News Archive

News

February 2010 Newsletter

The links are not clickable in this copy of the newsletter.
Copy and paste the link into your browser address bar to go to a selected page.

Here are more f r e e ActivitySheets and SongSheets
to go with the most popular songs. I think there are some really
good ActivitySheets this month.
Also check-out the songs and activities for Valentine's Day.

1. New ActivitySheets
---------------------
Home on the Range (observing differences)
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/activity/398

Hickory Dickory Dock (telling the time)
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/activity/419

Jesus Loves Me (writing)
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/activity/498

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands (letters)
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/activity/391

Over in the Meadow (counting)
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/activity/737

To see all the available activity sheets, click on this link:
http://www.kididdles.com/activitysheets_home.html

2. New SongSheets
-----------------
Over in the Meadow
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/737

A Mother's Song
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/661

Hey Diddle Diddle & Diddle Diddle Dumplin
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/390

A Ring o' Roses
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/869

Go Tell Aunt Rhody
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/341

Click on this link to see all the KIDiddles SongSheets:
http://www.kididdles.com/songsheets_home.html

3. Valentine Cards and SongSheets
---------------------------------
There are ten Valentine card activity sheets on this PDF:
Valentine ActivitySheets link:
http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/activity/1184

Each card has writing lines inside for your students to write their
messages. Four cards are in color and the other four in black and
white for coloring.
To make the cards, fold along the longer side of the sheet, on the
dashed lines, and then fold again.

To see all the KIDiddles Valentine songs, click on this link
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/valentines.html

Here are the Valentine SongSheets:
A Special Valentine http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/978
A Valentine for Me http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/1122
My Valentine http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/697
St. Valentine's Day http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/992
Valentines http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/1121
Valentines are Coming http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/1120
Waiting for a Valentine http://www.kididdles.com/sheets/song/1184

Click on this link to see all the KIDiddles MusicSheets (sheet music).
http://www.kididdles.com/musicsheets_home.html

4. Reading Lessons
---------------------
Last year, in the KIDiddles survey, when I asked what KIDiddles
users wanted, at the top of most people's list was help with
teaching reading.
But people made it clear that they didn't want it to change
KIDiddles, they preferred a separate website.

As teaching reading is a subject close to my heart, I set about
putting together step-by-step lessons on how to teach reading,
using synthetic phonics.
I finally completed a sample lesson a couple of weeks ago,

I sent out an email last week about the sample lesson (Lesson 7
Phoneme /t/) asking for feedback on a ten question survey; and I
got a lot of valuable advice and suggestions.

Here are the highlights:

1. Make it clear that the lessons are for teachers and parents, not
for students.
2. Get someone else to record the video lessons (I was too slow and
hesitant!)
3. Be consistent in the use of fonts.
4. Make more use of songs, rhymes and poems.
5. Is a subscription to Reading A-Z essential? Answer: It's not.
6. Make shorter videos to introduce the lessons.
7. Add movement and gestures.

If you watched the video and completed the survey, many thanks. If
not please help formulate the lessons by checking the sample lesson:
http://reading.s3.amazonaws.com/test.html

Don't forget, the lessons will be free.
Many thanks.

5. New KIDiddles Registration System
--------------------------
You can now download the printable sheets directly from the song
pages. You no longer have to go to the full list of all the sheets.

If you have not yet registered:

1. Just go to a song page, for example, Baby Bumble Bee:
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/b002.html
2. Click on one of the reduced printable sheets in the left margin.
3. You will be asked to sign-in, but you do not yet have a password.
4. Click on "Forgot My Password", so that we can email your password.
5. WAIT 30 MINUTES for your account to be activated. (IMPORTANT)
6. You will then be able to sign-in with your new password.
7. Download as many sheets as you like directly from the song pages.

6. Goldilocks Video
------------------
A fun classic tale set to music by Debbie and Friends. Join
Goldilocks on her adventure. Have fun singing and dancing along.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaulRHrJGeU

For coloring pages and more activities, visit:
http://www.debbieandfriends.net

7. More Great Websites
----------------------
"FREE Worksheets, quizzes, games and online practice on math,
grammar, phonics, handwriting, word search, language arts, social
studies and geography for preschool to middle school.

See this and thousands of other great teacher sites at:
http://www.sitesforteachers.com/cgi-bin/in.cgi?id=terry

Keep on Singing!

Francis

P.S. Here's the link to the Sample reading lesson: Lesson 7 /t/
http://reading.s3.amazonaws.com/test.html

KIDiddles has a Twitter account. If you haven't tried Twitter yet,
check it out here:
https://twitter.com/signup
and please follow KIDiddles on Twitter here:
http://twitter.com/KIDiddles

KIDiddles is also on Facebook. Please become a KIDiddles fan:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/KIDiddles/138379470270