Fall is Here!

Today for part of school we went for a nature walk. We used our 5 senses while we were out (minus taste although we did talk about tasting apples and apple cider in the fall.) You really can smell fall! We also collected leaves for a couple of projects once we got home. It was a beautiful day for a great walk!

When we got home I gave the kids poster paint and they painted one side of the leaf and then they (attempted) to make a leaf imprint on some paper. :) They definitely had fun doing this. Afterwards, Carter grouped the leaves by color. Then we counted how many we had of each color and wrote that down. Later we made a line graph with the information. It was a really fun way to bring math and art into our day.

Teaching with Music

I was reminded that maybe I should post about this since I'm listening to my sweet little girl over the monitor (she's supposed to be sleeping, but doesn't always take a nap anymore!). Anyways, she's up in her room singing the months of the year to the tune of Ten Little Indians. She also just learned the days of the week by singing them to the tune of Oh My Darling Clementine. It's a great way to teach a preschooler facts like this in a fun way. It's also working well for my 5 year old because I can ask him what month comes after September and he can sing it in his head and tell me the answer. Eventually they won't need the music to recall these facts. Make learning fun!

I have to say, I'm really enjoying homeschooling. Today we did an impromptu trip to the apple orchard. It was great because we'd already been talking about different animals, their names and today we were discussing how the male birds are more brightly colored than the females so they can help protect their babies. It was great to then head there and show the kids this fact when they saw the peacocks at the orchard's petting zoo. To top it off I got some great deals on some produce they also sell there. A good trip on this amazing fall weather day!

Turtle Crafts~

Well, we were supposed to go to a turtle exhibit today at the Nature Center, but that didn't work out. So, instead, we're going to make our own turtle crafts and talk a little bit about turtles. We're going to do the traditional craft of painting a paper bowl (turned upside down) and then I cut out head, feet, tail for the kids to glue to their turtle. If you want some more ideas, check out http://www.preschoolexpress.com/. They have some great ideas on there. Look under the theme section on the left hand side to search for turtle ideas. Have fun!

Coming Soon..Cool Science Experiments

O.k. so the one science experiment didn't turn out like I had hoped, but the kids and I still had fun. I don't have exact measurements for the ingredients but I don't think it's a huge deal. I think the problem with our experiment is our bag was a little too sturdy. Anyways, what you do is put vinegar in the bottom of a gallon sized bag. Add whatever color food coloring you want. Then add baking soda inside a piece of paper towel (folded up). Begin to seal the bag closed, but do not drop the paper towel into the vinegar until the bag is completely closed. Put it down and step back. The gas will begin to fill the bag until hopefully you have a small explosion!! :) Fun! :) Check out www.easy-kids-science-experiments.com/kindergarten-science-experiments.html for a step by step tutorial as well as more science ideas. :)

Alphabet Nature Walk

We decided to homeschool Carter for kindergarten this year. I have also started preschool with Carlee--which she loves. (She especially enjoys the lapbooks I have made her. Check out www.homeschoolshare.com for ideas). We are on week 2 and so far so good! ;) I'm glad we chose this option. When I have more time I will elaborate on why we chose this. But for today, I wanted to share a great idea we tried. The kids and I went on a nature walk and looked for things in nature that resembled the letters of the alphabet. This was really fun and a great way to get outside but still do something educational. I was surprised how many "letters" could be found in nature. It was super fun for the kids when they found something that looked like a letter. I took pictures of all of our finds. I hope to post them on here. :)

Here a Post, There a Post

Well, I may be periodically posting on here now that I have another one starting preschool. We've actually started this summer (using a program called Before Five in a Row). It's great. Low key but covers a lot. Google it and check it out. :)

Today was super fun because we're currently reading the book "Blueberries for Sal" by Rober McCloskey. It's one of my favorites and is included in Vol. 1 of this curriculum. Today we had our only little tin pail and as the Lord would have it, we had blueberries. So, we were able to do math with the blueberries by doing what little Sal did with hers. (Picked three, ate three). Picked four, ate one, etc. The kids loved it and I'm excited to be introducing them to a fun way of looking at math. Unfortunately, I was taught more of the memorizing of your math facts rather than really understanding math. I did not enjoy math growing up, probably because I wasn't good at it. I don't want to pass that on to my kids so I'm enjoying the fun approach to learning!

Check out www.homeschoolshare.com for some great resources for Before Five in a Row or Five in a Row. Have fun!

"Beach Day"

First the kids played outside in the snow. Then, they came in and watched "Bob the Builder Builds a Beach" and wore their swimsuits and sunglasses. They loved it! Last night I made some peanut butter snowballs. yum! :)