The Six Swans

       This week we have been working on the fairy tale, The Six Swans by the Brothers Grimm.  On Monday I told her the story. On Tuesday, I re-told her the story and then we listened to it on story nory.  Storynory.com is a website of free stories to listen to.  On Wednesday, Seneca told me the story of The Six Swans and I wrote down her narration in her lesson book.  A few times, I would prompt her with questions to help her remember the story, but all in all she did quite well.  I was going to have her practice writing some  s words, but she became so frustrated and angry when she felt her writing wasn't good enough.  I tried to re-assure her that she was doing a good job. In truth, she really was doing a good job.  She has perfectionist tendencies at time.  As a mom, those can get to be annoying.  I don't tell her that though.  She did calm down and took to cutting out construction paper to make shapes and forms.  Cutting is such an important fine motor skill and one that leads to developing writing skills.
     She has been digging in her grandma's side yard today and yesterday. She collected and washed off some rocks to share with me today.  I hope that can counter some of her time spent on tv, though I do try to be sure that she is watching PBS Kids if she is watching tv.
     We continue to play mini math games with mancala pieces. We call the pieces fairy or gnome jewels.  We did a pattern sequence together on Wednesday using the different colored pieces.  She did well with continuing the pattern.  She also drew some patterns of her own.

Seneca had an impromptu tea party with her grandma's porch bears.

digging in the dirt on July 19, 2012

3/24/2012

        Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss was read to Seneca. She then worked on a Fox in Socks 24 piece puzzle.  Playtime in the park and playtime at home with her friend Aiden.  We reviewed some phonics words together.  She was about to try to write some words, but the task of writing in lines is a bit daunting for her. She traced some three-letter words onto tracing paper.  She did write out "cat," but other words will wait for another time.  Painting today with homemade paint. This time the paint was from baking soda, vinegar, corn syrup and flour.  The recipe calls for cornstarch, not flour, but we just went with what we had in the house. Oh, and food coloring.
  At the park, Seneca climbed on some boulders and we felt the texture of the rocks together.  I showed her an embedded shell in one of the rocks.  I wish I knew more about identifying types of rocks.  For now, all I can give her is a sense of observation through sight and texture.  I think at this age this is appropriate, but I am unsure of how to guide her in nature observations as she gets older.  I can't tell what most trees, flowers, rocks, etc. are myself.
    Later in the evening, Seneca took apart and reassembled her puzzle. We also read Horton Hatches An Egg by Dr. Seuss, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, and Time For Bed Elmo. We read from our phonics books featuring the short vowel u.

3/19/2012

For phonics tonight, we read letter u books from the Starfall series.  Tonight, we are roasting marshmallows!  And Seneca worked on her puzzle too.

Phonics

  I bought Seneca a new set of phonics reading books.  I saw Starfall books at Books-A-Million today.  Seneca loves to play the Starfall games online, so I thought she would like the books. She did. She did very well with the short a books, but struggled a bit with the other vowels. She does know her letters and her sounds, she just hasn't gotten the hang of letting it flow. When I read these books to hear, I slowly sound each letter.
                                                                                                                       3/17/2012
  Seneca, Lilly, and I read the first six books in the Starfall phonics series today.