showeredwithgrace

Still sleepy after waking from her afternoon nap she finds a warm shaft of sunlight to curl up in.  Purrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Mommy:  "Good morning sunshine!"

Rose Red:  "Good morning Mommy ~ big sunshine!"

We're making yummy sweet potato fries today from our CSA basket.  We just slice them up, toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper and then bake at a high heat until tender (broiling slightly to brown up!).

We will begin our preschool year with 'The Little Red Hen'.  Our Arizona Puppet Theatre was conveniently presenting this story for the last several weeks.  So of course we had to go!  Rose Red loves the theatre.  They did a wonderful job with this story, singing lots of well-known kids tunes throughout and sticking rather nicely to the classic tale (not too many modern deviations!).

They spent some time after the performance showing the kids how the puppets worked. 

Rose Red and I picked up our first CSA basket today.  Looks like eggplant parmesan, corn and green chili cornbread (fresh roasted green chiles!), sweet potato fries, fresh green beans and gumbo this week!

This is Thor the Mighty's last week home.  He leaves for college again this weekend.  Now that he is a homeowner himself however, he won't be coming back ~  not to live anyways.  We had lunch at his new townhouse . . .  Rose Red entertained.

Better use of scholarship money than a dorm room ~ don't you think?  He also rents a room out to his buddy from Venezuela whom he met at the dorms last year. 

August is brutally hot in Arizona.  Driving around in the car ~ not recommended.  Poor Rose Red ~ no matter which direction we are  going it always seems the sun shines right in on the side she is sitting on.  Did I mention it is a HOT sun?  The other day when we were on our way somewhere I was singing in the car     (. . . we do that).

Mom singing:  "sunshinnnne . . . on my shoullllddddeerrs makes me happy . . ." !

Then Rose Red pipes in:  "sunshinnnne . . . on my faaaccce makes me angry" !

Such a funny girl.

Elmo loves everyone ~ so I've been told . . .

Rose Red asks for this book by Megan Montague Cash to be read to her over and over again.  She is quite absorbed with it.  Today she deduced that our current season is Summer. 

We'll be eating breakfast with the animals at our local zoo this year.  Once a month our zoo offers this fun activity for preschoolers where we'll be able to visit and learn more about our animal friends.  I think that this will tie in nicely with our introduction to zoology this year!

Rose Red and I will be taking a class together at our Desert Botanical Garden this fall.  If you haven't yet checked out what your local Botanical Garden offers for kids it might be fun to see!

A favorite of mine this week . . .

Retold and illustrated by Amy Lowry Poole.

"Hans Christen Andersen's recurrent themes of disdain for the pretentious and the presence of the noble within the simple shine through"

This is our first Sara Anderson picture book.  Rose Red has attached herself to it.  We look forward to checking out her other books as well.

I've made an overview of what I'd like to touch on for Rose Red's first year of preschool at home.  Since this is my first attempt I'm sure the goals will morph as the year progresses but it is good to start with something. . .  I'm still drawing up our living literature/book selections for the year - all advice welcome!

Art: 

color/shape/texture

wet on wet watercolor

cutting and pasting

nature journaling (art using elements of nature)

child size masterpieces

games - Art Memo II

Sensory:

mud, sand, water, playdough

stirring (soup), rolling (cookies, pastry), kneading (bread)

texture boards - soft, smooth, rough, bumpy, etc.

weight, temperature, tall and short, large and small, thick and thin, wide and narrow.

Drama:

fingerplays, handgame/songs, storytime w/ feltboard and chalkboard, dress-up

Music:

Beethoven's Wig II & III

name composers to piece - instrument recognition: visual/sound

Language Arts:

Introduce poetry without music

sound pouches

walking letters, sandpaper letters

alphabet books/I spy books/other

Spanish:

counting to ten

hello, goodbye, thank you, please and you're welcome in spanish

Latin:

w/botany

w/religion

Social Sciences:

families

community

Where we live

games - Sleeping Grump, The Secret Door

books:

People

Day in the Life of . . . builder, doctor, musician etc.

Desert/Arizona picture books

Books about families

Books about adoption

Gardening:

growing vegetable soup - winter veggies/spring veggies

participating in local CSA

games - Harvest Time

Cooking:

making soup, bread, cookies, pies, fresh squeezed juices etc.

(count, measure, weigh)

(stir, knead, roll)

Laundry:

have own small tub and clothesline

Pet Care:

feed and water dog

game - Max

Cleaning:

wood polishing, dusting, window washing, sweeping

Handiwork:

lacing shapes, letters, numbers

sanding pieces of soft wood (like pine)

Math/Logic/Time:

sorting into sets, comparing, sequencing

matching geometric shapes, working with geometry solids

counting, weighing, measuring

time - egg timer (minute), hour glass, keep calendar (days of week, months of year, seasons)

games:  Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Pegboard Chinese Checkers, Colorforms, Think and Match puzzles

books:  Give me Grace (days of week), Chicken Soup w/ Rice (months of year),etc.

Science:

Keep a Seasonal Nature Table

Physical Sciences:

Earth - globe (land/water), continent names, landforms/waterforms, rocks, sink & float

Weather - weather chart (sun, cloud, rain, snow), weather nomenclature, different type of clouds, nature journal recording

Ecology - cultivate respect for the 'gift' of  nature

books:

The Gift, Be a Friend to Trees, Our Big Home, etc.

Life Sciences:

Human - our five senses, body parts

Zoology - Animal classification: insect, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, mammal

Animal soundtracks, famlies and homes

Animals of North American Desert

Animal life cycles

Observe frog life cycle

Sequence life cycle of frog

Go to zoo and wildlife parks and desert hikes

Botany -   

keep a nature journal: pressing flowers/leaves - art projects w/ nature finds

sequence life cycle of apple and compare and contrast apple varieties

grow mushrooms

indoor plant care - watering and misting

classifying: seeds, leaves, stems, flowers

parts of flower:  petal, stamen, pistil, sepal, corolla, calyx, stem, perianth

game - matching 'flower' playing cards (these also note latin name)

Faith:

Home prayer space reflecting liturgical seasons and daily family prayer

Sunday Holy Day

Weekly Adoration

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd - Level I Atrium - Thursday afternoons

Songs of Faith

Latin chant CD

Dressing as St. Agnes of God for Halloween and creating an All Hallow's Eve Saint book

Prayers:  Morning Offering, Our Father, Dinnertime prayer, Bedtime prayer

I'll probably regret posting this since I never like to put things down in stone - so don't be surprised if I delete it . . . 

               

We have been listening to the original Beethoven's Wig for just over a year now.  I would play it in the car and Rose Red would follow it intently (as she will do for most things).  She gets a kick out of it and will dance and sing the lyrics written for these symphonies often.  This week she began putting in her (without lyrics) children's classical music cd's (much to my dismay and amazement she has taken to always doing this herself ~ even spitting on the back of the cd and wiping it dry on her shirt before placing it in the player  ~ a (ahem!) bad habit of mine I'm trying to break).  As she kicks back on the couch to enjoy her tunes she begins to recognize the symphonies and gets very excited.  What's this one!  I know this one!  What's this one called!  she cries out and wants names (I give her the Composers) of each of the pieces.  Even without the lyrics she is recognizing and enjoying the symphonies.  Vivaldi she knew right off without asking (I have a preference for the Baroque).  This is so much fun!  I am loving these Beethoven's Wig cd's. 

Mommy:  "What do you see?"

Rose Red:  "Girl . . . so, so sad . . ."