Easter Day 2 (family)

Song: He Died That We Might Live Again
Read: John 13:1-30

Then we talked about Christ washing the apostles' feet and the 'Last Supper'.

Afterwards, for dinner, we had our own 'last supper'. I tied blankets and towels on my kids so they were dressed like biblical people then we sat down for a picnic in the living room. This year we had lamb, unleavened bread and butter, red beans, rice, raisins, and honey.
Ideas came from Sugardoodle.

Easter Day 1 (preschool)

• I had several items sitting on the table: Easter eggs, a stuffed Easter bunny, an Easter basket, and a picture of Christ. We went through each item, saving the picture of Christ for last and I asked, "Is this why we celebrate Easter?" Finally, we got to Christ and he was very excited to shout "YES!"
• After that we read a story called The First Easter. It's one of those picture stories so he helped read it too.
  
• Next we cut out The Empty Tomb and worked on handwriting a bit. Just follow the directions on the link. The pic is above... wouldn't load down here. Not sure what's going on.
• Matching: We did an Easter egg matching game. I printed out two copies of this picture on cardstock and then cut them out and played a game of Memory. For some reason I couldn't get the eggs to show up here and they kept appearing at the top of the post so... the eggs are above. Sorry!!
• Finally, we did an eggsperiment. Does a hard boiled egg or raw egg spin faster?

I'm sure you may have noticed that all of the pics are at the top of this post. I'm not sure what is wrong but for some reason it won't let me put the pics in the post. Grrrrr.... I think you can figure out which pic goes w/ which activity. :)

Easter - Day 1

As a family we:
Song: Easter Hosanna
Read: Mark 11:1-10

Then we talked about the Triumphal Entry.

After that we made Edible Tombs.

These ideas came from Sugardoodle.

The Letter 'C' - Day 6

• Colorful Collages: This is pretty self explanatory. We gathered a lot of bits of things and then made a collage.
• We made carrot cupcakes

Easy day. :)

The Letter 'C' - Day 5

• Read some books about camels
• Do and Discover: We talked about how camels have huge feet (about the size of a dinner plate) to keep them from sinking in the sand. We went out into the yard and we took a stick and stuck it in the sand and saw how easy it went in. Then we took a plate and tried to stick it in the sand that way. 
• Finally, we made a fact book about camels.

The Letter 'C' - Day 4

• First we did a graphing activity. We worked on colors -- favorite colors to be exact and graphed other ppl's favorite colors. He's really getting good with graphs.
• After that we made "crazy crayons". This means that I took all of those old and broken crayons that no one likes to use and recycled them. :) We peeled off the paper and then put them in lined muffin tins. We stuck them in the oven on the lowest setting until they were just barely melted. (You don't want them too melted or all the colors will mix and turn brown.) I took it out and stuck it in the freezer for about half an hour. When I removed it from the freezer I just popped the "crazy crayons" out of the paper and we had some fun coloring. They're their favorite crayons now, even if they are shaped like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. hehe!
  
• We played Crossing the Creek. I made a "creek" out of rope and we jumped across it. I gradually made it wider and wider until we couldn't jump it anymore.

Sorry!!

We really haven't been on "spring break" this whole time. Life's just been busy. We've had sick kids and family has been in town and I've just been a slacker. SORRY!! I'm going to get caught up right now!!! Don't hate me. :)

Spring Break!!

This is spring break in this area so Dad is going to be home and we may go out of town for a couple of days so we're taking a spring break too!! YAY!! Have a great week everyone.

Book of the week

    

This was such a fun book! I loved Flossie's attitude in it. I kept laughing out loud as I read it to the kids.

Here's what Amazon had to say about it:

Grade 1-3 McKissack recounts this story which was told to her as a child by her grandfather. Flossie is a young black girl who lives with her grandmother in the rural south. When Big Mama sends Flossie to deliver a basket of eggs to a neighbor, she cautions her to be careful of the fox who had been frightening the chickens and stealing their eggs. To Flossie's "How do a fox look?," Big Mama responds that "A fox be just a fox." Having no idea what this means, Flossie sets out on her mission through a wooded area, where she is greeted by the fox. As he tries to convince her that he is to be feared, she refutes him by insisting that he prove who he is. To readers' delight, the frustrated fox fails every attempt. Fox' final confrontation with a fierce dog saves the day for Flossie, who proves herself to be more cunning than the fox. The watercolor and ink illustrations, with realistic figures set on impressionistic backgrounds, enliven this humorous and well-structured story which is told in the black language of the rural south. The language is true, and the illustrations are marvelously complementary in their interpretation of the events. This spirited little girl will capture readers from the beginning, and they'll adore her by the end of this delightful story. Helen E. Williams, University of Maryland, College Park

Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Wind (toddler)

• Wind Watch: We watched the wind for a few minutes so I was sure she knew what wind was.
• Paper Bag Kite: We decorated brown paper lunch bags w/ crayons and stickers. Then I used a hole punch and put a whole near the top on both sites and stuck some yarn through to make a handle. We went outside and the kids ran around, holding onto their paper bag kite handles letting them "fly". They loved them!
• Wind Chime: We played with the wind chimes for a bit. She shook them, hit them and watched the wind blow them.
• Like the wind: I pulled out different objects (a feather, a piece of cardboard, and a small rock) and asked her which one the wind could blow. Then I demonstrated how we can make wind by blowing out of our mouths. She blew each object --- the feather was the easiest to move and I asked her why. She said b/c it's small. She shocks me sometimes. ;) Then we played around with the feather. All three of us tried to keep it from touching the ground by blowing it up into the air. We couldn't let it touch the floor or our hands. The kids had a ball!
• Wind Dance: I attached crepe paper to her wrists and she spun in circles and danced around pretending to be the wind. :)

The Letter 'C' - Day 3

• Camel Cal's C Race
• similar to the others. I made a board game and then I printed out small pictures of different objects. If the objects starts with a C then move one space, if not, don't move. If you get Camel Cal then you get to move 2 spaces! Collin leaves these so I continue to do them for each letter and they're great to work on phonics with.
• Candy Estimating
• I filled up a jar with candy (we used peppermints) and estimated how many were in the jar.
• Clap and Count
• We practiced counting. We clapped with each number but I made it a bit tricky. I would say... every 10 numbers we through our hands out on the last number then spin around on the first. Example "[spin around] 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-[throw hands out] 10 - [spin around] 11-12-... it was fun. We had to do it several times before he got the hang of it but it was fun!! 

Today was pretty simple... we didn't do much but we always seem to keep Fridays simple.

The Letter 'C' - Day 2

• Read Corduroy by Don Freeman         
• I showed him what corduroy felt like and looked like. Then I pulled out a bunch of cloth samples and we made a cloth collage.
• Where did Corduroy lose his button? He drew a picture of where Corduroy may have lost his button and then glued a button on the picture.
• Finally (this took a while) we made crystals for science. Well, we got them started. He's going to keep a journal of his observations. He's very excited about them. I just hope they work. ;) More info on growing crystals, click here.

The Letter 'C' - Day 1

• Collin saw crackers and cheese sitting on the table when he came in (you can really use any type of snack that starts w/ c -- cookies, candy canes...etc). I said... which animal pal do you think left these treats? He started thinking of animals that start with c -- all he really got was cat. I introduced him to a cartoon picture of a Camel named Camel Cal (our mascot for the week).
• He glued Cs onto paper with Cotton balls. ;)
• We talked a little bit about clowns and had a carnival. We played carnival games like the penny toss, bean bag races... etc.
• We made a C book

Music Activity

I read a book about elephants. Then we talked some about beat. I played a song that the kids knew well and had them sing and I played it on the piano completely off beat. It sounded HORRIBLE. Then I gave each one a bell and told them to play. Then I had them play as I kept beat w/ my hand so they would ding them together. I played the Baby Elephant Walk as the kids and I kept beat by tapping noses, feet, floor, head... etc Anything I could think of. It was fun. Enjoy the song.

FHE -- Emotions

We played emotional charades only we changed the rules a bit since my kids are too young. I put the cards face down and we picked them out one by one. We talked about each emotion, when we feel that way and then we all showed each other what our faces looked like when we felt that way. =-) It was fun. You can print out the cards here.

Book of the Week

Kindergarten-Grade 3–This is the story of an older buffalo that is no longer able to keep up with the rest of the herd. While the idea that the once-powerful old bull is growing older and unable to keep pace is sad, he is filled with serenity. In his travels behind the herd, he comes across a buffalo cow about to give birth. He stays with her throughout her labor and protects and cares for the calf, saving it during a dust storm. The book portrays the circle of life in a beautiful way, but it also shows the protective bond between young and old, as well as the important role Grandfather Buffalo continues to play in the herd dynamic. This book is a perfect interplay of poetic text and strong art that is full of love and empathy. Arnosky gives the impression of the harshness of the prairie environment without overdramatizing. Each spread features the majestic expanse of the tall grass and the other creatures that inhabit it. This is Arnosky at his excellent best.–Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ

Spoon Spree (toddler)

• Spoon painting: Pour tempera paint into a bowl and mix w/ salt for texture. Have child paint a picture using salted paint and spoon.
• Spoon Puppet: Draw a face on spoon and then tie a napkin around "neck" for the clothes.
• Stirring Fun: Walk in a circle, pretend to stir a huge pot in the middle. Give directions, go fast, go slow, go the other way... etc.
• Little Spoons and Big Spoons: Get out measuring spoons or spoons that are different sizes. Have child sort the spoons by size. If measuring spoons -- have child try to nest them inside one another.
• Eat a snack w/ a spoon.

Push and Pull (toddler activities)

• Blanket Pull: Place toy on blanket and have child pull blanket around w/o toy falling off.
• Jingly Sock Pull: Put a bell in an old sock and stuff it w/ newspaper. Tie it off with string and enough hanging off for a handle. Child can pull it around.
• Push Cars: Make a road on the floor with masking tape and have child push it around inside. We have a rug with roads on it so we just used that.
• Tractor Push: Put some books in a box and secure it shut. Have child pretend to be a tractor and push box (pretend to be a rock) around the house.
• Push and Pull Basket: This is great for learning to follow directions. Put some toys in a laundry basket and give child directions. For example "push basket to tv" "Pus basket to window"... etc.

The Letter 'B' - Day 6

We didn't get to this day but this is what I had planned. Life got in the way. :/

Graphing Activity with beans. Which type of beans are the favorite? Then write an experience story about the graph.

Next, we were going to work with bubbles. I was going to fill a cup with water and have him blow through a straw and make bubbles. How long do they last. Now add dish detergent to it. Are the bubbles different?

Make bubble prints: Fill small jars w/ 2 Tbs liquid detergent, 1/4 c water, and 1 tsp of tempera paint or 5 drops of food coloring. Blow bubbles in jar then lay paper over the bubbles on top.

The Letter 'B' - Day 5

I've been a slacker at posting b/c I haven't had a chance to get the pictures on the computer so I'm just going to catch up here and add the pics later. ;)
On this day we focused on learning about bears.

We practiced following oral instructions. I gave instructions on how to draw a simple bear. I demonstrated on the white board at the same time. We read a couple of books about bears -- here's one of them:

 After that we got on youtube and looked for videos about bears. I had him note the bears standing on their hind legs. We talked about why bears do that but dogs and cats don't. I got Baker (our cat) and showed Collin his feet and had him walk. How did he walk? on his toes. ;) Then he watched Bears walk and he realized Bears used their whole foot. I had Collin walk on all fours only using his toes on his legs and then stand up still only using toes. Then I had him try again using his entire foot and asked him which was easier.
Then we wrote a book about bears. On the front page was the pic he drew earlier. On the next page he drew a Bear's habitat, the next page was food and the last page was something that he thought was cool about Bears (he liked the whole hibernation thing ;).