Nursery Rhymes -- Jack Be Nimble

Hello world!

My last lesson post was about 6 months ago. I knew summer would be difficult, but I had no idea how long it would take for me to get back into the swing of things! Long story short, we moved across the country, sent my two children off to college, and moved in my elderly mother in law with dementia. I am still struggling with thyroid cancer, and of course I started a new job as well, which I love. Hopefully I will have some sense of routine.

In the spirit of fresh starts, I am excited to announce a new series...Nursery Rhymes! I work with children of all ages, but I have to admit I am having the most fun right now with a 4 year old hearing impaired student. We are secretly learning so much while she is playing. What can you learn from Nursery Rhymes?

• Nursery Rhymes often have all the elements of a full story, but perfect for those with shorter attention spans. There are settings, characters, problems, solutions and climaxes.
• You can ask comprehension questions ("What happened to Humpty Dumpty?"  "Who tried to put him together again?" "Where was Humpty Dumpty sitting?") 
• Nursery Rhymes are perfect to introduce sequencing. The stories are much shorter and easier to put back in the correct order, a necessary skill for later.
• Nursery Rhymes often have math in them. "Three Blind Mice" and "Hickory Dickory Dock" are two good examples.
• Vocabulary is certainly improved when children learn Nursery Rhymes.  Where else are they going to hear "the little dog laughed to see such sport" and " it's fleece was white as snow"?
• The rhyme, rhythm and repetition give foundational skills to help with reading fluency later.
• Nursery Rhymes are just plain fun! You can trick your students into learning all day and they will never know how hard they worked!

The first Nursery Rhyme we focused on was Humpty Dumpty. Looking back I do wished I had saved it for the Easter or Spring time to incorporate egg decorating, so that may be something you want to consider.

Each of my personal Nursery Rhyme Units included:

• Letter to the Parents explaining the importance of Nursery Rhymes
• A Poster with the Nursery Rhyme
• A mini book with the Nursery Rhyme for each student
• Activity Ideas
• Word Wall Words
• Sequencing Cards

Next week I will be unveiling tons of ideas for Humpty Dumpty.  Today I am starting with a FREEBIE UNIT, Jack Be Nimble.

I scoured the internet and found some wonderful ideas to help make this unit even better!

This cute candlestick craft is on a website in another language, but there are many pictures that make it easy to follow. (I am not sure about the clothespin, though, so I am planning on leaving that out!)

What a cute snack idea!

This is a sorting center to order the candlesticks by size!

Drumroll for my personal favorite! This Sesame Street classic has a hippy Jack running under, around, and everywhere except over the candlestick.  Great way to expose kiddos to positions!

Enjoy!