Peter and The Wolf, and the Meadow Fairy...

Tonight's costume-y fineness...

We have Peter and The Wolf from the well loved ballet.  And did you know that in every meadow there lives a Meadow Fairy?  Our resident fairy expert pointed this out, and our family theme costume was born.

Peter:

 The Wolf:

The Meadow Fairy:

Happy Halloween!!!

Gratitude Mondays

Here is what I am loving today... 

~capers..
(I would add them to so many more things) 

~A full weekend of  family birthday celebrations and Halloween party planing...
(I love the things my little ones come up with)

~ Fair Trade Cocoa...
(even if cocoa has a bit too much caffeine for me) 

~A baby who likes to find his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and belly button...
(just please no more finding MY belly button in public)

~A little girl who crafted her Halloween wings along side me..
(they are so beautiful.  More on that later.)

~A partner who helps me find order...
(in a time with little order)

~A little boy who asks for his jack-o-lantern to have "a witch on a broom, a cat and a moon"..
(last year it was a "laughing tree" this boy does not do simple.) 



Happy Halloween!!! 

Weekly Wrap Up #7....

This week in first grade...

In Poetry..
We finished our Poem of the Month with a dramatic reproduction for Matt.  The kids really liked acting out each line of this silly Halloween rhyme, the daily rehearsals were as much fun as the main event.  For our poem of the week we enjoyed reading Old Old Witch. Our Silly Poem of the week involved a dinosaur hunt, and a bear in a cave.  Our pictures that we made reflected a scene from the poem.  I went with the bear in the cave (please notice the museum quality of my work), Ava decided that the dinosaur was a mama and drew her daughter, Cyrus chose the bear motif.

In Social Studies....

This week we covered the continent Asia.  SO large, and so diverse, it's obviously something that can hardly be covered in a week.  Our Asian continent box has quite a lot to go through, so starting there we then talked discussed a few interesting facts about the cultures while we played with the box.  My children absolutely loved trying the rice paper candy from China.  It could have (should have) been a week about candy.

I've decided to write a separate post (or posts) just to cover the content of the boxes.  More on that later.

In the Kitchen..

We made popsicles again this week.  The weather is finally starting to cool, but our afternoons are still highs in the 90s.  Ava chopped the peaches using a 'sharp' knife.  It was her first time using a sharp knife at home.

1 cup of Greek honey yogurt

~a bunch of chopped peaches (maybe three large?)

~a splash of orange juice

~a  bit of honey

Blend 'til smooth.

In Music...

We tackled the Jaw Harp.  Thought to be the oldest musical instrument, pictured in Chinese art dating back to the 4th century b.c..  We received ours as a gift from my sister.  We found lots of examples of people all over the world using this instrument on youtube.  Cyrus had the most fun experimenting with sounds.  (I think it's kind of uncomfortable)

In Art..
We talked about Japanese Sumi-e ink and wash paintings.  Using this guide, and black water colors we created our own simple creations.  Ava and I took inspiration from a plant cutting.  Cyrus decided to make "seaweed that lives under the ocean".  Perfect.

In Art Study..

We explored Summer House, Bayshore, by William J Glackens.  This is Ava's favorite painting so far this year.  She has been waiting for it much anticipation.  "I like it like it like it like it.  I like all the color and the way it looks.  The tulips, sky, trees and water, and houses are all very pretty.  I want to live there and I want to go there and find this exact place.  If I lived there I would play outside all day.  Unless it was too hot, then I'd wait then go back out."  This really was the most enthusiasm she has had for any painting.

In Science We..
We started talking about sound, air vibration and energy.  (This tied nicely in with the music lesson: the jaw harp, which tied in with the social studies lesson: Asia.  I love when things are serendipitous like this.)  I was grateful to have this book on hand (got it for fifty cents at the library!) , it has a wonderful little section on the human voice box.

In Math We... 
~ Started a new game called Corners.

~reviewed right angles
~build quantities 1, 10, 100 and 1000 in various forms
~reconstructed the quantities with base-10 cards
~laid out base-10 cards for various quantities
~matched place value cards with base-10 cards
~combine denominations by overlapping place value cards
~wrote large numbers

This week was really exciting for me.  We worked to get caught up after last week's slip, we had a allergy (maybe a cold) that slowed us down, and then rallied to get back to where we "needed" to be.  I know that part of the benefit of homeschool is not having to watch a calender or clock, but I also know that we are heading into cold and flu season.  Any thing we can make up now will save us in a few weeks when the inevitable hits our home like a brick.  I was really proud of how hard Ava worked, and how gentle the transition was.  It was time to work, we felt up to it, so we did.  I love homeschooling.

October Preschool Wrap Up

Here's how my preschooler rocked October...

 Made flat bread.

 Worked in a "work book" created by his 6 year old sister.

 Separated shapes of Zoo pasta, loving referred to as ZOOP!

 Explored the park.

 Drew fall math pictures (and a bajillion others)  along with his sister.

 Made gingerbread muffins.

 Made pumpkin muffins.  (my kids love mini muffins)

 Was the ultimate champion in a math game his sister and I were playing.

(totally thrilled him that he beat us)

 Got decked out for cooking.

 Snacked (with enthusiasm) while watching his sister 'at school'.

 Set up games against astronauts to recreate his victory.

 Explored the worlds oceans with our Ocean Box

(more on that later)

 Played hide and seek.

 Sorted number cards.

Loved his babies, and loved us all.

~October was excellent fun!

Spin Art!

I've often wanted to try our hand at spin art.  I've often thought I would concoct something with the salad spinner.  (I still might try that someday)  Fortunately for my kitchen tools, Ava received a spin art set for her birthday.  It was a super fun time watching the magic of 'the spin' happen, and enjoying the results.

Before the cards were dry they were assigned to loved ones to be used as thank you cards.  But before they left our home they served as the theme for an afternoon at the art gallery.  A very well rounded, and appreciated gift!