Wednesday, April 15

Hello friends!

Today I have nest building challenges for you!  You are going to be a nest engineer just like a mama or daddy bird.    Are you ready for the challenges? 

Don't forget every good design starts with a plan!  Try drawing a plan before you begin your nest building challenges!  Here we go!

Challenge 1:  Can you build a life size nest for yourself?  Pretend you are a bird and your grown up is another bird.  Your nest must be big enough to fit yourself, your grown up, and 3 eggs.  You can use anything to be your eggs.  (Ex. pillows, stuffed animals, etc.)  What materials will you use to build a life size nest?  When you're done, test it out to make sure that you fit, your grown up fits and your 3 eggs fit inside and are safe and cozy!  Snap a photo when you're finished! 

Challenge 2:  Can you build a nest out of play dough and nature?  Pretend you are a bird.  You must gather nature (leaves, twigs, grass, straw, etc.) to build your nest for your eggs.  Use your play dough as the "glue" to hold your nest together.  Your challenge is then to find 3 things you can use outside to be your eggs and add them to your nest.   (Ex. stones, acorns, tree seeds, etc.)  Snap a photo!

Challenge 3:  Can you build a nest in 1 minute?  Quick!  You are a bird and you need a place to lay your eggs right away!  Have your grown up set a timer for 1 minute.  What materials can you use to build a cozy and safe nest in 1 minute?  Your challenge is you must you 3 different kinds of materials.  Ready?  Set!  Go!  Snap a photo when you're finished!

Challenge 4:  Can you build a tiny nest?  Your challenge is to build the tiniest nest.  Working in different rooms, your grown up will built a nest and you will build a nest.  Set a timer for however long you want to build your nest.  When the timer goes off, compare your nest to your grown up's nest.  Who built the tiniest nest?  Can you measure your nest?  Is there a bird that could fit inside your tiny nest? Snap a photo! 

Challenge 5: Build a Nest race!  With your grown up, look around your home an add things in piles for nest building.  You could use blankets, pillows, string, newspaper, anything!  Your brothers, sisters, mom, and/or dad can all play!  There should be matching objects for each player.  (So if 3 people are playing and one of your objects is a pillow, you should have 3 pillows; if you choose to use blankets, there should be 3 blankets, etc. )   Then find a safe space to race.  Take your piles and scatter them around your race space.  Then when you say "go!" each player must gather one of each object and build a nest.  Who can build their nest the fastest without missing any of the objects you gathered? 

I hope you enjoyed your nest building challenges today!

Tuesday, April 14

Hello friends!  Welcome back!

Did you have a nice Easter?  What was the best thing you did?  Take a minute to think of these two questions.
What was the same about Easter this year?  What was different about Easter this year.  Hmm...

For Charlie and our family, something the same was dyeing and hunting for Easter eggs!  Something different was instead of going to church, we watched a movie about the life of Jesus and how he rose to heaven!

Shout out to Lanie for sharing that great book about the bird's nest with us on the Facebook parent page.  Thanks, Lanie!  I enjoyed it!  I love how you read the pictures!

(Parents, "reading" the pictures means telling the story using the pictures for clues.  We learned in the beginning of the year not to say things like, "I can't read the book because I can't read words".  Children were taught to say, "I can't read the words yet, but I can read the pictures".)

Now for some updates on the bird nest we are watching.  Here are two videos from Emma:

Today I have a story for you!  It's called Mama Built a Little Nest.

(Parents, if you listen closely you will get a little John Denver concert in the background.  Ha!  My husband was singing to Charlie at bedtime. 😄 Sorry if it's distracting!)

Did you know there are so many different ways that birds build nests?   Here is a bird called a killdeer.  Can you guess where a killdeer builds its nest?

Any guesses?  On the ground!  They lay speckled eggs and lay them in rocks resting on the ground.  I wonder why they lay them in rocks?  Do you have a prediction?  Look at their color and their pattern.

                                                                                            

Now it's time to imagine.  If you were a bird, where would you build a nest?  Would you build it in a tree?  On the ground? On a ledge?  In a burrow?  Get you notebooks out and draw/write about where you would build the perfect nest for your baby birds!

Let's end today with a fun dance about shaking your tail feathers like a bird!

Optional cooking activity!

Parents: If you have these ingredients on hand, try to make an edible bird's nest!  Yum!  Perfect way to use some candy eggs you may have from Easter.  

12 oz. bag chocolate chips

12 oz. bag butterscotch or peanut butter chocolate chips

12 oz. bag chow mein noodles or pretzel sticks

candy eggs

Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together.  Mix in chow mein noodles.  (If using pretzel sticks, break in smaller pieces first.) Scoop into balls and then shape into a nest shape.  Add candy eggs to center of nest.  Let rest until firm.  Enjoy!

Thursday, April 9

Hi friends!

Let's take a look at some of your webs and nests!

I can't wait to see some more nests as you discover them.  Charlie and I watched two birds carrying twigs to their nest inside a birdhouse we have hanging outside of our window.  We discovered the two birds are cute little chickadees!  Here is a picture of a chickadee.

Before we get started on our activities for the day, let's watch Jaida's Mystery Show N Tell!  Can you guess it?

Did you guess it?  I didn't!  I guessed it was a biscuit cutter!  What did you guess?

We are going to start with a classic story about a bird and the best nest!

Is this book fiction or non fiction?  Even though it's fiction, did you learn anything about birds from this book?  I learned that birds use hay, string, straws, hair, and stuffing to build nests!  Did you know that we can learn new information even from books that are fiction?  I'm going to add what I learned to my web!  

These birds decided to build their nests in some unusual places!  

     

 

Let's play I spy!

I spy a duck in a plant box.

I spy a nest on a ladder.

I spy a nest in a bicycle.

I spy a nest by a red light.

I spy baby birds inside a shoe!

We learned that birds use all kind of things to make nests!  Some birds use twigs, hay, hair and straw.  Some birds build their nests using mud.  Can you tell which nest is made from mud and which nest is made from twigs and straw?

  

I wonder which kind of birds live in the mud nest?  I wonder which birds are in the nest made from twigs?

(Parents, if you want to try to research this with your child, go for it!  The answer is swallows are in the mud nest and the twig nest is a robin's nest.)

Now it's time for you to build a nest! Find some things around your house that you could use to build a nest.  String? Straws?  Yarn?  What can you use?  Pretend you are a bird and build a nest for your eggs!  I can't wait to see a picture!  

Did you learning anything new today?  Is there anything you could add to your web?

For the weekend: 

Easter is this Sunday!  I am so excited!  Here is an activity for you to do outside, perhaps over the weekend when the weather is supposed to be nice again!    We learned before that Jesus died on a cross before going to heaven and a cross is a symbol of Jesus' love!  Have you ever been outside and seen a cross made from nature?  Hmm...I wonder if you can find any crosses in nature?

Here are crosses on plant leaves.  Do you see them?

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter! 

(Parents: I'll be back with another post on Tuesday since Monday is a scheduled "no school" day for Easter Monday. )

Wednesday, April 8

Hello friends!

It has been so fun visiting some of you at your homes (from a distance of course)! If you haven't signed up for a home visit and would like me to come to your home today or tomorrow, please see the Signupgenius sent out in a previous email.  I'd love to see everyone!  (Note: no contact is made!  I just hold a message and stand outside the window or door.  Then I leave a special Easter treat.)

I have something exciting to show you from our friend Emma.  She looked outside her window and guess what she found?  Look!

 

       

Can you tell what it is?  It's a bird's nest inside a wreath on the door!  I wonder how many eggs the mama bird will lay? I wonder when the eggs will hatch?  Emma is going to send us more pictures when the eggs are laid and baby birds are hatched!  So exciting!  Let's write down our predictions first and then when we get updates we will check back at our predictions.  Get out your notebook and write/draw the answers to these questions:

1. How many eggs will the mama bird lay?

2.  When will the eggs hatch? 

3.  What will the baby birds look like?

(Parents, have your child keep their predictions in a safe location so we can go back and check them.)

These pictures have inspired the activities for today!  I just love spring, don't you?  It's a symbol of birth, new life, growth and natural beauty.  It's the perfect time for Easter since Easter is when God gave us new life through Jesus! Let's start a bird project!

Remember how at preschool when we start a new project we start with a web?  Let's try a web on birds today.  Follow along in your notebooks and then add to it!  (Parents, help your child as necessary.  Some children may be independent while others may need you to draw the web and they can draw pictures inside the web.)

Here is a really fun song about a mama bird sitting on her egg and waiting for it to hatch!  Stand up and get some exercise!  (Parents, there are lots of these dance videos available on Youtube.  Search Dance N Beats.)

Since it's supposed to be a beautiful day today, let's go outside!  Look around for a place to sit where you think you might see birds or a nest.  Sit and watch.  Can you find any birds?  What are they doing?  Do you see any birds picking things up to build their nest?  Can you find any nests that are being built?  

Now it's time to relax.  Get a blanket and lie down.  Relax and watch the nature around you.  Take some deep breaths.  Sometimes it feels good to just take a break and observe nature.  

Tuesday, April 7

Hello friends!

Today it's going to be a bit of a rainy day, so I thought we could do an activity that would help us use our imagination to see something else outside our windows today!

First, let's start with a story!  This story is called Outside My Window and is all about what people around the world see outside their windows. 

Let's take a look outside your window!  Choose a window in your house.  Take a minute to observe.  What do you see?  What colors do you see?  What textures do you see?  Do you see anything you have never noticed before?  

Let's play a game! Ready?  Go!

Jump 5 times if you see a tree

Stand on one foot for 4 seconds if you see a house

Clap your hands 8 times if you see a cloud

Run in place and count to 20 if you see a bird

Spin in a circle 3 times if you see a flower

Sing Rain Rain Go Away if you see rain

Now get a piece of paper or your notebook (if it's blank paper.)  Turn it vertically (up and down.)  First, draw what you see outside your window.  Your challenge is to use more than 3 colors in your drawing!  Can you draw textures you see?   Now comes the really fun part!  Imagine.  What do you want to see outside your window?  Do you want to see a beach?  A train? A monster?  Imagine anything!  Now add it to your picture!  Explain what you want to see to your grown up!

(Parents, write down your child's words or encourage them to label their picture.)

(Parents, before you read the next activity aloud to your child, read it first and decide if you can and want to do this at your home.)

Now we are going to make some window art!  There are two ways we can make art on your windows.  Ask a grown up to help you.

1. Put painter's tape on your window in different shapes. Mix washable paint, water, and a little bit of dish soap.  Paint inside your taped lines to create a beautiful stained glass window!  (Test a small corner of your window first.)  Here is an example:

2.  The second way you can do this is with contact paper.  Spread contact paper onto a window.  Then cut out small pieces of colorful paper.  Stick them onto the contact paper.  You could also cutout the contact paper in shapes, like a cross, butterfly or hearts.  Here is an example:

Or, if you are unable to decorate a window, you can do the first idea on your sidewalk with painter's tape and sidewalk chalk!

Lastly, do you remember the story of Jesus from yesterday?  We learned that he died on the cross, then his body was put into a tomb. Then what happened?  On Easter, his body wasn't in the tomb.  Where did he go?  To heaven!  Easter is when we celebrate Jesus living again in heaven with God! We are going to do a little story game.  You need to find objects around your house to retell the story of Easter.  These objects will be symbols in your story.  Look around your house and find something to be a...

Jesus

Cross

Tomb

Heaven

Angel

Now that you have an object for each of these pieces of the story, use the objects to retell the story to someone in your house!  

(Parents, let your child think creatively!  Jesus could be a doll, the cross could be two popsicle sticks, the tomb could be a rock, heaven could be a clump of cotton balls, and an angel could be a toy butterfly.  There are no wrong answers. 

Some children may need extra support with this.  To help them understand, show them pictures of Jesus, a cross, tomb, heaven and an angel. Then pick out certain attributes you see in the picture and see if they can find something to match that attribute.  For example, a picture of heaven is often represented with clouds or sunshine.  What could your child use to be a cloud or sun? For children who need an extra challenge, add in other parts of the story of Easter, for example, The Last Supper.) 

Have a lovely day!  

Monday, April 6

Hello friends!

Here are some pictures from last week!

Do you know what holiday is coming up?  It's Easter!  What is Easter?  What do you do for Easter with your family?  This week we are going to learn all about Easter!

Easter is fun because we get to dye Easter eggs and the Easter bunny might leave something special at your house.  But, do you know the real reason we celebrate Easter?  It's because of Jesus!  Let's start with a story!

Jesus died on the cross for all of us!  Because He loves us so much.  Isn't that amazing?  We have sung Jesus Loves Me at school before.  Let's sing it again, but this time with sign language!  We can learn it using the video below.

Now let's play a game!  You will need to have a grown up print this game.  It's called Easter Bingo!  Your mom, dad, brother or sister can play too!  Print out the number of Bingo boards you need.  As game pieces you can use small objects or snacks like Goldfish crackers.  Have a grown-up call out the pictures on the game board.  Put a game piece on the matching spot.  Whoever gets a straight line first says, "Bingo!"

Here is the game: Easter Bingo

Do you have any plastic Easter eggs at home?  Is there anything inside?  Is it solid or hollow?  What do you think hollow means?  Hmmm...do you have a prediction?   Hollow means there is nothing inside.   Can you find anything hollow in your house or outside?  Get out your notebook and draw something you find that is hollow. 

When Jesus died on the cross, his body was put into a tomb.  On the first Easter, the tomb was empty, just like a hollow egg!  Jesus rose to heaven!  Here is a sweet little poem to read. 

Thursday, April 2

Hello friends!

Today the weather is supposed to be beautiful!  I hope you will play outside!

Let's see some of your work from yesterday with eggs!

        

Today we have one more book by Kevin Henkes!  This story is called Waiting.

Have you ever had to wait for something before?  Was it hard?  Sometimes we have to be patient!  We can practice our self-control strategies when it gets hard to wait.  Do you remember the self-control strategies we learned at school?  Can you show them to your parents? They are...
1. Take deep breaths
2. Give self arm squeezes
3.  Hug a pillow or self
4.  Talk to God
5. Take a break

Remember this song about self-control?  Let's do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6xFdusT2BE

Today we have a little Bible lesson. Ask your grown up if they can read you a story about Jesus practicing self-control.  The story is Matthew 4:1-11.

Here is a short cartoon that explains the story nicely to children:

How did Jesus practice self-control?  Are you ready to practice self-control?  We are going to do a self-control test!  We will need some help from one of your grown-ups for this.

(Parents: This is called the Marshmallow Test.  You need to have two marshmallows, or any other kind of treat that your child really really wants to eat.  Have your child sit at the table. You put one marshmallow in front of them.  Tell them they can eat it now OR if they can practice self-control for 10 minutes they can have two! Put a 10 minute timer on.  They can look at it, touch it, smell it, but they can't taste it if they want two!  If they can practice self-control for 10 minutes without eating the marshmallow, give them two!  I highly encourage video taping clips of this as it's very fun to watch back!)

Your grown up will put one marshmallow or special treat in front of you at your table.  You can eat it now.  Or, if you can wait 10 minutes, you can have two!  What self-control strategies can you practice while you wait? I wonder who will practice self-control for 10 minutes?

Ready? Set? Go!

Here is a fun timer to use! https://www.online-stopwatch.com/rocket-timer/full-screen/

Did you do it?  Did you eat one marshmallow or two?  Did you practice any self-control strategies while you waited?  Draw a picture about it in your notebooks!

The last activity today is a fun block game to play with a partner.  Watch Charlie and I play it below.


Now you try!

See you next week! I miss you all!