Dear Blog Friends,

With the help of my dear husband, here's the photo of my bulletin board from November 2006. I keep my bulletin board very simple; the learning charts and place value charts always stay posted. I simply add a new calendar (created by my kindergartener), kid art and a couple of theme-related or seasonal items each month.

Both of the kids sit with me at the start of our day for "Together Time" in front of our bulletin board. You can view the last post for a general listing of the activities we do.

Here are specific examples of "Together Time" activities that we do. We don't do every activity every day. Some activities are geared toward my kindergartener, and some toward my pre-schooler, but we do them all together anyway.

Calendar activities:
1. Count the days in the month.
2. Sing the months of the year to the tune of "Ten Little Indians," the last phrase being, "these are the twelve months of the year!"
3. Sing the days of the week to the tune of "Oh, My Darlin'." The second verse we sing is, "There are seven days, there are seven days, there are seven days in a week." (You can also use the "Munster's Show Theme Song" tune... "There's Sunday, then there's Monday...." ...Days of the week (snap, snap)...Days of the week (snap, snap)...Days of the week, Days of the week, Days of the week (snap, snap))
4. Sometimes, we put stickers on the calendar in a pattern. The children take turns posting stickers and naming the pattern.

Math activities:
1. Using a "100 Chart," I ask children to locate a number using my teaching pointer. I also have prepared a baggie full of number clues for each number from 1-100 (such as 1 more than 1; 2+0; between 2 and 4; 1 less than 5), and sometimes I'll ask them to draw a card and find the number indicated.
2. We practice counting by 1's to 100 and beyond.
3. We practice skip counting by 10's or by 5's. I often let them use rhythm instruments as we count.
4. We do an activity related to a concept that's being introduced in the workbook in the coming week. For example, if dimes are being introduced, we play with and count dimes. We might play "store" and purchase items with dimes. We might use manipulatives such as counting bears or unifix cubes or something I've made to match our science theme to practice finding missing addends or sums.

Language activities:
1. We do "Show and Share" once a week (usually!). I give each child an assignment to find something (something red, something that starts with the letter "c," something that reminds you of spring, etc.). They describe it, and answer questions about their object, then pass it around for group "inspection."
2. We use an A Beka phonics chart daily. I do a different chart each day. Once a chart is mastered, the children may have a turn holding the chart in the "teacher chair" to lead the oral exercise.
3. We recite poems or do fingerplays. An A Beka poem poster, "Right Hand, Left Hand" is posted on the bulletin board photo above, and is one we recite often.
4. We sing alphabet songs.
5. We sometimes play an alphabet or word game such as Boggle, Jr., Fetch the Phonics Dog (by Fisher Price), or Dora ABC's, or we use alphabet magnets or tiles to review letters and build words.
6. We learn new seasonal sight words each month and review them daily.

I'd love for you to share ideas from your morning routine. Let me know if you have other questions, too. Have a great weekend!

Happy Home Schooling,
Mrs. Sherry