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Need Some Idea's for Alphabet use?

~ Reading is important business ~

Choose a bulletin board in your classroom to display pictures associated with each letter you introduce. Include the upper and lower case alphabet letter, pictures that begin with the initial consonant sound, and labels for each picture as well. Cut out pictures from old magazines or use picture cards from language kits. Simple pictures are most effective. If possible, laminate the pictures so they may be kept from year to year. Place a small table or shelf under the bulletin board to display objects for each featured letter-an ant farm for A; a reel baby bottle and bobby pins for B, a can of corn, deck of cards, and cactus plant for C; and so on. Invite the children to bring items from home as well. Then include the objects in your daily discussion. Make sure that the items that you use are appropriate for the ages you are tending too.

At the beginning of each week, and possibly everyday, show the children flash cards of the alphabet letters they have learned thus far. Invite the children to say each letter name and the sound each letter makes. The game may also be played by arranging the flash cards along the table or window ledge. Make a letter sound and invite the children to select the correct card. You might also give the children several word cards of picture cards, include both familiar and unfamiliar words, and encourage the children to give you the initial consonant sound. This is a good opening group activity to use each morning and takes only a few minutes.

Let your children make Ants on a Log by filling celery sticks with peanut butter. Then give your children three or four raisin "ants" to place on top of the "log" YUM!!

Introducing children to a variety of foods is a wonderful way to reinforcing language concepts. The following foods all begin with the letter A and may be introduced at any time during this unit.

Alfalfa sprouts, almonds, alphabet cereal, alphabet soup, American cheese, angle food cake, animal crackers, appetizers, apple butter, apple juice, apples, applesauce, apricot nectar, apricot preserves, apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aspic, avocados