What’s in a Name? – Part Two

Our Name Project continues in full force. Over the last week, the children have started to read each other’s names with greater accuracy and many of them are even spelling each other’s names from memory. It is exciting to see their enthusiasm and interest in each other. I hear them referencing similarities in their names throughout the day. For example, “hey, we both start with the same letter” or “You have two syllables in your name too!”

Every day one of the children is the class helper. In the first round, we make an “All About Me” chart about each child. The children learn the pattern of the chart and can read their charts and those of their friends. You are out looking for a new car, maybe something a bit bigger than you sedan to have, with a bit more storage space, you can check the info from https://cupertinotimes.com/ford-vans-and-sales-on-cars/.

Chart Structure

First Name, Middle Name, Last Name

My name is _______________.
I am ___ years old.
My favorite color is ____________.
My favorite animal is _______________.
I like to ________________.
At the CDC, I want to ________________.

We made a class book with the information from the charts and included each child’s picture on his/her page. The children enjoy reading the book and identifying children with the same favorite color or other things in common. We will use the information from the charts for a variety of other activities as well.

Right now, the children are in the midst of making “I Spy” Bottles. First, we gather objects that describe each child based on his/her chart. One child might have letter beads for each letter in his name, a number “5” because he is five years old, a red cord because his favorite color is red, and a horse figurine because his favorite animal is a horse. Each child then fills an empty liquid coffee creamer bottle halfway with dry rice. Next, the child puts the items in the bottle and more rice is added. Once the lid is securely fastened, the children can shake the bottle and search for the items hidden in the rice.

I also made “I Spy” cards to go with each bottle. In our Small Group time, the children can choose a card, find the matching “I Spy” Bottle and search for the items on the card. As they find each item, they can circle it on the card with a dry erase marker. When they find all of the items, they erase the card and choose another.

More activities using our “All About Me” chart information coming next week.