So it Begins....Again.

Night School.

Survey of World Lit to 1650:
cool or lame?

I'll let you know in 16 weeks.

Busy Bees

I love my job.
I LOVE it, I LOVE it, I L-O-V-E it.

I tried to save time and just copy/paste my typed curriculum from Word into Blogger, so I could just add pictures (and my lovely commentary about the activities) but it isn't working. Blogger doesn't like me...or it doesn't like Word. Either way, you're SOL, but here are a few of my favorites from yesterday.

Theme: There are 4 Seasons: Winter

Literature:
Celebrate the Seasons: It's Winter! By Linda Glaser

This is part of a 4 book series we have been reading in class. Each focuses on a different season.

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Nietzel
This book follows the This is the House that Jack Built style of sequenced articles of clothing that a child puts on to go out and play in the snow. The kids had fun doing actions like putting on the mittens, wrapping the scarf and "ziiiiiiiping" the zipper. Cute book, although the enjoy the repetition, it got a little long for this particular age group, and I left out a few pages in the middle to keep their
interest.
This is my favorite picture. I couldn't resist posting it. We bundled up and went outside to play in the last of the snow. How cute are my kids in their little hats, boots, and mittens?! I just want to snuggle them! (which I did. Busy Bees are not lacking in the hugs dept) Pictures like this remind me how little Q is for her age.

Cognitive Activity: We also read a baby Einstein book where Violet takes pictures of things she sees outside. We read the book, then looked out our "weather window" and found the same items (a squirrel, snow, tracks, icicles) in our own winter scenery outside.

Art: Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman...

Handwriting: Writing the Letter L with chalk

Sensory: Ice and Snow
I froze several trays of ice cubes the night before and filled the sensory bin with them. As you can see, the Disney Princess and Dora's Gang joined in the icy fun.

Later, when we went outside, the kids used shovels and a pail to add chunks of snow to the bin.
Fine Motor: Gluing snowflakes on a 4 seasons tree.
With each season we celebrate, the children are given this tree template to decorate. We did apples in summer, and colorful leaves in the fall. In Spring, we'll add leaves and flowers.
I've been hanging onto these to laminate and make them a book at the end of the school session.

Dress Up.
What's not to love about this job?!

Next week: Birds!

{arteredgczxhkfadsbbbppppffft!}

"


Well, Dad, it sounds like a "Hi Grandpa" to me, but I'm pretty sure that, no matter what it sounds like, Aaron will disagree and insist that the Cheeto's first words were officially an unmistakable,

"Go Lakers".

Don't Eat Pete!

Remember this game? It's the new favorite around here. I was totally surprised that Aaron had never heard of it! My favorite memory is playing this game backstage at dress rehearsals for Dance Festival when I was 15. (Which proves that any game with candy is a game for young and old alike!)

Don't Eat Pete:
a simple board is drawn on a piece of paper (I use a plate to help control runaway candies). Basically, just draw 9 circles.

A piece of candy is placed on each circle.
One person is the "Guesser".

While the Guesser has his or her back turned, the group decides which circle is "Pete" without telling the Guesser.

The Guesser then turns back around, and removes the candies from the board, one by one, and puts them in his or her cup. When the Guesser tries to remove the candy from the "Pete" circle, the group shouts, "Don't Eat Pete!"

(Their turn is over after this, the board is reloaded, and a new "Pete" is selected for another Guesser)

This game is especially fun for little kids because they are startled EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. They forget that they are taking from a minefield and it is hilarious to watch their greedy little face jump when the group shouts at them, sending them into a very giggly fit. Of course, the goal is to get as many candies as you can without eating "Pete" because you get to keep whatever you manage to take from the board! Poor Quincy picked "Pete" on the 1st or 2nd guess every time! We finally designated the middle circle as the "Freebie" circle, so she got at least one candy every turn. I really think she loved being startled more than the candy, though.

On Friday, we each took turns being the Guesser, then mixed it up and had one person choose Pete, and the rest take turns removing candies from the board. Simple, fun, automatic laughs, and, thanks to the candy, Yummy! (mmmm Coconut M&M's...Hello, Lover.)

This is really fun with older kids when you play with one bag of each person's favorite candy and mix them up on the board. Everyone knows that there are only 16 Starbursts available, and they become pretty possessive when they see that Dad is taking them all!

Play the game, then watch a movie while you snack on your loot.

Jumper.

No.
Not THAT kind of jumper. (I won't be touching that controversial can o' worms today. Sadly, I think a little bit of my funny died with that post, and we all have "Anonymous" to blame.)

This kind of Jumper!!!
Aaron set up the Jumperoo for Corbin today, and within minutes we had this:


He loved it so much that he cried when Aaron took him out for dinner, so we stuck him back in there and ate dinner to the sounds of happy baby chatter and the Jumperoo springs "boing-boing"-ing at maximum capacity.

Then the "boingy" sounds stopped.

Best toy ever.

Friday Faces

Marco....POLO!

Don't worry Mom and Dad, I'm keeping close tabs on the whereabouts of the Almond Box and it's abductor.
Although it was last seen with Melinda, we have photographic evidence that leads us to believe she was only an accomplice in the evil plan of your first born.

No other recent sightings have been reported at this current time.