Kids in the Word: Jonah

Although we're all recovering from illness here, we did get through our Bible story from last week, which was Jonah. 

As usually, we read the story in our toddler Bible. And then we read these stories to supplement:

Jonah and the Big Fish

This is an easy-reader story that recounts the narrative of Jonah. It focuses on the themes of obedience as well as God's forgiveness. Jonathan has loved this series of books and this one is no exception. It focuses mostly on Jonah 1-3 and includes the fact that the people of Ninevah repented and turned to God. 

Jonah and the Very Big Fish 

This is another Arch book which recounts the biblical narrative in rhyming verse. I like that it actually includes all four chapters of Jonah and therefore also includes Jonah's attitude at the end of the book after Ninevah repents as well as God's response. 

Whoops! (Jonah and the Fish) by Mary Manz Simon

This is another easy reader that tries to tell the story of Jonah and the fish in about twenty-five words. Jonathan really liked the illustrations in this story-- he would pound his fist with Jonah as Jonah declares he will not go to Ninevah. What I don't like is that the book solely focuses on Jonah's obedience and never mentions how Ninevah responds. 

Games 

We talked about obedience a lot with the Jonah story, so we played Simon Says and Red Light Green Light. 

Art 

We made Jonah and the fish. We cut two sides of a fish out of cardstock and colored it and added a googly eye. Then we glued a picture of Jonah to another piece of cardstock and taped yarn to it. We glued the two fish halves together with the yarn in between and Jonathan could use the yarn to pull Jonah into the fish's belly:

He loved it! The only drawback was that it was played with so much it ripped. But he had fun! You can see other Jonah art projects on my Pinterest board. 

Movie 

We didn't get to do this, but I was planning on watching the Veggie Tales movie of Jonah. (You can stream through Netflix). We've seen it before, and it's a fun retelling of the story. 

So that's our week on Jonah. Next up- Daniel.... 

r is for rockets and robots {book reviews}

A couple weeks ago, we read lots of good books about two topics that I thought would be of interest to Jonathan: rockets and robots!

Robots 

The Robot Book by Heather Brown

This was a fun board book that Jonathan really liked. It features moving gears and parts to show how robots work. It's very clever and very appealing to toddlers. We checked our copy out from our local library and the only drawback was the moving parts definitely showed some wear. However, this is a wonderful book for robot-loving toddlers and preschoolers.

Me and My Robot by Tracy West

This was probably Jonathan's favorite book. It's an early reader about a young boy Reese and his robot who try to find a friend's missing kitten. It has just enough humor that made Jonathan laugh. He requested it several times.

Create Your Own Robot Sticker Book

This isn't a storybook, but an activity book that features a robot body and enough parts (stickers) to make four different robots. Jonathan loved this book and kept wanting to pull it out and build new robots. It was a pretty big hit and was very affordable fun!






Rockets

On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book About Rockets by Michael Dahl

This is a cute concept book in which you and your children count down from 12 to 1 in preparation for a rocket launch. The illustrations are bold and each page has a hidden number to find. Jonathan had fun counting the objects, but wasn't as interested in finding the number. Still, it's a good concept book for any rocket-loving little boy and a wonderful addition to a space unit.

Roaring Rockets by Tony Mitton

Ah, Tony Mitton. How we love his books, especially his Amazing Machines series. Ant Parker's bold pictures are a wonderful complement to Mitton's rhyming verse. This book teaches about rockets and astronauts in a way that's fun and educational. Jonathan always asks for repeated reads of these books and Roaring Rockets was no exception.

Curious George and the Rocket by H.A. Ray

This board book is an excerpt from one of the original George books. Jonathan really enjoyed Curious George when we went through our monkeys unit and I thought that Grace might like the shortened board book. The story was still too long for Grace to enjoy, but Jonathan liked reading the shortened story.

Rockets and Spaceships by Karen Wallace

This is an informative easy reader about space. It has photographs on each page showing rockets, spaceships, and astronauts and teaches about space travel. Unfortunately, this one didn't really interest Jonathan. He hasn't really developed a strong interest in outer space at this point. If your little one is very interested in space, astronauts and rockets, this would be a good book to try!






This was in the middle of potty training and days where Jonathan was lukewarm about the activities I presented. Some things went really well, and others were a complete bomb. But, if you're looking for some ideas on these topics, check out my Pinterest boards on rockets and robots!

r is for Rainforest {Books}

Last week we learned about the rainforest as we began reviewing the letter "r". We had fun learning about the different animals in the rainforest.

Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes

This is a delightful book that you can sing to your children. You count rainforest animals to the tune of the children's song Over in the Meadow. While you are singing, you will learn more about the different animals that live in the rainforest . The clay illustrations just seem to jump out at you and the back of the book includes different actions you and your children can do for each animal. This is tons of fun to share with your toddler-- it's a book we read often in the past few weeks. Apparently she has books about other animal habitats-- I'm excited to read more of her works!


The Umbrella by Jan Brett

This offering by noted children's author Jan Brett is a fun tale that takes place in the Costa Rican cloud forest. It's similar in style to The Mitten, an earlier work of Brett's, in which animals crowd one by one into a leaf umbrella until there's no more room. It's an entertaining tale that Jonathan wanted to hear several times. Brett's illustrations are, as always, breathtaking and full of detail. This is a fun addition to any rainforest unit!

Rainforest Animals by Paul Hess

This is a perfect first book to introduce children to Rainforest animals. Each two page spread features a different animal in its natural habitat. Bold text displays the animal name and a short 4-line verse is included which describes some of that animal's behavior. It's the perfect book for younger toddlers-- even Grace had the attention span to enjoy this book.

The Living Rain Forest: An Animal Alphabet by Paul Kratter

I usually try to pick out an alphabet book that corresponds with whatever our "theme" for the week is. So this is a beautifully illustrated alphabet book that features different animals and plants of the world's rain forests. Each double-spread layout includes some interesting facts about the animal, including their size and length. It's very interesting and informative, but the information really isn't appealing for toddlers/preschoolers. Jonathan just really liked looking at the pictures! The book includes animals from all over the world, so if you are looking to focus on animals of a particular regions, then this one may not be the best choice for your classroom.

The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan Mitchell

This is another rainforest book based on a song. This book adapts the song The Green Grass Grew All Around. As you go through the verses of the song, you learn about the different animals and plants of the rainforest. The illustrations feature lush scenes of the Amazon and the sidebars include additional facts. There's also a cookie recipe using ingredients that we import from the Rain Forest-- it would make a wonderful baking project to share with your little ones!

A Walk in the Rainforest by Kristin Joy Pratt

This is another alphabet book that was written and illustrated by a fifteen year old girl. It follows a little ant named XYZ on its walk through a rainforest. The any meets different animals such as "an intriguing iguana" and "an observant ocelot". Some of the letters seem a little forced such as "a natural Native who knows nature well", but all in all it's a cute book.




All of these were fun reads for our week in the rainforest. Thanks for visiting!

I'm linking up to these wonderful blogs:

Read Aloud Thursday @ Hope is the Word

Reading Aloud Challenge @ Footprints in the Butter

Feed Me Books Friday @ Little Sprout Books

What My Child is Reading @ Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns

Book Sharing Monday @ Smiling Like Sunshine

Reading Our Library: Clare Beaton

Clare Beaton is a children's book author and illustrator. Her primary medium is fabric collage and- let me tell you- her work is breathtaking! If you like quilting and sewing, you will love Clare Beaton!

She has three anthologies that I highly recommend!

Mother Goose Remembers

This is a beautifully illustrated selection of Mother Goose rhymes. Beaton illustrates 46 different nursery rhymes- both familiar and unfamiliar ones. A little feather from Mother Goose can be found on each page. It's quite charming and we really enjoyed reading this aloud together!

Playtime Rhymes for Little People

This is a collection of action rhymes, each illustrated in Beaton's beautiful fabric collages. As in the first book, some rhymes are familiar and some are more obscure. Each rhyme has a brief description of the actions involved.  I would do a few at a time with Grace and they were sure to bring out giggles! This is a great resource for parents of toddlers!

Mrs. Moon: Lullabies for Bedtime

And finally, Clare Beaton published a collection of softly illustrated bedtime rhymes and lullabies. It is a beautiful book that is perfect for cuddling with your little one. The included CD makes a wonderful addition to your lullaby collection.



There are also abridged board book editions of a few of books, but I heartily recommend the full editions!

Clare Beaton's Nursery Rhymes
Clare Beaton's Action Rhymes


I'm linking up to these lovely book bloggers...

Hope is the Word
Footprints in the Butter
Little Sprout Books
Mouse Learns, Moues Grows
Smiling Like Sunshine

k is for kangaroo and koala- books

We read several books last week as part of our "k is for kangaroo" and "k is for koala" week. I highlighted them in Sunday's Tot School post, but here's some more detailed reviews for other children's bibliophiles:



A Kangaroo's World by Emily Arnold
A Koala's World by Emily Arnold


These are part of a series on Australian animals. Each book traces the life of a baby kangaroo or koala during their its year. They spend a significant part of the year in their mother's pouches and then begin to explore the world on their own. These books are a little lengthy for toddlers- preschoolers and younger elementary students would get the most out of them. We did enjoy them, however. I read these books to Jonathan and Grace over lunchtime and sometimes, but not often, simplified the information on each page. Jonathan had particular fun pulling out the other animals in each story from his Land Down Under Toob.

Koala Lou by Mem Fox

This is a story about a little koala, Koala Lou, who is loved by everyone, especially her mommy. Her momma often tells her "Koala Lou, I DO love you!". But as their family grows, Koala Lou's mommy gets busier and Koala Lou longs to hear those words again. She trains for the Bush Olympics and plans to get her mother's attention and love (which she, of course, never lost in the first place). It's a sweet story that is ideal for children who have younger siblings at home. Jonathan enjoyed this one a lot.

Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? by John Butler

I'd heard of John Butler before on other blogs, but this was our first exposure to him. It's a sweet cuddly story meant for reading before bedtime. It asks children if they can imitate different actions that animals do- cuddle like a koala, leap like a frog, swing like a monkey. The soft illustrations are absolutely charming and it was a favorite that Jonathan requested repeated.

I Love You, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark

This is the first in a series about a little girl who has a favorite lovie, "blue kangaroo". She brings blue kangaroo to bed with her every night and says "I Love You, Blue Kangaroo!" But as the girl grows up, she gets more stuffed animals and blue kangaroo starts to get worried that he'll be replaced. It explores familiar themes (jealousy, insecurity) for preschoolers. Lily isn't always the best example (such as in sharing) but overall the story is well worth reading and talking about with your little one. Jonathan keeps talking about "blue kangaroo" and we may have to check out more of this series!

K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo by Giles Andreae

This is a humorous alphabet book that leaves you and your little one with plenty to search and discover. Each page introduces the capital and lowercase letter and is accompanied by a detailed picture which includes animals and other items which begin with the featured letter. There are lots of things for your little one to discover in each picture and Jonathan had fun pointing out the items mentioned in each little tongue twister.

What do you do with a Kangaroo? by Mercer Mayer

This is a funny book about a spunky little girl who faces off with some bossy animals who want her things. It's fun and clever, but was a little bit lengthy for Jonathan. I'd recommend it for preschool and lower elementary. I think we'll retry when Jonathan is around that age.


We are sharing this post with these book blog carnivals.

Curriculum Clean-Out: Giveaway #1-- Treasured Time with Your Toddler

Twice a year Homeschool Creations hosts a Curriculum Clean-Out event and we have a couple resources that we aren't currently using. Here is our first Giveaway: 

Treasured Time with Your Toddler is a wonderful resource for those of you who want to plan intentional activities with your toddler or preschooler. Each month has a particular theme. Each week has a theme which relates to the monthly theme. Even though the book says its for toddlers, some of the activities are fairly advanced and I would say that the activities could be used with children 2-4 years old. 
Here's how it would work this week. September's Theme is "Colorful and Shapely Treasures". This week's theme would be "Colors- Part Two". There are literally hundreds of activities for you to do with your toddler or preschooler. For each week Jan Brennan offers:

• books to read
• nursery rhymes to say
• songs to sing
• games to play
• crafts to make
• foods to prepare
• explorations to take together

How to Enter: Simply leave a comment telling me why/how you could use this book. Please include your email address so I can contact the winner. 
Extra Entries for:

1. Subscribing to this blog via email or a feed reader. 
2. Following on Google Friend Connect
3. Following on Facebook
4. Sharing this giveaway on Twitter
5. Sharing this giveaway on Facebook

Leave me a comment for each extra entry letting me know that you did one of these things. Please include your email address. 
This giveaway will close on Saturday October 1 at 11:59PM CST. Winner will be chosen on Oct 2nd using random.org. This giveaway is open to US Residents Only (sorry!). I will post and email the winner. 
Good luck! 
Head on over to Homeschool Creations to find more great giveaways! 

Kids in the Word: Joshua

Last week, we moved on from Moses and learned about Joshua. Jonathan wasn't familiar with the story of Joshua before this week, but he really liked learning about this biblical hero.

Bible 


We read the stories about Joshua from Jonathan's toddler Bible, the Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes. The stories of Joshua were covered in about five different stories, so we did one a day at the breakfast table.

We focused on two stories from the Joshua narrative (1) Israel Crossing the Jordan River and (2) the Walls of Jericho

Joshua Crosses the Jordan by Crystal Bowman

This is another book from the Beginner's Bible I Can Read! series. It's a higher reading level than most of the books we've been reading. It focuses primarily on the selection of Joshua as Israel's new leader, and Joshua leading the people across the Jordan River. Jonathan loved this book and carried it with him around the house.

Joshua: the Brave Leader by Carine MacKenzie

This particular series (Bible time) is a new one for us. It's meant for reading aloud to age 3+. the stories are a little longer than the easy readers, so I divided the book into two days. This particular book focuses mostly on the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho. I like that it's very faithful to the biblical narrative, and it also ties in some application points without being too preachy. For example, after telling about the selection of Joshua as the new leader of Israel and the promises God gave to Joshua, the book says "God is the same today and he promises to be with those who trust him". It looks to be a great series for preschool aged children. Jonathan liked this book as well, but not as much as the first book. He still would pull the book off the shelf and flip through it. He liked the pictures especially.

Games 


We built the walls of Jericho with our cardboard blocks. We marched around the blocks and then knocked them all down! I don't have pictures- sorry! We were too busy marching.  Both Jonathan and Grace enjoyed building with the blocks this week.

Music 


We learned the song "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho" and sung this with daddy several times this week.

Art


We made the walls of Jericho. I cut out sandpaper "bricks" from fine-grade sandpaper.. Jonathan and daddy glued them onto paper:

Movies 


We watched the Veggie Tales classic "Josh and the Big Wall", which is available for steaming on Netflix. Jonathan really enjoyed this movie and laughed at the silliness of it.

Habits 


Charlotte Mason emphasized the importance of instilling good habits during early childhood. We recently bought the book A Child's Book of Character Building (both volumes). We're focusing on attentiveness which is defined as "listening with your ears, eyes, and heart". The verse is Proverbs 4:20-21. We've done a few exercises pertaining to this, which I may share in a future post.

Next up... Gideon! Have a great week!

This post is linked up to these linky parties.

Reading Our Library: Marion Dane Bauer

Marion Dane Bauer is an award-winning author who has written books for children of all ages, including a Newberry Honor book. We picked up several of her books for younger children at our local library. Here's what we read:

The first two books are a sweet celebration of parenthood. They come complete with a greeting card that a child can give to his or her mother or father (although our library copies obviously didn't come with the greeting cards).


My Mother is Mine by Marion Dane Bauer illustrated by Peter Elwell

This book is a beautiful tribute to the mother-child bond. Bauer's rhyming text is sweet, but not overbearing. Elwell's pastel illustrations show animal mothers caring for their babies- bears, tigers, kangaroos and ultimately culminate in a little girl and her mother. Both Jonathan and Grace enjoyed this book as well as the sequel (below). Jonathan particularly had fun naming the different animals.

The Very Best Daddy of All by Marion Dane Bauer illustrated by Leslie Wu

This is a companion to My Mother is Mine. It shows different animal daddies caring for and protecting their babies. The simple text and soft pastel illustrations show animals from gorillas to zebras and prairie dogs. But the very best daddy of all, is the daddy of a little child at the end. After reading this book, Jonathan told me that his daddy is "the best daddy in the whole world!" :)


The next several books all emphasize different body parts and were fun for both children. Jonathan has long known his body parts, but he still has fun pointing to or moving his body parts. Grace, however, is just starting to try to figure out the nomenclature of things. So she enjoyed these books as well and she's started pointing to her nose as a result!

If You Had a Nose like an Elephant's Trunk illustrated by Susan Winter

This is a clever, imaginative book that takes children through the animal world. What would happen if you had cheeks like a chipmunk or a tail like a porcupine? Each page asks a similar question and gives an answer. For example, "if you had a tail like a monkey's, you could swing from your grandmother's antique chandelier". It's a very fun book that teaches the benefits of being you! It brought out lots of grins and giggles at the lunch table!

Thank You For Me! illustrated by Kristina Stephenson

This is a cute book for teaching children how special they are made. They have hands to clap, feet to dash, a mouth, tongue, cheek with a nose above and chin beneath. The book even mentions that children have hands to pray to say thank you for me. It's a sweet addition to any unit on the human body.

Toes, Ears & Nose illustrated by Karen Katz

I was surprised to find a book we already owned was written by Marion Dane Bauer. This is an adorable lift the flap book that helps to teach the parts of the body. It's most appropriate for young toddlers-- about 9 months-24 months. Grace particularly has started enjoying these type of books and we've been working on the parts of the body.



So that's what we've been reading-- we link up to these bloggy parties. Check out these blogs for more read aloud ideas!

Kids in the Word: The Ten Commandments

Last week, Jonathan and I learned about the Ten Commandments. Although it was a rough week, we made it through our Bible lesson, so that was a success!

Bible


We read the story out of Jonathan's favorite toddler Bible, The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes. The Ten Commandments were covered in one short story, which was good but I wanted a little more detail this time.

I found a copy of The Ten Commandments for Children by Lois Rock in our local library. This story gives the ten commandments in child-friendly language and emphasize how the Ten Commandments help us know the good and right way to live our lives. Some are simplified such as "Husbands and wives- keep your special love just for each other" instead of "Do not commit adultery". I liked this explanation for toddlers.


Other books that were recommended to me (but not in our library system) are The Ten Commandments for Little Ones by Allia Zobel-Nolan and The Story of the Ten Commandments by Patricia Pingry. I think we may try to purchase these for next year.

We also went through part of the Big Book of Questions & Answers by Sinclair B. Ferguson. This is a great book for grounding children in the Christian faith. It's aimed for elementary age students, but I found the explanations of the ten commandments very applicable for toddlers. The ten commandments are covered in questions 39-50. We read two questions per day-- usually at breakfast and lunch.


Games 


We played the "perfect" game. We tried to sit perfectly quiet and still-- which was obviously hard for my Jonathan to do! The point of the perfect game is to show that no one is perfect. We all make bad choices and we can't keep God's perfect law. God's rules are meant to show us that God is perfect and we are not. God sent Jesus to live a perfect life so that we can be forgiven.

Art 

We made a Ten Commandments train, using a printable I found here. To add a little math practice, I cut out the train and put numbers on each car. Then I had Jonathan put the numbers 1-10 in order and glue the pieces down on a long piece of paper. He loves choo choo trains, so this was a hit! As we read our Ten Commandments books, we pointed to the appropriate train car.

So we wrapped up our study of Moses last week, now it's on to Joshua!

Tot School: M is for Mouse (31 Months)

Jonathan is 31 Months Old

This week was a little slower, but we still had lots of fun! We finished up the letter M by talking about mice and other related "m" words. 

Bible

This is the most important part of our week-- I'm trying to fit in our Bible story and crafts before I fit in any letter of the week activities. This week, we learned about the Exodus and God giving manna in the wilderness. I'll share the specifics of the lesson on Weds but we did a couple activities based on the stories:

We did a papercraft of Moses parting the Red Sea

We made manna cookies:

Check back in on Wednesday for our next Kids in the Word post!

Stories, Nursery Rhymes & Read Alouds: 

Our bookshelf for the week

I haven't written up our thoughts on the books we read this week, but here are some highlights:

• Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh and its sequels: Mouse Shapes and Mouse Count. Jonathan loved these books, but Mouse Paint was his favorite!
• Hickory Dickory Dock-- we recited this nursery rhyme several times.
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Moose a Muffin-- children's classics that Jonathan requested several times this week. :)

Gross Motor Skills 

We had another beautiful week! We spent time outside playing golf, catch, soccer and spending time with friends who came to play. 

We also went to our local forest preserve and took a nice walk (about a mile) had a picnic by the pond. Jonathan loved this. (Grace did too!)

Larry the Cucumber went everywhere with us this week. 

It ended up being a little nature study-- we saw geese, fish, ducks, seagulls, birds, and butterflies! Jonathan and I fed the ducks (and the fish) and he had so much fun doing this! 

Art 

In addition to our Moses craft, we painted with watercolors this week:  

And we made playdough mice using cookie cutters: 

And we mixed playdough to make new colors: orange, green and purple! (as in Mouse Paint)

And made mouse houses out of shapes (like Mouse Shape)

And then made a snake (like Mouse Count):

Science 

We made Magic Muck this week. We made it in the secondary colors, once again mixing primary colors to see the colors they made. 

The recipe was from a book called The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions:

3/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
food coloring

1. Mix water and food coloring together.
2. Slowly add cornstarch- do not stir!
3. Let stand for 2-3 minutes.
4. Pick up a handful and squeeze it until it forms a hard ball.

Magic Muck turns from a solid to a liquid and back again. We had a lot of fun mixing it up. Jonathan enjoyed playing with it, but didn't fully understand the whole solid/liquid thing. We may pull this out another time.


So that's what Jonathan and I did this past week. I'm linking up to these linky parties. Head on over to get more fun ideas for your toddlers and preschoolers!