Letter of the Week Totschool Series: J, K, and L
There are 26 letters in the alphabet. These letters made up the words we read, speak, and hear. But do you know that you and your kids can actually have 26 weeks of arts, crafts, exploration, activities, and, most important of all, fun with the 26 letters of the alphabet?
Come and join me and my little Queen B in discovering how fantastic the letters of the alphabet could be as I share to you our Letter of the Week Totschooling Series. Today, I’m sharing what we have done for Letters J, K, and L.
But before we proceed, some reminders are in order. We officially started our Totschool when our little Queen B was only 18 months of age so our activities were what I deemed appropriate for her age and skills set. Since every child learns and develops at their own pace, your kid may or may not be capable of doing the same activities. Likewise, your little tyke may also be capable of doing so much more. So it is your job, parents, and caretakers, to continuously observe and take note of your children’s skills and interests so you can adjust the activities to their level. Of course, every now and then, let us challenge them into doing something advance. As I continuously experience, they might just surprise you.
Week 10: Letter J
Books of the Week:
Up to this day, my little Queen B loves stories that feature different animals so it is no wonder that Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae was an instant hit in our home. She likes imitating the animals' actions like the gorilla thumping his chest.
Let's Make a Joyful Noise by Karma Wilson is based on Psalm 100. It is such an uplifting book about glorifying God. I make George clap her hands and stomp her feet whenever those actions are mentioned in the book thereby integrating some gross motor skills practice with our read-aloud sessions.
Just What Mama Needs by Sharlee Glenn is a nice book to introduce pretend play to children. In here, the main character Abby became a pirate, a detective, a witch, a queen, a cowgirl, and a genie. I'm actually looking forward to that time where my little Queen B and I can do elaborate pretend play.
Of course, picture books are also an easy but effective way to introduce Bible characters to our children like Joseph and our Lord Savior Jesus Christ.
The other books in the picture above were added to our book list for that week by George. She just can't get enough of Dear Zoo.
Arts and Crafts:
For our jellyfish craft, as usual, I did all the cutting part while my little Queen B glued them on our ABC Book. The jewels were actually a strip of scrapbooking sticker.
Since jam is paired with bread, I drew a slice of bread and asked George to smear red paint on it just like she would with strawberry jam.
Lastly, we had KBL (an Ilonggo dish whose recipe I shared here) that week so I made use of the jackfruit (langka in Filipino) to do a stamping art activity.
Since jam is paired with bread, I drew a slice of bread and asked George to smear red paint on it just like she would with strawberry jam.
Lastly, we had KBL (an Ilonggo dish whose recipe I shared here) that week so I made use of the jackfruit (langka in Filipino) to do a stamping art activity.
Practical Life Skill/ Fine Motor Skill:
We made calamansi juice and we juiced the calamansi fruit the old-school way. With this activity, we hit 2 targets with one stone as this activity is both a practical life skill and fine motor skill activity with all the squeezing my little Queen B did.
Week 11: Letter K
Books of the Week:
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey and Don Wood is our first ever Caldecott Honor book. It is beautifully illustrated and quite witty too. It might not look like something a toddler will enjoy but my little Queen B loves it.
Kira the Koala by Dawn Apperley and Frances McKay is about a very curious koala who wanted to try something new to eat and goes on a journey to do it.
We only have 2 books with titles beginning with the letter K so I added the 3 books in our list that week.
Arts and Crafts:
Others:
Do you know that eating kiwi has so many health benefits? Various studies have shown that kiwi can help treat asthma, is very good for digestion, can boost the immune system, can help manage blood pressure, and protects against vision loss. Pretty amazing for that small fruit.
J and I love to shower our little Queen B with kisses. Research have shown that when a mother kisses her newborn, the mother takes in the pathogens living on the baby's skin. The mom's immune system will make antibodies against those pathogens which she can give to her baby via breastfeeding. Emotional benefits? Check. Health benefits? Double check!
Week 12: Letter L
Books of the Week:
Our read aloud sessions were particularly long during our L week as we have a lot of books that start with the letter L. As I have already mentioned in this post, Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox is an all-time favorite of my little Queen B. The rhyming language is perfect for young children. We just love that book.
My little Queen B and I like imitating the actions done by the parent and child in the Yummiest Love by Lisa McCourt. Meanwhile, she likes pointing out Santa Claus in The Littlest Reindeer. And George just enjoys listening to Filipino stories like Si Lola Apura at Lolo Un Momento. Whenever we have a book in Filipino in our book list, she will always ask that one to be read first.
Caldecott Medal winner Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, for me, are better suited for older children. I actually find The True Story of the Little Pigs particularly entertaining!
Arts and Crafts:
Fine Motor Skill and Sensory Activity:
Leaf threading is an easy and almost cost-free nature activity that even toddlers can do. My little Queen B and I picked the leaves together and then I prepared the "needle" and string. For older children, you can ask them to thread the leaves from smallest to largest or simple patterns. This doubles as a sensory activity too. As the children thread the leaves, they'll get to see, touch, and even smell different types of leaves. You can ask them about the various sensations they feel about each leaf.
Practical Life Skill:
Pouring and scooping activities are always a hit with toddlers but since this is L week, I thought of making my little Queen B use a ladle in transferring liquids from one container to another. To make it more fun, I dyed the water green.
Others:
Leaf threading is an easy and almost cost-free nature activity that even toddlers can do. My little Queen B and I picked the leaves together and then I prepared the "needle" and string. For older children, you can ask them to thread the leaves from smallest to largest or simple patterns. This doubles as a sensory activity too. As the children thread the leaves, they'll get to see, touch, and even smell different types of leaves. You can ask them about the various sensations they feel about each leaf.
Practical Life Skill:
Pouring and scooping activities are always a hit with toddlers but since this is L week, I thought of making my little Queen B use a ladle in transferring liquids from one container to another. To make it more fun, I dyed the water green.
Others:
Another activity using leaves is leaf matching. Gather different leaves in pairs and then ask your child to match them up. As suggested in the leaf threading activity above, you can ask them about the characteristics of each leaf. When we did this, we ended up just touching the leaves as George still can't match the leaves back then but maybe we'll have a repeat of this lovely activity soon.
I hope our activities and adventures inspire you to do something similar with your kids. Let us make their first learning experiences fun so they will continue to enjoy learning as they grow up. Stay tuned for more. Have a nice day!
#xoxo
Lady Christine
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