Summer 2007
Camp Kindergarten Kapers

Mirror Writing - If you are demonstrating writing in front of the classroom it is often difficult to “mirror” it so the children see it demonstrated correctly. One teacher said she writes large letters on a transparency and then holds them up. Children see the correct form and it’s easier for the teacher to make the reverse.

Days of the Week - To help children remember the days of the week, add small pictures of the foods used in “Today Is Sunday” by the words. The picture clues will help children fill in the blanks:

          Yesterday was_____.
          Today is___________.
          Tomorrow will be _______.

Word Wands - Robyn Collins of Akers Academy near Atlanta BLEW ME AWAY with all of her great ideas! Robyn purchases butterfly nets at the dollar store and cuts out the netting. A few ribbons and it’s a wand to read the room!

Play Dough Plates - Robyn also purchases inexpensive plastic plates and writes letters on them with a permanent marker. The children roll play dough and make letters on top. She has a similar set with numerals.

Letter Beads - Since it's so difficult to find letter beads with lowercase letters, Robyn just buys plain wooden beads and makes her own letter beads.

Finger Play Mitt - And, don't you know children and their parents love this activity! Robyn makes a mitt out of felt for each child similar to the one shown. Each week the children learn a new finger play and Robyn makes figures to Velcro to the mitt as they say the rhyme. (Robyn says sometimes they cut out shapes, or just purchase foam shapes or other seasonal objects. A little Velcro on the back is all they need.) At the end of the week, children take home the mitt and say the rhyme for their parents. They get to keep a copy of the rhyme and the props at home.

Here is a copy of what Robyn tapes to the clear sheet protector that goes home each week with the mitt:

"Please send this bag and the mitt back to school. You may keep the finger play characters. We will use this mitt throughout the school year. The children will be able to keep the mitt at the end of the year."