"Fantastic F"

Day 1: F is for Farm

Focus: Introducing the letter shape and the /f/ sound (like a gentle puff of air) with themes of Farms, Frogs, and Flowers.

• Lesson: Introduce the letter F. Show how it’s like a tall flagpole with two flags sticking out. Practice the soft /f/ sound—it’s like blowing out a candle!

• Craft: Fluffy Cotton-Ball Sheep. Draw an outline of a sheep and have children glue white cotton balls inside to make it "Fluffy."

• Activity: Farm Chores. Pretend in your outside space to "feed the animals." Pretend that you are out with your chickens, have the children practice walking Fast and Follow the leader.

• Books to Read:

  • Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.

• Song: "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (Emphasize the F-F-Farm).

  • Focus: The F-F-Farm and animal sounds.

  • Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!

  • And on that farm he had some [Chickens], E-I-E-I-O!

  • With a [cluck-cluck] here and a [cluck-cluck] there,

  • Here a [cluck], there a [cluck], everywhere a [cluck-cluck]!

  • Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!

    Teacher's Tip: During Letter F week, try to include "farm" animals that start with other letters you've already learned, like the C-C-Cat or the D-D-Dog, to help the children review!

• Snack: Fruit slices (Apples, Pears) and Formed cheese cubes.

Day 2: F is for Frog

Focus: Life cycles and leaping (gross motor skills).

• Lesson: Talk about how frogs grow from tadpoles. Practice the "F-F-Frog" sound.

• Craft: Fly-Catching Frogs. Paint a paper plate green and fold it in half. Add googly eyes and a long red paper tongue with a little "fly" (a black dot) at the end.

• Activity: Frog Leap-Frog. Set up "lily pads" (green construction paper or hula hoops) on the grass. Have the children Frog-leap from one to the next.

• Books to Read:

  • The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner.

  • Song: "Five Little Speckled Frogs.

    • "Five little speckled frogs,

    • Sat on a speckled log,

    • Eating some most delicious flies—yum, yum! (Rub your tummy)

    • One jumped into the pool,

    • Where it was nice and cool,

    • Now there are four speckled frogs—glub, glub! (Hold up four fingers and "dip" one hand down into a pool

    • (Repeat down to zero)

  Snack: "Frog Eyes" (Green grapes or honeydew melon balls).

  • Song: "Five Little Speckled Frogs."Five little speckled frogs,

    Sat on a speckled log,

    Eating some most delicious flies—yum, yum!

    One jumped into the pool,

    Where it was nice and cool,

    Now there are four speckled frogs—glub, glub! (Repeat down to zero)

• Snack: "Frog Eyes" (Green grapes or honeydew melon balls).

Day 3: F is for Flowers & Friends

Focus: Fine motor skills and social-emotional learning.

• Lesson: Look at the Flowers beginning to bloom outside. Discuss what it means to be a good Friend.

• Craft: Fingerprint Flowers. Dip fingers in bright paint and press them around a yellow center to make petals.

• Activity: Friend-to-Friend Toss. Sit in a circle and roll a Fuzzy ball to a Friend, saying their name and one thing you like about them.

• Books to Read:

  • The Flower Garden by Eve Bunting.

• Song: "The More We Get Together" (Focus on Friends).

  • The more we get together, together, together,

  • The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.

  • For your friends are my friends, (Point to a child, then to yourself)

  • And my friends are your friends. The more we get together, the happier we’ll be!

• Snack: Flower-shaped sandwiches (use a cookie cutter on bread and jam).

Day 4: F is for Fish & Fins

Focus: Water movement and "F" words.

• Lesson: Talk about how fish use Fins to swim Fast.

• Craft: Fancy Fish. Use coffee filters or cupcake liners to make colorful fish. Add "Fins" made from triangles of paper.

• Activity: Fishy, Fishy, Cross My Ocean. A classic game where one person is the shark and the "fish" try to swim across the yard without getting tagged.

• Books to Read:

  • The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.

• Song: "All the Fish are Swimming in the Water."

  • Tune: Original / Simple Chant

  • All the fish are swimming in the water,

  • Swimming in the water, swimming in the water.

  • (Join your palms and wiggle them like a fish swimming)

  • All the fish are swimming in the water... Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble... SPLASH!

  • (Roll your hands up for "bubbles" and clap loudly for "SPLASH")

• Snack: Fish-shaped crackers (Goldfish).

1. Go on a "Feather Hunt" outdoors. (Sprinkle a few brightly colored feathers in the play area for children to find.)

2. Talk about how they feel (Fuzzy, Feathery, Fine).

3. Practice blowing the feathers into the air—see whose feather can stay up the longest!

• Day 5: F is for Fire Truck & Flashlight

Focus: Safety and review.

• Lesson: Review all the F words: Farm, Frog, Flower, Friend, and Fish. Talk about how Firefighters help us.

• Craft: Fire Truck Collage. Use red rectangles and black Full-circles for wheels to build a truck.

• Activity: Flashlight Find. Dim the lights and use a Flashlight to find "F" objects hidden around the room.

• Books to Read:

  • Firehouse Co. No. 1

  • or any Fire Engine book.

• Song: "Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Fire Truck."

  • Tune: Ten Little Indians

  • Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck, (Pretend to turn a big steering wheel)

  • Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck, Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck, Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! (Pretend to ring a bell)

  • Hurry, hurry, climb the ladder, (Mimic climbing a ladder with your arms and legs)

  • Hurry, hurry, climb the ladder, Hurry, hurry, climb the ladder, Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

  • Hurry, hurry, spray the water, (Hold a hose and move it side to side)

  • Hurry, hurry, spray the water, Hurry, hurry, spray the water, Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

  • Slowly, slowly, back to the station, (Move your arms in a slow "driving" motion) Slowly, slowly, back to the station, Slowly, slowly, back to the station,

  • Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

• Snack: French toast sticks or Figs.