Kindergarten (Maternelle) this September. This is entirely due to Covid-19. We have nothing but the highest respect for the teachers who are working very hard to keep themselves and the children in their care safe.

We have yet to talk to Dragon’s Kindergarten teacher about the virtual learning that we have signed up for. We hope to hear from them late this week.

I have looked at the Ontario curriculum for Kindergarten and its overall expectations. You can see them here.

To this end, in order to supplement what the teachers will be providing, we will be following a home-based curriculum around a different movie each week. Dragon helped me come up with the movies and ideas for the activities, and is super excited to do these.

I will be posting the weekly lessons here on Wednesday the week before, including any worksheets I plan on printing out.

Each day will include the following:

  • Dance (ballet and martial arts on alternate days)
  • Music (singing, listening to different pieces, learning piano)
  • Crochet on the project she is working on (currently she is making herself a poncho)
  • Basic Information about the days of the week and months of the year. You can find the print-outs here.
  • Printing words related to the movie of the week (as she already knows how to print individual letters) ENGLISH template, FRENCH template (both in Word; if you want a different format, let me know and I’ll see what I can do) You will need the KG Primary Dots font in order to see these properly. The weekly questions will be PDFs, so you don’t need the font for those, only if you want to make your own.
  • Counting objects/math-type activities related to the movie of the week, including printing numbers TEMPLATE for the counting/printing sheet You will need the KG Primary Dots font in order to see the printing part properly.
  • Storytime
  • An activity outlined in the chart (subject to change)

The September movies are:

Please be aware that this is supposed to be as support for what the teachers provide, and therefore there are components missing from the daily routine.