Theme: Winter Olympics
Dates: February 16-26
From: Tanya

Language Experiences:

• The teachers will reveal another "Made for Television" skit...The Winter Olympics!!!:)
• Make flags to carry in our "Opening Ceremony" on Friday.
• Make a torch to carry in our "Opening Ceremony."
• Have an "Opening Ceremony" in the Northern Voices hallway/gym.
• We will have a special guest visitor to demonstrate cross country skiing (Erika O.'s husband).
• Talk about the winter Olympic sports we like to play and make medals....because we are all winners at Northern Voices!
• Make yummy Popsicles! We will also experiment with ice and talk about the ice rink where the Olympians play hockey and ice skate.
• If the weather is nice...we will go "Bobsledding" outside!

Vocabulary: snowboarding, excited, winter, speed skating, figure skating, Olympic rings, winner, medal, flag, goggles, (downhill) skiing, torch, hockey, team, bobsled, ice rink, chair lift

Notes: Thank you to all of the parents who helped out with the Valentine party! It was tons of fun! The best way to reinforce this theme of "Olympics" at home, would be to expose your child to the olympics when they are on t.v. You could point out all of the different sports while using the vocabulary and language to go a long with it. This will provide your child more meaning and connection to this theme. It was more like a comedy show when the teachers acted out the olympics in the gym!!:) But lots of fun too! Thank you for all you do to help your child learn to listen and speak. They reap the benefits each and everyday!!

Show and Tell Dates:

Monday: Kennedy and Ben D.

Wednesday: Isiah and Frank

Friday: Rilee and Sooah

Theme: Nursery Rhymes
Dates: February 1-12
From: Tanya

Language Experiences:

• Read "Jack Be Nimble", act out, and make a page for our Nursery Rhyme book which will be sent home at the end of the theme.
• Make pretend "Candle Sticks" and practice "Jack Be Nimble."
• Read "Little Miss Muffet", act out, and make a page for our Nursery Rhyme book.
• Make "Curds and Whey" with cottage cheese and peaches.
• Read "Mary had a Little Lamb", act out, and make a page for our Nursery Rhyme book.
• Make a "little" lamb with cotton balls.
• Read "Humpty Dumpty", act out, and make a page for our Nursery Rhyme book.
• Examine a hard boiled and raw egg's shell, yolk, and white. Then, add a little seasoning and eat them (the cooked ones of course!).
• Read "I'm a Little Tea Pot", act out, and make a page for our Nursery Rhyme book.
• Have our very own little tea party with real (caffeine free tea) and Lorna Doone' cookies.

Vocabulary: "Jack Be Nimble", candlestick, "Little Miss Muffet", tuffet, frightened, quick, curds and whey, "Mary Had a Little Lamb", wool, lamb, "Humpty Dumpty", crack, teapot, spout, handle, steam, queen, king, men

Notes: Nursery Rhymes can be very difficult for children with hearing loss to learn due to the unfamiliar vocabulary words and abstract language. Therefore, it's important to explicitly teach them these rhymes and the vocabulary that goes with them. If you have any nursery rhyme books at home, please take the time to read them to your child. Try to make sure they understand the unfamiliar words and phrases as you read. It's also very fun to act out the stories so that the child can has a hands on experiences with the rhymes making them more fun and meaningful. I encourage you to repeat any of the language experiences that I listed above at home with your child and other family members in your home.

Show and Tell Dates:
Monday: Kennedy and Ben D.
Wednesday: Frank and Isiah
Friday: Sooah and Rilee