"Incredible I"

Day 1: I is for Insects

Focus: Introducing the letter shape and the long i and short i /ih/ sound.

• Lesson: Introduce the letter I. It’s a tall, straight line with a hat and shoes! Practice the /ih/ sound (like you are wiggling your nose at something "icky").

• Craft: Fingerprint Insects. Use ink pads or paint to make fingerprints on paper, then draw legs and antennae to turn them into beetles, ants, and bees.

• Activity: The Insect Investigation. Give each child a magnifying glass and head to your large backyard. See how many Insects you can find in the grass or near the trees.

• Books to Read:

  • The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle.

• Song: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (Focusing on the I-I-Itsy sound).

• Snack: "Ants on a Log" (Celery with seed butter and raisins).

Day 2: I is for Ice

Focus: Sensory exploration and temperature.

• Lesson: Discuss the long "I" sound. Talk about how water turns into Ice when it gets very cold.

• Craft: Ice Painting. Freeze colored water in ice cube trays with popsicle sticks. Let the children "paint" on paper as the ice melts.

• Activity: The Ice Rescue. Freeze small plastic toys (like dinosaurs or insects) in a large block of ice. Give the children warm water and salt to see how they can "melt" the toys out.

• Books to Read:

  • Ice Boy by David Ezra Stein.

• Song: "Icy, Icy Ice."

  • Tune: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

  • Icy, icy, ice so cold, Hard to touch and hard to hold. (Pretend to shiver and pull your hands back)

  • In the winter, in the tray, Melting, melting, fast away. (Slowly sink to the floor like you are melting)

  • Icy, icy, ice so cold, Hard to touch and hard to hold.

• Snack: Ice-cold fruit smoothies or fruit-filled Ice cubes in water.

Day 3: I is for Inchworm

Focus: Measuring and movement

• Lesson: Show the children how an Inchworm moves by scrunching up its body.

• Craft: Bead Inchworms. String green beads onto a pipe cleaner. Bend the pipe cleaner to make the "hump" of the inchworm.

• Activity: Inch by Inch. Use rulers or "inchworm strips" to measure things around the room. "How many inches long is your shoe?"

• Books to Read:

  • Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni.

• Song: "The Inchworm Song."

  • Tune: The Wheels on the Bus

  • The little inchworm scrunches up and down, Up and down, up and down.

  • (Use your arm to mimic the arching movement)

  • The little inchworm scrunches up and down, All around the yard.

  • He measures the grass and he measures the toes,

  • (Point to the grass, then your feet)

  • Measures the toes, measures the toes.

  • He measures the grass and he measures the toes,

  • All around the yard

• Snack: Sliced Italian cucumber "coins" (long and thin like an inchworm).

Day 4: I is for Imagination & Instruments

Focus: Creative play and rhythm.

• Lesson: Discuss what Imagination is—the ability to think of anything! Ask: "If you could be any animal, what would you be?"

• Craft: DIY Instruments. Use empty containers to make shakers or drums. Decorate them with the letter I.

• Activity: The Imagination Parade. Have the children play their Instruments while pretending to march through a jungle or over a mountain.

• Books to Read:

  • Not a Box by Antoinette Portis.

• Song: "I Can Use My Imagination."

  • Tune: London Bridge

  • I can use my imagination, Imagination, imagination.

  • I can use my imagination, To be a [Dinosaur]! (Children act out the animal named)

    (Repeat with different ideas like: To be an Airplane, To be a Tall Tree, To be a Tiny Bug)

• Snack: Individual pizza rounds (let them use their imagination to decorate the faces with toppings).

Day 5: I is for Iguana & Igloo

Focus: Review and habitats.

• Lesson: Review all "I" words. Talk about the Iguana (who likes it hot) and the Igloo (which is made of ice).

• Craft: Sugar Cube Igloo. Use sugar cubes and frosting (or white playdough) to build a small domed Igloo.

• Activity: Iguana Crawl. Set up an obstacle course where children have to crawl low to the ground like an Iguana.

• Books to Read:

  • I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff.

• Song: "I am an Iguana."

  • Tune: I'm a Little Teapot

  • I am an iguana, green and long, (Stretch your arms out wide)

  • I have a tail that’s very strong. (Wiggle your hips)

  • When I see a bug, I take a look, (Point to your eyes)

  • And catch it with a tongue like a hook! (Stick out your tongue quickly)

• Snack: Island fruit salad (Pineapple, Mango, and Banana).