Birdseed Cookies

The kids and I have learned so much about birds during our Bird Unit. I think the neatest thing has been watching the bird feeder which is about 2 feet from our kitchen table. We eat breakfast with the birds. The past 2 mornings a red bellied woodpecker has decided to join us. THAT has been amazing!!

The kids and I made birdseed cookies and placed them out in the front yard for our feathered friends. I noticed today that the front yard has been FULL of tiny little hopping sparrows, doves, robins, and other little feathery signs of spring.

Rainbow Fish Activity

Materials: large coffee filters, markers, and water. Then googly eyes, black paper, and aluminum foil.

Preschool Art: Primary and Secondary Colors

Here was our art project for this week. This came from Mrs. Brown’s website.

On day 1, the kids traced their hands using oil pastels in the colors of red, blue, or yellow.

We talked about how these were the three primary colors and how every other color of the rainbow is made by these. They overlapped their hands and “covered” their papers.

Fun Music Lesson

I love it when lessons just happen on their own.

I checked out the book, The Farewell Symphony by Anna Harwell Celenza, from the library. It is a neat story about Franz Joseph Haydn and his motivation when writing his Symphony No.45 in F-sharp minor.

The kids and I read the book and then I found this link for the final movement.

A MESSY Party: A Great Way to Mix Science and Friends

Perhaps it’s just me, but there are times when I am planning school, I find an activity, and I think, “Wow! That would be fun! Oh, but it would be REALLY messy.” And so I put it to the side.

Then I have the challenge of making sure my kids have friends to play with. We don’t live in a neighborhood, so most of the children my kids play with are from church. This is great, but at times it is good to get away from the church building and allow the kids to just fellowship with each other.

My solution? Why not mix messy school with lots of friends?

Coming Soon….Preschool/Lower Elementary Plant Unit

I’m creating a Plant Unit that will be posted some time in August, but I wanted to show what the kids did today. We had fun!

Ready, Set, Spend!

It amazes me that, for kids who do not watch much TV, my children sure know a lot of the characters that can be found in the toy store. They’ve watched a few selected Disney Movies, and a few videos, such as Dora and Bob the Builder, but we rarely find the time to watch videos brought home from the library. We just have other things to do and play.

So when they come to me saying, “Mama, I want a ‘such and such’ toy,” I’m a little taken aback. But I’ve gotten good at saying, ‘Well, next time we are at Target you can bring some of your own money and buy you something.” That usually satisfies and I don’t hear anything for a while.

And then I had an idea!

The BEST Classical Music Series for Kids!

I know there are many wonderful CD series out there to teach classical music to kids, but I have found a gold mine with the Maestro Classics!! Let me tell you why using Prokofiev‘s Peter and the Wolf.

Make an Australian Didgeridoo

One of these days I may actually make it to Australia (and Germany!). I’ve had friends from Australia. I’ve taught a 4 week long Australia Unit in public school. But nothing compares to visiting.

Oh well. I guess until I have the money and time to go, I’ll at least expose the kids to some of the neat cultural aspects of that fascinating continent.

We made didgeridoos! We were finishing up our study of the continents and I had saved Australia until the end.

What is a didgeridoo, you ask? Listen to one HERE.

Materials needed: a long tube, washable paint, cardstock

Painting the tubes. One was a Christmas wrap tube. The other was given to me by a friend. I’m not sure what was one it.

Painting the whole tube.

The mouth piece was the hardest thing to improvise and attach, but it worked! If I made them again I’d laminate the mouth piece somehow so it didn’t get gross after a week of playing. The kids had fun playing their didgeridoos!!

Where in the World is Flat Stanley?

Back in January the kids and I took our Flat Stanleys out and about around our community before we shipped them off to see the world.

Each kid decorated a Flat Stanley and I laminated them for durability. (I LOVE my laminator!!) We also made journals for all of Flat Staney’s new friends to use and record his adventures.

I set up the project so that each Flat Stanley would travel to 7 places before coming home. RB’s Flat Stanley was shipped to a friend of mine in Japan and Sweet Cheek’s went to Germany.

I’m hoping they return home in the next 2-3 weeks.

I wonder where they are?

Related articles

• Flat Stanley comes to the Philippines – and had lots of fun! (rightonthemark.wordpress.com)
• Flat Stanley visits Uganda (nicholsonsabroad.com)