Build a Tent
Introduction
Have a dinosaur dig for your child in your own home while practicing the alphabet.
Materials:
- Sheets
- Paper
- Pencils or Crayons
- Scissors (*to be used by adults only)
- Tape
Directions:
- Using flat sheets help your child make her own cowgirl tent. You can drape the sheets off of the back of a couch. Another option is to use dining room chairs to make your tent. Make a square or a triangle with the chairs with each chair being one of the corners. Turn the chairs around so that the back of the chairs are facing one another. Then take your sheets and lay them over the chairs.
- Once the tent is complete, have your child draw a horse. Have her draw the tail on a separate piece of paper and have an adult cut out the tail. Help her to draw a saddle on the horse. When she is done have her label the horse and saddle by writing the words HORSE and SADDLE on the drawing. For younger children you can draw dotted letters for them to trace. For older children, instead of telling them which letters to write, help them sound out each letter and have them figure out which letter is next.
- Play a game of �Place the Tail on the Horse�. Before your child can close her eyes to try to place the tail on the horse, have her answer a question about the words she wrote or the individual letters. Example: Ask your child to recall the spelling of the word HORSE. Or ask her how many vowels are in the word SADDLE and to identify them. Each time she answers a questions she can slowly spin in a circle three times with her eyes shut and try to place the tail on the horse.
Take it further:
- Play �Place the Upper Case Letters on the Lower Case Letters�. Have your child write the words HORSE and SADDLE in upper case letters on a sheet of paper. Have her write the words in lower case letters as well. Have an adult cut the upper case letters out. Have your child place the upper case letters on the corresponding lower case letter. For more of a challenge have your child do this for the entire alphabet.
- Have your child make up a song about being a cowboy or cowgirl. Help her to think of things that a cowboy or cowgirl would do and incorporate that into her song. Help your child write the song down on a piece of paper. When the song is complete have your child perform it for your family.
- Sing �Home on the Range� just like a cowboy or cowgirl would do in the wild west. For more of a challenge have your child find rhyming words in the song. Then have them tell what other words rhyme with that word. Example: Day rhymes with hay, play, stay and lay.
- Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Talk about it:
- Talk about what it means to be a hero. Who is a hero in the eyes of your child?
- What other things do cowboys and cowgirls do? Brainstorm with your child about some other cowboy and cowgirl themed games you can play and create together.
