W is for Watermelon

I knew National Watermelon day (Aug 3) was approaching and planned to a watermelon theme prior and end with Watermelon day.  Instead, we started on National Watermelon Day and it worked out great!  Nice and tasty snack and investigation to start our new theme!

Books
Watermelon Day- Appelt
One Watermelon Seed- Barker
A Seed Grows- Hickman

Crafts

Painted giant Watermelon with fingerprint seeds

Finished Product!

Paper plate watermelon with glued on felt seeds

L's on top, GB's on bottom

Watercolored W with glued on real seeds

Skills
We learned a lot about watermelons and how they feel, grow, taste, smell and why they are called water (melons).  Great info at www.watermelon.org.

Watermelon capital letter/lowercase match-file folder games  (these are great for quite time activities, she can grab a folder and sit in her room and play)

Watermelon number/counting match File Folder- printable at ?

W making with our letter puzzles (Handwriting without Tears, but I have seen some printable ones on several blogs)

Counted seeds

Planted a few Watermelon seeds

Find the letter W

Patterns with red,green and black watermelon shapes- can't find the photo.

Snacks/lunch

Of course, we had watermelon for snacks and with lunch!

Who knows why he chose to eat it without his hands?!!!

We even had a little fun photoshoot with our watermelons! ;)-  My personal favortite part- I've been doing this every summer since GB was born and look forward to it each year.  I think this years are the best yet!

Watermelon waffles

Watermelon toast

Watermelon pancakes- same idea as the waffles GB requested watermelon pancakes.

Watermelon sandwich (cookie cutter)

Watermelon cakepops

Bible Lessons
Ps. 34:8
Genesis 1:11
God created plants and animals

W is also for Water!  We did a lot of swimming this week, in fact GB started going underwater this week!!  Such a big girl!!

L also "read" his first bookS to us this week!  "Brown Bear Brown Bear", and  "Let's Work"  It's so cute when he reads!  Of course some of the words are a little fuzzy, but you can tell what he's saying. :)) 

We are Proud of our Littles! :)

I is for Ice Cream

I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice Cream!!

excuse the absense of clothes, it's way too hot here right now!

National Ice Cream day was 7-24, and that made me think of doing an ice cream theme.  I planned a watermelon theme for that week, but decided it would wait and we would do ice cream. 


Books- 
I like Summer
Fancy Nancy
Arthur's Reading Race
Let's Count it Out Jesse Bear
Dear God, It's me!

Crafts
We didn't do many crafts this week, as we were out and about swimming and enjoying summer!

painted ice cream cones- after painting I cut out a ice cream shape and she glued on "sprinkles". Sorry, I forgot to take an end picture and now I'm too lazy to do it!


Colored ice cream cone pictures- I happen to have a color book with a couple fun ice scream pictures in it.

 Skills

As with most weeks, we go on a letter hunt looking for all the things we can find with that letter (this week Ii)- sometimes looking for the actual letter and sometimes things that start with the letter.

Counting/Number match

Patterns with shapes

Playdough Ice Cream Shop

Shaving cream in a bag writing

Ipad writing!!!  Yes, we have a new fun learning toy!!  I have more on it for them than me right now. 

"Ask me a Question" game- I made that up! :)  I found these cute ice cream printables at doodlebugteaches blog and thought how great I'll use them for letters or whatnot.  I didn't pay attention to download and they weren't blank cards, but already had days of the week questions on them, so she organized them by "matches" and then she drew a card and I asked her a relevant to her question; What is your birthday? Where do you live? Phone number? Address? etc. (worked great because she can't read yet! :))

Color sorting hunt- we normally do this with just colored paper (find what you can for each color), but these bowls make it fit our theme. :))  GB loves this game, but not so much when it's time to put the stuff back!

Luke was also on a search for items.  I would show him a color and somethings he would bring the right color back, but enjoyed running around like GB and lining his stuff up on the table!

You may wonder what Luke does during "school" well, he is included in an age appropriate way when he's awake.  He still takes a good nap (God bless him) and so GB and I get a little one on one.

Lunches/Snacks


Again, our little ice cream bowls made it pretty easy for me.  (I found them at the dollar store a few years back, that's right all 4 bowls with spoons $1) Great Find!!!

Grapes- That was easy!

lunch served in ice cream bowls.- (L already claimed his mac & cheese bowl before picture)

Ice Cream Sandwich- I was very impressed with myself and so were the littles when I told them we were having ice cream sandwiches for lunch. (kinda cruel, thinking back)  One thing I have learned through my new love of pinterest, My original ideas aren't so original!!!  Seriously, I have found several things I thought I came up with on pinterest lately.  hehe  

My favorite- This is what started the whole theme!  Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag!!  Yay, for 4H.  I used to do this with my class each year, always a favorite and my littles were very excited, however the bags got really cold and mama and daddy had to be the official shakers after about 2 minutes.  The littles stayed close by waiting patiently for the end result. :)  So simple and delightful.


Other snacks were served in our bowls and arranged in that triangle, circle shape to make things fun and connected.


Bible Stories
Learn about Joseph- Genesis 37
Dreams
Coat of many colors
Ruler
Helping his brothers

Batteries Please!

I try not to get sucked into all the battery-powered learning toys and remember that the best toys are the ones that are powered by imagination, creativity and kid-power. However...
There have been 3 toys (so far) that I am glad we have and will keep putting batteries in! 

So here are our 3 toys I think are worth the batteries we put in them.


1.  LeapFrog Fridge Phonics
G received this one early and when she wasn't helping cook, but still wanted to be in the kitchen that little toy has been great fun-learning fun.  I have to say, I think it was more responsible than I was at teaching her the letter sounds.  She knew most of the letter sounds before her 2nd birthday.  L followed suit playing with the letters, he also really likes the Leapfrog Fridge Farm.  He will put in a letter or animals and repeat it's sound, just like sister did!    The fact that it goes in the kitchen is a great thing.


2.  Fisher Price letter keys
I'm not sure the real name of these.  My MIL bought them at a garage sale for G when she was under 1.  I carried them in the diaper bag, then my purse, now they are in the house.  This little toy allowed us to eat at many restaurants throughout G and L's young lives.  G is happy coloring and L is happy with a little car which is less to tote, but the fun continues at home!  You insert the card and it tells you the letter, sound, picture and sounds of pictured item. 


3.  VTech VReader
G asked Papa for a Vreader this Christmas and papa doesn't disappoint.  It came with 1 story and a download for 6 stories.  The ages on it were 3-7 (normally, not a good thing when the age range is so high). I was a thrilled at how easy it was to use and understand.  She can pick her story from the "backpack" one of the 7 or insert a story cartridge.  We have bought her 3 since Christmas for different holidays.  You have your choice of listening to the story (the words are highlighted as read) and you have to turn the page or push button, each story has 2-3 learning games with letters, story comprehension, and others things, a story dictionary (G loves to listen to the meanings of the words, kinda funny).  It's like a tag reader combined with a video game.  She will use it at home for quiet time, in the stroller, in the car.  I am very, very pleased with it's function, use, and durability.  It has been great for my little bookworm!

Another great thing
*an old camera- GB loves to take pictures (just like Mama).  It's fun to let her take pictures and view them.  The same with the video part of my phone, she will watch "home videos" on my phone forever.  Great way to take a shower!