We have been reading a lot of Beatrix Potter these days… perfect spring time reading. Fairy especially likes to listen to the stories of the naughty bunnies. We used Peter Rabbit as our inspiration for a painting session last week.
I love painting with the kids. It amazes me what they see… Da’Vinicis everyone of them.
Bug’s Painting titled "Cabbage Garden."
I like how he used a bird’s eye view.
Fairy’s Painting titled "The Scarecrow."
There is something so haunting about the scarecrow face in the middle of the dark colors.
Pixie’s Painting finally titled "Leaves."
Her painting went through three distinct stages. The first was called "Bunny" and the page was all yellows. Then it was called "Squirrel" and was made up of brown and orange circles. Finally she settled on "Leaves." Each painting was completed directly on top of the others but both she and I know that there is a bunny and a squirrel behind all those leaves. 🙂 Amazing how a two year old’s painting can give you great insight into the Masters’ works.
After commenting on the previous post… I decided to pull up some project notes of a seed project Bug did a couple years ago… prior to my blogging. I can’t believe that this was TWO YEARS AGO (he was four at the time). Wow… has time flown. If nothing else, it should make up a bit for my non-creative blogging as of late.
We sprouted three different seeds on a wet paper towel in a plastic baggie. We hung it on the fridge and made sure the paper towel stayed damp. Bug kept a journal of which day roots and stem were visible.
He also measured the sprouts to see which one "won" (in his mind… the bigger the better). We used 1" blocks as his standard of measurement.
This was a really fun project… great for preschoolers. They get to see the magic of the seed unfold right before their eyes… unlike when it is stuck in the dirt. I think it is time I redid it with my girls.
The kids got some little flower pot seed kits from Nana for Easter. We put them together a few days ago. Only four days later and the the sprouts are growing like crazy. We need to thin the pots a bit (or a lot). It won’t be long before we have some pretty flowers on the kitchen sill.
Ok, just getting organized for our first week. I’m still trying to decide what I am going to do to mark the special ‘first day’ of school.
Week One (Sep 2nd-5th)
Tops and Bottoms
The Veggies We Eat
A is for Apple Blossom
We will be coloring the Apple Blossom page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.
Click here to download an Italic Letter A Handwriting Practice Page.
See completed project and directions: Salt Dough Veggies
Carrot Cake
INGREDIENTS
Cake:
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. mazola oil
4 eggs
2 c. flour
2 t. soda
3 c. grated carrots
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 t. vanilla
dash salt
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
Icing:
1 4 oz. package cream cheese, room temp.
2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. butter
powder sugar
DIRECTIONS
Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour into greased and floured 9×13 pan. Bake in 300 oven for 1 hour or until done. Let cool. Blend all icing ingredients together and frost on cooled cake.
Visit a Farmer’s market or grocery store. Spend time in the produce section comparing the types of veggies. Use the 5 senses to make observations on the veggies, try to determine which part of the plant you are eating top, bottom or middle. You might want to make some graphs comparing size, shape, color, taste, etc.
Poem of the Month for September:
Little Boy Blue
Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn;
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He’s under a haystack, fast asleep.
Will you wake him?
No, not I. For if I do he’s sure to cry.
I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as we are enjoying ours! Images from the past week’s Sunny Summer Weekend.
