This blog is a way to examine my many adventures as I try to make the most of this life, and teach my boys how truly magical every moment can be. We may have ups and downs, but either way we are learning through exploration. My job is to try to make learning enjoyable so they always have a thirst for it.
I finally got around to playing with the leaves from our leaf hunt last week. In hindsight, we should have worked with them earlier because they were pretty crispy and lost some of their bright colors. Oh well, learn from my mistake! I first wrote different colors on strips of paper, and had "A" sort the leaves into a bar graph formation. We then discussed which one had the most and the least. We added the color purple even though it isn't a normal color used to categorize fall leaves, but "A" insisted.
Then to get a little more into the Autumn leaves spirit of things "A" sang a song he learned in Kindergarten. Watch the video to hear a song set to the tune of London Bridge.
Then it was time to make leaf creations. I got easily frustrated by how dried out the leaves were. "A" stuck it out and made some pretty cool animals!
" Children are born readers on the laps of parents"
-Emilie Buchwald
Our first week of 5 A Day Books went great. I am hooked and am really getting into picking what books or themes we will do next. I especially love my older son getting in on his little brother's story time. Each week I am picking one book he can "read" to his baby brother. Right now they are books he as memorized (which fits perfectly with the 5 A Day Books idea). As he learns to read this year he will be able to work on his reading strategies. It is interesting how disinterested in books "B" is compared to how "A" was at this age. Even more proof I need to be doing this. By the end of the week he was smiling at certain books, helping turn pages, and playing with board books-all good signs.
This weeks theme: Song Books (books illustrated to popular songs or tunes-some with the author's version of lyrics. Okay so the funny part is rather than just introduce them I have made videos of me (GASP!) singing them. I am not a great singer so sorry to put you through the misery. However, I want you to know the tunes if you happen to get the books yourself. Have fun and don't laugh to hard. PS> Since one book my son has to read to brother there is a video with him singing the song. Some of the lyrics are off but you get the point!
1) The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
2) You are My Sunshine-illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church:
3) Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long:
4) 5 Little Ducks by DK Publishing (the one "A" is doing):
