Pre-K, Phone Home

I am not a believer in needless rote memorization. But some is needed. In Parashat Vayishlach I explain, "Dina, Yaakov's daughter, got separated from her family.  This is very dangerous!" We discussed why this is dangerous, how it could theoretically happen to someone (because the students insisted it could never happen), and what they would do if, chas v'shalom, it ever happened to them.

"I'd call ummm, 111," Nechama suggested.
"I'd call 911," Syma countered,
"911! 911! 911!" the class chorused together.
"Good! You all know to call 911 if there is an emergency.  Like a fire," I replied. "But if you are out somewhere, and suddenly can't find your family, what would you do?" I asked.
"I would never lose my family," Nehorai insisted.
"I would call my family and they would find me!" Allison replied.
"Excellent! How would you call them?"
"With a phone," Yitzy responded dryly.
"Do you know your phone number?" I asked. Everyone stared at me blankly.  "How about your address?"
"I live on Myrtle Street!" Syma proudly replied. When pressed for an address, she cleverly remarked that she would have a policeman drive her on Myrtle street until they found her Volvo and then she would know she was home.

My goal was for everyone to work on memorizing their mother's cell phone number. If you have a preferred emergency contact, please let me know.
"Does this mean you will get us each a real phone?" Yitzy asked. Yaakov began to cheer at this prospect.

 We started with audio, oral and kinetic learning. Each child reviewed they phone number, hearing it and saying it.

 Then they had to jump out the numbers.

 This was good reinforcement for those working on number recognition.

 Great for fine motor coordination.

Fun for everyone.

 The numbers were printed up and the students are putting them up with magnets.
We will keep practicing in different ways at school.

Please reinforce this at home. Sing the number on the car ride to school. Have your child say them over and over while washing their hands.

Until my offspring memorized my phone number, I wrote it on their arms and across their stomachs whenever we attended a large function.