When my husband and I were getting engaged we decided that things were better when we didn't complicate them. We decided "simply better" was a good catch phrase to remember. This is an extension of that. Homemaking can be simple and I think it is simply better that way.
Last week was my turn to teach preschool again. W and X. For "W" we talked about "winter" and went on a winter wonderland walk. The weather cooperated and we got a nice dumping of snow over the weekend. That was fun. We talked about what happens to different kinds of plants and animals in the winter. We read books about winter. It was fun.
Then it was time to focus on "X" and so I told a story about how "X" was best friends with "E" and as long as they were together "X" was great. We talked about some "ex" words like "exciting" and "extra" and "exactly" etc. Then we spent the rest of the time talking about eXercise and why it is so important. We talked about how it helps our blood, breathing, muscles and bones. We talked about the right kinds of "fuel" for our eXercising machines (bodies).
But mostly, we eXercised!
I made "snowballs" out of plastic bags wadded up and taped. Then they practiced throwing them at this big fat snowman. This was their favorite activity. We used these same snowballs to practice catching. I'd say their name and then throw to them so they could catch, then when they all had a snowball I'd say their name and they'd throw it back to me so I could catch. It really was a good eXercise.
Pushups.
sit ups (did you know 4 year olds don't have the core strength or coordination to do sit ups? Well, at least these four didn't. It surprised me.)
ribbon dancing (probably the second favorite).
Balance beam
balance beam with "weights" (soup cans)
We also did yoga (cat, dog, and mountain poses), hiking (a pretend hike up the stairs), jumping (across a river - a blue rug), army crawls, jumping jacks, and a few others.
The time flew by and the kids loved it! I found most of my lesson plan ideas here. It is a great resource for getting your kids moving!
It was my turn to teach preschool again and this time we had "P" and "Q."
For the letter "P" we mostly talked about painting. I showed them some of Phil's art books and we discussed the difference between various styles and mediums (without any technical language). Not surprisingly, they all liked the more realistic paintings and water colors the best.
Next, I set up four stations (because we have four kids in our preschool). Each child got to spend time at each station. The stations were:
Painting with brushes and a large piece of paper.
Finger painting.
Traditional water paints.
Water paint pencils.
The kids had lots of fun and they were mostly clean at the end.
We also talked a little about pennies and I had them count pennies and then we used flash cards to pick a number and they counted out that number of pennies.
After the other kids went home, Eden continued to paint. She loved the water colors and started to really do some interesting things. She spent much time over the next several days painting. Phil would be so proud.
For the letter "Q" we did the following:
We told a story about how "Q" always wanted a best friend and then when he met "U" he realized he'd found one and decided that they would always stick together. The children took turns re-telling the story and then they took turns being "Q" and "U" and following each other around the room.
We made crustless Quiche. (3 eggs, 1/3 C Ricotta Cheese, 1/3 C Shredded Colby, 1/3 C Milk; blend in blender; pour into ramekins; bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes). The kids each got to choose what extras (bacon bits, spinach, etc.) to add to their quiche. When they were done, we ate them and Nestle Quick for snack.
We made Quilts. We used sticky-backed craft foam of various shapes and each child got to design their own quilt. I was surprised at how much they enjoyed this activity. Even the boys really got into it.
We sorted coins in order to find the Quarters. Then we did various counting and number games using the quarters.
Today in preschool we worked on the letter H. Whereas Monday was a science day, today was definitely an arts and crafts day.
We painted sugar cookie pumpkins. (Recipes below)
We read this book and each child got a set of 10 Timid Ghosts
We read this story and then they drew something from the story. Left to right: The mailman, Marley, the pumpkin. Not bad for 4 year olds!
We made foot print ghosts. They didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped (their arches were too high, I guess). Next time I think I'll use the bottom of a flip flop to stamp out the ghost shape (heel is the head).
We talked about shapes and then they got to design their own Jack-o-lanterns.
See how cute!
We sewed these hand puppets. This one is a witch in the making.
This one is a kitty. (These were from a kit I bought at the HobLob.)
Maybe my favorite project is one we didn't even get to. So, Eden and I did them after preschool. These are inkblot monsters. We painted one side, folded it over, rubbed it, opened it up, then put on eyes, etc. Aren't these hilarious? We have about five more that Eden did this afternoon. Truly fun and funny.
I love teaching preschool once a month. I get so excited to prepare for the week I get to teach, but let me tell you, I'm also so excited when my week is done and I know I won't be teaching again for a month! This is definitely a nice set up we have, it suits me just perfectly.
Recipe for sugar cookies found here.
The glaze is just powdered sugar and milk to a paint-like consistency then add your food coloring. Using the paint brushes is ingenious and so fun. Every fall when we do these I think of my friend Natalie back in Alabama. She is the painted sugar cookie queen.
Yesterday for preschool we talked about the letter G. I wanted the focus to be on science and so we did some chemistry and biology. Specifically, we learned about how Glass is made and we learned about Grass.
Glass
I showed them this video:
I wondered if they'd be able to follow it but with some running commentary/explanation by me they were and seemed to think it was fascinating!
Then we made glass for ourselves (with a few substitutions).
Sand - Sugar
Soda Ash - Water (lowers the melting temperature)
Lime - Corn Syrup (stabilizes and makes less soluble)
2400 degrees - 350 degrees
8 hours - 20 minutes
Yup, we made suckers. It was a great parallel to glass making and the kids watched with great interest and enthusiasm.
See how it balls up just like the real glass?
They each got to take home a "glass" sucker and they were pretty excited.
Yesterday was our last day of summer weather (I know, we've been spoiled) so I wanted to get the kids outside as much as possible before today's fall-like rain began. So, we also learned about Grass.
We planted and watered grass seeds and talked about the life cycle of grass. I had a puzzle for each of them to correctly assemble the life cycle from seed to grass blades.
We went outside and used our magnifying glass to look at the grass and all that was in it: bugs, dirt, etc. Then they drew pictures in their notebooks.
Today we started our Mommy-n-Me preschool again. I get to teach this week and it was so fun to prepare. I had the letter "A" today and chose to teach about Africa.
We looked at lots of pictures of African children and discussed diversity. We looked at a book of African animals and another about African folk art. We had some really fun learning projects. Here are some pictures:
This is one of the African drums. It is made with two disposable cups glued base to base. Masking tape is used for the "animal skins" at the tops. Mod podge and tissue paper were applied (ahead of time) and then the kids painted them and added the beads.
"Cave drawings" (using sandpaper)
a pyramid made from the letter "A"
They cut the bananas, dipped them in the egg wash and bread crumbs, and then watched me fry and bake them. Then they ate them. We got to discuss kitchen sanitation and safety as well as learning to cut (bananas are great for this because they cut easily with a table knife).
Safari animal memory game (color, cut out and play!)
Eden has struggled a bit with counting beyond eleven. She has also struggled to recognize double digit numbers. We have flash cards and have tried a variety of ways to make it interesting. Today we found one that seems to have been both fun and effective.
I made a chart of physical activities for each number 1-20. For example:
1 - Split
2 - Somersaults
3 - Push Ups
etc.
I then held the flash cards number-side down and she randomly chose one. Then we both did that exercise for that number of repitions. It was great because she had to count with each exercise (obviously 1 split or 2 somersaults didn't require great counting but a 20 second plank required counting all the way up to 20!).
We had lots of fun and her counting and number recognition seemed to improve during the activity. I think it is definitely something we can repeat and when it gets too routine, I can mix it up with new exercises.
It was also good because Eden was not blessed with the most coordinated genes (but man can she perform!). It was good for her to use her body in ways that she hasn't tried before. She complained that her abs hurt (she didn't know they are called abs but she showed me where her stomach muscles hurt).
All in all this was a great activity and we'll be doing it again.
This week for preschool (I was in charge again), we learned about the letter "T." On Monday we discussed Teeth and tooth care. The kids had fun. We did an experiment with eggshells (they served as our teeth) in different kinds of beverages. The Juice Drink and Soda stained the "teeth" almost immediately. The OJ actually broke down the "tooth" into pieces. Milk and water were definitely the best. We did some other fun teeth things.
On Wednesday, we talked about transportation. We read some fun books. I had made a train out of boxes and we had fun chugging around our house. I also made two airplanes out of boxes and that was a fun thing (but we needed more space to really "fly"). We talked about shapes and they made school buses with foam stickers.
My favorite part was our snack. I made these adorable stop lights. They tasted really great too!
Today for our co-op preschool, I taught about the letter "R" and Reptiles. We did some fun crafts so I thought I'd share:
This cute chameleon (stolen idea from my sister Emily)
The kids had fun sticking the tongues in my ear. Thanks TANGLED for that idea!
Torn paper turtles. I was surprised that this really captured their attention and was a good motor skills developer. Who knew that tearing paper was a skill that had to be developed?
This was my favorite. These cereal snakes were a last minute idea I had (I know, an idea of my very own!).
I prepared them to this point with embroidery thread and craft foam with a sticky side. Then I put the eyes on (they could have done that). I put tape around one side and then they went to town threading the cereal (and eating the ones that weren't perfect).
When they were done, I put a triangle piece of the sticky craft foam on to make a tail and to keep the cereal in place.
