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U is for umbrellas this week as we continue our Letter of the Week Series with Letter U!
Each week for 26 weeks I created a new printable activity pack all about the focus letter of the week. The corresponding posts include book lists, a list of animals that start with the letter of the week and play ideas or activities relating to each letter.
If you’re just joining us, make sure to check out the other posts in this series on our Letter of the Week Page.
Letter U Notebook
The Letter U Notebook includes:
- Uppercase & Lowercase Letter Mazes
- Dot-to-dots
- Circle the letter U’s page
- U is for Underground & Umbrella Crafts with cut out templates for easy prep and assembly
- Coloring Pages
- Do-a-Dot Pages
- 3 Types of Puzzles
Letter U Book List
Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss
This is a fun and cheerful book about all the ways we use the word up.
The Umbrella by Jan Brett
This beautifully illustrated story follows Carlos as he walks into the rainforest with his umbrella. As he climbs up a tree to get a better view of the animals, the animals find his umbrella and decide to get in.
Underground by Denise Fleming
Explore what goes on in the lives of creatures living underground in this fun book.
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
This non-fiction book explores what animals do during winter. Under the snow is a surprising world of animal activity just waiting to be discovered.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
This is another book from Kate Messner that this time explores the life of a garden. And, how there’s a lot going on “down” in the dirt along with what we can see happening “up” in the garden.
Umbrella by Taro Yashima
Momo is so excited about the red rubber boots and umbrella she received for her 3rd birthday. But, then she has to wait and wait for it to rain…
How Far Underground by Monika Davies
This book gives children so much information about the different kinds of animals that burrow underground and their habitats.
Letter U Animals
Uakari
Red Uakari – Los Angeles Zoo
Bald Uakari – National Geographic
Umbrellabird
Long-Wattled Umbrellabird – American Bird Conservancy
Urial
Transcaspian Urial – Saint Louis Zoo
Urial – Minnesota Zoo
Letter U Play Ideas
Under the Ground play ideas
Set up some easy and frugal dramatic underground play this week with blankets and pillows on the living room floor. Children can pretend to be animals burrowing in the dirt to make shelters, worms blindly wiggling their way around, or plants pushing through the soil into the sunlight.
Alternatively, If you happen to have cardboard boxes around you could use these for some fun underground play time. Your children can even glue colored construction paper to the boxes making dirt and grass. Or add drawings of in marker of soil, grass, tunnels, and animals they might find underground.
Under the Ground Sensory Bin
Fill a bin with soil and then add a few of these ideas below:
- Miniature toy insects, worms, or burrowing animals
- Small cups to partially bury in the dirt and use as a burrow
- Toilet paper or paper towel tubes to use as tunnels
- Stones
- Bright colored yarn to contrast with the soil that they can make root systems or insect trails with
- Little rakes and shovels to move the dirt and imitate the way animals move soil
Have fun learning about Letter U this week!
Heidi
