Home learning offers many opportunities and this week’s activities showcase these possibilities to their fullest. From exploring a pond to getting our hands dirty your child will learn more than to recognize the uppercase and lowercase letter “F.” Your child will learn about a frog’s anatomy, their habitat, diet, life cycles, and so much more. 

I liked the idea of Letter of the Week for preschool but everything available seemed so limiting for all the freedom we have with homeschooling. I challenged myself to develop a Letter of the Week for my boys that would be play-based and purposeful. Follow the button below to check out the entire curriculum, it is entirely free.

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A Sample Preschool Schedule for Ff is for Frog

Monday highlight: Alphabet train wall display and Leapfrog

Every Monday I begin by introducing the new letter for the week with the wall display train car. My three-year old, Mick always chooses markers to color in the letters. After he colored it in, he placed it on the wall next to the other letters and we sang the alphabet as review. Find that printable here, Alphabet Train Wall Display. Also available are Acorn and Caterpillar Alphabet Wall Displays.

Usually, that is all we will do but this week there is a fun, quick, and nostalgic game to play. Before we began the game we read Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson during morning basket to tie the activity of the day all together. 

Leapfrog! No set up or planning, we simply went in the backyard and began leaping over each other with lot’s of “ribbiting” sounds. I enjoy extending this activity to practice the various sounds that these animals make. There are quite a few including: barks, beeps, grunts, trills, whistles, croaks, ribbits, etc.

Tuesday highlight: Dissect a fake frog

We began our day by reviewing the alphabet with the wooden alphabet puzzle. After, I emphasized that the letter “F” is for Frog by asking Mick to color the first coloring page with the upper and lowercase letters of “F.” Then morning time commenced on the couch with multiple books about frogs. We have quite a few but my favorites are The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter and Wind Says Good Night by Katy Rydell.

Now, it was time for our frog-themed activity. The thought of dissecting a real animal tends to make my stomach churn, but fortunately, we have an alternative: fake frogs! These dissection kits are fascinating rather than eerie because a synthetic material makes them up. Inside a gelatin-like mold, you’ll find complete skeletal structures and organs. Plus, there is a comprehensive instruction and guide booklet included. And the best part? You can remold the frog again and again with the included extra packets. Read more about how to do this activity with your child at this post, How to dissect a frog.

Wednesday highlight: Life cycle toys

After the morning basket, review included singing the alphabet while pointing to the wall display train. Then I gave Mick his second coloring page because I needed to find the life cycle toys in the homeschooling closet. 

Once Mick finished up his coloring page I provided him with the life cycle of a frog printable, printed on cardstock, and the life cycle toys. Get the free printable by following the button below. He and his five-year old brother, Marty, wanted to play with them so they took turns with and matched the stages on the printable. 

Weekend highlight: Frog hunting at the Grandparents’ pond

This week looked a little different because we traveled on Thursday and Friday for a planned family vacation to visit grandparents. There are plenty of areas I could take the boys to in our area that have frogs. We even have a lot of tree frogs at our place. But it serendipitously worked out that Mick was studying frogs right before visiting family so we can group them together and involve extended family with the Letter of the Week lessons.

During our stay with grandparents, the boys hunted for frogs in the pond and were able to place them in buckets to study. Their squeals and peals of laughter communicated that it was a successful end to the week of Ff is for Frog. 

Find frogs near you or improvise.

Nature preserves or even some neighborhood parks may be near a stream or low lying water area that allows public access. These, depending on the time of year, are great areas to hunt for frogs. 

If all else fails, including the weather and season! Consider raising your own frog at home. This can be a bit of a commitment because they can live up to five years. However, if your child is ready for a pet and you are able to help them care for it, then it may be a possibility!

Are you inspired to try Letter of the Week?

Let me know in the comments if you’re feeling inspired to try these activities with your 3-5 year old. You can check out the step-by-step instructions for each activity by clicking the button below. Also, included are book suggestions and coloring pages all for free.

Letter of the Week looks entirely different when completed in the home. These activities are play-based, purposeful, hands-on, and engaging. We create active and hands-on opportunities to fully engage our young child with the topic. And allow time for quieter moments so our child can absorb the information. I hope with this sample schedule you feel equipped to create structured learning time with your 3-5 year old in your home.

The sample schedule I provide here is for inspiration and guidance purposes only. I encourage you to adapt the order of activities to fit the season of life your family is in.