• During circle time place all of the letters in the middle of the circle. As you read the story to the children invite one child at a time to place the corresponding sticker on or off of the book.
• Invite children to work individually or in small groups with the book. Encourage the children to manipulate the letters. Ask the children to find the letters that are in their names. Then ask the children to use the letters to make simple words that they may already know or words that they see in the classroom.
• Play a game of human anagrams with the children. Provide each child with a letter of the alphabet. On separate sheets of paper write simple words that utilize each letter so that all children can participate. Explain to the children that you will hold up the word and they will have to work together to spell the word using the letters they are each holding. You can even set it to music or time each group.

Let's Go on A Letter Hunt

• Provide each child with a letter of the alphabet, paper strips, and pencil. Tell the children that they will go on a letter hunt. Ask the children to search the classroom for words that begin with the letter they have and write the words on a paper strip. Provide children with books and newspapers to use for their search. Create a word wall using the words the children found during their letter hunt.

What you need: soup pot, wooden spoon, ladle, small plastic bowls, plastic spoons

Recipe:
8 cups water
2 vegetable bullion cubes
(You can also use 6 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken broth)
1 package pasta alphabet letters
Variety of fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables: carrots, corn, peas, chick peas (garbanzo beans) or other types of beans, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans or snow peas.

• Invite the children to assist in preparing the alphabet soup. You can plan a trip to a local store to purchase the ingredients or request that each family donate an ingredient.
• Provide the children with plastic knives and adult supervision.
• Pre-cut some of the vegetables to cut down on the children's wait time.
• Place the water in the soup pot. Bring the water to a boil and add the alphabet pasta.
• Explain to the children that they will add the hardest texture vegetables first. Ask the children which vegetable they think should go in the pot first. Assist the children in sorting the vegetables from hardest to softest.
• Check the soup as the ingredients cook. Once the hardest ingredients have become soft then add the softer vegetables.
• Cook the soup on a low heat until ready.
• Now it's time to serve the soup. What letters are in your soup? Can you find the letters your name?