FREE Homeschool Preschool Curriculum, Week 15 – Pond Life
Visiting the pond is one of my favorite things to do! There is so much going on at all times, its hard not to sit by and just be in awe of the wonders of nature. From box turtles sunning themselves on a log in the middle of the pond, to swans swimming by, and watching as kids eagerly feed the ducks at the water’s edge.
It’s hard not to find something to appreciate!
Honestly, my favorite season to explore the pond is spring. You will find it teeming with new life – ducklings, baby swans, and even baby geese are pretty cute. Life is reawakening, and the promise of the warmer days are ahead. But, visiting the pond in the colder months has its benefits too!
If it’s cold enough, the pond freezes over, the evergreen trees take their turn in the spotlight, and the sun I would seek shelter from under the tree canopy, is a welcome friend that provides much needed warmth. Just remember to bring some food for the bird life that is still lingering about. It can be even harder to find food during the winter.
Feature Image by Valeriia Miller
Week 15 is all about introducing our preschoolers to pond life. A great transition from weeks past when we explored birds and flower gardens!
In summary, we will be covering our traditional subject areas – math, art, language arts, etc. Some of the activities you can look forward to are learning new sight words as well as, fine and gross motor skill development. Furthermore, art promises a lot of hands-on fun with five amazing crafts this week!
The letter of the week is J so, be sure to scroll ahead for more activities to build literacy. In math we will be working on the number 13, as well as addition sentences and comparing 2D and 3D shapes. There are loads more activities to explore, just continue reading below…
Pre-K Homeschool Week 15 Free Resources
Here are some of the free resources I gathered from across the web to pull together our week 15 pond life:
Math Activities for Preschoolers
Identify 2d and 3d shapes (Math Salamanders)
Addition Sentences (Math Salamanders)
Trace and Count Number 13 (123Homeschool4me)
Pick a pattern worksheet (Superstar Worksheets)
Fine/Gross Motor Skills
Jump rope, hula hoop, hopscotch – a great movement and brain break, especially if you have older elementary kids at your homeschool table
Play Catch – depending on the size of the ball that you use, this is a great way to get the giggles out
Monkey Bars – your preschooler may not be able to cross the monkey bars on their own but, its a lot of fun helping them across! Just try to challenge them to do more with each attempt across.
Geo Board shapes – this a great way to work on shape recognition, and get more use out of your geoboard.
Decorate playdoh with beads
Sort pom poms into muffin tins using tweezers/tongs
Language Arts
Introduce the letter “J, show your preschooler the capital and lowercase letter J, and introduce the sound of this letter. Next, have your little one try to create the letter J on a geoboard. Watch the letter “J” on Starfall.
Trace letter J + phonics review (Daycare Worksheets)
Letter J Phonics Review and Memory Game (Flashcard Fox)
Letter J Collage, “J” is for Jewels (Early Learning Ideas)
Sight word of the week – CAN (Kindergarten Mom)
Read:
The Pond, Nicola Davies
At the Pond, David Elliott
Pond, Jim LaMarche
Over + Under the Pond, Kate Messner
Life in a Pond, Carol K. Lindeen
**Remember to read 1 level A book (or level appropriate selection) with your child each day.
SCIENCE/SENSORY
Image by Francesco Ungaro
A Pond is a Habitat (Britannica) – this is a short article that shares more about how the ecosystem of a pond. Follow it up with this video.
If you are lucky enough to have a pond nearby, you need to check out this pond life scavenger hunt from Natural Beach Living.
Or, you can always make this pond life sensory bin!
MUSIC
Here are three perfect songs for your morning circle time:
Five Little Speckled Frogs
There Was a Little Turtle
Down in the Pond
POND LIFE ART
Paper Plate Snails (This n That with Olivia) – I love the simplicity of this craft! Just a few materials – paper plate, beads, construction paper, and pipe cleaners – make a bog impact!
Crafty Morning is coming in hot with two crafts this week! We loved the Rainbow Weaving Fish and Handprint Mallard Duck.
Make origami frogs and then have frog races!
Try your hand at these coffee filter turtles.
Field Trip
Visit your local pond, or go on a virtual field trip.
