V is for VOLCANO!

We had SO much fun at school this week. Separating the toddlers and the preschoolers was the best idea EVER. The big kids have such an easier time paying attention and staying on task without the extra little bodies running around. They did such a wonderful job with all the activities I had planned this week, it was really, really nice to see.

We started out with our normal circle time on Monday (calendar, Bible story, and verse/song).

We read the story of Jesus with the little children (this is the part where His disciples tell the little children to go away...hence the mean face!)

 

Dance Party! I think it's so interesting how alliances are forming at such a tender age.

 

 

Then we moved on to name writing. They are getting SO good at tracing the letters in their names.

 

 

 

Eisley is working on writing her name without the lines...and she can write all THREE names by herself!

 

Next we talked about patterns. We established that a pattern means things go in a certain order, and that the order repeats itself. I gave the kids each a bag with ten beads (5 of each color), and a pipe cleaner. They had to place the beads on the pipe cleaner in an A-B pattern. They did a great job!

 

 

 

Next it was time for a little snack. In keeping with the pattern practice, I put two bowls of fruit down on the blanket and gave each child a kabob skewer. The kids had to make an A-B pattern using the fruit on their stick. This was also good fine motor skill practice.

 

 

 

 

And our final task for the day was to create a VOLCANO out of clay. This was AWESOME. Before we got messy, Addison ran to get her Usborne First Encyclopedia of the World (she refuses to let me return this book to the library!) And she proceeded to explain how volcanoes work to her friends.

 

Then it was time to get to work with clay. I attached a cut water bottle (with duct tape) to a cookie sheet that I lined with foil. And I gave each child a giant hunk of brown clay. They worked together to build a volcano around the bottle.

 

Is that a masterpiece, or what?

 

Addison asked me every day this week if it was Thursday yet...she was pretty excited to make the volcano errupt.

 

Day 2...

 

Today was another great day at school. Katie was with me today which was great...her little one usually hangs out with the toddlers, so she doesn't get much time with the big kids now that we've split. It was wonderful to have her here today!

 

We opened with calendar time (Jack asked his buddy Noah to help him figure out where the 21 was supposed to go).

 

And then we read our Bible story and had another dance party.

 

Next we reviewed our letter and number of the week (V and 13).

 

Then I handed out a bag of 3 magnet letters to each child. They were instructed to take the letters out of the bag and tell the others which 3 letters they had.

 

Next, they put their heads down and closed their eyes while Katie and I removed one letter from each child. They had to try to figure out which letter was missing.

This activity actually went much better than I thought it would! Next time we may try it with 4 letters.

 

 

Next it was time for some playdough excavation! I hid 6 or 7 small "treasures" inside balls of playdough. Each child was given a plastic knife and a set of tweezers for tools. They had to find the treasure inside their playdough using only the tools I gave them. This was a HUGE hit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

For snack we had Veggie sticks...

"Look! I made a V!"

 

And we read the story From Head to Toe by Eric Carle. The kiddos did all the animal movements as we read. This was a really cute book.

 

And finally...the moment we'd been waiting for all week...the volcano eruption!

 

I put baking soda inside the "crater" and added a few drops of orange food coloring (which did nothing). Then the kids watched as I poured in vinegar.

 

 

And for your viewing pleasure...a video of our awesome erruption!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Eggs

Over the course of this week Vegas jumped from Spring to Summer. The temp is forecasted to hit 90 degrees by the end of this week, and we all know too well how quickly the heat will make outdoor activities pretty sweaty. So we took full advantage and did some outdoor schooling this week, with activities focused on eggs in honor of the upcoming Easter holiday. 

We took turns dropping eggs from different heights into different materials (leaves, rocks, paper) and made guesses about which combination would cause the egg to crack.

We practiced some "egg on a spoon" walking and running. 

For snack, we enjoyed some delicious "nests" with blueberries acting as Robin's eggs. These turned out so cute.

Chocolate Robin's Nests

• 1-cup chunky peanut butter
• 12-oz chocolate chips
• 2-cups Chow Mein noodles
• Blueberries, other fresh berries

Heat peanut butter and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for one minute. Stir and continue to microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring each time, until totally melted. Stir in noodles and stir until noodles are coated. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and spoon approximately 2-tablespoons of the noodle mixture into each cup, gently pressing down in the center with your thumb to create the nest. Refrigerate for at least two hours then pop out of the muffin tins with a butter knife. 

We did a cute tie-dye egg project with food coloring and spray bottles. We first colored some designs with white crayon. A few drops of food coloring and some sprays of water make for a cool, though messy, tie-dye effect. I didn't get any pictures of the finished product, but they were pretty cool.

 

The kids got to try a little three dimensional art this week. I was inspired by some beautiful egg dioramas I have been seeing on Pinterest over the last few weeks. There is something sort of magical about them. 

We started with hollow, paper-covered eggs (I got mine at Hobby Lobby). I cut out an oval opening in each and on Day 1 we painted the inside and outside. 

On Day 2 we headed to the park, first for a hunt for items to add to our dioramas. Finding "nature" in Las Vegas is always a challenge, but we were able to find some leaves, grass, rocks and flowers. 

Next, we took our finds and added them to our now-dried eggs. Along with the items we found at the park I had a few other Easter-themed items (foam carrots, butterfly stickers, etc) to add to the designs. I think they turned out beautifully! 

We played some fun games out in the sun and made a new friend. I can't remember this little boy's name, but when he introduced himself to us he stuck out his little hand to shake hands. It was so precious, and all the kids took turns introducing themselves and shaking hands with our new friend. It was one of those moments when you realize your babies are turning into kids, and pretty nice kids at that. 

"Hello, I'm Jack."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Addison."

Playing "Run, Sleep or Cockroach" - demonstrating the "cockroach"

Run!

"GOOOO... 

"...TEAM!" And that's a wrap!