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Musically Montessori: "Postperson Song and Game" for Valentines Week and a new freebie!


WHETHER YOU CELEBRATE VALENTINE'S DAY OR NOT...THIS "POSTPERSON, DO YOU HAVE A LETTER?" SONG IS A PERENNIAL FAVORITE IN THE MONTESSORI MUSIC ROOM!




"POSTPERSON" SONG
Even in the age of email and digital cards, there is still something endearing about receiving a hand-written correspondence from someone special. Receiving a letter in the mailbox is still very exciting, and luckily our children still see the post person (mail carrier) delivering these letters.

Writing a letter (or a postcard) is a wonderful reality-based activity for young children who are developing their writing, reading and communication skills. 

What better time is there to practice writing, than...Valentines Day!

The traditional "Postperson Song" that I am writing about today is loved by virtually every child I've ever taught. I first learned this song in my own childhood, when it was "Postman, postman, do you have a letter?" and then I re-discovered it while taking my Orff-Schulwerk music training in the 1990's. Nowadays we say: "Postperson" and that makes it so much nicer for this song and circle game.


"Postperson, Postperson,
Do you have a letter?
Postperson, Postperson,
Two would be much better.
I can hardly wait to see
What is in your bag for me."


The idea is that the child who is the "Postperson" delivers letters to the children around the circle as they sing the song. 
In the Montessori environment, we often play this game and use the sandpaper letters (alphabet letters) instead of actual postal letters.

I've created an Mp3 music download of my version of this song in my newest TpT Activity Pack. (see below)

When I found a "Postperson" costume at Lakeshore Learning Store a few years ago that just made the song really come to life in our Montessori Preschool classroom!



Then I found a nice wooden mailbox and that gave me the idea to set up a writing center featuring the mailbox. 


CREATING A "WRITING CENTER"
This writing center can be open all year around, but expect it to be very busy during the month of February! You can keep it stocked with letter paper/ stationery, pencils & pens, envelopes, and stickers that can become "postage stamps."


 If you purchase my TpT Activity Pack "Valentines Day: Postperson Song and Activities" your group can create their own "valentine postcards" at your Writing Center.


MAKING VALENTINES
Children can spend weeks making Valentines. This has always been one of the most popular activities in my Montessori environments. You've probably discovered this, too! 

Every year, it is such a delight to see the children create the heart that appears when you fold a piece of pink paper, cut around the edge, and then open the paper. It's like magic, especially for the child who has never seen this heart-making process!

Montessorians will find the best ways of creating "control of error" for every activity on the shelf, and this picture below shows how I have set up the heart-making activity over the years.

I create a cardboard "half heart" and then I place a piece of tape along the edge that the child will put on the fold of her paper. After the child has placed the half heart correctly on the folded paper, she then traces around the shape with her pencil. Next, she cuts along the line she drew making sure she cuts through both layers of the folded paper.

If you provide envelopes, children can make their heart creations into valentines, then place them in envelopes and take them over to the classroom mailbox!



PRACTICING NAME-WRITING
FROM MY FREEBIE COLLECTION
Making valentines is the perfect time to hone in on the children's skills at writing...writing their own names and also the names of their friends. 

Providing a set-up for practicing name-writing is a shelf work that will be engaging for the children from the very first days of school. Below is a picture of the name-writing activity that I like best. The child takes their name card and places it on a magnetic board. Then she places a piece of tracing paper over the card. Secure these with two magnets and then the child can use a pencil to write her name by tracing the letters on her name card. 


Practicing writing your name begins with a name card that is created as a model for the child. If you would like to see exactly how to put this type of activity together, you will enjoy my newest free resource at my Subscriber's Freebie Collection. I've included a template for making name cards for your group that you can download, print and then create a name card for each of your children.



My Subscribers Freebie Collection has more than 30 free resources that you can download and enjoy for absolutely free! 

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MUSICALLY MONTESSORI: "POSTPERSON SONG AND GAME" AT MY TpT SHOP

My little twist to this lovely traditional circle game, based on the  Postperson Song, is from the Montessori sandpaper alphabet letters and offers three variations that are progressively more challenging.

Here is what is inside the pack:

~ Description of how to do the activities including:
   1) Circle Song and Game with 3 different levels and variations
   2) "Make Your Own Postcard" (child-made) explanation 
~ Link to the Mp3 music download, "Carolyn's Postperson Song"
~ Templates for making "alphabet letter with blank" postcards for the circle game using Montessori color-coding red vowels/ blue consonants OR blue vowels /red consonants
~ Templates for making "alphabet letter with printed names" (with choice of color-coding)
~ Templates of the postcards and stamps for child-made postcard activity
~ Pictorial suggestions for a child's "Practice writing your name" Activity


Thank you again for visiting my Blog today and I hope you and your children have some fun with these ideas.



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