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
We started this nature study in a most unusual way… on the sofa watching tv. We watched the Magic School Bus episode “Wet All Over” about the Water Cycle (on The Magic School Bus: Catches a Wave DVD). We then read Oh Say Can You Say What’s the Weather Today?: All About Weather before digging for mittens and heading outside.
Have I mentioned it is cold here? This was our first sunny afternoon in several days and the kids were quite happy to get out to play in what was left of yesterday’s snow. We took a few minutes to look at the clouds but they were really much more interested in what was going on beneath their feet.
Bug pretty much has the water cycle down. After I asked him a few questions about the state of water around us I left him to his own devices. He was really interested in watching his breath and collecting icicles.
Unknown to me, Bug brought several icicles in the house when we decided it was time to warm up. He wanted to see what would happen. Sure… but can we not have them just sitting on the sofa please? 😉 I got him a little jar to place the icicles in for his experiment.
I did have to tell him later that it probably isn’t a good idea to drink water from melted icicles found hanging off of who knows what outside and out of a jar we use for painting no less. LOL. Boys!
LOL – I totally forgot to post this week’s lesson plans. I think this really shows how much I’ve moved into holiday mode. My evenings have been spent crafting away to get holiday presents and decorations completed in time. Not to mention the fact that we are taking the whole month of December off from preplanned activities. I think my mind has moved on from this term and I might have started my break a week early. 😉
Week Twelve (Nov 17-22)
The Story of the Pilgrims
Sarah Morton’s Day
Samuel Eaton’s Day
L is for Lily-of-the-Valley
We will be coloring the Lily page from our Flower Fairies Alphabet Coloring Book and reading the accompanying story in the Flower Fairies Alphabet Book.
We are still working on stuff for our Thanksgiving table.
Sorry I don’t have anything to share this week. I’m hosting Thanksgiving for 22 people next week and we will be doing so much cooking and baking I will probably take this week off of any planned kitchen activities.
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
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.
This week we used a broad interpretation of the Unplugged Challenge theme FLAG… and went more Stars and Stripes as inspiration for these Star Ornaments. We had so much fun that even Gammy joined in and made her own. You can visit WeeFolkArt.com for her pattern.
Kids’ – Mom’s – Gammy’s
Kids’ Stars
For the kids’ version, I made up a quick star template with rounded corners (here is my pdf). Or large cookie cutters work well for making ornament templates. I cut out two piece of felt at the same time to make sure they completely matched. Then the kids went to town decorating the right sides with glitter glue and sequins.
Once dry, I blanket stitched the edges wrong sides together, leaving about a 1″ hole to stuff. The kids stuffed their own stars (I helped get it in the points) and then I finished the blanket stitch and added a loop of embroidery floss for hanging.
Mom’s Stars
For my version, I used the same template to cut out stars from red and white ticking fabric… using an extra 1/2″ seam allowance. I placed the pieces right sides together and pinned.
I cut out about a 7″ piece of grosgrain ribbon and folded it in half. I slid the loop side down in between the right sides of fabric and pinned it so that about 1/2″ of ribbon stuck out the end of one star point. I machine stitched around the whole star leaving a 1″ hole to stuff (I back stitched once over the ribbon). I made a snip from the edge of the fabric to the seam in the concave points of the star (so it would lay smooth when flipped). I flipped the star right side out and pushed out the points all the way.
Then the kids and I stuffed the star. Once stuffed, I hand stitched the opening closed.
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 Nine (Oct 27-31)
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever
Halloween Is
I is for Iris
We will be coloring the Iris 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.
After last week’s craziness we could use a quiet week.
Pumpkin Pie
INGREDIENTS
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 c. solid packed pumpkin
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cloves
1 2/3 c. (13 oz.) evaporated milk or light cream
1 9 inch pie shell
DIRECTIONS
Mix filling ingredients in order given. Pour into pie shell. Bake in preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temp. to 350 and continue baking for 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center of pie filling comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
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
Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview: Harvest Time
We didn’t get a chance to paint on pumpkins this week… instead we made these pretty cool jack-o-lantern paintings to set on the mantle.
First we outlined our pumpkins, their faces and a few other spooky things like bats with a black crayon. Then we painted over the entire page with water color paints.
The kids were pretty excited with how they turned out.
The Unplugged Theme this past week was wax. We did a pretty standard melted crayon/wax paper stained glass project. This was the first time I’ve done this project with the kids so they thought it was pretty cool.
We started with some old Ziplock baggies (you will ruin them so reuse some old ones), crayons left over from restaurants (I always try to remember to pocket the crayons from the restaurants that don’t reuse the crayons), a wooden mallet and a painting board (cutting board, etc). We removed the paper and sorted the crayons by color. We choose to only use leaf colors. We put all the reds, oranges and pinks in one bag – all the yellows and greens in the other. Then the kids got to whack away at the baggies on the board until we got very, very small pieces. You could use a cheese grater but this seemed much safer for the kids… albeit noisy.
Then we sprinkled the wax bits onto a piece of wax paper, wax side up (crayon bits that got too close to the edges did bleed over the edge). Place another sheet of wax paper, wax side down. Sandwich your wax paper between two pieces of scrap fabric (didn’t try it but paper towel might work). Iron until melted. You want that scrap fabric… I had some colors bleed through!
To make frames for widow panes, we folded two sheets of construction paper together and cut out a basic leaf shape… kinda like cutting out a Valentine Heart. Then we cut out the center leaving only about a 1/2″ frame. We traced the shape onto the wax paper sheets and cut out a center panel… slightly smaller that the outside of the frame. We used a glue stick to sandwich one construction paper leaf frame, one wax paper cut out and the other construction paper leaf frame together.
We used double sided tape to stick them up on windows throughout the house. They are quite pretty! One of the things I love about all the crafts we have been doing is how much the house is really being defined by the kids… and not just in that “toys all over” sorta way.