Miss. Mackenzie's blog

Menu Maker  Cooking Up Literacy Through Pretend Play! Materials Needed: - Pencils, crayons, or markers - A blank sheet of paper folded in half for menus (or you can use the image above to have a premade    menu) - Toy food/ kitchen play items - Notepad for taking orders - All optional for added dramatic play: Fake money, apron, table to eat at How to play - For this activity, your child is going to become a chef and are going to create their own menu using their folded paper. - Have your child write a menu at the top of the paper, and then they can let their creativity flow using real or fake dishes to put on the menu. They can also add the prices of each item.  - Do not worry about the spelling errors, as this is about phonetic writing, not vocabulary. - Invite family members ( or just yourself ) to play the customers in her restaurant. Have your child hand you the menu and treat you as a paying customer. As you take your order, have your child use their notepad to ...

 DIY Name Puzzles Spell it, Build it, Know it! Materials needed: - Printer for a photo of your child - Safety scissors - Markers or crayons - A thick sheet of paper - Glue stick - Optional for decorating: glitter, stickers, feathers, and more How to make and use your name puzzle - Print out a photo of your child and glue it onto your thick sheet of paper, leaving space at the bottom to write their name. The number of letters in their name will correlate to how many lines you add. (see example above) -Write your child's name in large, clear letters in the boxes created at the bottom of the paper. You can use lowercase, uppercase, or both, depending on what they are learning. - Cut between each letter along the lines, creating strips of paper, one for each letter of their name. - Mix up all the strips of paper and invite your child to put the pieces together. They will not only be spelling their name, but also solving the puzzle that is their face! Continue to shuffle the strips unti...

  Alphabet Nature Walk Children must find ways to connect their learning to the real world. Using the Alphabet Nature walk, you combine outdoor fun while still helping children build literacy skills. Materials: - A printed copy of the image above (Free printout from Natureplaywa.org.au) - Pen or pencil - Outdoor space - Clipboard (optional) How to: Take a walk around your neighborhood, local park, backyard, or even a courtyard. Start looking for something that starts with the letters of the alphabet. For example, "A is for acorn", "B is for bird", "C is for cattail", and so on through the rest of the alphabet.  After finding something that starts with the letter, they will then write it in the corresponding spot. (leaf would go next to the L, grass would go next to the G, and so on) Some letters will be tricky, like X, Y, Z, and Q. This is where creativity can be put to the test, and have your children think outside of the box and let their creativity take...

  Letter Sound Hopscotch Jump into Phonics Fun! What better way to practice Phonics than to play a game of hopscotch with a fun learning twist! Today, we take a classic game and turn it into a literacy activity that helps children practice their phonics in a fun, familiar way! Not only is this a fun way to learn Phonics and reinforce letter-sound knowledge, but it is also a great way to burn off energy. This activity is very low-cost and can be found at any craft or dollar store in your area. Materials needed:  - Sidewalk chalk - An outdoor space (driveway, sidewalk, porch, and more) How to play: - Start off by taking your chalk and creating a hopscotch board. The difference is that you will fill the boxes with letters instead of numbers. Fill each box with letters that you want to practice.           Here is a blank board and a completed board for reference - Have your child identify the correct letter sound for them to move up a s...