Young children are eager to learn new words.  There is a vocabulary word associated with each theme.  Post the vocabulary word on your learning poster.  Include a drawing or picture that shows the meaning of the word.  Discuss the word daily as you talk about the theme.  Children will learn the meaning of the word when they hear you use it often.

Here is a summary of the weekly vocabulary words:

Week  1 - calf - a calf is a baby cow.
Week 2 - vines - vines are plants with long, thin bendable stems; they grow along the ground or climb up trees, etc.
Week 3 - claws - claws are the sharp, curved nails on a kitten's paws.
Week 4 - iris - the iris is the colored part of your eye surrounding the pupil.
Week 5 - beacon - a beacon is a signal, a light to guide and warn.
Week 6 - prism - a prism can be made out of glass or other clear material in a solid, sometimes triangular, shape.  When light passes through the prism it separates into the different colors of the spectrum/rainbow.
Week 7 - twinkle - to twinkle is to flash, sparkle or gleam.
Week 8 - ray - a beam of light.
Week 9 - dough - the dough is the (cookie) mixture before it has been cooked.
Week 10 - engine - an engine of a train is the train car that usually pulls all the other cars along the track.
Week 11 - full (moon) - the moon is full when it is round like a circle and all lit up.  When something is full it is completely there.
Week 12 - duckling - a duckling is a baby duck.
Week 13 - gasoline - gasoline is a liquid substance that is used to fuel cars and trucks.  You buy it at the gas station.
Week 14 - mane - the long hair growing on the neck of a horse.
Week 15 - downpour - during a downpour the rain is falling very fast and heavy.
Week 16 - antennae - the feelers on the head of the butterfly.
Week 17 - wool - the curly, soft, hair-like covering of a sheep.
Week 18 - noise - any sounds that we can hear, some sounds may be soft and others loud.
Week 19 - sail - the piece of cloth attached to a sailboat, that allows the boat to move when it catches the wind.
Week 20 - helium - a gas that when used to fill a balloon, allows the balloon to float up by itself.
Week 21 - gust - a sudden strong blast of wind.
Week 22 - autumn - explain that this is another name for the season we more commonly call fall.
Week 23 - flake - a flake is usually a thin, small, flat piece of something.  Snow falls in flakes.
Week 24 - leash - a leash is a strap, rope, or chain used to lead an animal, such as a dog.
Week 25 - whiskers - the long hairs growing near the mouth of a rabbit.
Week 26 - contrail - the trail of condensation left behind the path of a jet airplane.