Every Monday we start off with a review of what we learned last and the books we read. Usually I do this with short quizzes using the dry erase side of the easel and props like letter/number magnets, and flashcards.
This week I decided to change it up a little. Autumn likes to play games on the computer like the NickJr. games and the games in the Knowledge Adventure series by playing these games she understands basic computer concepts like opening and closing a program, basic word processing skills (locating a letter and it pops up on the screen, selecting different fonts, selecting different font size, and changing font color).
Since she understands that stuff and this week is “computers week” I decided to take push the boundaries of her computer skills a little bit. I decided to implement teaching her the basics of Microsoft Paint in order to answer review questions. Here’s some samples:
I used MS Paint to draw a square and a circle. I asked Autumn to select the red color on the color pallette and color the square a square paintbrush. Some of her coloring was way outside the line but she got the point and it still looks like a square. I did the same thing with the circle but I chose blue as the color.
Last month’s color was YELLOW. I asked Autumn to select the yellow on the color pallette and type the word “SQUARE” under the square and the word “CIRCLE’ under the circle. I also had her type a big zero and a big one labeling them with green letters. She passed with flying colors. I also asked her to type her name. When we were finished as asked her to look at the toolbar at the top of the screen and find the button that lets you print. She did.
For story time we started a new project and didnt finish our book. Instead I let her paint her own ending using MS paint. It looked strange but she was able to tell what was going on in her picture and that counts for alot.
Hope this helps you parents out there with preschool aged kids who you want to begin basic computer skills. My theory on that subject:
“Technology and computer use in general becomes more embedded into our daily lives with each generation. It’s time to prepare our future for their future.”
For more lesson plans to help introduce computers to your kids visit this website http://www.computerlabkids.com/
