Starts with "t"
M+O's school just started a letter-based show and tell once a week. There's a letter of the week and kids bring in something that starts with that letter's sound. The letters are in random order and M+O's teachers gave us a handout and a list of each week's letters through the end of the calendar year.
The first week I nearly blew it with "m," but as we raced out the door I remembered and directed the kids to grab something. O found a stuffed mouse and M brought in a couple of magnets (noting, of course that SHE began with the "m" sound so she didn't actually have to bring anything).
This week I vowed to be better. The sound was "t" and the night before show and tell we went all over the house collecting "t" things. It was a game, and we all had fun with it -- their phonics skills are good enough that with most things they can tell you what letter a word starts with. We made a little line of our finds: truck, train, tambourine, two tape measures, tea cup, tea pot, and a stuffed turtle. M+O each wanted to bring in one of the tape measures, which I told them they could have. I got them free at a conference and they are the kind you pull out and push a button to automatically rewind. Very cool, especially if you're four. The other "t" items didn't stand a chance.
So off to school they went, tape measures in hand. They were proud of themselves and the cool thing they had to share, and I was pleased that I'd turned a task that'd been overlooked the week before into a teachable moment and an evening activity all in one.
When I picked them up from school that day I asked, "did you get to share your tape measures?" to which they squealed yes! Then, a nearby teacher came over and said softly, "were you aware that the letter of the week is 'r'"?
R. Not T. Best. Mom. Ever.
Turns out the teachers, creative as they are, were able to say that the tape measures have RED on them, and tied them into the letter of the day based on their color.
The "t" sound isn't even next week -- it's in two weeks. Maybe by then I will have gotten the hang of this whole show and tell business.
The first week I nearly blew it with "m," but as we raced out the door I remembered and directed the kids to grab something. O found a stuffed mouse and M brought in a couple of magnets (noting, of course that SHE began with the "m" sound so she didn't actually have to bring anything).
This week I vowed to be better. The sound was "t" and the night before show and tell we went all over the house collecting "t" things. It was a game, and we all had fun with it -- their phonics skills are good enough that with most things they can tell you what letter a word starts with. We made a little line of our finds: truck, train, tambourine, two tape measures, tea cup, tea pot, and a stuffed turtle. M+O each wanted to bring in one of the tape measures, which I told them they could have. I got them free at a conference and they are the kind you pull out and push a button to automatically rewind. Very cool, especially if you're four. The other "t" items didn't stand a chance.
So off to school they went, tape measures in hand. They were proud of themselves and the cool thing they had to share, and I was pleased that I'd turned a task that'd been overlooked the week before into a teachable moment and an evening activity all in one.
When I picked them up from school that day I asked, "did you get to share your tape measures?" to which they squealed yes! Then, a nearby teacher came over and said softly, "were you aware that the letter of the week is 'r'"?
R. Not T. Best. Mom. Ever.
Turns out the teachers, creative as they are, were able to say that the tape measures have RED on them, and tied them into the letter of the day based on their color.
The "t" sound isn't even next week -- it's in two weeks. Maybe by then I will have gotten the hang of this whole show and tell business.
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