Fable Day: The Bundle of Sticks

Virtue: Be Wise
Habit/Motto:  Begin with the End in Mind
Story: Bundle of Stick Fable, or Ant and Grasshopper fable. (or other fable that could be geared to winter)
(did a yoga/movement story about building a snowman and putting sticks in for arms. And other winter library books.)

Song/Finger Play: 
Once There Was a Snowman
B-I-N-G-O --SNOW version (I made this up something like: In the winter time there's snow, which falls to the ground. S-N-O-W. It may sound lame, but it helped the boys learn to spell snow.)

Yoga Pose: star, waterfall (for snow fall), warrior, elephant (like collecting sticks)
[story about snow falling down (waterfall, doll), building a snowman and collecting sticks for it--or a fire--or skating on the ice (warrior)]

Craft/Activity: choose depending on age--listed easy to complex
A) paper snowflakes (also make snowflake tree)
B) popcorn chains
C) make a stick tree or star
D) Pinecone ornaments

Share: place ornaments on a group tree (can get back after christmas)

Snacks: 
homemade marshmallows

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Letter: O
Words: snow, cold, oh, go
Number: any
Shape: hexagon (for snowflakes) or star
Season: winter

Fable Day: Christmas

Virtue: Be Kind
Habit/Motto:  Win-Win
Verse: Tis Better to Give than to recieve (Acts 20:35)

Story is based on Story of St. Nick (instead of Aesop fable)

Song/Finger Play: 
When We're Helping, We're Happy
Any Christmas Song!!

Yoga Pose: tree, star, candle, dancer?

(movement ideas for made up story: snow angel, skating, etc. )

Craft/Activity: choose depending on age--listed easy to complex

A) Play pass the bag game (sit in circle, when music stops take a candy out, or give everyone a candy, etc.)

B) write little notes to each other to put in their bags

C) origami stars

D) salt dough ornaments

E) stocking guessing game (put something in a bag: children one by one put hand in and guess what's inside)

F) Make a shoe and put things in them (like the shoe tradition)

Share: 

Everyone have their own bags-- to put things in from the day and to collect things from others

Snacks: 

bags of goodies (each different then they can all share some with each other)

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Letter: C
Words: Christmas, Cold, care, coin
Number: any
Shape: triangle (tree or star of david)
Season: Winter

Sign Language 101

I think the best way to learn signs is to use a few that are the most common words in your communication with your children. And then use those which are most pictorial--as a visual representation of what you are doing.

It makes most sense to children when the sign is similar to the action--after all, that's how sign language started...trying to act out things, right. Sign Language is theatrical and for a reason. So with kids, let's honor the roots of sign language by playing charades in effect, before we get into the nitty-gritty details of today's standardized sign language which may not make complete sense to a child who is trying to understand the already complex world.

The important this isn't doing the sign perfect, but creating something that helps you and your child communicate. So the charts below are a guide to get you started in your own journey of visually communicating with your children.


A Few Beginning Signs: (some that don't seem understandable right away may need to be introduced more dramatically/theatrically...like "Thank you")

• eat
• drink
• please (like your heart wanting it....makes sense for a little older children)
• yes (like a head nod)
• diaper (I normally tap the baby's diaper when I do it so she can feel)
• book

letters from alldeaf.com

Vowel Song

I am teaching Ethan vowels and feel it most helpful to sing them and show him that vowels are the letters that are an open sound with our mouth, where breath can freely flow through without interruption. (while consonants block or stop free flow of breath.) This seems an organic way of developing language.

So we sing the vowels. And we love it. During the day I'll stop and ask him if certain letters are vowels and he always knows, without memorizing, because the mouth being open with free breath--it just makes sense.

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Sally sings this little song to help specifically link vowels to their respective sounds. And I find it quite helpful for helping Ethan read by sounding out the vowel.



Tune: 'Where is Thumbkin"

Where is ______ (A, E, I, O or U)?
Where is ______?
Here it is. (bring right hand forward in letter's sign language--see chart below in blue)
Here it is. (now bring left hand forward with letter's sign language)
______________ (shake right and repeat corresponding long vowel sound to tune)
______________ (shake left hand and repeat corresponding short vowel sound to tune)
Run Away. (right hand goes behind back)
Run away. (left hand goes behind back)

www.alldeaf.com

Long sounds are like saying the letter's name. Short sounds are as follows:

A - Apple

E - Egg

I - Iguana

O - Octopus

U - Umbrella

Aesops Fable: The Bundle of Sticks

A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune.

One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.

The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily.

"My Sons," said the Father, "do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle."

In unity is strength.