"Caleb, are you an old man?"
"Noooo," putting his cup of milk down on the table.
"Are you sure? Because you have a BIG white moustache on your face just like an old man."
He giggles and wipes his face, as Maddie chimes in pertly, "Speaking of water, I need to go potty."
Monday, September 7, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
maddie visits hawaii - episode 1
What I decided to do for Madeleine for kindergarten this year is to complete the core subjects (math and language arts) on T, W, F, S, but on Thursdays we are having Arts & Crafts days. But not just any arts and crafts--I have integrated history, science, geography and social studies into the arts and crafts.
We will be learning all about Hawaii through September and October. An unusual fall unit, I know, but this summer we went to see a childrens' theater production of Hawaiian dance that was fabulous. It piqued Maddie's interest in Hawaii, so I thought I'd just run with that. Besides, it sounded fun!
So here we are, having completed the first lesson. We learned the basics of Hawaii, including that it is a chain of islands, and we learned what islands are. We focused on the geography aspect, making the salt dough map--an excellent hands-on activity!
Stay tuned for more of 'Maddie Visits Hawaii' this fall with dance, music, flora & fauna, food and native crafts!
Our first unit: Hawaii.
We will be learning all about Hawaii through September and October. An unusual fall unit, I know, but this summer we went to see a childrens' theater production of Hawaiian dance that was fabulous. It piqued Maddie's interest in Hawaii, so I thought I'd just run with that. Besides, it sounded fun!
So here we are, having completed the first lesson. We learned the basics of Hawaii, including that it is a chain of islands, and we learned what islands are. We focused on the geography aspect, making the salt dough map--an excellent hands-on activity!Stay tuned for more of 'Maddie Visits Hawaii' this fall with dance, music, flora & fauna, food and native crafts!
Friday, September 4, 2009
serve yourself lunch
After a bit of a rocky morning, when lunchtime rolled around, something needed to be done! I recalled that my mom often has the kids help prepare their own lunch and serve their own plates at her house--and they seem to really like doing so.
Thinking quickly, I filled bowls with healthy, substantial fingerfood items I knew they liked. I laid the spread out across the table; Maddie and Caleb were intrigued. They had to serve a spoonful of each item on their plates first, but then they were able to go back for seconds and thirds as they desired. Caleb served 1 full cup's worth of peas on his plate and ate every last one!
It was amazing how something that simple helped change the course of our day and give us all a bit of a reprieve. There are a few reasons, I think, why this lunch worked well: Maddie and Caleb got to...
-serve themselves
-make decisions
-have responsibility
-make choices
-and experiment.
They were also kept busy by 'working' to get their lunch. They had tasks to do. They sat still and happily munched away for 30 minutes. It turned out to be quite a relaxed lunch for all of us...and so I say, Hurray for Serve Yourself Lunch! We'll have to try it again some nutty day.
Thinking quickly, I filled bowls with healthy, substantial fingerfood items I knew they liked. I laid the spread out across the table; Maddie and Caleb were intrigued. They had to serve a spoonful of each item on their plates first, but then they were able to go back for seconds and thirds as they desired. Caleb served 1 full cup's worth of peas on his plate and ate every last one!
It was amazing how something that simple helped change the course of our day and give us all a bit of a reprieve. There are a few reasons, I think, why this lunch worked well: Maddie and Caleb got to...-serve themselves
-make decisions
-have responsibility
-make choices
-and experiment.
They were also kept busy by 'working' to get their lunch. They had tasks to do. They sat still and happily munched away for 30 minutes. It turned out to be quite a relaxed lunch for all of us...and so I say, Hurray for Serve Yourself Lunch! We'll have to try it again some nutty day.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
bobe art
After drawing many many (many!) fish wif shawp teef, Caleb is...
...still drawing fish with sharp teeth.
Hey, at least this one has hair! ("An' two sticks an' it's eateen WAAAAHTS of fish eggs.")
...still drawing fish with sharp teeth.
Hey, at least this one has hair! ("An' two sticks an' it's eateen WAAAAHTS of fish eggs.")Wednesday, September 2, 2009
our county fair
We were able to go to the fair with Bubby and PopPop. Of course it was a sweltering hot day, but the kids really loved it. Some highlights...
Looking at the baby chicks that had just hatched...
...and were hatching.
And of course for Bobe, sitting on every single tractor!
He kept saying, "I wan to wide on da twactor," and we thought he meant the tractors pulling the trolleys around the fair. But no, all he meant was climbing and sitting on all the John Deeres in their exhibition area.
Riding a pony.
Looking at the baby chicks that had just hatched...
...and were hatching.
And of course for Bobe, sitting on every single tractor!
He kept saying, "I wan to wide on da twactor," and we thought he meant the tractors pulling the trolleys around the fair. But no, all he meant was climbing and sitting on all the John Deeres in their exhibition area.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
* today we started school *
Our classic "first day of school" picture on the front steps.
No shoes at our school!
No shoes at our school!
Just a taste of our first day...Maddie teaching Caleb the lesson I had just taught her.
Working with pattern blocks.
Cheers to a successful first day!more birthday for braden
While Braden was sleeping in, the kids and I made a surprise birthday banner for him.
All that was all too quickly left of birthday breakfast crepes. I should have made more!
Maddie and Caleb's favorite birthday gift of Daddy's. A card that plays "Another one bites the dust" every time you open it. The card has since survived numerous spills, grabs, rips and 10,432 times of being opened and closed...and it still plays.
Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)