Before we kicked off the listening lesson, we added new vowels to our 'vowel circle'. We have previously learned the five vowels followed by 'Magic E', which makes the vowel say its name. Today we learned all the smile vowels, vowel sounds which are made in the front of the mouth with the lips in a smile pose. These include 'ee, i (as in 'it), e (as in 'bed'), ae, a (as in 'at'), and u (as in up). We noticed that as we say these sounds our jaw (and tongue within) steps down- just like stair steps. So, we decided to arrange the sounds in a stair step fashion, going down. Once the jaw is all the way open, the two vowel sounds produced at the bottom of the mouth are called 'open sounds'. This part of sound learning will require some memorization- so we will continue to practice (i.e.....drill) these sounds, making the learning fun at the same time!
Outside was a little chillier than expected- but there was lots of interaction with the DUMC preschool kids, as there were many of them (Wednesday is a day of more enrollment than other days). It's fun to see the friendships develop.
Back inside, we read about the sense of hearing and learned that sounds travel through the air into our ear. Then, we listened to a variety of sounds and guessed what animal or object produced it. We LOVE our new iPads and the 'Guess What Sound' apps! We listened to some animals: bat, bear, cow, dog, donkey, whale, elephants and many other animals. We listened to sirens and a song about sounds. The kids can listen really well....when they want to do so!
After lunch, each child recorded a one-sentence video on the iPad. Later, the kids listened (without watching) and guessed who recorded each sound. They are really good at this game- and think it's so funny to watch themselves on the screen!
HarryKindergarten's Senses Song is the best! Let your child sing along....
Tomorrow we will explore the sense of taste! Get your tongues ready!
