Review.
Song: The Alphabet Song. Mommy printed each song on a page with pictures, so I can pick out the song I want to sing out of our songbook. I like pointing out some of the letters as we sing, especially "WXY and Z!" And I'm starting to move my fingers to sign the alphabet like Mommy does.
Book: Avalanche by Michael J. Rosen. We read a number of alphabet books, but this was my absolute favorite! I especially liked the outer space pictures.
Food: Alphabet soup. Not terribly exciting. Apple chips. Not my favorite, either. Apple Jacks. Now THOSE I like!
Computer Time: Fisher Price alphabet game - fun because I can play without having to use the mouse!
Physical Activity: Color Twister
This is the day Mommy brings out the big bin of alphabet and color and shape stuff for me to play with. Plus we put together our very own Teeny Tiny alphabet book. I helped color, and then I decided it needed some glitter glue. That was just the perfect touch, Mommy says.
Lapbook (& Ants).
Song: The Ants Go Marching. My favorite song of the week! I love to march around the house and go "boom boom boom" with my foot! I don't always make it through all ten verses, but we did a couple of times. And it's good exercise on a rainy day!
Book: Ant Cities by Arthur Dorros - we just looked at pictures. The Ant and the Elephant by Bill Peet - there were too many words in this book, but Mommy just told me the story as we looked at pictures.
Food: Ants on a log. I had fun making these - but I only ate the peanut butter and cream cheese, not the celery or raisins...
Computer Time: Archibald's Adventure - I had fun watching as Mommy showed me how to play.
Science: Ant farm. We filled a jar with dirt and ants. You can see more at this science post.
Physical Activity: Marching like ants
On the second day, we are putting together a lapbook for each letter. I get to play with it during the week, and then I'll get to look at all my lapbooks on review days, too.
We're keeping things simple for now. Here's what we did:
We have the folder set up backwards from what you would normally think a folder should be. This way, you can punch holes along the back left page and put it in a binder nicely - the front page is a little smaller and opens to the right.
The first page is a block letter "A" with fingerprint ants on it. Mommy says it was much easier to do this last year when I was little and let her move my hand around. I wanted to do it myself this time - and I DIDN'T want to do three fingerprints in a row. So this is as good as it got.
On the inside of the front page we stapled a gallon ziplock bag to store some of the "A" activities we did throughout the weeks.
On the next page we had a letter book, with pages of things that start with "A." Then our sign language cards. I really like flaps, so these are taped with the A card on top, then you lift it up and the apple card is underneath. And on the backs of each card is a diagram of how to make the sign.
And I have a Bible verse card. For "A" we did "Go to the ant" verse from Proverbs 6:9. This is a flap card, too - if you lift it up, there are ant pictures pasted underneath. And I had a counting pocket. Inside were apples numbered from 1-15, so we could pull them out, put them in order, and count.
On the back page we glued a coloring page of an "A" ant.
Mommy says to let you know - if it seems there is too much coloring, try changing the medium you color with. Watercolor paints go a long way - I colored a LOT of pages very fast with my watercolors.
Excursion 1: Aquarium.
Book: Curious George Goes to the Aquarium by Margret and H. A. Reys. I LOVED this book! But then, I love anything George is in...
Food: Goldfish crackers.
I really wanted to drive 3 hours to a big aquarium, but instead we just checked out the fish at Wal-Mart while running errands. We almost bought a fish bowl to put plastic fish in, but we couldn't find plastic fish anywhere. And the real ones weren't for sale that day (thankfully, Mommy says).
Bible Story: Adam (& Creation & Animals).
Song: God Made Adam
Book: Colors of Creation by Thomas Paul Thigpen - this is my absolute favorite book! Mine is in Mozambique, so we just read it online. In Our Image: God's First Creatures by Nancy Sohn Swartz - Mommy says she paraphrased a little bit due to theology, but this was a fun book and fun story.
Food: Garden of Eden food! Acorn squash glazed with apricot jam, almond butter, dried apricots, asparagus.
Computer Time: When God Made Everything online book, Animal Sounds game
Science: Switching lights on and off, candles (God said "Let there be light.")
Physical Activity: Naming the animals we saw on a walk outside
We talked about creation and Adam and Eve on our Bible story day. I played a creation matching game. Mommy laid out 8 cards in the order of creation, and I had to match my 8 cards to those.
And we made a mobile of the days of creation. Each day was a different color, kind of like my favorite creation book.
We decided to use up the paint that was left on our plate to make this rainbow. Mommy helped a lot, but I told everybody "Esmé paint it!"
Science: Alligator & Airplane.
Song: Alligator Pie
Book: See You Later, Alligator by Bobette McCarthy. Snip Snap! What's That? by Mara Bergman - one of my absolute favorites! Freddie Goes on an Airplane by Nicola Smee. I Love Planes by Philemon Sturges - my ABSOLUTE favorite book of the week!
Food: Airplane tray. Sadly, no alligator pie...
Science: Flying airplanes
Computer Time: Barney's Airplane song
Physical Activity: Jumping on the trampoline like an astronaut
You can read more about our airplane adventures on this airplane post.
Social Studies: Australia.
Song: Kookaburra Song
Book: Big Talk by Miriam Schlein - one of my favorites. Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan. Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne. Australia: Enchantment of the World by Ann Heinrichs - we looked at pictures while talking about Australia.
Food: (Veggie)meat pie
Science: Eating gumdrops - see this science post.
Computer Time: Kookaburra video - there are several other kookaburra videos, too.
Physical Activity: Prep and take a walkabout.
I got to play with some Australian outback paper dolls. I liked matching up styles for them to wear, since I am such a fashionista myself...
Excursion 2: Airplane.
We ate lunch while staking airplanes (see airplane post). I LOVE airplanes!
Kitchen: Apple.
Song: Apple (to the tune of BINGO)
Book: There are STACKS of books on apples. Here are some that I enjoyed: Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo L. LeSieg. The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall. How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. The Apple Pie that Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson. Johnny Appleseed by Jane Yolen.
Food: Apple shakeups snack. Mommy peeled up some apples, and I cut them with a table knife. Then we put them in a ziplock bag. I put in some spoons of brown sugar and cinnamon, too. Then I shook it all up! I didn't eat any, though...
I did eat the sugar cookies we made. I helped roll out the dough, use the cookie cutters (A, apple, airplane, and angel), and decorate them. Cept Mommy said they flopped cuz they didn't keep their shape when they baked. But they were yummy, anyway.
Science: Lemon juice on apple - see this science post.
Computer Time: Checked out some apple sites with Mommy: http://www.bestapples.com/kids/games/, http://www.applejuice.org/fungames.html, http://apple-corps.westnet.com/apple_corps.2.html
Physical Activity: Apple blossom blizzard. We went outside and checked out the orchard in our back yard. There were some pretty apple blossoms! We got to do a blossom blizzard, too. Not with the apples, though - the pear blossoms worked much better for a blizzard. I like tissue paper blossom blizzards, but real blossom blizzards are much better!
Mommy hid some wood apples in my alphabet macaroni tub. I got to find them and paint them!
My coloring page for the day was an apple. After it was colored, we glued it to cereal box board. We had to wait for it to dry. Then Mommy cut it and punched holes in it, and I got to sew it up. I got real good coordination...
I made this really cool apple print wrapping paper. Mommy showed me how to paint stems and leaves on the apples after we printed them.
Miscellaneous A Stuff.
Act of Kindness. Write a letter to an aunt. We picked my Auntie Ann, cuz her name starts with A. Here's my letter:
I haven't met her yet - she lives in Cambodia. But she gives the nicest gifts. So we picked out a present for her, and we're gonna wrap it in the apple print paper I made. But I can't tell you what it is - it's a secret!
Calendar. Since we're in April, which is an "A" month, we started keeping a calendar. Every day we put a new sticker on the day (or sometimes we have to catch up and put several stickers on the days we missed). And I'm learning the days of the week and stuff, with a little help from Starfall.com.
---------------
If you have a post or link related to "A" Activities for toddlers, link up here!
Posts
.jpg)
10 comments:
Wow, Esme! No wonder you were tuckered out by Wednesday! Looks like you had so much fun. I really like your Creation matching cards, where did you get those?
WOW!! What an extensive post! You are good!
Hey Esme - i am one lucky auntie! Thank you so much for your beautiful letter!
wow what a great wonderful week!!! love the lapbook!!!! :)
Wow! Lots of great ideas here!
We started with A this week also and as soon as I get my post up I will link. Thanks for all the ideas from last week and we are going to continue with A this coming week and use some more ideas. We also have an Aunt Anne!
I posted my link! Thanks for the great ideas!
Hi. Maybe you have posted about this in the past and I just missed it, but aside from needing direction in our day, I feel we desperately need a schedule! Do you mind sharing with me what an average day - start to finish - looks like for you?
Thanks! You can email me at jon_deanna@hotmail.com
Love the Lapbook! I had never come across them before and always ran out of "display" space - will DEFINITELY be using this kind of idea in future.
FANTASTIC ideas! You are so creative. Thanks also for linking up to the Ultimate Alphabet Craft Collection on my blog. I think people are going to gain so much from your great ideas.
Your fan,
Cathy @ The Attached Mama
Post a Comment