We will be starting up our next term after the holidays… Jan 5. In Term Two we will be focusing on the animals in the winter, their survival skills (migration, adaptation, hibernation), plus reading about some of the winter holidays. Nature study will continue to be a big part of what we do… although it may be a bit more at the kitchen table watching birds at the feeder. I also want to spend some time introducing poetry… beyond the nursery rhymes.
We will be loosely following a Weekly Schedule (Preschool and Kindergarten)… with my general outline being:
Every Day: Pledge, Calendar, Days of the Week, Weather, Poem of the Month, Circle Time (songs & finger plays), Bible Story, Free Art Time (play dough, water colors or colored pencils – their choice).
M: Read Story of the Week, Introduce an Art History Image, Introduce the Letter of the Week
Tu: Read Story of the Week, Handwriting, Craft/Directed Art
W: Read Expansion Book, Read Flower Fairy Alphabet Story and color Alphabet Book Page
Th: Read Story of the Week, Handwriting, Do an Illustration and a Narration in Our Story Journal about the Story of the Week
F: Baking Time, Nature Study/Science Theme/Field Trip, Finish Craft if Needed
Daily (Kindergarten only)
Phonics & Math (We are using Spell to Write and Read and Right Start Math)
Art History: You can choose an individual artist to study for a term (like recommended by Charlotte Mason) or use the Come Look With Me series of books to focus on a theme instead. We will be using Come Look With Me for now starting with World of Play.
Bedtime Reading: We are going to tryMy Side of the Mountain. I think my adventurous little guy will enjoy it. Farmer Boy was a big hit. We tend to mix up a couple chapters in a ‘big’ book one night with the kids’ pick of picture books the next.
Term Two Book List
Baking Activity: Russian Tea Cakes (Snowballs)
Baking Activity: Babies in a Blanket
Baking Activity: Bear Claw Cookies
Baking Activity: Sunflower Carrot Muffins
Craft Activity: Clay Birds
Baking Activity: Bread
Baking Activity: Sugar Cookie Hearts
Week Seven:
Baking Activity: Hot Chocolate
Week Eight:
Baking Activity: ?
Week Nine:
Baking Activity: ?
Week Ten:
Baking Activity: Maple Candy
Week Eleven:
Baking Activity: ?
Week Twelve:
Baking Activity: Pancakes and Maple Syrup
Ok, this probably seems like a really weird time of year to be investing in and thinking about curriculum stuff but here I am with stacks of new materials around me. I am enjoying being able to read and sort through all the new stuff without feeling hurried to get going with it (well, we have started the Cursive First already). What do I have you ask? Right Start Math Level B (Bug finished A about a month ago), Spell to Write and Read, along with Cursive First (Bug recently finished all the phonics lessons on ReadingA-Z.com), History Odyssey Ancients and Middle Ages and Catholic Mosaic.
So far I am really pleased with all of our new investments. Everything is very hands on. Both the History Odyssey and Catholic Mosaic are based around Living Books with corresponding activity ideas. Spell to Write and Read seems so sound that I am hoping that my own abysmal spelling skills will improve with the program. And of course, I absolutely love Right Start Math! I can’t say enough good thing about that program. I can’t imagine us looking elsewhere for Math until we complete the series. To begin with, we briefly tried Singapore math and hands down prefer RSM. As for science… I am planning to use the Young Scientist Club lab kits as our base, adding in Living Books and continuing our Nature Studies. I also want the kids to have some time to pursue their own projects.
I will give more thorough reviews after I’ve had a bit more time with the products but if anyone has any questions about them please feel free to leave a comment. I would be happy to chat curriculum.
Well, we have officially had our first snow of the season! Just some flurries, nothing sticking but we have indeed reached the coats and mittens time of the year. There are very few leaves left on the trees. It makes it hard to believe I took the picture seen above only a week ago.
Week Eleven (Nov 10-15)
In November
Caps, Hats, Sock and Mittens
K is for Kingcup
We will be coloring the Kingcup page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.
I haven’t totally decided exactly what we are doing but we will be making some sort of centerpieces orpPlace settings for our Thanksgiving Table.
Sculptured Pretzels
INGREDIENTS
1 package yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar
4 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
Kosher salt, optional.
DIRECTIONS
1. Put warm water in bowl, sprinkle with yeast, and stir until soft. Let set for 5 minutes.
2. Add dry ingredients.
3. Mix dough with hands until well blended. Dough should be smooth and elastic, not sticky.
4. Roll dough and twist into any shape such as alphabet, animals, etc.
5. Place on greased cookie sheet.
6. Let rise until double in size.
7. Brush each sculpture with the beaten egg and sprinkle with salt.
8. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes at 350 until sculptures are firm and golden brown.
Over the River and Through the Woods (or A Boy’s Thanksgiving Day)
Over the river, and through the wood,
To Grandmother’s house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river, and through the wood –
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose
As over the ground we go.
Over the river, and through the wood,
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring, “Ting-a-ling-ding”,
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river, and through the wood
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river, and through the wood –
And straight through the barnyard gate,
We seem to go extremely slow,
It is so hard to wait!
Over the river, and through the wood –
Now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
by Lydia Maria Child
Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview: Harvest Time
Every month we are each making a quilt square that show cases something we have learned about recently. At the end of the year I will make a quilt out of all the squares. I had thought about using a different fabric technique every month but when it came down to the wire we did another set of Glue Batik squares since I already had all the supplies on hand. So I am now planning to make the entire quilt with Batik squares. This process is so much fun and we have had wonderful results. I think it will make for a fun quilt.
Here is a quick run down of the steps…
Draw your design with pencil on your fabric.
Trace the pencil drawing with Elmer’s Blue Gel Glue. Let the glue dry completely.
Paint over the entire piece of fabric with watered down acrylic paints (you can use the paint without watering it down if you want brighter colors). Let the paint dry completely. Wash off the glue in warm water.
I can’t believe that it is November already! We always host Thanksgiving for our family at our house. This means you will be seeing lots of crafts and projects from us preparing for this festive time of year.
Week Ten (Nov 3-8)
Ox-Cart Man
Farmer’s Market Rounding
J is for Jasmine
We will be coloring the Jasmine page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.
I am trying to track down the supplies locally (since I didn’t get a chance to order them) to make beeswax candles.
I would like to visit a couple of our local shops that sell handmade items… maybe get some new candles that smell like pumpkin pie and such.
Gingerbread Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into man shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks.
Over the River and Through the Woods (or A Boy’s Thanksgiving Day)
Over the river, and through the wood,
To Grandmother’s house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river, and through the wood –
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose
As over the ground we go.
Over the river, and through the wood,
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring, “Ting-a-ling-ding”,
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river, and through the wood
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river, and through the wood –
And straight through the barnyard gate,
We seem to go extremely slow,
It is so hard to wait!
Over the river, and through the wood –
Now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
by Lydia Maria Child
Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview: Harvest Time
Week Seven (Oct 13-20)
Pelle’s New Suit
How We Use Wool
G is for Gorse
We will be coloring the Gorse page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.
I’m not totally sure what our project will end up being. We may use the wool roving on felt to make pictures. We may try to make Felted Wool Soap Bars or maybe some felted critters for the nature table. I’ll have to see what the kids are interested in trying.
Try to find a knitting shop, local farm, historic village, etc that has a spinning wheel, loom or in some way processes wool. If nothing else, visit your local yarn shop (not one of the box stores – they don’t have as many natural fibers) to compare the types of yarn available. How do the different fibers feel? What other animals do we get yarn from?
I don’t have something specific in mind so we will probably just go ahead with making some yummy, fresh bread.
Harvest
Now all the farmers from far and wide
Have gathered their bounty of countryside:
Corn and barley from field and wold,
Honey from beehive and wool from the fold,
Fruit from the orchard all ripe, red and gold,
Log for the fire to keep out the cold.
by Dorothy Hancock
Bug has started on a new project with a theme of “Inside the Body.” I am trying to let him lead the process on this one… so we will be working on this as well, but I have no predetermined plans for it. Last week he checked out a lot of books and a dvd from the library, put together a skeleton and colored a diagram of the heart chambers.
Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview: Harvest Time
We are continuing with our apple theme, but this week looking more at the tree than the fruit. We will be focusing on the topic of the change in seasons. I think this will be a good week to take some time to freshen up and decorate our nature table to reflect the change that is occurring outside our windows.
Week Four (Sep 29th-Oct 3)
The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree
Why Do Leaves Change Colors?
E is for Eyebright
We will be coloring the Eyebright page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.
Once a month, we will be decorating a 12 inch quilt square to reflect something we are currently learning about. At the end of the school year, I will turn all of our squares into a keepsake quilt. (Related post: Glue Batik Fabric Squares)
We have a busy week and I don’t have a specific field trip in mind other than enjoying our falls walks and watching as the leaves change. We are also hoping to get out to pick fall raspberries. Raspberry Jam is a family favorite. (Related post: Cider, Snails & Acorns)
INGREDIENTS
1/4 c. shortening
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sugar
1 c. orange juice
1 1/2 T. milk
2 c. flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 – 2 c. chopped apples
1 t. baking soda
Topping:
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together (except topping ingredients) and place in greased loaf pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of loaf. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
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.
Oh, the Lord is good to me,
And so I thank the Lord,
For giving me the things I need,
The Sun, the Rain and the Appleseed,
The Lord is good to me.
Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview: Harvest Time
At the end of the week, the kids always do an illustration and narration in their journals (they dictate, I write). I thought I would share their entries from today on Johnny Appleseed.
Johnny Appleseed and a Friend Picking Apples
Johnny Appleseed planted apple seeds. He talked to his friends along the way. Then he gave his friends apple trees. He talked to them long, long ago. He carried his bible and his bag of apple seeds. He did not carry a knife or gun because he liked all the animals. The animals were nice to him.
Fairy
He picked up apples and seeds. He walked around and planted apples. He was a nice stranger.
We spent the morning at Gammy’s yesterday and took advantage of her seemingly endless supply of art materials (this time rummaging through her entire box of stamp pads). We made our apple prints to go along with our Week Four, Johnny Appleseed theme.
This was a very easy craft! All we did was take a couple apples and cut them in half (some lengthwise, some crosswise) and then used red and green ink pads. You have to press the apple very firmly to get a ‘full’ apple shape. Some we even had to rock slightly… I guess a straight cut really isn’t as straight as you think. If you take a close look, you can really see the star in the middle of some of the cross cut apple prints.
For those of you following along… yes we are jumping ahead a bit. I am switching Week Four with Week Six because we went apple picking this weekend and it just makes more sense for us right now.
Week Four (Sep 22th-29th)
Johnny Appleseed
How Do Apples Grow?
D is for Double Daisy
We will be coloring the Double Daisy page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.
Cut one apple in half from top to bottom and another in half across the middle. Dip the apple halves in paint or large stamp pad and make prints on a page. Note the star shape made by the apple cut across the middle. If you make a bunch of Red and Green apple prints on large sheets of butcher paper, save them for cute Christmas wrapping paper.
Consider reading Ten Apples Up on Top as another add on book. You could then print a photo of your child (head and shoulder shot works well), cut it out and glue it to the bottom edge of a large sheet of paper. Then make Ten Apple Prints Up on Top stacked on top of your child’s head.
Hand Print Apple Trees are also a fun activity. Cover your child’s arm in brown paint from the finger tips to elbow. Place the entire hand and arm down on a sheet of paper (fingers outstretched). This forms the trunk of the tree. Then make green thumb prints for leaves and red finger prints for apples.
If you haven’t already, go pick some apples. If you don’t have a u-pick orchard near you try going to the store and getting one of each type of apple (or at least one red, one green, one yellow) and then doing a taste test to see which one you and your child like best. If there are several of you performing the taste test, try graphing the results.
Dutch Apple Pie
INGREDIENTS
1 (9 inch) pie shell
FILLING:
5 cups apples – peeled, cored and sliced (I like Granny Smith’s for baking)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons butter
TOPPING:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup butter
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Fit pastry shell into pie pan and place in freezer.
To Make Apple Filling: Place apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix well, then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.
Remove pie shell from freezer. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
While filling is baking, make Streusel Topping: In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and lemon peel. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.
Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.
No, not I. For if I do he’s sure to cry.
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?
Oh, the Lord is good to me,
And so I thank the Lord,
For giving me the things I need,
The Sun, the Rain and the Appleseed,
The Lord is good to me.
Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview: Harvest Time