Daily
Read a book, or look at its pictures for 10-20 minutes.
Monday
Reading Aloud
Read aloud to your parent for 10-20 minutes. Practice using an animated voice!
If you are not yet reading, look through a book together and tell your family the "story" that you imagine from the illustrations.
Handwriting Practice
Do 2-3 pages in your handwriting book.
Salt Water Density Experiment
For this saltwater experiment you will need:
- Either small plastic jewels, raw eggs or small grapes
- Several clear cups of water
- Salt
- Sugar
- Baking soda
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in one cup, 2 tablespoons of sugar in another cup and 2 tablespoons of baking soda in the third cup. Leave one cup with plain fresh water as it is our controlled variable. Be sure to label each cup to avoid confusion about which is which.
Have your student predict what will happen when they drop their chosen object into each cup, and which mixture will be the densest. Will it sink or float?
Drop the objects into each cup, was your student right?
Which mixture was densest?
Is there a difference in each cups color?
Was there anything that surprised you in this experiment?
Tuesday
*Spelling Book (for those spelling)
Do your list and complete your pages in your Spelling Book.
*Beginning Sounds (for those not spelling)
Find 5-10 objects in your house that start with the same sound. Tell them to your family or write a list.
Typing
Note: 4th grade students and up were the only ones set up with this program previously. If your child is writing words and wants to start typing practice, let me know and I will add them to our account.
Practice typing for 20 minutes. To access your typing practice, go to typing.com and choose "student log-in" in the upper right. Your username is your name+fhms, for example mine would be lynnfhms. Your password is "hello"
DO RE MI FA SO LA PLAYDOH
Hello, Far Horizons Families! Brittany here with an activity to keep your hands busy at home.
A lump of dough is like a 3 dimensional blank canvas! Infinite potential, waiting to be shaped and played with! Wanna make some? Get a little messy and a lot creative with this recipe and your very own lump of infinite potential.
Materials:
2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Cups warm water
1 Cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)
Coloring (optional)
Essential oils (optional)
Activity: In a large pot, heat water over medium heat until warm. Add oil, salt and cream of tartar. Turn off heat and stir in flour. Continue stirring until the texture resembles playdough. If your dough is still sticky, cook over low heat, stirring continuously. Set dough aside until it is cool enough to handle safely.
On a clean, smooth surface, knead your dough vigorously until it becomes silky-smooth. Divide the dough into balls for coloring.
Make a divot in the center of the ball and place coloring of choice inside. Fold the dough over and work the color through the body of the dough, trying to keep the dye away from your hands and anything else that can be stained. You can use gloves or a zip-lock bag to keep your hands clean- only the concentrated dye will color your skin, so as soon as it's worked in, bare hands are fine.
A fun way to expand this activity, indulge your sense of smell and enjoy some therapeutic benefits is to add essential oils to your dough, along with your dye of choice. Of course, be sure to research what oils are safe for children before adding them.
Kids can explore color mixing with their dough as well as mixing scents.
Store in an air tight container or bag.
I hope you all enjoy this activity! Send us photos, if you'd like! We'd love to see your glowing faces! See you soon! -Brittany
Wednesday
*Spelling List Practice (for those spelling)
Do your spelling "choice" work. Practice using your spelling word list in some way. You may decide to draw pictures of each word and label them, you could write sentences using the word, you could create a word search (check out this online word search maker http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp) and then complete it, you could write each word three times, or??? use your own idea.
*Rhyming Sounds (for those not spelling)
Find 5-10 objects in the house that end with the same sound. Tell them to your family or write a list.
T-chart
Make a T-chart. Label one side "School" and one side "Home." Make a list of things you like about learning at home versus at school.
Thursday
*Spelling Test (for those spelling)
Ask a family member to give you your spelling test! If you get less than 5 words incorrect, write each misspelled word correctly 3-5 times for extra practice. If you get 5 or more words incorrect, start your next week with a new list consisting of the misspelled words.
*T-Chart (for those not spelling)
Pick two categories (ex. spheres and prisms or tools and toys or sea animals and jungle animals) and make a "T" chart listing 5-10 items that fit in the appropriate category. If needed, parents can help with writing the words on the T chart.
Care of the Environment
Find a chore that you can do to help around the house. Some ideas are: vacuum, put away dishes, fold laundry, wash the front of the kitchen cupboards, or? Look around the house for a need and meet that need with a smile. If you need help with ideas, ask your parent/guardian.
Friday
Handwriting Practice
Do 2-3 pages in your handwriting book
Parts of a Story
Using a story you know from a book, TV show, or movie, make a list (either verbal or written) identifying the following:
- Title
- Characters
- Setting
- Beginning
- Middle
- End
Extension: write a one paragraph summary of the story.