A is for Astronaut (for their week with their Abuelitos & primos)

Sorry- link on Pinterest doesnt work

Dia 1- Que es un astronauta?

ARTE

1. El astronauta hecho de la letra A es preferentemente la primera actividad, puesto k se puede usar para que Miss E vea la letra durante la semana. Cortare las piezas por adelantado. Tambien para los primitos.
During art time, it is good to talk about:
* This is the letter A
* The letter A is in your name (for Miss E)
* Astronaut starts with A (Sound it out for Miss E: "A, A, A, Astronaut")

THE MR E CLAUSE: Little Mr E cannot glue on his own. If you tell him where to put the glue, though, he will follow directions. Then you can place the item where you want it glued, and he will press it in place.

PRIMOS: Ya que los ninos son mas grandes, ellos pueden hacerlo todo solos. Tambien pueden hacer un astronauta con papel si se les da la libertad de disen~arlo todo ellos mismos. Usar papel aluminio, papel blanco para el uniforme, googly eyes, cabello de estambre, etc.

2. Also use the letter A trace page from song link. Miss E needs to practice this letter for her name :)!

MUSICA

(Y matematicas, role play, etc) If Abuelit@ does this first, maybe the big primos can learn it and help sing it? or help with the puppets.

1. Cantar "One Astronaut." Usar los titeres de astronautas como representacion visual.
http://www.hsprintables.com/files/Aisforastronaut.pdf

 Hablar de lo que es un astronauta:
* An astronaut goes to outer space (into the sky, very far away)
* An astronaut "drives" or conducts a rocket ship
* Astronauts have gone all the way to the moon!

oooor you can show them this video on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knLR4vp9OJ8

ASL

Astronauta en senas (American Sign Language)
http://www.handspeak.com/word/?dict=ar&signID=4526

Dia 2-  El cohete del astronauta

Again, link didnt work, so no way to give credit

ARTE

1. Pegar y pintar con materiales reciclados.  You can decorate the rocket ship! Use glitter to make a starry sky in the background! Use cotton balls as the blastoff fumes :)

AND/OR

2. Paper towel  rocket ship tube - decorar, o incluso hacerlo "confetti popper" acorde a las direcciones. Para ambas se decora el tubo con papel, se usa un circulo con el radio cortado para hacer un cono como la parte de arriba, y se decora con tiras de papel crepe.

PRIMOS GRANDES: Para hacerlo confetti popper, se rellena de confetti y se le amarra una puertita abajo (direcciones en el link aqui) El link tiene direcciones muy buenas, con fotos, paso a paso!! Must check out ;) Since this is rocket science, I thought I'd include the diagram.

 Otra idea para los primos: ENsen~enles esto para inspiracion.

 

SCIENCE ACTIVITY:

A bag with vinegar and baking soda that goes off like a rocket!
(You probably have all this stuff but I won't be carrying these materials because they are all big bulky containers.. heheh...)
http://homeschooljournal-bergblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-fun-43-fizzy-explosion-bags.html

Dia 3: El espacio exterior

ARTE: 

1. Popsicle Stars 
Pintar primero con acuarelas (la pintura no se pega al palito despues de pegar la forma de estrella)
Pegar en forma de estrella y decorar con brillantina.

Hablar de:
Las cosas k los astronautas pueden ver desde su cohete.

Add caption

Other art ideas:
2. Draw any outer space form and let them color it, paint it, or decorate it.
3. Give them blue watercolor paint to paint a sky, then cut out stars for them to glue (or have the primos make origami stars that they or the little ones can use)
4. Have them cut lots of round white paper shapes to make the moon and its craters.

SNACK & SCIENCE ACTIVITY

Via I am Momma

MESSY PLAY & SCIENCE ACTIVITY

sobre todo para el bebe.. mostly for little Mr E

How lunar craters are created
Esta actividad es una charola con arina, moon sand (8tazas de harina y 1taza de baby oil- no usen licuadora como dice el link, dejen k los ninos revuelvan mucho rato y ellos se encargan de hacerlo), o arena. Y Pelotas pequenas y medianas.
Basicamente pones la charola en el suelo (afuera seria buena idea. Messy!) y dejas caer los "asteroides" en la superficie de la luna. Vas explicando. Para mas informacion visitar el link. Tiene mucha info.

Let them take turns doing it. Then let them go to town and make a mess and just generally play with the sand however they want :D

Day 4: I want to be an astronaut:

Talk about how astronauts sleep, eat, live.. and why they dress differently (why they wear an astronaut suit). Ask whether they would like to live, eat, and look like an astronaut one day.

ART

Paper plate astronaut self portrait (sorry, link doesnt work) Basically cut and paste :) I will provide color printouts of their picture (de los primos tambien).

 ART and FUN

Making a cardboard box rocket ship to play in or ride.
Lots of ideas online... will try to find something I can send/carry with me. hehe


 
 

from momtastic.com

B is for Bird Weekly Theme... and Miss E is about to start daycare!

Miss E is going to start going to school!! She has been craving having "friends" around, as she calls it; and my attempts to join/form a social group have not been super successful; and it would be beneficial for Mr E to get a little one-on-one time with us. So we put her on the waiting list and after a few months of waiting, she is starting in June! I'm very excited for her. She might do half days at first, just because I want it to be a completely absolutely positive experience for her. Although when we visited her classroom last week it was quite the tragedy when we had to leave. Heh heh... So we'll see how she does, and go from there.

In an attempt to provide a little structure and educational basis for our art, reading, and music time -all of which have previously served the single purpose of providing amusement for all involved- I've implemented a weekly theme. Okay, okay. In all honesty, I'm doing it because it makes things easier for me: Ideas seem to flow once I have direction. It's been much easier to "go with the flow" when the river of hilarity and messiness that is my household is going somewhere. I still think of the week in terms of art, books, music, school time (literacy and numeracy, plus any bits of "-ogy" that cross our way) and food; only this time it is organized around a theme, of course. Finally, a note on including Mr E, who is a toddler, but unable to do some things, such as cutting, or learning to write, of course- haha! I simplify some of these so that he can still do some things, and others he just has to skip. But he enjoys everything in his own way (and some things are absolutely age inclusive, like MUSIC!) and we always do something we call "messy play" which is some kind of water play or purposefully messy art that is mostly geared to him. So here goes my plan for this week:

B IS FOR BIRD

Dove, Red Chested Robin, Owls, Ducks and Penguins

Music-

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/birds/songs.htm
http://childfun.com/index.php/activity-themes/animals/93-bird-activity-theme.html?start=4
I love this video so much!! My kidoes will LOVE it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlICxP2H1ec

Art

Birds, of course, are HUGE among the arts and crafts community, so it will be be hard to chose what to do. We already did a paper craft of white doves flying, and talked about how birds don't have a mouth or a nose like we do; but eat, chirp, and breathe through their peaks.

I helped Mr E by giving him a brush and a tiny cap with glue, and telling him where to put the glue, then I placed the paper in place, and he helped push it. Miss E worked independently.

My mom gave me this idea for paper towel tube owls (TP originally but I refuse to use TP tubes, yuck!)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/209839663859568438/






or maybe we'll make the TP craft above but in the shape of penguins and make these owls:


And we want to make a nest of some sort (lots of conversations about how birds live can be had):
http://onetimethrough.com/diy-birds-nest-science-and-craft/


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/179088522658092929/


And a bird feeder:
http://www.prettyprudent.com/2012/04/baby-kid/cookie-cutter-bird-feeder/


There's a LOT more out there! But these are the main ones I want to do this week.
However, just off the top of my head-

*Bird garlands
* Bird cages or bird houses
* Birds on branches
* Bird puppets
* Bird silhouette painting

School Time

Things to talk about:
* What body parts do birds have, and what do they do?
* What kinds of birds live near us?
* What other birds are there? Where do they live?
* How do birds communicate?
* Why do their build nests?

Literacy & Science Printouts: B is for Bird 

Sounding out B, and getting familiarized with the letter.
Usually I would do printables like these, but we'll see if I get a printer in time to do it.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/B-b-is-for-Bird-Coloring-Pages-1229621

http://s.twistynoodle.com/img/r/bb/trace-the-letter-b/trace-the-letter-b_coloring_page_png_468x609_q85.jpg?ctok=20120311160556

http://www.kinderzoo.net/2012/03/five-little-penguins-slipping-on-ice.html

Games and Activities:

* If weather permits (I doubt it) I'd love to go to the Canyon for a hike and some real bird watching.
* Duck duck goose (duh!)
* Bird counting (bird watching for toddlers! Just have them look out the window after the rain and help count. Another idea is using the bird crafts to count, or cutting out the printables to count. If you're like us, you probably have enough stuffed animals to count and sort), egg counting, sorting, etc
* Other penguin activities from this post: http://ourcraftsnthings.com/2015/03/five-little-penguins-slipping-on-the-ice/
* Feeding the bird games (this is a role playing activity and a snack. I'll have them be the baby birds and feed them gummies. I like these because they look like worms and are somewhat healthy:
 And finally, the ultimate snack-- can't wait to make this one!!
http://www.icreativeideas.com/creative-ideas-diy-frozen-banana-penguin-snack/

Messy Play

http://teachingmama.org/penguin-sensory-sink/


Almost forgot! ASL for Bird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6KxzLfcq0

 Like Dr Seuss said,
"And that's that!"

Catching up again!!

It's been a while since I've written, and here I am again, trying to catch up. There has just been so much going on that it's become difficult for me to find a quiet moment when I can sit down and write out a paragraph or two.

The kids and I were invited to a friend's Bible Study, so we have been driving to Amarillo every Tuesday, and it's been wonderful. The church where they meet offers day care and the people there are great; it feels like both the kids and I are having some much needed social time. We haven't tried out the Sunday services there only because St Stephen's has such a wonderful children's ministry/facilities that I really want the kids to go there (makes me wish they had a moms' Bible Study too!)

I have also been trying to get a crafting group going on Thursdays, with mixed results. Still trying to figure that one out. Moms have difficult schedules and my home is small, so I've been afraid of inviting lots of people, but then when one family can't make it the group feels so small (to me only, I hope!). I'm excited that my neighbor will be joining us next time- she seems like such a nice girl! Would be nice to have a friend so close to us. 

My inlaws were here for a visit, and that was absolutely wonderful. And then my parents visited as well. So it's been a great couple weeks of good times with the grandparents/abuelitos and feeling like we're on vacation with our families already.

The weekly theme thing has continued, so far we have done E is for Easter; then Dinosaurs,  Pirates, Trains, Family, Cat, and Robots this week. I was very good at taking pictures the week we did Dinosaurs, and then I started slacking. Sorry for the mixed up images, heh heh!

Games my children play
Miss E and Mr E have been playing with sheets, large ones that fit them both so that it looks like two mini ghosts are haunting our house. Haha! It's very funny. The other day they bumped into the wall, which made for an even funnier situation. These two!