Kids in the Word: Creation

A couple weeks ago Jonathan and I began journeying through the Bible. The first story that we focused on was the story of Creation (Genesis 1 and 2). Here are some of the things we did:

Reading:

We read from Jonathan's Bible,  The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes. This is a wonderful Bible for toddlers.




We also read Adam and Eve in the Garden, an early reader book from the Beginner's Bible. Jonathan loves this series of books and requests one each night before he goes to bed. He picked up on the plot easily and was able to recall details of the story.





Art 


We did art projects to show what God made on each day of creation:

Day One: We glued black paper upon white paper to talk about darkness and light. We then used picture cards featuring different day/evening activities and glued the "daytime" activities to the white half of the paper and the "evening" activities to the black paper. I downloaded the cards from Hubbard's Cupboard.

Day Two: We glued white cotton pads to blue construction paper to make clouds. Then we glued blue waves onto the bottom of the paper and sprinkled salt (dyed blue) on the bottom of the paper.

Day Three: We painted green grass, brown trees, and orange flowers onto blue construction paper. Then we placed leaf stickers onto the tree.

Day Four: We glued a sun and moon onto black construction paper and then covered the sky with star stickers.

Day Five: We put fish stickers onto blue construction paper. (I didn't have any bird stickers)

Day Six: We put animal stickers onto green construction paper. Then we rested!

Here are a picture of five of our creations-- I didn't get a picture of day six:

Jonathan really enjoyed this week and knows that God made everything! In fact, when we asked him about a wooden bunny his great-grandfather carved, he said that God made the bunny. It was cute- it gave us all a laugh. :)

For more Creation lesson resources check out:

Hubbard's Cupboard
ABC Jesus Loves Me

Tot School: g is for gorilla (29 months)

Jonathan is 29 Months

This week we finally started on letter "g" and looked at gorillas- as well as golf and grapes. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time with uploading pictures-- so this will be a picture-free post for the time-being. I made a lot of my own printables for this lesson.

Click here to see the books we read. And click here to see and download our gorilla printables!

Bible 


This week we focused on creation. We read the story from different children's Bibles and did crafts each day. Look for an upcoming post to see what we did!

Pretend Play 


We used a gorilla puppet to introduce the word for the week. We also played with our Little People zoo set (which includes a gorilla figurine).

Motor Skills 


To go along with our theme, we tried to walk like gorillas-- but Jonathan wasn't interested in playing along. He had more fun watching mommy try to walk like a gorilla. :)

A huge hit this week was golf. Jonathan has a set of golf clubs that we got from Oriental Trading Company and he just loves being out in the backyard and hitting the balls up in the air.

For fine motor skills, we did a pre-writing page I made. Jonathan did a great job tracing the lines.We also did a gorilla lacing card I made.

Math 


We did a printable in which we counted how many bananas to give a gorilla. Jonathan has gotten into counting lately, so this was interesting to him.

We also did a gorilla puzzle which I made. Jonathan did a good job matching up the top 3 pieces but had a little more trouble with the bottom 3.

Art 

We colored a gorilla and glued grass to the page in order to create a "habitat" for a gorilla.

Then we also did a gorilla coloring page I created and colored each gorilla a different color.

I also made a Kumon-style coloring page where Jonathan colored in a circle on a gorilla. It gives him fine motor skills practice and he has fun coloring.



I also made a Kumon-style pasting page where I cut out a square and Jonathan matched and pasted it to the gorilla.

Snack 


We ate bananas (since gorillas eat bananas). We also enjoyed some grapes this week.

I'm linking up to:

Link & Learn @ No Time for Flashcards

Tot School @ 1+1+1=1

g is for gorilla- books

Image Source

We started letter g with "G is for gorilla".

 Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein

We've owned this book for a while now and it's such a sweet story that I was happy to pull it out for our gorilla day. It's the story about a little gorilla who well loved by everyone in the jungle. But little gorilla grows up and gets big-- and everyone still loves him! It's a very reassuring tale for toddlers who are quickly becoming big boys and girls. Jonathan likes this story and it stuck with him so much that he even narrated it back to me. We definitely recommend this one!

Go Go Gorillas by Julia Durango

This is a fun tale in which the king of the gorillas, King Big Daddy, sends a mouse messenger to gather his gorilla relatives for an important surprise. The rhyming text tells how the messenger approaches each gorilla and the method of transportation each gorilla uses to get there: "First to get the message was Big Daddy's nephew Ike 'I'll pack a pickle sandwich then I'll ride there on my bike." The refrain is repeated after every other gorilla "Go-go gorillas! Gotta go, gorillas, go!" The gorillas ride scooters, pogo sticks and hot air balloons as they travel to the Gorilla Villa to hear King Big Daddy's news. It's a fun story and Jonathan got into saying "Go-go gorillas!" It's also a great book to teach ordinal numbers. Jonathan doesn't grasp that concept yet, but I'll have to remember this book when we get there.



One Gorilla: A Counting Book by Atsuko Morozumi

In this award-winning book, the narrator lists things that he loves, starting with one gorilla and progressing to ten cats. The beautiful ethereal illustrations show the various animals in different habitat-- and always include one gorilla. The animals are not always obvious, so you can have fun searching through the pictures to find the animals. The last page ends up with a gorilla fast asleep. Jonathan had fun with this book, although he couldn't always find the different animals.

Note: We also checked out Anthony Browne's Gorilla. This beautifully illustrated book, however, had too sad of a tone for a child Jonathan's age. 

Stay tuned for our activities and some printables!

G is for Gorilla @ Totally Tots

Tot School- f is for flowers, fish & frogs!

Jonathan is 29 Months

We continued looking at the letter "f" by reading about flowers, fish and frogs. 

Bible 


We haven't worked on a Bible verse this week. We've been taking a little break from it. I have been playing the Seeds of Courage on our iPod and Jonathan likes dancing and moving around to the music.

We continued reading through a little devotional in the morning, Everything a Child Should Know about God by Kenneth Taylor. We do one page each day and talk about the pictures.

I'm planning on starting a through-the-Bible curriculum with him this week. Stay tuned to hear how it goes!



Books 


We read books this week about flowers, fish and frogs as well as reading a selection of books by Liza Baker.

• Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert - a wonderful book for introducing different kinds of flowers to your children, as well as talking about seeds, seasons, and colors. Jonathan loved this book and had fun pointing out which flowers and colors he liked "the best". 
• The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen-  a silly story about a grumpy fish who eventually gets his frown turned upside down in a surprising way. Super cute story with a great message. 
• Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan- a cumulative story about a frog who tries to capture a fly- but other animals try to capture the frog. The frog has to jump to escape his enemies. Eventually, the frog gets in a situation where he needs a little help to escape. Jonathan enjoyed cheering for the frog to escape. 

Those are the highlights- but we've read plenty more this week. See the original posts for our reviews.

Motor Skills 


The only theme related activity we did was trying to jump like frogs. (This only frustrated Jonathan though).

We also spent some time outside early in the week and Jonathan mastered climbing a ladder at the park.

We also went to our first official "Tot Swim" at our local pool. This was a toddler-only swim time. Jonathan loved going down the small waterslide and had so much fun there. I, however, was exhausted from trying to watch two little ones at the pool. No pictures- sorry!

Art

We painted with flowers:

And made flowers out of playdough:

And practiced our gluing skills by making a fish (we also made a fox:)

We also dot painted the letter "f".



Math/Puzzles/Games


We attempted to play "Go Fish" (it was really just a matching game):

We used our peg boards, one of which is shaped like a fish:

We played with Jonathan's fishing game puzzle:

We matched frogs:

So that's what we've been up to this week! Thanks for visiting!

I'm linking up to:

Link & Learn @ No Time for Flashcards

Tot School @ 1+1+1=1

f is for frog- books + activities

Image Source: Etsy

I thought Jonathan would be as interested in frogs as he was in fish, but frogs didn't go over as well.

Books 

Frogs! by Elizabeth Carney

This is part of a nonfiction easy-reader series by National Geographic. I chose this book about frogs to familiarize Jonathan with different aspects of frogs. The book covers different sizes and colors of frogs as well as what frogs eat, where frogs live, the sound frogs make and the life cycle of a frog. It's illustrated with photographs of different kinds of frogs. Jonathan was mildly interested in the photographs of frogs, but didn't sit through the book. It may be more interesting to him when he's older.



A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson

This is a cute counting story about a small hungry frog sitting on a log in a bog. He starts by eating one tick, two fleas, etc as he grows bigger and bigger. After five snails the frog is in for quite a surprise! The book counts up to (and down from) five in a humorous story that caught and kept Jonathan's attention. The rhyming text and soft watercolors complement one another well.


Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan


This is a cumulative story about a frog who tries to capture a fly, but then other animals try to catch the frog. The only recourse the frog has is to jump to escape his enemies. Eventually, the frog gets into a situation where he needs a little help to escape. Jonathan enjoyed this story and was watching eagerly to see if the frog would escape. Byron Barton's bold illustrations add to the appeal. This is a cute story that toddlers will enjoy!


Activities 


We tried to jump like a frog-- but this only ended up frustrating Jonathan. He was having a cranky day and it was raining so we were inside most of the day.

We did a frog matching game that was a FREE download from Mntessori Print Shop. This he enjoyed a lot more-- he's very into matching things lately.

And that was really it for this "lesson". Maybe next time we do frogs again it'll be of more interest.

Web Resources 

Frog Lesson Plan @ 2 Teaching Mommies
Edible Frog Craft @ Kiboomu
F is for Frog @ Kiboomu

Frog Match-Up & Memory Game @ Montessori Print Shop

Frog Nomenclature Cards @ Montessori Print Shop

f is for fish- books + activities

image source: Etsy

 Ten Little Fish by Audrey and Bruce Wood

This is a simple little countdown book in which ten little fish are swimming in a line- one swims away and then there were nine. The book continues until there is one lonely fish and then there's a  sweet surprise ending!. The brightly colored digital artwork attracted Jonathan's attention and he had fun practicing counting with these fish. Cute read!


The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Oh how Jonathan loved this book! It's a silly story about a pouty fish whose face is in a perpetual pout. One by one his friends try to cheer him up but he just  keeps resigning himself that he's born with a gloomy attitude. The refrain is snappy and catchy and always made Jonathan giggle. Jonathan grinned even more when he saw what finally turned this fish's frown upside down! This story has a great message too.


Swimmy by Leo Lionni

This is a Caldecott Honor book about a little black fish named Swimmy whose quick swimming saves him when a big fish swallows the rest of his family. The little fish explores the big ocean by himself until he finds a school of fish hiding from the big fish. He comes up with a creative idea to allow the fish to swim freely. Lionni's watercolor artwork is breath-taking and well deserving of the honor medal it received. Jonathan was really drawn to this book and enjoyed pointing out Swimmy on each page.



How Many Fish? by Caron Lee Cohen

This is an easy reader about a school of fish and some children playing in a bay. The rhyming text features a little fish who lost its way. The story is simple, but Jonathan seemed to enjoy it. He liked counting the fish as well as the feet of the children. It probably would not hold the attention of older children.




Activities 




We made a fish using a printable from Confessions of a Homeschooler. Jonathan did all the glueing and placement himself- he was so proud!

We tried to play Go Fish! It really wasn't Go Fish- we just matched our Go Fish cards. Jonathan is really into matching lately.

We played with our peg boards, one of which is shaped like a fish:

And we played with our fishing game that I found at Target:

I'm linking this post up to Read Explore Learn @ JDaniel4's Mom


Web Resources 


F is for fish @ Confessions of a Homeschooler
F is for fish @ First School

f is for flower- books + art

We had some gorgeous weather last week and we spent quite a few mornings outside in our yard. Our flowers have been in bloom so I took the opportunity to read some books about flowers to go along with our "letter Ff" theme.

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Elhert

This is a wonderful book for introducing different types of flowers to your child. In this story, a mother and child plant different flowers in their garden. They plant bulbs in the fall, order seeds in the winter and sow seeds in the Spring. The Spring comes and they enjoy watching their rainbow grow. They have flowers of every color and you can lift pages to see flowers of every color of the rainbow. The flowers are identified and Jonathan was even able to match some of the illustrated flowers with flowers in our garden. He simply loved this book and even wanted to bring it down to Nana's house. We highly recommend this one!

Alison's Zinnia by Anita Lobel

In this alphabet book, Alison acquires an Amaryllis for Beryl. Then Beryl bought a Begonia for Crystal, and the book continues through the alphabet introducing different types of flowers. This was a book that Jonathan also enjoyed, but not as much as the first one. He definitely did not get the alphabetical connection between the flowers and the first names. But it still held his attention and he was moderately interested in the different flowers.


Art 


We painted with flowers-- we picked a few of the remaining dandelions from our yard (as well as a flower I can't identify) and then used them as our paintbrushes:

I drew an outline of lowercase f on our paper and Jonathan tried to paint within the lines. When the paint dried, we (I) cut out the letter.

Jonathan chose rather warm colors so it almost looks appropriate for "f is for fire" as well!


We also made flowers out of play-dough:

I'm linking this post up to

Kids Get Crafty @ Red Ted Art- check out the site for more craft ideas!
stART @ A Mommy's Adventures

f is for feet- activities

See Part I (books)  here




Sign Language & Vocabulary


We reviewed the sign for foot and learned some new foot-related vocabulary (heel, ball, sole)


Motor Skills 


We practiced all the things we could do with our feet:  running, jumping, skipping, marching, kicking, 
hopping, walking on a line, dancing. 


Art


We painted with our feet, making footprints on paper:

We compared sizes of our feet to tie it in with some math skills. And we counted toes. We each had ten :)

And we did a coloring page from Carisa's Tot School Printables. Jonathan correctly identified and colored each foot the appropriate color. His coloring is still more scribbling, but he's starting to get the concept of coloring a particular object on the page. We also did a puzzle and sequencing activity Carisa provided.

Jonathan had fun with the couple days we spent looking at our feet. Thanks for visiting!

Linking this post up to Tot School @ 1+1+1=1
Link n Learn @ No Time For Flash Cards. and
Read Explore Learn @ JDaniels4's Mom

f is for feet- books

We continued looking at the letter "f" by looking at our feet. Carisa over at 1+1+1=1 made some Tot School printables that focused on feet- so I decided that foot/feet would be one of our letter "f" words.


Books 

My Feet by Aliki

This book is part of a series called Let's Read and Find Out Science. The book is aimed at preschool and kindergarten aged children to help satisfy their curiosity about their feet. The book covers basic anatomy (toes, heel, sole), counting (1-10 toes), what your feet do (support your weight, help you walk), different sizes of feet, what you can do with your feet (walk, run, skip, etc.), how you dress your feet for different kinds of weather, etc. It's very informative without being too scientific. Aliki Brandenburg is an author we have enjoyed in the past. Her cheerful illustrations show children of various ethnicities and abilities enjoying all the things they can do with their feet. Jonathan sat through this book easily and the book provided lots of ideas for discussion as well as activities we could try.

The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss

This is a classic Dr. Seuss book that I was unfamiliar with growing up. Dr. Seuss's zany characters explore all the different feet one meets- left feet, right feet, low feet, high feet. The simple text (1 to 2 sentences per page layout) makes it ideal for early readers and toddlers should have no trouble paying attention to the story. Jonathan has had this book for a while now and it's an easy read aloud. It also helps reinforce the concepts of "left" and "right" as well as some other opposites discussed in the story. This is a quick, fun read that Jonathan enjoys each time.

Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig

This is such a fun picture book that will get your children moving! Craig's toe-tapping rhymes are paired expertly with Marc Brown's collage pictures. Children are invited to guess whose happy feet are dancing by hearing the sound the feet make and looking at the picture clues. The ladybug's feet, for example go "tippity, tippity" and the elephant goes "stompity! stompity!" Jonathan loved this book and had a lot of fun trying to guess which animal was dancing.

I'm linking up to:

Read Aloud Thursday @ Hope is the Word

Feed Me Books Friday @ Little Sprout Books

What My Child is Reading @ Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns

Tot School- f is for firetrucks & footballs!

Jonathan is 29 Months

We started looking at the letter "f" by reading about firetrucks and footballs. Jonathan is really interested in both things that move and any kind of sport, so he had a lot of fun this week!

Bible 


We haven't worked on a Bible verse this week. We've been taking a little break from it. I have been playing the Seeds of Courage on our iPod and Jonathan likes dancing and moving around to the music.

We continued reading through a little devotional in the morning, Everything a Child Should Know about God by Kenneth Taylor. We do one page each day and talk about the pictures.

We bought a few more books from the Beginner's Bible I Can Read and Jonathan loves these books. Each night he asks for one or more stories.

Books 


We read lots and lots of books the past couple weeks about firemen/firetrucks (see part I and part II) as well as footballs.

• Flashing Fire Engines by Tony Mitton- this is another part of Tony Mitton's Amazing Machines series. This book focuses on firemen. and is a wonderful, fun introduction to what firemen do. 
• Fire Engine Man by Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha- a little boy imagines what he will do as a fireman someday and how he'll teach his younger brother to be a fireman. 
• The Little Fire Engine by Lois Lenski- a reprint of a 1946 book that tells about Fireman Small and shows him going through his day fighting fires and rescuing people. The vintage illustrations are charming and Jonathan wanted it read "again" and "again". 
• My Football Book by Gail Gibbons- This nonfiction book teaches the main rules and positions of American football through showing a friendly competition between two teams. 

Those are the highlights- but we've read plenty more this week. See the original posts for our reviews.

Motor Skills 


We practiced stop, dropping, and rolling while we were learning fire safety. We also practiced "climbing" a ladder:

We also played football. :)

Art

We made a firetruck from a box and some construction paper. Both Jonathan and his friend T. had fun dressing up and pretending to be firemen:

Math/Puzzles/Games


We used our beginner pattern blocks to make a firetruck:

And did puzzles which featured firetrucks and footballs:

and Jonathan also had fun playing with his fire extinguisher which just happens to be a water gun. I let him "clean" my windows.

So that's what we've been up to this week!

I'm linking up to:

Link & Learn @ No Time for Flashcards

Tot School @ 1+1+1=1