Week 16: The Moon (Phases and Such)

The other night, my girls were baffled as to where the moon went.

When we looked online,

we saw that there will be no visible moon for another 5 days....

this inspired me to teach them

about the phases of the moon and other aspects about the moon.

I am excited to see how simplified I can make this lesson

and still maintain some level of education

about the phases and properties of the moon.

Side-Note: From a Christian perspective, I love the idea of the moon because it can only get its 'light' from the 'Sun' just as we can only get our light from the Son... I guess this is why the idea of the moon intrigues me so much.. (Side-Note Complete:)

Books

Moon dreams by Martin, Ruth

Little Rabbit couldn't sleep by Shoshan, Beth.

Las fases de la luna = Phases of the moon by Olson, Gillia M.

Why does the moon change shape? by Stewart, MelissaThe way back home by Jeffers, Oliver

Catching the moon by Goldberg, Myla

The moon by Stevenson, Robert Louis

Little Honey Bear and the smiley moon by Lobel, Gillian

Learning Points:

1. When we cannot see the moon, it is called the New Moon...its when the moon is 'missing'

2. The phases of the moon are: Crescent, Half, Gibbous, Full and back down again to Gibbous, half and Crescent.

Crafts:

We will be doing marble painting with all of the phases of the moon...then hanging them on our wall next to the window where we can see the moon. Then we can compare the moon and our phases and see where we are.

(I hung up their phases artwork and l labeled them)

Songs:

Going to the Moon- Who doesn't love pretending you are in a spaceship!
(Do movements like you are sitting down) Get in the spaceship we're going to the moon, going to the moon, going to the moon.
Get in the spaceship we're going to the moon. Let's countdown right now. 5-4-3-2-1 BLAST OFF! (When the group says "Blast off" jump out of the chair with arms outstretched)

(Stretch your arms out like you're flying) Get in the spaceship we're flying to the moon, flying to the moon, flying to the moon.
Get in the spaceship we're flying to the moon. Let's countdown right now. 5-4-3-2-1...BLAST OFF!

(Walk around with very tall, exaggerated steps) Get out of the spaceship we're walking on the moon, walking on the moon, walking on the moon.
Get out of the spaceship we're walking on the moon. Let's countdown right now. 5-4-3-2-1...BLAST OFF!

(Do movements like you are very sleepy and ready to get back home) Get in the spaceship we're going back home, going back home, going back home. Get in the spaceship we're going back home. Let's countdown right now. 5-4-3-2-1...BLAST OFF!

Snacks:

English Muffin Moon Craters..... I'm going to make homemade English Muffins, then we will explore the 'terrain' of them... show the kids what the moons surface looks like... Then we'll practice coordination with a butter knife, and use 'nighttime jelly' (blackberry) and try to create the different phases...we'll see! I'll try to take pictures...should be interesting!

Making our homemade English Muffins...( I accidentally read the directions wrong, so ours came out more like dough discs, but it was still fun!)

Even the little one got involved in measuring and putting in the ingredients!

This was Lily practicing her knife skills and our 'nighttime' jam to create a quarter moon...

Thanks!

Week 15: Solar and Wind Energy

I know.... I know... you are thinking,
Solar and Wind Power to teach Preschoolers?
Well, it wasn't necessarily my choice...
I asked Lily what she wanted to learn about and she said,
"Well, first I want to learn about Tigers and then Solar Panels..."
I was so intrigued and frankly freaked out by this that I thought I should try it right away
(before her ecological passion is gone)
and see how it goes.
I decided to add Wind Energy on there because
I thought it would be fun to do some experiments with it.

Books

Solar power

Benduhn, Tea

Solar power
Rooney, Anne



Wind power
Benduhn, Tea

Science Project/ Experiment-


Here's the link to make your own simple solar oven...we're going to 'cook' hotdogs in it!

We're also going to use this as an excuse to buy a kite:
When your children get done flying a kite, instead of rewinding the string to bring it down. Wrap the string around another stick or your hand. When you get it down then you can stretch out the string and show your children how high up the kite was.


Solar Craft-
I'm going to use THIS craft for inspiration, and let the sun help us make a sun with construction paper!

Here's another one from one of my favorite blogs- The Long Thread....guest posting on another fav kids craft blog- Skip to My Lou! Painted Sun Prints

Solar Songs:

Mister Sun
Oh Mister Sun, Sun,

Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree...

These little children
Are asking you
To please come out
So we can play with you

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me!

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree...

These little children
Are asking you
To please come out
So we can play with you

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,
Mister Golden Sun,
Please shine down on...
Please shine down on...
Please shine down on me!

W-I-N-D-Y

(Sung to BINGO)

There was a day when we were blown
And windy was the weather-O,
W-I-N-D-Y, W-I-N-D-Y, W-I-N-D-Y,
And windy was the weather. Continue

Sun Shaped Snacks:

I'll be doing this but with a pointy star.... hence a sun!

Photo credit:

Thanks!

Week 14: Lions

So, Lions it is....says Lily. She said she has REALLY been wanting to learn about Lions....and who is to stop someone who REALLY wants to learn about anything. So, here is our lesson on Lions...ROAR!!!

Books:

Lions's Lunch by Fiona Tierney

Do lions live on lily pads? by Walsh, Melanie.

I'm going to New York to visit the lionsby Roitman, Tanya.

The lion & the mouse by Pinkney, Jerry.- One of my FAVORITE books

We're going on a lion hunt by Cuyler, Margery.

Lions by Lockwood, Sophie.

Daniel in the lions' den : a Bible story by Marzollo, Jean.

CRAFTS

Paper Plate Lion

Paper Bag & Newspaper Lion

Danielle's Place has a ton of amazing lion crafts too!

Songs (Source)

You can hear lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR! ROAR!

You can hear lions roaring at the zoo, ROAR! ROAR!

You can hear lions roaring, you can hear lions roaring,

You can hear lions roaring at the zoo! ROAR! ROAR!

You can hear snakes hissing at the zoo, SSSS! SSSS!

You can hear snakes hissing at the zoo, SSS! SSS!

You can hear snakes hissing, you can hear snakes hissing,

You can hear snakes hissing at the zoo, SSS! SSS!

Others: The kids start thinking up their own!

Snacks

Carrot Stick Mane! I love it!

Thanks!

Week 13: Dinosaurs

Well, I finally think me and (mostly Lily)
are ready to begin our weekly topic lessons...
I knew it was time when Lily said,
" Mommy, what are we going to learn this week...."
and I was like,
" That's a really great question... I have no idea!"

I asked Lily what she would like to learn about,
and I pretty much knew the answer before she even said it....

DINOSAURS!

Before bed at night and at naptime,
my husband or I tell Lily stories
either from when we were little,
or completely ridiculous made up stories...

Sometimes I like to combine them.... for example:
eh' hem
Once when I was a little girl, I found a big egg in my closet...
I brought it to my daddy and asked him if I could keep it.
He let me keep the egg in my closet under a lamp.
About a month later, it hatched and it was a dinosaur!!

A Pterodactyl to be exact!
( In all honesty, I don't even think the Pterodactyls are actually dinosaurs, but hey, its a fictional story right?)
And Pterodactyls can fly!
When the pterodactyl grew up, it would take me for rides over our neighborhoods. I could see over the tops of trees, and even flew over the ocean once!

Blah blah blah, the story goes on...and every day I would switch what kind of dinosaur it was that hatched in my closet... ie- stegosaurus which helped me climb up things because he was like my personal ladder, or the brontosaurus who was like a walking slide because I could slide from the top of his head to the bottom of his tail....(she loves that one!)

Anyway, there is my long winded(written) explanation of why I knew Lily would want to learn about DINOSAURS (You can imagine me roaring everytime you read that :)

Ok, now onto what we will actually do to learn about dinosaurs...this is kind of refreshing getting back into it...I feel recharged!

Side Note: My goal is to teach Lily about Dinosaurs from a Christian perspective ie- "Creation" Here are some resources for you if you are interested in teaching the same!

Christian Answers.Net- Great resource for lessons about dinosaurs

Clarifying Christianity- Great resource for you, the teacher to catch up on Christianity and Dinosaurs

Answers in Genesis- A Woman's Testimony about her journey to God through Dinosaurs! Pretty Cool!



DINOSAURS! ROAR!!

Books:

No T Rex in the Library! by Buzzeo, Toni


Dinosaurs Love Underpants! by Freedman, Claire



Have you seen my dinosaur? by Surgal, Jon


Buying, training & caring for your dinosaur by Rennert, Laura.


The super hungry Dinosaur by Waddell, Martin.



Boo's surprise by Byars, Betsy Cromer.

Skippyjon Jones and the big bones by Schachner, Judith Byron.



T. Rex and the Mother's Day hug by Grambling, Lois G. ( Had to do this one....since Mother's Day is coming up!)


Resources from the Library:



Crafts for kids who are learning about dinosaurs by Ross, Kathy

Sesame Street. Dinosaurs! [videorecording (DVD)] Full screen ed.

Crafts: Click links to see sources


Dinosaur Feet- How to Found over at Danielle's Place- Just because they are fun, and I can incorporate make believe!!






Paper Mache' Dinosaur Hat from Enchanted Learning



Shape- A -Saurus- when you combine 8 shapes, you can make a dinosaur!


Songs (Source)

FIVE ENORMOUS DINOSAURS
Five enormous Dinosaurs letting out a roar
One went away and then there were four...
Four enormous Dinosaurs munching on a tree
One went away and then there were three...
Three enormous Dinosaurs didn't know what to do
One went away and then there were two...
Two enormous Dinosaurs having lots of fun
One went away and then there was one...
One enormous Dinosaur afraid to be a hero
He went away and then there was zero...

DINOSAURS OF LONG AGO (Action Song)
The Dinosaurs lived long ago,
And walked like this, and that. (Walk heavy like Dino's)
Some were large (Stretch arms apart.)
And some were small. (Squat down.)
Some liked water (Swimming motion)
And some liked land (Stomp feet.)
Some had wings that flapped and flapped. (Flap arms)
Some had long necks that stretched and stretched (Put hand above head)
The meanest, rudest one of all was ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex
These were the Dinosaurs of long ago.
Goodness gracious! Where did they go?

Snacks

Dino Dig Cupcakes- Found at Homemaking Fun- Have the children go on a dinosaur hunt inside the cupcake!! Awesome idea!

A Needed Break....& A Much Needed Book

Many of you know from my other blog, or from me talking to you that I recently was in the hospital with viral meningitis...you can read (if anyone at all cares) about my exciting March on my other blog here.

If you are visiting here often, you will find that I haven't posted in a long time. I have been trying to recover, and in doing so, basically let go of everything except taking care of my family. I did however during that time, purchase a book for Lily that we have been enjoying very much.

One of my biggest fears when it comes to homeschooling is..."Will I Be Able to Teach My Child to Read?" Then I was talking to some other homeschooling friends, and they mentioned this book:

Its called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann. I would highly recommend this book for a Preschooler if.... and the key word here is if....

1. They have an attention span large enough where they can sit for at least 15 minutes and concentrate on one thing.

2. They already have a strong desire to read.

3. They don't get easily bored by repetition.

4. You have the patience to do this EVERY day.

The lessons are definitely repetitive, and pictures don't start until I think around lesson 18. All in all, I truly think the method of this book works for the right child.

Ok, if this is you and your child, read on!

I also purchased the BOB books seen here. These books have been TREMENDOUS in helping Lily to read. They give her confidence, and they fit in almost perfectly with the sounds she is learning in the Lesson book. Lily and I are on Lesson 14 of the other book, and she is already reading the first 3 BOB books on her own.

So, for now, I am still taking a break on creating weekly lesson plans, although looking back at this blog, I am definitely itching to get back into it...and I am sure Lily is too.

Thanks!

Week 12: Money

Last weeks (or 2 weeks ago) topic on Birds went pretty well...

we did a ton of craft projects, but no bird counting.

Every time we found a good time to go outside and count birds,

there were none in sight- go figure.

By the time the weather cleared up,

the week was over and the Backyard Birdcount was over.

I plan to take Lily outside this week to identify some birds using pictures.

Lately, I have been asking Lily what topic she would like to learn about next, and she said "Money"

ok...here goes

Books:

Isabel's Car Wash by Bair, Sheila.

Making Cents by Robinson, Elizabeth Keeler

Sorting money by Marks, Jennifer

Money, money, Honey Bunny! by Sadler, Marilyn.

The pickle patch bathtub by Kennedy, Fran

Willimena and the cookie money by Wesley, Valerie Wilson.

My rows and piles of coins by Mollel, Tololwa M.

Crafts

Paper Mache Piggy Bank- We were just talking about paper mache' today, and Lily wants to do it, so why not make a piggy bank!

We already have out Giving, Saving & Spending Jars from the chores week, so I thought I could have her decorate them...we'll probably do Mod Podge with Tissue Paper.

Songs:

One A Penny- From Marcia's Lesson Links- GREAT SITE!

The Money Rap- Yup, I'm gonna rap :)

Well, I know a song

It's really kind of funny

It's all about coins

And learning to count money.

Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters

Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters

Now a penny means one (hold out 1 finger)

And a nickel means five (hold out 5 fingers)

Dimes are worth ten (hold out 10 fingers)

And quarters twenty five (flash... 10 twice & then 5)

Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters

Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters

Five pennies in a nickel

(hold out 1 hand- fingers stretched)

Two nickels in a dime

(hold out 2 fingers)

Five nickels in a quarter

(hold out 1 hand - fingers stretched)

You'll know it every time!

(using both hands do a downward motion)

Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters

Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters

Yeah!!!

Three Little Nickels
A Fingerplay

Three little nickels in a pocketbook new,
(hold up three fingers)
One bought a peppermint, and then there were two,
(bend down one finger)
Two little nickels before the day was done,
One bought an ice cream cone, and then there was one
(bend down another finger)
One little nickel I heard it plainly say,
"I'm going into the piggy bank for a rainy day!"

Snacks

I think we'll make some cookies and we'll use icing and label them 1 cent, 5 cents and 10 cents, and act like its money...I'll probably have about $1.50's worth :) Couldn't really find much else online...any ideas?

Beautiful Blogger Award

I am so honored to get the Beautiful Blogger Award from Home Grown Families! Thank you so much! This is my first award for this blog, and I wanted to pass it on to some other Beautiful Bloggers. Here's how it works:

The rules for this award are as followed:

• Thank the person who kindly passed this to you, and link your award back to them.
• Pass it on to 15 (I only have time for 5) blogs that deserve a Beautiful Blogger Award. Let them know they earned this award.
  
• List 7 things about yourself.

Ok, 7 Things about Me.....

1. I used to be in a band called Jimmy Roots... I sang and played keys. We traveled across the country in an RV and recorded an album.... fun times.
2. I love the idea of homeschooling my children, but am really scared about how it will all pan out..I don't want my children to count on their fingers like I still do... (did I just tell you that?)
3. I LOVE LOVE to craft, but am about the least crafty person you will ever meet...hence the best job for me.... Lesson Plans Craft Editor over at Craft Gossip....
4. I am reading the Twilight Series....its taking me a REALLY long time.
5. I get really sick during pregnancies, but want to be pregnant again...yup, I'm crazy:)
6. I'm not a numbers person and I don't care if people know how old I am....30 FYI
7. I dance in my living room with my family many times a week...

The much deserving Blogs are...( in no particular order)

A Day in the Life of a Robinson

Blessings Overflowing

Dusty Thorn Farm

One Mom, Five Boys

Views From My Window

Thanks!