Do you ever have those weeks where no matter what your intentions are, you just can’t seem to get it all done?
I was more prepared for this week than any others. I had all the craft supplies ready, cut, and laid out ready to go. Yet, unfortunately we did not get to near as much as I wanted too and thus all my good planning will be bagged up for another time.
We had multiple doctor’s appointments this week so even though we were not home in our traditional setting, we played with insects as much as we could and even took them along with us. We also used this opportunity to look for the letter I, any and everywhere that we could.
The little time we did spend at home was jam-packed with Insect fun. So please enjoy!
Math:
The concept this week was position words and we did spend a good amount of time working on this. I also introduced the number 2 this week, so between positional words and counting to two, math was our big focus.
B counting out two of every kind of bug.
I found this really cute bug game from The Measured Mom that I just changed a little to meet our needs. I made B count out two of every type of bug. We also worked on position words with this game. I would ask B to place the bugs in the jar using different position words. I would also arrange the bugs in different ways and get B to describe the positions of the bugs using the vocabulary correctly. This was a little bit harder for her but a great activity for practicing vocabulary.
We also used the # 2 Play dough Mat from LifeOverCs. We did this two different ways, with play dough and with Pom Poms. B loves play dough and pom poms so she didn’t mind doing it multiple times. Plus, I love that these mats allow opportunities for her to trace the words, the number, and count to two in different places.
Working with #2
We did a little more practice with recognizing the #2 by having her use yarn to create the number on a piece of construction paper.
Yarn and the number 2
Books about Insects:
Our personal favorites this week were Diary of a Fly, Old Black Fly, and Waiting for Wings. B and the twins loved the images in the Old Black Fly and all the trouble that the fly got into.
The twins and I loved the pictures in Waiting for Wings. B and I talked about the life cycle of a butterfly which reminded her of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which of course we then had to read as well. Absolutely beautiful pictures in Waiting for Wings.
Diary of a Fly was also a very cute book. This book lets you in on the life of a fly in a cute and fun way. B loved the part about having over 300 brothers and sisters.
After reading Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug and The Very Grouchy Ladybug, we made this adorable Paper Plate Ladybug craft from No Time For Flashcards. This craft was really easy to make and I already had everything on hand, which is always a bonus. B loved painting the paper plate, gluing the pieces on, and playing with the antennae once we pushed them through.
The drying stage.
She is pretty proud of her Ladybug.
Letter Recognition
For letter recognition practice, B glued clip art insects into her Block Letter I from The Measured Mom. She loves to be able to use the glue, especially when I allow her to do it all by herself, so she had a blast!
I is for Insects
We also used water-color paints to paint ice cream cones on a coloring page, you can find here.
Our last letter recognition activity this week included putting Pom Poms on this Dot Page by The Measured Mom. She filled in the Letter I with pom poms as well as the Igloo. Then, we counted all the pom poms that she used.
I is for Igloo
As I’ve mentioned before, patterns have been a struggle in our home for weeks now. However, on multiple occasions this week B would place the insects into different patterns and then ask me to tell her what comes next. Patterns were not even our focus this week, but I loved how she brought up concepts that we’ve discussed in the past just for fun!
This just goes to show that what we say and do with our kids does sink in. I know there are going to be times where you feel like maybe homeschooling isn’t a good idea, or that you just aren’t cut out for any of this. Don’t give up! You will have tough weeks, you may want to bang your head against the wall multiple times, but in the end they ARE listening, it is sinking in! Keep trying, try different approaches, and have fun.
You and your kiddos will have a better learning experience if you accept the fact NOW that learning takes time and at the preschool age should be hands on and fun!
As always I hope you have an amazing week!
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