Hump day!!!! Wednesday surely got here fast this week!  I hope you showed your child the live web cams and went back to see the others.  We do this in Kindergarten and we can open it on the SmartBoard so that the cam is HUGE!! We find great lessons to write about with these cams.

   

Guess what animal today????      Right - the Panda !!

First, look at the panda cam at the Atlanta zoo:
http://www.zooatlanta.org/1212/panda_cam/

AND the San Diego zoo:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/

Pandas are my favorite!!!! Here are some interesting facts about them:
1. The panda’s diet is 99% Bamboo - It seems that the panda really knows what it likes. Bamboo has a very low nutrient content, so pandas must eat up to 84 pounds of bamboo per day. Occasionally, the panda will stray from its much loved diet of bamboo to eat grass or even small rodents.

2..     The panda has strange skin coloring – Underneath that fuzzy coating of black and white fur, the panda has some pretty strange skin coloring. Beneath the white fur, the skin is black and beneath the black fur, the skin is pink!

3.     The panda cub can’t open its eyes after birth – It takes approximately 50 to 60 days for the panda cub to open its eyes. Therefore, the mother must stay with the panda at all times, rarely leaving the den.

4.     The panda has huge teeth – Even though the panda looks like an overgrown teddy bear, it can actually be quite dangerous. One panda tooth is on average seven times bigger than a human tooth.

5. The panda loves to eat – The panda’s diet may consist only of bamboo, but pandas sure spend a lot of time eating it. The panda spends between 12 to16 hours of the day eating!

6. The mother panda is 900 times bigger than the cub at birth – When born, the panda cub is about the size of a croissant. The mother will hold the tiny panda cub (she usually only has one per birth) in her paw, pressing it against her chest to keep it warm and safe.

7. Pandas bleat like goats – Pandas don’t make a scary roaring sound like most bears. Instead they make friendly bleating and honking noises to communicate with other pandas.

8. Pandas are solitary animals – Pandas enjoy their own company. They are usually alone and only socialize with other pandas when they want to mate.

9. Pandas don’t hibernate – Unlike most other bears that live in moderate climates, the panda’s food source, bamboo, is available year-round. Additionally, because bamboo has a low nutrient content, pandas are unable to pack on enough pounds to hibernate.

10. The Panda sits while eating – The panda has good manners. Instead of standing while eating food, the panda will sit in order to use its front paws to hold the bamboo shoots.

Funny panda video!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzRH3iTQPrk

Panda paper plate craft - easy to make!!!

 Need:
2 paper plates

scissors

glue

black, white, red paper  (or just color your white paper)

magic marker

(Dear Parent, I hope you are drawing the shapes and letting your preschooler cut the shapes out,  he needs to practice cutting.  *Fiskars are the best scissors, in my opinion, for kids, Dollar Tree - $1.)

ABC's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK99ZcVi0b4&feature=related

Counting!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic5bhG861Xg

Fun!!!

http://www.pandabearsplayhouse.com/

Had to fix the date.... :)

Today is Tuesday!!!  The closer we get to school starting, the faster the days are flying by!! Don't you  think??  Did you read to your child yesterday?  Did you spend some quality time?  Quality time can just be talking to your child.  The more LANGUAGE experiences a child has, the better they will understand language, the better readers and writers they will be!
ABC's - Are you ready??  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VINZKA5rbvE
       
                                              http://www.youtube.com/watc?v=EOPCkVmNaBU&feature=relatedh            
                      
                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k521GcBOYw&feature=relmfu

Numbers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiAJO0HfNdU

                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jxzZMw89qY
GIRAFFES:

An adult giraffe’s heart is 2 feet long and weighs about 20 pounds.

Giraffe’s tongue is almost 2 feet long.

Male giraffes weigh 3,000-4,000 lbs. and can reach 20 feet height; female giraffes weigh 1,500-2,500 lbs. and are about 14 feet tall; baby giraffes are 6 feet tall.

Giraffes’ life span is 20-28 years.

Giraffes spread their front legs in order to reach the water on ground level to drink—their tall necks are shorter than their legs.

Giraffes use their markings to camouflage themselves among trees. Like human fingerprints, each giraffe marking is like no other one.

Giraffes’ mouth has a hard inner surface making it easy to eat thorny plants.

Giraffes cannot cough.

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/mammals-kids/giraffe-kids/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/giraffe/

LIVE  WEB  GIRAFFE  CAM:
http://www.houstonzoo.org/webcam/giraffes/platform-cam/

To do with Mom or Dad:
Paint your hand yellow, press on paper with fingers pointing down.  Use brush to paint neck and face. then paint brown spots with brush.  Also paint (or draw) hooves, eyes, etc.


Let your child make up his OWN giraffe story or decide what he would name his giraffe.  Where would your child let her giraffe sleep?  What would she feed it?

HAVE FUN!!

It's Monday again! I actually LIKE Mondays right now.....  
I really hope you got to watch the elephants and that they cooperated and walked in front of the cameras for you...
Today, after the abc's and number songs, we will talk about mOnKeYs!!
ABC's, sing the old song together and I hope you have some flash cards.  Lay out about 5 - 6 random cards at a time and ask your child to hand you the letter R,  then M, then A, etc.  Your child will be able to pick out the card and SHOW it to you before they will be able to call the name of the letter.  Always show the lowercase letter that goes with the capital letter.
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XYQd_sJVzk

                                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoN8grI_SQ8&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL2BCF83329F8D7BD6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjT5SA9WrY4&feature=related

MONKEYS

There are currently 264 known monkey species. Monkeys can be divided into two groups, Old World monkeys that live in Africa and Asia, and New World monkeys that live in South America. A baboon is an example of an Old World monkey, while a marmoset is an example of a New World monkey. Apes are not monkeys. Some monkeys live on the ground, while others live in trees. Different monkey species eat a variety of foods, such as fruit, insects, flowers, leaves and reptiles. Most monkeys have tails. Groups of monkeys are known as a ‘tribe’, ‘troop’ or ‘mission’. The Pygmy Marmoset is the smallest type of monkey, with adults weighing between 120 and 140 grams. The Mandrill is the largest type of monkey, with adult males weighing up to 35 kg. Capuchin monkeys are believed to be one of the smartest New World monkey species. They have the ability to use tools, learn new skills and show various signs of self-awareness. Spider monkeys get their name because of their long arms, legs and tail. Monkeys use their hands a lot like humans do . Two Monkey Songs for YOU   :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhODBFQ2-bQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idJYhjGyWTU            Video of Howler Monkey http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/mammals-kids/monkey-howler-kids/ Live monkey  cam at the San Diego Zoo    :http://www.sandiegozoo.org/apecam/index.html

I looked back through my posts and every day starts with "Happy" sooooo .....Happy Friday!!  In a few weeks, I will celebrate Happy Friday, too!! I go back to school for a workshop July 30 th, then workshops the first three days of school, that starts August 1st for me.  Boy, do I love workshops!!!! (not)
Think we should start with the ABC's and Numbers again today!   :)
                 and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCuZBILuebI      ABC SONG
 


   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLnr77uyl0c&feature=relmfu  Number song




If your child is starting to color and draw - that is fantastic!! Make sure your child does NOT start at the bottom and write up.....teachers really don't like that.  It is so hard to break them of that habit , impossible really.  ALWAYS start at the top and write down.  You can use salt or sand to practice writing in.  Put either in an empty shoe box and use your finger, end of a pencil, or whatever to practice writing.  When you write, teach your child to write both letters (UPPER and lowercase at the same time - to begin with.)  Not in  their name of course,  make sure you only use the first letter capitalized in their name.)  If your child has never written, start with one letter at a time in the salt first, shake, try again.  Always write it on paper first so they have something to look at and go by.


Going to talk about the elephant today!!  I am so in love with the elephant, so strong and HUGE.
      

                          

  Facts About Elephants!

Elephants are wonderful animals! They are the largest mammals in the world that live on land. There are two kinds of elephants; African and Asian. Asian elephants have smaller ears and shorter tusks than African elephants. The African elephant is bigger and taller than the Asian elephant.

Do elephants live together?

Elephants live in families. Several families live together in a "herd." The leader of the herd is usually the oldest female elephant. She is called the "matriarch." All the babies and other females follow her.

What do elephants eat?

Elephants are plant-eaters. Because they are such big animals, they need to eat large amounts of leaves, grass and tree bark. They spend as much as twenty hours a day eating! A full-grown African elephant can weigh more than 10,000 pounds!

Teeth and Tusks

Elephants have four teeth and two "tusks." The tusks are the long horn-like parts that come out the sides of their mouths. These tusks grow about seven inches a year, and can get up to twenty feet long! The tusks are made of ivory, which is very valuable.

The elephants four teeth are molars. About every four years, the molars fall out and are replaced by new ones. The molars of an adult elephant can be up to ten inches long!

An elephant only has 4 teeth!!!!

---

---

Ears and Trunks

The ears of a full-grown African elephant are about five to six feet long and four feet wide. They sometimes flap their ears to cool themselves.

An elephant's trunk is actually part nose and part upper lip. Elephants can breathe through their trunks. They can also smell and pick up things with it. They can use it to put food into their mouths, and can even spray water with it! The trunk is used to feel things, too!

How do elephants cool themselves?

When it is hot, elephants like to get into water and mud. They also use their trunks to spray water and dust on their bodies. Wrinkles on their skin trap the water and help with the cooling.

How do elephants talk?

Elephants talk to each other by making sounds called "tummy rumbles." They also make a "trumpeting" sound to call to each other.

How long do elephants live?

Elephants can live as long as eighty years!

**********

You can see elephants in zoos. Many zoos work hard to keep the elephants happy, by providing them with the kind of habitat they would have if they were out in the wild.

Elephants should be treasured. They are the "gentle giants" of the animal kingdom!

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/mammals-animals/elephants/elephant_african_baby/

Make a paper plate elephant:
Color a paper plate gray, then print out or draw for your child the following, help them cut and glue. The elephant ears are the tracing of your feet (with shoes.)



I LOVE elephants.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP-AY3Q1iHc

Did you know you can watch live elephants on video cams at different zoos around the US?


http://www.sdzsafaripark.org/video/elephant_cam.html  San Diego


http://www.elephantswithoutborders.org/web_cam.php  Africa


http://www.elephants.com/elecam/ Elephant Sanctuary

Sometimes you have to wait for the elephants to walk in front of the camera!!
Enjoy!

We made it to Thursday and slept in spite of the fireworks last night.  Hope you had a great Fourth!!
I slept in today - 5:00 ~  :) .  We will look at horses today and then probably talk about zoo animals.  Many more different animals live on farms, but we will stop here for now.

HORSES:

Top Ten Facts About Horses:

1. Dogs and cats drink by lapping water with their tongues while cattle and horses make use of a sucking action.
    
2. A baby female is called a filly, a baby boy is called a colt, a baby boy or girl is also known as a foal.
    
3. When first born, foals cannot eat grass because their legs are too long to reach the ground.
    
4. Foals can stand up within one hour of being born.
    
5. Most foals are born at night.
    
6. Thoroughbreds all have the same birthday which makes it easier to keep breeding, racing, and showing records.
    
7. As well as using them for fly swatting, horses use their tails to send signals to each other about how they are feeling.
    
8. A horse's height is measured in hands.  1 hand = 4 inches.
    
9. Horses belong to the equus family which comes from the Greek word meaning "quickness".
    
10. A pony is not a baby horse, but rather a full grown small horse.
11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuFV0TcOKPc  Cute rapping song about horses!!!

Positional words are hard for some children, it is never too early to start.  This cute video has a catchy tune and you can practice during the days with your preschooler.  Any object:  put it ON your head,  UNDER your foot,  IN your hands!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F0NYBBKczM&feature=related

ALSO,  again your child cannot start coloring and writing too soon.  Watch this video and draw a horse with your child.  Then, you can draw a star ON the horse, UNDER the horse, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFn6lOCSopg

YouTube is a great source for learning, it can also be a very bad thing for children to try to search themselves.  Make sure you are always with your child when using the computer.

Have fun today and don't forget to sing the ABC's AND the number song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw6Fps2O7XY

Make sure you READ today!  Talk to you tomorrow.

 I just happened to think that most parents are probably off work today and have extra time to spend with your child.  Did you think to tell him about the Fourth of July and why we celebrate?  Why we have parades and fireworks?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_8Z1mi6eyM         

Please take time to read to your little one today and maybe even some nursery rhymes.
www.mightybooks.com     is a great site with free books.  You could even watch some of these together.  Also, give her a hug today.  Love and hugs are definitely security for her.  Make sure your child knows he/she is loved.