Three weeks worth
I have neglected to post about our school days these past 3 weeks! We have delved into the subjects of Winter, Giraffes and The Olympics.
3 weeks ago we read the poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Lewis Stevenson. This was the first time we've centered our week on a poem, though many children's books rhyme, this is a true poem. The children did not understand the idea of a poem, although we talked about the rhyming words, and how there was a pattern to the rhyme. The kids enjoyed discussing animal prints and we made some prints in play-dough with plastic animals. We have seen bunny tracks as well as deer tracks in our backyard in the mud/snow, and this excites us. We read the books, Big Tracks, Little Tracks by Millicent E. Selsam and Crinkleroot's book of Animal Signs as well as The Mitten by Jan Brett. The children enjoyed making "snow" art using black construction paper and shaving cream mixed with Elmer's glue. This tactile activity really opened my eyes to how important hands-on learning is at this age. Even Tristan got into it! We also made snow globes out of empty cherry jars. I learned that tacky glue does not hold up in water:) The kids enjoyed them while they lasted! These are the highlights from the week.
3 weeks ago we read the poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Lewis Stevenson. This was the first time we've centered our week on a poem, though many children's books rhyme, this is a true poem. The children did not understand the idea of a poem, although we talked about the rhyming words, and how there was a pattern to the rhyme. The kids enjoyed discussing animal prints and we made some prints in play-dough with plastic animals. We have seen bunny tracks as well as deer tracks in our backyard in the mud/snow, and this excites us. We read the books, Big Tracks, Little Tracks by Millicent E. Selsam and Crinkleroot's book of Animal Signs as well as The Mitten by Jan Brett. The children enjoyed making "snow" art using black construction paper and shaving cream mixed with Elmer's glue. This tactile activity really opened my eyes to how important hands-on learning is at this age. Even Tristan got into it! We also made snow globes out of empty cherry jars. I learned that tacky glue does not hold up in water:) The kids enjoyed them while they lasted! These are the highlights from the week.
Our next week we read the book, The Giraffe that Walked to Paris, by Nancy Milton. This story led to the study of Giraffes, furthering our French vocabulary and looking closer at Ancient Egypt. We made hand print Giraffes, Heiroglyphic art, wrapped Anastasia up in toilet paper as a mummy and explored all the stories about Egypt in the Bible. The children seem most interested in the fact that Jesus lived in Egypt! We also read The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Betsy and Guilio Maestro.
Finally, we spent a week talking about the Olympic games, thanks to a suggestion from a good friend. We enjoyed some events on TV and internet. We discussed where the games started and how they began; what the games stand for and we also had lots of fun competing against each other in various competitions. We made embossed Gold medals and paper towel tube Olympic torches as well as a picture timeline of the Olympics dating from the first Olympic race in 776 BC up to the 2014 AD Sochi games. There are so many wonderful resources and ideas on-line for the Olympics and I simply picked a couple that interested me. Tracing circles to make the Olympic flag, introducing the elements of Gold and Silver both as elements on the periodic table as well as how they occur in nature and in refined form as jewelry, etc. and placing a sticker on every country that has hosted Winter Olympic games(good little geography exercise). I think the Olympic motto has become mine and the children's new motto for life, Citius, Altius, Fortius (Swifter, Higher, Stronger). Gotta love the Olympics!
I am excited for this week, we will be looking into a subject all too familiar in this house, Horses!
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