What We're Reading, Our Country, and the Alphabet!

 More great books!

• I'm Too Big / Soy Demasiado Grande (we laugh a lot over the silly illustrations!)
• Rabbits & Raindrops 
• Olivia...and the Missing Toy (quickly becoming a favorite - we will have to buy this one)
• We're into Lentil this week, using the FIAR curruculum. I took inspiration from the suggested ideas today and made a little lesson on our country. I printed off an American flag. We counted the stripes and the stars. Then we got out our map of the USA and counted the states to demonstrate that the number of starts was the same as the states. We then located out state, the states where our relatives live, and the state in which the story Lentil takes place. D colored the flag and we listened to the Star Spangled Banner and talked about what a national anthem is and when we sing it.

After reading and the lesson. D wanted to do artwork, so he worked with his watercolor paints, creating several imaginative representations for his daddy. Then we moved to puzzles. I was impressed with the speed he finished two puzzles. The third puzzle was of the alphabet, which we've been working on. He's been asking lots of questions about how we spell certain words or what letter certain words start with. We took a  while with this puzzle, D repeatedly referring back to the alphabet song to figure out what letter came next. Once he knew the next letter, with little difficulty he was able to locate the letter. So impressive! I think we'll probably work on that puzzle again this week as he really enjoyed it. 

What We're Reading and Introducing Math Concepts - week of January 25th

We're reading two of my favorite books from childhood and an additional one we just discovered!

• Madeline - with which we are following Five in a Row curriculum for activity ideas.
  
• Blueberries for Sal - D really likes the illustrations and often spends time after we are done reading to look at them hiself. 
• In the Snow: Who's Been Here? - We had fun identifying the animals. Despite being unseasonable warm here, it is timely for the season, particularly coming on the heels of some trips outside to locate tracks in the snow and making bird feeders to hang on our deck. 
• The Umbrella.  By Jan Brett, author of Town Mouse Country Mouse, beautiful illustrations!

 We've been having fun with counting and grouping. For example, we counted out 12 pennies, then we created 2 lines of 6 pennies each; 4 lines of 3 pennies and saw that they also formed 4 lines of 3 pennies. No matter how many likes, or groups, we still had 12 pennies. Then we talked about "more" and "less" - that 5 is more than 4 but 5 is less than 6. D seemed pretty intrigued. We used the pennies to create groups with the numbers so that visually he could see that there were more pennies in the group of 6 verses 4, for example. We'll continue this for the week. The incentive is that he gets to keep the pennies at the end of each lesson and put them in his piggy bank!

Learning from my Preschooler

What a difference a year makes! This time last year, my son had about 8 words in his vocabulary. He was still wearing diapers. Now he talks non-stop, creating elaborate stories about castles, knights, and superheros. He hasn’t worn diapers, not even to bed, in six months. He is a voracious learning being and many days I’m struggling to catch up!

Now that the holidays are over I’m looking ahead at how we’ll be spending the next few months of our homeschooling journey. New to homeschooling and 3-year-olds, I have been a little overwhelmed. I’ve based my choices on the following considerations; flexibility, creative play, reading and language, arts and crafts, natural routines of a home, and time with other children.

To read entire article, go to Heart of the Matter Online!

What We're Reading this Week and Beginning to Write!

I'm really enjoying myself - rediscovering some children's books that I'd forgotten about as well as discovering new gems!

• We're using the Five in a Row curriculum for Katy and The Big Snow. We're on day 3. I love how many layers of enjoyment there are to be had in this timeless book. Every day we've been exploring different aspects and uncovering new details in the illustrations.
• Time of Wonder - beautiful water colors and nostalgia for me, having grown up in Coastal NH.
• Little Red Riding Hood

D has also been asking me to teach him how to write letters lately, so I got out our "ABC's Write and Wipe!" from Kumon. We work on a few different letters a day and we've been having fun. We tried them a few nonths ago, but they didn't really work out. so, now that he is interested again, we're giving it another go. His hand coordination has improved dramatically and he's able to follow the lines independently since he now knows his numbers.  I like these rather than simple paper because they can be reused and they have a corresponding word on the back, so they double as flash cards.

The Simple Woman's Daybook blog - January 12, 2010

January 11, 2010

Photo for thought...


Outside my window... a dark gray morning.
I am thinking.. the long day ahead...
I am thankful for... a good's night sleep and feeling refreshed this morning -ready to take the day on and for finding a good doctor yesterday.
From the learning rooms...my son is watching "Super Why". He awoke early this morning after a dream.
From the kitchen... dishes galore. Too tired to do them last night... and quiche in the oven!
I am wearing...  pjs.
I am creating... a plan for starting Five in a Row next week...
I am going...to Cambridge today for an appointment and then leading my first Prosperity Circle this evening!
I am reading... The introduction to Five in a Row curriculum.
I am hoping... I have a wealth of energy for all I'm scheduled for over the next 3 days!
I am hearing...the television, the hum of appliances, my husband getting ready for work upstairs.
One of my favorite things... dishwashers! Hopefully ours will be fixed soon!
A few plans for the rest of the week...leading my first Chief Dream Officer Training tomorrow night!

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When our mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers. if you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her - that is not true love.

   - Thich Nhat Hahn

Loving Reading - Books This Week and Five in a Row has Arrived!

D loves to read - so great! Or, I should say, he loves to be read to. We're spending about an hour a day reading. Usually he wants to read one or two books several times through and likes to memorize them. Last night he recited "The Snowy Day" with me word-for-word.

This week, we've been reading...

• The Snowy Day

• The Quiltmakers Gift

• Olivia

• The Giving Tree

• Owl Babies

• Town Mouse Country Mouse

The links included are pretty cool. Several take you to websites that offer enrichment activities and extras for kids.

Today, our curriculum for Five in a Row arrived! I am really excited to get going on it. I have Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel queued up for next week!

The Simple Woman's Daybook blog - January 5, 2010

January 5, 2010

Photo for thought...


Outside my window... a very gray day.
I am thinking.. that I am feeling very relaxed!
I am thankful for... the blessing of being at home with my son. he is so awesome!
From the learning rooms... my son is watching Muzzy - in German - by request. Pretty cool!
From the kitchen... getting ready to prepare lunch - grilled cheese and tomato soup.
I am wearing...  cords and a cotton tshirt - it is only a funtion of maternity clothing that I am voluntarily wearing pink and purple together. Oh, to have a "real" wardrobe again!.
I am creating... a winter-themed craft for the afternoon and the homeschool co-op schedule for the next few months.
I am going... to introduce about 50 people to yoga this evening - very exciting!
I am reading... the book list for the Five In a Row literature-based curriculum and price shopping for the books on-line. Placing our order today!
I am hoping...to have our bedrooms organized before the new baby arrives - we will need lots of time and storage boxes!
I am hearing...a blend of WBUR and German...
One of my favorite things... comfy house socks.
A few plans for the rest of the week...calls for the CDO training and the new Prosperity Circle I will be leading.

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook

Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, describes his life after a massive stroke left him with a condition called “Locked-In Syndrome.” Although he was almost completely paralyzed, Bauby was able to write his book by blinking his left eyelid. An aide would recite a coded alphabet, until Bauby blinked to choose the letter of a word he was dictating. The book required about 200,000 blinks to write. Bauby used the only physical ability left him to communicate with others. - Dennis Fisher