MGOL as 6 week classes for Babies 0-14 months, Toddlers 1-3 years, and Preschoolers getting ready for Kindergarten, ages 4-5 years

The setting is a medium size room which will hold 25 children and their parents comfortably.

 

Based upon my community’s interest, I conduct 4 types of classes per month.

1st week is “Play with Me” a play class with toys and a 5 minute story time

2nd week is a more tradition story time

3rd week is a movement/exercise class and a 5 minute story time

4th week is a music class: lots of books and library materials included through out class

 

Each week has 6 classes

2 for babies 0 – 14 months

2 for toddlers 1- 3 years

2 for preschools getting ready for Kindergarten ages 4 – 5 years

 

So a weekly schedule would look like this:

Tuesday 9:30am Babies 0-14 months            Wednesday 9:30am Babies 0-14 months

Tuesday 10:15am Toddlers 1 – 3 years           Wednesday 10:15am Toddlers 1-3 years

Tuesday 11:00am Preschool 4-5 years            Wednesday 11:00am Preschool 4-5 years

 

1st week Play with Me classes uses the adapted MGOL in this way

After Playing with our friends and cleaning up the toys, we spend 5 minutes with this outline:

    Hello Song (which is the same for every class every week)

            2 Nursery rhymes

1 Book

1 Body rhyme

Goodbye Song (which is the same for every class every week)

 

2nd week Story Time I use the adapted MGOL in this way

I pick 3 to 5 books that follow a theme.  Based upon the theme, I choose nursery

rhymes, finger plays and songs that support the books we are reading.

I always follow a patter where we

  1. Sing Hello
  2. Sit still for a moment
  3. Do an activity
  4. Sit still for a moment
  5. Sing a Song
  6. Sit still for a moment
  7. Do an activity
  8. Sing Goodbye
  9. Do a craft based upon the theme

 

3rd week movement / exercise classes uses the adapted MGOL in the same way as the 1st week’s class

After exercising with our friends, we spend 5 minutes with this outline:

    Hello Song (which is the same for every class every week)

            2 Nursery rhythms

1 Book

1 Body rhythm

Goodbye Song (which is the same for every class every week)

 

4th week Music Class

This is the class that is very similar to MGOL.  The format is:

      Hello Song

      4 Nursery rhymes

      Song – rhythm sticks

      Rhythm activity

      Song – marching activity

      2 Finger Play/nursery rhymes

      Song – body movement

      Listen and repeat

      Song – walk or march in a circle

      Sing together

      Bells

      Song – with Bells

      2 Finger play/nursery rhymes

      Song – Rocking or Dancing depending upon how I choose to end the class

      Goodbye Song

    * * * * * * *

I limit all classes to 25 children. Caregivers are additional so the average class size is 50 participants.  This is based upon my room requirements and the magical number 25

 

Our registration list is almost always full with a waiting list of 5 children.  (Except for a few times a year, like in May when school is over for the year and the week between Christmas and New Year)

 

Generally attendance is:

10 Babies for our baby class

20–25 Toddlers for our 1-3 year old class

20-25 Preschool children for our 4-5 year old class

I prepare flannel board pieces, large written nursery rhyme flip charts, and puppets.  I memorize every activity.  I practice.   I use audio equipment like CD players.  I use visual equipment like ipads and computers connected to a projector.  I use an Elmo or document reader to project the books.

I follow the “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy.   I organize all of my books, puppets, flannel board materials, and charts in order of the outline.  I place my organized pile of materials on a tall table covered by a cloth or in a storage container or behind the CD player.  Instruments are stored in a storage container and a cloth is placed over this container.  Sometimes the instrument container is small enough to sit on top of the table, and sometimes the container is stored under the table.  Everything is stored where I can see it and know what is coming up next.  If a prop is too big to fit in my organized pile, I will write myself a sticky note and place the sticky note in the proper spot.

With the Babies 0-14 months, I always use “Goosey Goosey Gander”

With the Toddlers, 1-3yrs, I always sing “If you are Happy and You Know it”

With the Preschool Children, 4-5 yrs, I always ask the same questions like:

What color is…

What Shape is this…

What matches with…

What sounds like…

Winter Snow Story Time adapted from MGOL

 

Welcome

Sing Hello Song:

            We Clap Hello, Hello

            We Clap Hello, Hello

            Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello

            We Clap Hello, Hello

 

            Repeat with other actions like

Pat (pat your toes or head or tummy)

Roll (roll your hands or arms in a circle)

Tap (tap the floor, your elbows, your nose)

Goosey Goosey Gander – Puppet

Hickory Dickory Dock  – Flannel Board

Read Book:  There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe by Jane Cabrera

Sing:  I’m a Little Snowman (sung to the tune of I’m a little tea pot)

           I’m a little snowman short and fat

           Here are my buttons, here is my hat

When the sun comes out, I cannot play

I just slowly melt away.

 

Sing with Book: “I went to play in the Snow one Day”

show the pictures to the book “In the Snow” by Sharon Phillips Denslow

            I went to Play in the Snow one Day.

            I saw a (winter animal) across the way.

            And what do you think the (animal) did say?

            (animal sound)

            At the end you can see a snowman. And he did say?  Hello!

            (place a picture of a flannel snowman inside book)

 

Read Book:  In the Snow by Sharon Phillips Denslow

 

Sensory Activity:  Snowballs with soft music in background “Let it Snow”

            Babies 0-14 months – use soft snowballs to touch your toes, arms, head …

                        Hide snowballs under scarf and play peek-a-boo.

            Toddlers 1 – 3 years – Use snowballs to support vocabulary words.

                        Say up and toss the snowball up

                        Say down and throw the snowball down

                        Say circle and draw a circle in the air with snowball

                        Say triangle and draw a triangle in the air with snowball

                        Say right side and left side

Preschool Children 4-5 years – Use snowballs to following directions

                        Simon Says “Pass your snowball to your neighbor”

                        Simon Says “throw your snowball to your partner”

                        Simon Says “hide your snowball” etc…..

Sing:  Snowballs away (sung to the tune of Bells away)

            Snowballs away, snowballs away

            Time to put our snowballs away

Open Shut Them – finger play

Read Book: “Footprints in the Snow” by Mei Matsuoka

Learning Activity:  Show pictures of animal tracks in the snow and match them to the correct animal.

Finger puppets:  5 Little Snowmen

5 little snowmen standing in a row (hold up 5 fingers)

Each with a hat (pat head) and a big red bow (pull at neck like a bow tie)

Along came the sun (arms form big circle over head)

            and it shone all day (lean to the left)

and one of those snowmen melted away! (put down one finger)

 

Read Book:  “Bears in the Snow” by Shirley Parenteau

 

Music Activity:  Sing and Ring Bells to rhythm of beat

We Ring our Bells together

Ring them up High, Ring them down Low, Ring them in the middle

Ring Your Bells

Ring, Ring, Ring Your Bells

Ring them up High, Ring them down Low, Ring them in the middle

                            Bells away

 

Flannel Board and Finger Play: Winter Sky – Show Snowflake on Flannel Board

Way up high in the winter sky,

Two little snowflakes caught my eye. (Point 2 fingers to sky)

Down to the ground they fell without a sound. (Twist around)

And before very long, It was snowing all around. (Hold arms out)

Finger Play: Snowflake Dance  (Sung To: “Are you Sleeping”)

Dance like snowflakes, Dance like snowflakes
In the air, In the air
Whirling, Twirling snowflakes, Whirling, Twirling snowflakes
Here and there, Here and there

Sing Goodbye Song: 

We Clap Goodbye, Goodbye

We Clap Goodbye, Goodbye

Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye

We Clap Goodbye, Goodbye

Repeat with other actions like

Pat (pat your toes or head or tummy)

Roll (roll your hands or arms in a circle)

Tap (tap the floor, your elbows, your nose)

End with Wave Goodbye

     * * * * * * * * *

Back to School Story Time

50 minute program for Preschool age 1-5years

Set up

Projector

Flannel Board – propped up

iphone plugged in to sound system

Flannel of Clock

Flannel of School Bus

Flannel of Mouse

 

Welcome Time

Twiddle Dee Dee       Twiddle Dee Dum

Let’s see who’s here to have some Fun!

Say Hello to …   (if possible call each child by name)

Sing and Dance to : Glad to See you song by Peter Allard on the CD

Sing it! say it! stamp it! sway it! vol. 1

Story Time

What time is it?   Back to School time.

Nursery Rhyme: Hickory Dickory Dock with Flannel Board

We start our morning at 7:00am  – Show Clock

 

7:00am  School Bus Time

Sing:  The wheels on the bus go round and round – Show bus Flannel

Read Book :  Pete the Cat The Wheels on the Bus by James Dean

8:00am   ABC Time – Show Clock

Sing the ABC Song

Book:  David Goes to School by David Shannon

9:00am  Math Time – Show Clock

Nursery Rhythm: 1 2 3 4 5 Once I caught a fish a live – use fish puppets

Read Book:  Monster Math by Polly Powell

10:00am  Science Time – Show Clock

Read Book:  If you take a mouse to school by  Laura Numeroff

Do the science project with the Volcano found in the back of the book.

            ¼ cup baking soda

            ½ cup vinegar

            food coloring if desired

11:00am  Lunch Time – Show Clock

Sing: “Peanut Butter and Jelly” on CD “Toddlers Sing” by Music for Little People

12:00  Recess – Show Clock

Play Stop and Go

Play Follow the Leader

Play Ball

Read Book:  Tiny Goes Back to School by Cari Meister

1:00pm Art Time – Show Clock

Book:  I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! By Karen Beaumont

Create an art project – great time to insert a story time craft

2:00  Music Time – Show  Clock

Nursery Rhyme: Two Little Dickey Birds

Sing Songs with Bells from CD Listen, Like, Learn with Mother Goose by Betsy Diamant-Cohen:

            We’ll Ring Our Bells Together

            Ring Your Bells

            Ring Bell Ring

Bells away Bells away

3:00  Library time and Time to get ready to go home  – Show Clock

Read Book:  I want to Help! By Diane Adams

 

Goodbye Time

Twiddle Dee Dum       Twiddle Dee Dee

Now It’s Time to Say Goodbye to Me

Say goodbye to… (if possible wave goodbye to each child by name)

Nursery Rhymes:

  1. “Twiddle Dee Dee”   (I use this rhyme to open and close)

 

Twiddle Dee Dee, Twiddle Dee Dum.

Let’s See who’s Here to Have some Fun.

Twiddle Dee Dum, Twiddle Dee Dee.

Now it’s time to say Goodbye to Me.

 

  1. “Once I caught a fish alive”

 

One, two, three, four, five,

Once I caught a fish alive,

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,

Then I let it go again.

Why did you let it go?

Because it bit my finger so.

Which finger did it bite?

This little finger on the right.

 

Song Lyrics:

“Glad to See You” by Peter Allard

Hello Everybody Glad to See You.

Clap Your Hands and Show You’re Glad to See Me too.

Clap Your Hands Everybody, Clap Your Hands.

Clap Your Hands and Show You’re Glad to See Me too.

Repeat verse with actions

Stamp Your Feet

Blink Your Eyes

Nod Your Head

Shake Your Hips

 

 

 

  1. “Peanut Butter and Jelly” – Author Unknown

 

First you take the peanuts

 And you crunch ’em,

 You crunch ’em

 First you take the peanuts

 And you crunch ’em,

 You crunch ’em

 For your peanut, peanut butter

 And jelly

 Peanut, peanut butter

 And jelly

 Then you take the grapes

 And you squish ’em,

 You squish ’em

 Then you take the grapes

 And you squish ’em,

 You squish ’em

 For your peanut, peanut butter

 And jelly

 Peanut, peanut butter

 And jelly

 Then you take the bread

 And you spread it,

 You spread it

 Then you take the bread

 And you spread it,

 You spread it

 For your peanut, peanut butter

 And jelly

 Peanut, peanut butter

 And jelly

 Then you take your sandwich

 And you eat it,

 You eat it

 Then you take your sandwich

 And you eat it,

 You eat it

Games

 Stop and Go – Create a “Stop” Sign with Red background and a “Go” Sign with Green background

Show the Stop Sign and say “Stop”

Call out an action like “Pat your Head”

Show the “Go” sign

Show the Stop Sign and Say “Stop”

            Follow the Leader

The teacher is the leader and the children all line up behind the leader. The leader then moves around and all the children have to mimic the leader’s actions.  I don’t play where children get out.  We all follow and we all complete the game together.  I usually go with the flow of the group.  Sometimes we can play through five actions.  Sometimes we have to cut it short to three actions.

 

            Play Ball

I get a big beach ball and we put on any kind of fun background music and we roll the beach ball to each other.