Week Six: Letter F (Really this time)

As I said earlier we hadn't gotten to the letter F (our official sixth week) last week. So now we have gotten on and been learning about Frogs!

Our vocab for this week was: webbed feet, tympanum, head and body. For the rhyme I took two verses from the Frogs' Chorus. A had a lot of fun saying this, especially since I made up some hand motions to go along with it. The books we read this week were Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister and The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss (E still likes for me to read this to her since I move each foot when we read it).

We really didn't get into music this week. A and E did enjoy Five Little Speckled Frogs. They both seem to enjoy anything relating to counting and when I just look silly singing. We also did the Farmer in the Dell. I wanted to play Finiculi, Finicula but I never looked for the music. Hopefully I will do it next time around.

For our Bible time we read about the feeding of the 5,000.  (Don't you just love all of those F words: feed, fish and 5,000!) Our verse for the week was: Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

We didn't do much math this week. We did do a little work on fractions with cutting things into halves or quarters. We also looked for the color green.

Science we looked at flamingo, flax, forget me not, ferret, and flounder.

When it came to social studies we read about...actually I don't think we did any social studies this week. Oops!

We did make a fan for our art project. As I said last week A and E had fun painting. We continued that this week. Then the girls were able to practice some manual skills by folding the paper. The girls were proud of their projects and couldn't wait to show Daddy when he got home.

Another fun art project we worked on this week was making turkeys. I know this doesn't relate to F but we still had fun with Thanksgiving just around the corner. The girls painted a paper bag and toilet paper roll. I then cut out their hand prints from the paper bag. After everything was dried A and I glued on the hand prints to the back of the roll. We then added eyes. A wanted to add a mouth and feet so we got out some pipe cleaners. They have made a festive decoration for this Thanksgiving holiday that looks great!

Well, we are looking forward to moving on to the letter G. Hopefully, our lives will slow down and we can enjoy learning all about glasses. If life doesn't slow down we will still continue to enjoy our time of learning as A continually asks to "Lets do school!"

Week Six: Review!

Well, it really isn't week six. We have been taking so long and enjoying our time together that I really don't remember how many weeks we have been at this. As you know I was out of town, then we had A's birthday party as soon as I got back, then we had so many family members around that I hadn't spent much time with the girls. So I decided we would take a week off and go over everything we had learned. I checked out the books the girls had enjoyed the most. We sang some of our favorite songs. Worked on the Bible verses we had learned already and just did a lot of painting. All in all it was a great week of having fun and learning together. I think we might do this in five weeks again just to go over the next five letters and review everything we have been learning!

Week Five: Letter E

For this week my wonderful MIL and husband got A and E started on the letter E and EGGS! The vocabulary words for the week were: membrane, shell, white and yolk. Our rhyme for the week was I Bought a Dozen New Laid Eggs. Our books for this week were The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper and Eva and Ethan (a First Sounds book) by Kelly Doudna. I tried to find Emma's Eggs by Margriet Ruurs but I had trouble finding it at the library.

For music we didn't have very much do to my husband said. So, if you have any songs that relate to E or eggs it would be helpful the next time we go through this letter.

For our Bible story we read about the Garden of Eden. Our Bible verse was: Romans 10:13: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

For math time the girls worked on counting five and identifying ovals. A liked practicing drawing ovals.

Science time the girls looked at emperor penguins, elm, eucalyptus, egret, elk and elephant seal.

I tried to get the A and E interested in Albert Einstein but they weren't really interested in him. They wanted to have fun and play after I had been gone for awhile.

We did have fun making egg carton caterpillars. We took old egg crates and colored them. I got some pom poms for eyes and pipe cleaners to make antennas. A really enjoyed making them but E wasn't ready for it. This was a nice way to have fun and enjoy some fun time together after being going for awhile. 

Week Four: Letter D

Wow, I hadn't realized how long it has been since I wrote last. Life with two little kids just makes me realize where our priorities are. We have still had lots of fun learning. Awhile back my wonderful MIL watched the girls while I helped my step-mom move. (Also another reason to not have written lately.) She worked with them for part of the week while I was gone. She helped them continue in our work and learning all about DINOSAURS! A has really enjoyed looking at and reading about dinosaurs so I was hopeful she would still.

For vocabulary the girls learned a few of the names for the different dinosaurs. The poem for the week was Down in the Dell. It doesn't relate to dinosaurs but it was still enjoyable. Some of the books we the girls found amsuing were: Go, Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman, Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff, and Dashing Dog by Margaret Mahy.

For music we did a lot of singing. A and E really enjoyed a dinosaur song set to the tune of No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. We also did Hey Diddle Diddle, How Much is that Doggie, and the Farmer in the Dell.

For our Bible time we read about Daniel and the Lions Den. A has really enjoyed this story before and she helped E get into the story. For our scripture verse we worked on Psalm 118:24: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Our math time was lacking this week. We did some practice with the four. I wanted to work on measuring distance on different things. But, like I said, we were lacking on math this week, maybe next time around we can do a better job.

For science we looked at: dove, daffodil, dahlia, donkey and dolphins. We read a few books about dolphins. A and E liked reading about them.

For social studies we tried to learn about Daniel Boone and deserts. A and E weren't really interested in either of these this week.

I am trying to remember what we did for art this week and I really can't. Maybe it wasn't that interesting.

Week Three (and Four): Letter C

No, we didn't do D with C and I forgot about it! We were just so busy it took me two weeks to get through the letter C. The one nice thing about being on our own schedule is we can do whatever we want. I had to remind myself this week that this is suppose to be fun and engaging. This week was far from that. I think part of that was due to the letter we were doing and what I had prepared. For the letter C we looked at Cars.

Our vocabulary for the week was bumper, windshield, hood and tire. I think A already knew these words but they were good for E to learn. Our nursery rhyme was Cock Crows in the Morn. One great aspect of this week was we all enjoyed our C books for the week. We read: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Quiet Cricket both are by Eric Carle, Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina, Clickety Clack by Rob and Amy Spence, The Crook can Cook by Kelly Doudna, Over at the Castle by Boni Ashburn and Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee. E loved Clip-Clop! (I feel like we had more books. Maybe that is because A wanted me to keep reading some of the B week books to her this week. My children love to read. Now I just hope it lasts.)

We didn't get much into music this week. Hopefully, we will do better. I really wanted to play Aaron Coplands' Appalachian Spring, but like I said, it was a weird week. Maybe next time around we can try it.

For Bible time we read about Creation and our memory verse for the week was from Colossians 3:20: Children, obey your parents in all things. This proved to be much needed because we had some major obedience issues in our home this week.

For math we did number three. Again we stacked blocks and counted them. We also ordered big, bigger, biggest and small, smaller, smallest. I tried to find three of a similar object and ask A which one was which or to put them in size order. For E I asked her which one was big or small. It's Not Easy Being Big by Stephanie St.Pierre was a grat book to read while we worked on these concepts. I think A learned them for the most part. She has a little trouble with the middle sizes but that will come with more practice and time. We also looked at squares. A really already knows her shapes so I have been using this more for E as an introduction/reinforcement for her. Looking back I might change this shape to be triangle since it has three sides and this is the week we did the number three.

For science we looked at: cardinals, chrysanthemum, columbine, cougar, camel, (oh, I forgot we did sing Alice the Camel) crab and clown fish. We also read about corn this week too.

For social studies we tried to learn about Christopher Columbus but we didn't do much with that.

Wow, I really did not enjoy this week. I know part of it was because our activities were so broken up. but it is also true that: if you don't enjoy it you don't want to do it! Hopefully D will be a better week.

Week Two: The Letter B

For week two we have had so much fun learning about BUTTERFLIES!

For our vocabulary we learned about wings, thorax, antenna and we even added chrysalis after we learned about them! I found a great nursery rhyme about Butterflies called Butterfly, Butterfly. We found some great books: Blackberry Banquet by Terry Pierce (this was more up to E's speed), Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey, and Cowgirl Rosie and Her Five Baby Bison by Stephen Gulbis.

For music we sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and Baa Baa Black Sheep.

For our Bible story we read about the Tower of Babel and our memory verse was: Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

For science we looked at bluebirds, buttercups, bluebells, bison, beluga whales and beavers. We read some books that related to butterflies. I liked doing this because we talked about the lifecycle of a butterfly and added a little more science in. A also really enjoyed this too.

For math we looked at the number two. We took out her blocks and made stacks of two all over the floor. When we were done we counted all of them up! We also talked about what objects came in twos. We also worked on more or less. I would take different objects and place them in different groups. One group would have maybe three of the same thing and the other would only have one. (We didn't get very large piles.) I then asked her which was more or less and alternated and mixed up what I was asking.  I  Instead of a shape this week we did a color. Can you guess what it is? Yes, it was BLUE! We walked around the house and yard looking for whatever we could find that was blue.

For social studies we learned about Ben Franklin. While we were reading about him A made a comment that he was born in Massachusetts just like Johnny Appleseed!

We also talked about bread a little bit and how it was made and the work required to make it. During the week we took a little "field trip". The only bakery I could think of was our local Panera. So we went around lunch time and got a bagel, yep it starts with B too, to eat. After we were done and the restaurant had cleared out we went up and looked around some more. I showed her all of the different kinds of bread, we were able to see the oven a little, some of the materials sitting out and a large cooling rack. She really enjoyed seeing everything we had talked and read about. We will definitely try to keep doing this more often. 

For our activity this week we baked bread. A and E were not as interested in this activity as the ones we did last week so I think we need to go back to more artsy projects!

Well, we are moving on to the letter C!

Week One: The Letter A

For our first week of school we looked at the letter A. Our theme for the week was apples. For our vocabulary we learned about the stem, peel, and seeds. Some of the books A enjoyed reading were The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall and How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman (I liked them both a lot too).  I found an old poem called An Apple Pie which was enjoyable to recite with the girls.

The girls enjoyed singing songs about apples. I did a simple search and found a song the replaced BINGO for APPLE, another one about an apple tree sung to the tune of I'm a Little Tea Pot and so many others. There are so many creative people out there who have come up with such cute and imaginative songs. Of course we also sang the Johnny Apple Seed song.

For our Bible lesson we read about Adam and Eve. Our scripture verse for the week was: Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all.

In math we had fun walking around the house and looking for objects that were round. A and I took pictures of them and then made them into a collage. I tried to let her cut out objects from a magazine that had just one thing but instead she cut her shirt! I very quickly put the scissors away. I don't think we are ready to learn that motor skill yet.

For science we looked at an albatross, aster, antelope and abalone. I think I am going to do something different here because I don't like how this has gone. Look in the future weeks to see how this gets changed!

For social studies we read about Johnny Appleseed. A can now tell you what he did, where he was born and where he is buried!

A and E had lots of fun with art. I need to incorporate this more because it was just so much fun for both of them. We made an animal paper bag puppet. I dug out some old craft supplies for the girls to glue onto their paper bags and let them color them. They had fun talking and playing with each other. Both the girls also really enjoyed painting an apple. I drew and apple on paper and they finger painted it.

All in all we have had a great first week. I think there are some things to try differently but I would say it was a great week of learning, loads of fun and a general success! Lets bring on the letter B.

I will try and get some pictures up here soon for you to see the girls hard at work.

A and E's Activities

Since we won't be starting school for about another month I thought I might show you some things we like to do in our spare time. I have found many of these activities by searching for "busy bags" on the web. A really likes doing most of these and frequently asks to do them throughout the day.

 I used paper, pipe cleaners and some beads to make these. A is trying to decide where her next bead needs to go.

 

A threading beads onto pipe cleaners. They have been great for fine motor skills and counting practice.

 

 I received these small circles from a family member. A decided what shapes and colors we should put on each circle. When we were finished we had a game for memory. Here she is realizing she doesn't have a match.

One hot day I took some rubber bugs and froze them in a container. We took them outside and had fun working them out of the ice while A and E splashed in our little wadding pool. Here E is showing off the bug she has been working on.

A Daily Prayer

While I do work around the house I try to remind myself of how blessed I am. Here is a general prayer I have as I clean:

Lord,

Thank you for these counters that need cleaned off that I have been able to give my children the food they need. Thank you for these crumbs on the floor. My children have had enough to eat to give them energy to play and grow up healthy.

Thank you for these fingerprints on the windows. They are interested in what is going on around them. Interested in the world and looking out of their small sphere in it. Please encourage them to see more around them and be willing to reach out to others around them.

Thank you for this dirt on the floor. They have had the courage and the determination to go out and explore what they have seen. Continue to foster this inquisitiveness to help them venture out in other areas of their lives.

Thank you for theses clothes to wash. My children have stayed warm and protected thanks to Your abundance for us.

Lord thank you for all you do for us and the provision you have given us. Help us never to overlook the little details of your abundance even when we may not see it.