K is for Keys of the Kingdom Movement Exploration

Movement education activities are a perfect way to foster creativity and develop both fine and gross motor skills in young children. It builds self esteem as well because there are no wrong responses. In this activity we feature the letter K. It's a super way to introduce or reinforce phonics in the home or at school. Why not follow up with some kicking games?

Movements are indicated in BOLD. Put on some Regal sounding trumpet music and read the story slowly. Remember to give time between sentences for children to explore their movements.

Kevin the king was a kindergarten kid with nothing to do. He kept a key hidden in his kilt. What would the key unlock?

Use the key to unlock this big box. There’s kelp to eat. There's a kettle of tea to drink.  Kerplunk!  A klutzy kitten falls out of the box and cries.  Kiss the kitten and tell him, “It’s alright.”

Let’s use our key to open the door to the zoo! A kooky kangaroo is kickboxing. Let’s kick high. Now kick to the side. The kind koala bear is playing the kazoo. Keep in line and play with him.  Jump into the kayak and paddle down the river.

The key opens the kitchen door too! Karl, my kin, is making kebob. Yum!  Let’s put some ketchup on our kebob.  Eat it all up. Now turn on the karaoke machine and sing and dance with me!

It’s time to turn our key in the playground gate.  Let’s play kickball. Kick the ball far and run around the bases.  King Kevin sees a king snake in the outfield.” Run and hide. It can kill you,” he says.  “Just kidding. It won’t hurt you.”

Use the key to open the kite kit. Let’s make a kite! Tie the sticks together and glue the paper on.  Add the string. Run and let the wind carry the kite up into the sky. Let’s make believe we are kites. Float on the wind.  Dip down and make a circle.  Duck down. Watch out for that kiwi vine.  Now soar up high!

There’s a kazillion things to do in the king’s kingdom!

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965# http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/kathystemke Follow me on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=6147172660&topic=4910#!/kathymarescomatthews.stemke?ref=profile Follow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-stemke/13/269/285

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Feed My Letter Monsters Sounds!

They're sooo..... Hungry! 

 

HOW DOES WIND MOVE? 

Make a pinwheel & explore!

How does wind move objects? How can my body move objects? This fitness and science exploration asks open-ended questions to help preschoolers discover answers on their own. Preschoolers will run, jump and twirl to stay active as they use simple science tools to investigate wind and movement.

To explain one reason wind changes direction, have each child put a piece of paper in front of his mouth.   Blow like the wind and watch the paper move.  Did the wind go through the paper?  No.  It went up over the paper or out to the side around the paper.  

Imagine the paper is a mountain.  Will the mountain move like the paper did?  No.  The wind can’t go through it so it has to go up and over the mountain.

FEATHER GAME

Pair you children off and give them a feather. Tell them to try to keep the feather in the air by blowing it. Explain that the air they are blowing out of their mouth is like the wind outside.

WINDY BOOKS!

When the Wind Stops

by Charlotte Zolotow 

Feel the Wind

by Arthur Dorros  

The Life of a Leaf 

You are a tiny leaf bud on a tree.  In the spring you grow into a small leaf.  When the rain falls down you grow into a big leaf.  You twist and turn all summer to find the sun.  With all your leaf friends you make an umbrella of shade (kids can clump together) to keep people cool.  Now slide away to your own space.

 

One day it gets cool and you tremble slowly.  You better hold on to your branch tightly.  Because it’s so cold, you turn into a bright orange leaf.  The wind lifts you up and down.  The wind rocks you side to side.  It gets colder every day so you shake.  You shake faster and faster.   You twist and spin and hold on to the branch with all your strength.  

Suddenly you can’t hold on, so you fly around the yard.  You love being free so you dance.  Now bounce up as high as you can.   Slide low under a bush.  Now hop as fast as you can.  Stop and reach to the sky.  A gust of wind pushes you into a whirl.  

You land in the stream, and float slowly down the hill.  You’re getting tired so you hug a giant rock.  The water is pushing against you.  Climb up to the top of the rock.  Balance on one part of you.  You wave to your friends on the tree.  You want to get back so you leap as far as you can.  You fall into the stream and dive deep.  You swim then pop up for some air.  At last you rest on the shore.  You pick up your head when you hear your friend Doug.  You laugh out loud to see all your friends come together again.

KATHY STEMKE'S WEBSITES:

Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html http://kathystemke.weebly.com
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WIND AND LEAVES!

Tune: B-I-N-G-O!

W-I-N-D-Y,  (Clap and spell)

W-I-N-D-Y,  (Clap and spell

W-I-N-D-Y,  (Clap and spell)

Spin with the wind and let’s go!

Let’s spin, with the wind

Let’s spin, with the wind

Let’s spin, with the wind

Spin with the wind and whoa! (stop)

Change spin to float, whirl, leap, slide, glide, roll, skip, dance, waltz (walk down, up, up), rock, bounce, flap, limp, jive, kick, mop, pull, reach, or wave.

The Life of a Leaf    

(Movement Education)

You are a tiny leaf bud on a tree.  In the spring you grow into a small leaf.  When the rain falls down you grow into a big leaf.  You twist and turn all summer to find the sun.  With all your leaf friends you make an umbrella of shade (kids can clump together) to keep people cool.  Now slide away to your own space.
 
One day it gets cool and you tremble slowly.  You better hold on to your branch tightly.  Because it’s so cold, you turn into a bright orange leaf.  The wind lifts you up and down.  The wind rocks you side to side.  It gets colder every day so you shake.  You shake faster and faster.   You twist and spin and hold on to the branch with all your strength.  
 
Suddenly you can’t hold on, so you fly around the yard.  You love being free so you dance.  Now bounce up as high as you can.   Slide low under a bush.  Now hop as fast as you can.  Stop and reach to the sky.  A gust of wind pushes you into a whirl.  

You land in the stream, and float slowly down the hill.  You’re getting tired so you hug a giant rock.  The water is pushing against you.  Climb up to the top of the rock.  Balance on one part of you.  You wave to your friends on the tree.  You want to get back so you leap as far as you can.  You fall into the stream and dive deep.  You swim then pop up for some air.  At last you rest on the shore.  You pick up your head when you hear your friend Doug.  You laugh out loud to see all your friends come together again.

Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html http://kathystemke.weebly.com
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/kathystemke
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Summer Songs and Poems

INSECTS!!
(Sung to: She'll Be comin' Round the Mountain)

They'll be flying 'round the flowers in the yard. Buzz buzz. (flap hands)
They'll be flying 'round the flowers in the yard. Buzz buzz.
They'll be flying 'round the flowers; they'll be flying 'round the flowers;
They'll be flying 'round they flowers in the yard.

More verses:
They'll be slurping up the nectar when they come. Gulp! Gulp! (pretend to swallow)
They'll be scooping up the pollen with their legs. Fun! Fun! (Stomp twice)
They'll be feeding all the babies in the hive. Eat! Eat! (pretend to rock baby)
They'll be cooling down the hive with their wings. Flap! Flap! (flap arms)
They'll be making lots of honey that we'll eat. Yum! Yum! (rub tummy)

When the Bugs Come Out in Spring
Tune: When the Saints Come Marching In

Oh when the bugs come out in spring
Oh when the bugs come out in spring
I want to be outside marching

When the bugs come out in spring
I'll see some crawl; I'll see some fly
I'll count how many go marching by
I'll watch and see how many I know
Of the bugs that come out in spring


I'm A Little Turtle
(sung to the tune of "I'm A Little Teapot")

I'm a little turtle with a shell,
I have four legs, a head, and a tail,
When I get so scared I want to hide,
I pull my head and legs inside!

A New Itsy-Bitsy Spider

The itsty-bitsy spider
Crawled up on Jordan’s head.
He crawled all around, then used it for a bed.
He crawled down his back
and jumped down to the floor.
Then the itsy-bitsy spider
Crawled underneath the door.


DO SPIDERS STICK TO THEIR OWN WEBS?

The spider weaves a sticky web
To capture bugs to eat.
What keeps the spider's sticky web
From sticking to her feet?
Spider webs are very tricky
Because not all the strands are sticky.
Unlike the passing hapless fly,
The spider knows which strands are dry.
But if she accidentally stands
Upon one of the sticky strands
She still will not get stuck, you see-
Her oily body slides off free.

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.htmlhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.htmlhttp://kathystemke.weebly.comFollow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/kathystemkeFollow me on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=6147172660&topic=4910#!/kathymarescomatthews.stemke?ref=profile

M IS FOR MARINES!

USE THIS MARINE STORY FOR MOVEMENT EXPLORATION WHEN YOU INTRODUCE THE LETTER M. THE BOLD WORDS INDICATE MOVEMENT. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY GRANDSON'S MARINE GRADUATION.

Molly and Michael moved down the road to Parris Island to become Marines. They marched, marched, and marched every morning. First, they mapped out their mission. They moved on their bellies in the mud. M-16 rifles were readied to aim at their mark. Bang, the marksmen never missed.

The master of Martial Arts moved with kicks and jumps. The Marines modeled his every move. They were matched against each other in a competition. Molly threw Michael to the mat. Michael mirrored the master’s best move to win the match.

At midday, the Marine recruits munched on meatballs. Then they mopped the mess tent floor until it was clean.

The Marines ran a marathon through the thick, wet marsh. They meandered through a maze. They mounted ropes and muscled their way to the top of a mountain.
They made it to the finish line, and melted to the ground in the hot sun.

On graduation day, Michael and Molly motioned to the master sergeant with a salute. They merged together onto their marks for muster. They stood straight and tall. The major general shook their hands and gave each a medal. Now they marched as United States Marines.

THESE PICTURES ARE FROM MY GRANDSON'S MARINE GRADUATION 8/28/2009. WE'RE SO PROUD OF HIM. HE'S THE CUTE TALL ONE.





















KATHY STEMKE'S WEBSITES:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

S is for Scuba Diving: Movement Exploration

Movement is indicated by bold type. Play a CD of crashing waves as you act out this story. Remember to give the children enough time to explore each movement.

We slip into our swimsuits, slide our sunglasses on, and spray sun block all over our skin. We sail out to sea in our sailboat.

See the seagulls soaring high in the sky. We sling some shrimp for the birds to swallow.

Now we squeeze into our scuba stuff and spring off the ship. We splish and splash on the surface.

We submerge. We search for some shells. Scoop the shells up, and stack them in the sack.

We scout out a deep dark cave. We switch on our lights. We see the seahorses. They’re hungry. We shovel the seaweed to feed them.

Outside the cave we serve the fish some seaweed too. We stroke the fish as they scoot by. We snap lots of pictures.

Oh, no! We spot a shark. We swim and scatter as fast as we can. But the shark keeps steering himself towards us. Everyone stops. We shake and swerve out of his way. We spin around and see a friendly sand shark. He won’t hurt us.

We signal that we are safe and swim back to the ship. We scramble aboard and sit in the hot sun. We shut our eyes and sleep for awhile.

Seat Work

Preparation: Write each S word from the story on index cards. Add some non S words for sorting purposes.

Depending on the age group, you can sort action verbs, s words, or consonant blends.
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Kathy's sample article sites and websites:
http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com