Spring B's Preschool - Week One

Primary Book: Crow and the Pitcher

Enrichment Book: What Makes a Bird a Bird

Activity: Clay Bird

Field Trip: Bird Walk

Art: Hunters in the Snow

Poem: Robin Redbreast

FF: Vetch

We've moved on to the Spring B's curriculum! Yay! Spring is almost here!

We baked bread on Monday. The kids enjoy having their own ingredients to mix while I mix my own. This actually helps me while I am preparing something with a little extra clean-up at the end.

Lunch after our bread baking.

Tuesday was library day. No story time this week. Next week is a puppet show and then back to the regular story time.

Tavin had his first dentist appointment on Wednesday.

Tavin did a great job being a brave boy at the dentist. Matilda found it interesting to watch.

The horse chestnuts are still fun for them. They get used a lot in the play kitchen.

Trip to Hyvee. This particular Hyvee has suckers at the check-out. A ride on the horse was also earned. They both walked next to the cart and helped pick out groceries without causing too much trouble.

Quiet time with magnet shapes...

...and locktagons.

Matilda and Tavin both enjoy using my new manual food processor from Pampered Chef.

Fun on the trike.

Fun on the bike. Finally Tavin has more interest in riding his bike so Matilda can ride the trike.

Fun in the snow. Not exactly a bird walk but that's okay.

He still manages to find rocks to throw. (he refused to wear his mittens)

Matilda wandered into some weeds leftover from last year and got a little tangled.

Our little monkeys.

Hot chocolate with marshmallows. Or I should say marshmallows with hot chocolate.

Chocolate face.

Mmmm, yummy.

The mini sandboxes were such a great idea. I'm glad I put these together, they still enjoy them a lot.

We know how to have fun on a Friday night! The kids were crafting and had to clean up their messes. Tavin was very willing to help with the vacuum. We had a pajama party too. We popped popcorn and watched a cartoon movie about birds. I couldn't tell you what it was called but it wasn't that great. The kids thought it was just fine.

Daddy brought home some glass gems and bird feathers from Hobby Lobby. The bird feathers tied into the book What Makes a Bird a Bird? Feathers! The kids played with the feathers and put water on them to see how feathers are waterproof. The glass gems came in handy for our Crow and the Pitcher experiment. Tavin learned how the thirsty crow in the book was able to get the water to rise in the pitcher in order to get a drink.

Thursday morning we visited the Kuehn Community Center to run and play in the gym with lots of toys. I was tired after lunch, we stayed home so I could rest. 

Friday Tavin got a haircut as you can notice in the last photo. The haircut makes him look younger, which I love. He did a great job sitting still and conversing with the stylist. After his haircut he jumped down from the chair, pointed to the floor and said, "Look Matilda, that's my hair." Matilda said, "That's amazing!"

Friday afternoon I prepared a roast for the crock pot. Tavin helped with the garlic press, he thought that was a "great machine." While I was trimming the meat of the roast I pointed out to Tavin the difference between the meat and the fat. I said I didn't like the fat. Tavin said, "Meat either. Did you hear that, Mommy? Meat either?" Haha. Yes, Tavin is a funny little guy.

Winter Wonderland Preschool - Week 12

Primary Book: St. Patrick's Day in the Morning

Enrichment Book: Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland

Activity: Leprechaun Gnome

Nature Study: Ice Melt

Art: Canoe of Fate

Poem: Three Little Kittens

FF: Ragged Robin Fairy

The last week of the Winter Wonderland Curriculum! Too bad it wasn't the last of winter. Most days have been too cold for playing outside for nature studies. There are warmer days ahead and we will take advantage of them before Baby arrives. We are still enjoying the birds on the deck because of the bird feeder. There will be an icky mess on the deck to clean up though.

We didn't do any St. Patrick's Day activities this week. I suppose we will do some green activities the week of St. Patrick's Day. We probably won't make the Leprechaun Gnomes, at least not the way the curriculum intended. I've learned to accept that I'm not very crafty in that way.

On Monday we visited the Museum of Visual Materials again. There was supposed to be a shaving cream activity which I was excited to not do in my own home. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a cornstarch and hair conditioner activity. The kids still enjoyed it of course. It had a different texture and a much more pleasant odor than regular play-doh. The kids also had fun with the large, blue blocks. After the museum we went to the Diner on Phillips for lunch and then to another pre-baby check-up. We also made lemon cookies when we got home. Baby insisted.

Tuesday was library/story time day and a trip to Costco to follow.

Wednesday was more fun in the kitchen for me and that evening we went to the Gillen's for Cousin Raina's birthday celebration.

Thursday was a play date at our house. I don't think a single toy went untouched. Friday was a day at home of rest, play and crafting. 

The kiddos stayed overnight at the Gillen's Saturday so mom and dad could go to Omaha for a peaceful dinner and see a comedian. While at the Gillen's, Tavin was a sweet little angel and Matilda reminded Aunt Heidi of how terrible the "terrible two's" could be. Heehee.

Cornstarch/hair conditioner fun. Matilda really enjoyed playing with it. I'll have to make some at home.

Tavin enjoyed it briefly as well.

The big, blue blocks! Matilda discovered that this one could rock like a rocking horse.

Tavin liked twirling the "X" block and experimented with rolling them on the floor. He also discovered he could play "hockey" with a few of the pieces.

Tavin has started drawing stick figures and faces. He said he was drawing his cousins here.

Tavin having some juicer fun.

He wanted to wear my apron. It was just a tad too big.

Buns! Matilda in her favorite outfit again.

Just a little sweeping in style.

Fun in the sink. This is a classic activity. They are definitely not water conservationists.

Fun with glue, pasta, stickers, scissors, broccoli...yes broccoli. They were eating some broccoli with ranch but thought it would also be fun to glue it to paper. They would bite off and eat the tops and use the "stumps" for their art.

Do-a-dot fun.

Winter Wonderland Preschool - Week 11

Primary Book: At Grandpa's Sugar Bush

Enrichment Book: Sap to Syrup

Activity: Sugar Shack

Nature Study: Pond Melt

Art: Wall-Eyed Carp

Poem: Three Little Kittens

Another week of fun with the Lewis kids. These two little squirts have a lot of fun and keep me on my toes. When I look back at all the pictures at the end of the week I'm reminded how thankful I am that I get to spend so much time with them. The pictures also help me remember everything! It's fun to go out and about but it can be just as fun, if not more fun, to stay home.

Matilda, you have a little something on your face.

This week was about maple syrup. The suggested field trip was to visit a candy store but Sioux Falls doesn't have the fancy-type candy store that we visited in Michigan last summer. I thought CH Patisserie would be just as delicious and fun. Tavin was eating a decadent brownie and Matilda was eating some peanut butter crunch ball creation. They were both good but Tavin's was definitely the best. The curriculum also suggests to make maple candy but I think tomorrow I'll make a big breakfast of eggs, pancakes and maple syrup instead. 

I thought this was a good capture of Matilda whining to watch 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'. "I want to watch this!"

Instead of a movie the kids played with colored glue, pasta, googly eyes and toothbrushes while I prepared dinner. That's right, toothbrushes. We were given free toothbrushes at the library after story time. The kids wanted to play with their toothbrushes immediately. Matilda came up with the idea of spreading the glue around with her toothbrush. As you can see, things escalated. She can't resist smearing things in her hands. Thank goodness for Magic Erasers.

The sweetest big brother ever was gently brushing his sister's hair. She didn't mind at all. Most of the time she is against hair brushing. I'll have to teach Tavin how to put pigtails in her hair too.

Tavin saw a fancy pen of Ted's and wanted one of his own. Tavin loves his pen. He likes to draw on graph paper and narrate what he is drawing. He makes a lot of "maps" too. Sometimes he hides his pen away so Matilda can't get to it and then forgets where he hid it. 

Matilda took a liking to a pink pen of mine with a flashlight on the end of it. I will have to get another one for myself.

The artists at the beginning of the painting fun.

They switched sides a couple times.

They discussed each other's technique.

She can be a very serious artist. Notice the blue hand? She can't resist the feel of squishing things in her hands I guess.

A little wrestle time. Matilda really holds her own. They can't seem to stand a neatly made bed these days. The bed gets made and before I know it they have the comforter and sometimes even the sheets completely off the bed. I think I've convinced them to at least leave the sheets alone.

Here they are practicing their table manners with their napkins in their laps. Matilda is wearing her favorite outfit.

Tavin wanted to shovel some snow. Apparently he didn't care where. We did get a couple of warmer, sunny days. It still was rather windy though. We put our boots on and went out to stomp around in puddles and snow.

The book At Grandpa's Sugar Bush seemed to underwhelm the kids. It is a neat story about taping maple trees to make syrup but the kids just weren't that thrilled with it for some reason. We did recently discover, through a friend, some books by James Mayhew that have a clever way of introducing art to children. A little girl named Katie has many adventures that brings art to life. 

The kids love these books.