Wednesday, April 1

Hello everyone!

Here are some pictures from the last 2 days!  I have loved seeing your sweet baby pictures.

Today I have a story for you!  This story is called Egg, written by the same author as yesterday's story.  Enjoy! 

What animals come from eggs?  Let's play a game.  Have your grown up read the list of animals below.  If the animal comes from an egg, stand up and do a jumping jack.  If the animal does not come from an egg, sit down.  Ready?  Go!

Cat

Bird

Dog

Snake

Cow

Penguin

Spider

Tiger

Dinosaur 

Can you think of other animals that come from eggs?

Let's do some art!  Yesterday I posted about hanging Easter egg pictures in your windows and then looking around your neighborhood for eggs in other people's windows.  Today I challenge you to make egg art in a unique way!  I have 4 ideas for you, OR, come up with your own idea!

Idea 1: Cut out an egg shape from a large piece of paper.  Mix shaving cream, liquid glue, and colored paint together in a bowl.  Paint onto your paper egg.  The liquid glue will make the shaving cream stay up in peaks instead of melting away!
Idea 2: Cut out an egg shape from tin foil.  Decorate with patterns and lines using colored Sharpie markers!  This will be the shiniest egg!
Idea 3: Cut out an egg shape from paper.  Dip a long piece of yarn in liquid glue.  Place on your egg in a design of loops and waves.  Let dry.  Color with marker or paint inside the lines you created with the yarn.
Idea 4: Cut out an egg shape from paper. Stamp with toilet paper tubes or plastic egg halves dipped in paint or an ink pad.

OR...can you think of your own creative way to decorate an egg to hang in your window?

When you're finished, send me a picture, then hang it in your window!

Next, when you're grown up is ready, it's time to go for an egg hunt around your neighborhood.  Bring your notebook with you.  Walk around your neighborhood and keep track of how many Easter eggs you can find on windows or doors.  Put a check mark in your notebook each time you find an egg.  When you get home count them and write the total!  I wonder who will find 5? 10? 20?

Finally, let's do a building challenge!  Do you have plastic Easter eggs that can be broken in half?  If so, let's use them!  If not, you can use anything else that is stackable for this challenge (blocks, plastic containers, plastic cups, etc.)  Stack the Easter eggs in towers as high as you can without letting it fall!  How many eggs can you stack?  How tall of a tower can you make?  What tool could you use to measure it?

Have a great day!  I miss you all so much and it has been so fun video chatting with you!

Tuesday, March 31

Hello my friends!

I hope you enjoyed your time outside yesterday, even if it was a rainy cloud day!

We are going to read a spring book today from one of my favorite authors, Kevin Henkes!  This book is called When Spring Comes.

Lots of baby animals are born in the spring.  I noticed baby birds and baby kittens in the book.  What other animals do you think are born in the spring?  What do you know about baby animals? Let's look at these sweet pictures of baby animals born in the spring. Awww....

      

Can you name them all?  How do the animals change as they grow?


Were you a baby?  Was your mom a baby?  Was Miss Anne a baby?  Yes!  Everyone was a baby, even if it was a long time ago. Can you remember which babies we have learned about in the Bible?  I can remember learning about 3 babies in preschool: baby Moses, Hannah's baby named Samuel, and baby Jesus!

Now it's time for you and your grown up to find a picture of you when you were a baby!  I bet you were so cute!  What did you look like?  How have you changed over time?  Spring time is a reminder about how God gives us life and how every living thing grows!  Ask your grown up if you can glue your picture into your notebooks, draw yourself and then write or tell about this question: How have you changed?

I can't wait to see some adorable baby pictures of all of you!

I just said above that "every living thing grows!"  What is a living thing?  What is not living?  Look around your house.  Can you find something living?  What is not living?   Now go outside in your yard.  What is living?  What is not living?  Can you find more living things outside or inside?

Try out this game on living and non living things!  (Parents, there is some reading involved in part of this game so stick around!)
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/plantsanimals.html

Your last task today is to go outside and create a picture using nature!  Get a bucket or bowl.  Fill it with small pieces of nature you find in your yard or at a park.  Then find a flat surface and make a picture using the nature you found.  Here are two examples!

           

I also wanted to share this awesome idea!  I hope you'll make an Easter egg for your window!

Monday, March 30

Hello friends!  I have missed you!  I hope you had a great spring break.   Let's see some pictures of some of the signs of spring you discovered!

Did you notice the warmer air and did you hear the thunderstorms?  How does the weather change when spring comes?  We are going to start learning all about spring!  But first, Charlie reminded me of something very important!  It was his Mystery Object Show N' Tell the week before spring break.  He had the idea to take a video of him doing his Show N'Tell for you!  So parents, if your child was scheduled to do their Show N' Tell last week or the upcoming weeks, please send me a video of it to post!  

Here is Charlie's Mystery Object.  Can you guess it?

Have you ever seen an egg slicer before?   Well we all know Charlie loves eggs, so he also loves his egg slicer.  

Now back to spring!  First, let's start with one of my favorite stories about spring.  This book reminds me of what the earth looks like during the month of March.  Do any of the pictures in this story look like anything you have seen outside recently?

We are going to go on a nature walk outside today (with a grown-up of course)! Before we start, get your notebook and look out your window.  What is the weather like outside?  Make a picture of the weather.  What kind of art materials will you use to create your picture?  (Parents here are some examples of materials to use: markers, crayons, paint, colored pencils, watercolor paint over Sharpie marker, ripped paper, cut yarn, etc.) Tell your grown-up about the weather and write about it.  

(Parents- write down what your child said about the weather by their drawing.  Then encourage them to write about or label their picture.)

Are you ready for a nature walk outside?  What clothing is right for the weather outside today?  Hmm...? Step outside for a minute and decide what you need.  Do you need a coat?  Boots? Hat?  Umbrella?

If your grown-up can print this scavenger hunt book, bring this with you and some crayons or colored pencils!  If you cannot print it, just bring your notebook.

Now that you are outside...

Can you find something with legs?

Can you find something soft?

Can you find something round?

Can you find something that flies?

Can you find something green?

Can you find something bumpy?

Now you find something and describe it.  I found something __________.

Finally, find something that you think is beautiful outside and ask a grown-up for help to take a picture of it.  We are going to create a class book called Something Beautiful.  (Parents, please send me the picture of your child's something beautiful so I can organize the photos into a book.)

Say a little prayer while you're outside, "Dear God, thank you for spring and for making the world so beautiful!"

Let's end with some spring yoga while we are outside!

Weekend Challenge

Happy spring!  Did you know the season has officially changed from winter to spring?  Spring is a time for rebirth- that means flowers will bloom, leaves will grow, baby animals will be born, the sun will come out and warm up the air.  Spring is a reminder of how Jesus came to earth to save us!  I hope you will all go outside this weekend and look for signs of spring.

Today Charlie and I went on a walk.  As we were walking we noticed the sidewalks were covered in seeds, nuts, and shells from the trees.  As we kept walking we saw more and more, all different shapes, colors and sizes.  The seeds will grow new trees and plants and are definitely a sign of spring.  Charlie enjoyed picking up a seed as he passed one house and then throwing it in a yard a few houses down.  He predicted that if he threw the seeds a few houses down that they would grow new trees in that yard.  What do you think?

Look at all the seeds, nuts and shells that we found!  Can you find these in your yard or neighborhood?  Can you find different ones?

Make a collection of the seeds, nuts and shells that you find.  Can you create a picture with them?  Or count them?  Can you make a pattern or sort them? 

What other signs of spring can you find?  Draw a picture in your notebooks!

Speaking of spring, we often see rainbows after spring rain.  I loved seeing your rainbow work today!  Here are some pictures!

Thursday, March 19

Hi everyone!

I am so impressed by all the pictures of your hard work!  Keep it up, friends!

Here is video of me reading some of the stories about castles that have been created.

Here are some pictures of your awesome work!

       

Today we will learn a little bit more about Ireland and then it will be time to pack up our bags and go home for spring break.

One of the things we have been learning about at preschool is symbols and what they mean.  Symbols on maps, symbols on signs, symbols as flags, and more.  We already learned about the symbol of a shamrock and how it means "luck".  When I think of Ireland or leprechauns and St. Patrick's day I also think of rainbows.  I wonder what rainbows are a symbol for in Ireland? Take a minute and think...hmm?  Well, I didn't know so I did some research and here is what I found.  In Ireland they tell stories about leprechauns that have pots of gold.  They say that if you can catch a leprechaun then he will give you his pot of gold.   The only problem is, the pot of gold is at the end of a rainbow.  Where is the end of a rainbow?  And what is a rainbow anyways?

Get out your notebook and draw a beautiful rainbow.  Do you know the colors of a rainbow?  I wonder...where do rainbows come from? Make some predictions and have your grown-up write down your ideas.

Watch this video about rainbows!  Try the experiment if you'd like!

Now let's sing a song about rainbows.  There are 7 colors in a rainbow.  Can you name them all?

Did you know that a rainbow is also a symbol in the Bible?  A rainbow is a symbol of God's promise to us, that he will always love us!  Let's make a craft together and then hang it up somewhere in your house so you can always remember how much God loves you!

Let's finish with some rainbow breaths to feel calm and relaxed.

Don't forget to spread love and kindness to everyone around you! Have a wonderful spring break.  I'll be back with more activities and videos after break!  I miss you all!

(Parents- Feel free to use the games, videos and resources posted in the icons on top of the blog over break!)

Wednesday, March 18

(Parents- don't forget to follow this page so you get updated when a new post is posted!)

Hi friends!

I hope you had a great St. Patrick's day.  I saw lots of pictures of you all doing Zumba with Miss Tiffany, searching for green things in your house, drawing about your blessings, and making play dough letters.

Check out some of your friends' work below:

Even though St. Patrick's day is over, we are going to keep traveling around Ireland!  Did you know Ireland has many castles? Check out these castles in Ireland below:


 
 Hmmm...I wonder who lived in these castles?  Can you tell me a story about someone who lived in one of these castles?  Get out your notebook.  Draw the castle and the people who you think lived there.  Then tell a story about the people who lived there!  Remember stories have a beginning, middle and end. Ask your grown up to write down your story.  (Parents- feel free to take a video of your child telling a story or take a picture of their work and send it to me!)

(Parents- please adapt this to your child's ability level.  You can extend it by having your child turn it into a book or create puppets. Or instead of having them tell a full story show them how they could draw a castle using simple shapes like squares, lines, circles, etc and ask them who lives in their castle.  Meet your child where they are at developmentally!)

When you're finished, check out this Ireland castle puzzle!

https://www.dltk-kids.com/puzzles/jigsaw/ver20/canvas.asp?20130418

(Parents- this puzzle can be adapted and ranges from 12 to 104 pieces.  See the dropdown menu above the picture.  If your child is not ready for this digital puzzle, consider printing it out and cutting the picture into 3 pieces.  Have your child put the cutout pieces together.)

To finish today we are going to do something really kind!  See my video below!!

(Parents- See the first post in this blog about meeting your child where they are at in terms of writing ability.  If they aren't ready to write letters, have them draw squiggles.  If they need more of a challenge, have them write a sentence.  If you know someone in a nursing home who would like your child's letter, please send it along to them!  Otherwise I found this post with two addresses for nursing homes:)

Have a wonderful day!  Spread love and kindness!