Roots & Wings: Homeschool Highlights ~ 8.12.11

Well, we had a really good day of PLAY!! =)

If you haven't read lasts night's post about the new Montessori-style & sensory activities I've made recently, you can read that post {here}. That's where all the "details" behind these activities can be found! :) If you have any further questions, feel free to comment & ask -- I am happy to help when I can! =)

This is Julie up first thing this morning, just busy as a bee! {smiles} She loves it when there is an invitation for play laid out for her first thing in the morning!

She's working on the first activity of the day:

-- Sorting & Pouring --

This is a bowl of strings and beads she's sorting by color into cups. She had a clothespin & a spoon. She told me the clothespin was "Not ok!" and decided to use the spoon... then she moved on to just pouring back and forth. The sound was sooo cool with the jingling beads...

Caleb wanted to join in around 9 {after a little TV -- which goes off at 10 on school days around here!} and we started our second activity for the day:

-- A Guessing Game --

All 3 of the kids LOVED this activity. VERY hands-on, using SO many senses at once. They would touch & try to "see" the shapes inside the balloons and even listen to the sounds the textured items made when they would shake around inside the balloon.

This is Caleb using all his senses to try to figure out WHAT is in this balloon?!

{it's hairgel and it feels like a cold liquid inside and makes no real sound}

This was so much fun for Julie who squeezed and shook every balloon she could get her hands on! She was so sassy and protective over the ones she had figured out matched -- don't worry, her brothers are used to her and usually comply so nobody gets hurt! ;o)

Braden jumped RIGHT in on this one and loved the challenge. Some of them were fairly similar and hard to figure out {the rice & course sea salt were pretty close to the same texture & sound}

Braden jumped RIGHT in on this one and loved the challenge. Some of them were fairly similar and hard to figure out {the rice & coarse sea salt were pretty close to the same texture & sound}

After touching & feeling everything for a while, I brought out cups & bowls of the actual items inside the balloons so they could see what was inside there! They loved this part and still had so much investigating to do even after they had solved the mystery! =)

Caleb is such an auditory learner, he was comparing the sounds of the balloons almost immediately and he continued to want to shake and listen when we brought the items out to explore.

She was comparing the strange "J" shaped glass bead to the same shaped bead she was feeling in her balloon :)

{loving learning}

he wanted to poke one of the hair gel balloons and squirt it out! He's one of those types of kids! ;o)

I have to remind myself that Braden has never experienced any of this either -- and it's better late than never! =)

Activity 3:

-- Sorting Beads by Color --

Just some pony beads in a "relish" dish from dollar tree. They're just using their hands b/c I couldn't find our tweezers!

Julie told me her favorite color was "Pupple, not Pintk!"

Caleb wanted to help her try to do it herself! :) He was picking up the spilled ones and putting them back in the middle bin so she wouldn't get confused on where they go :)

She stuck it out and played for a good while with this one -- she loves beads so we made a bracelet for her w/ a chenille stem {aka pipe cleaner for you Alabamians out there! ;) } & these same beads -- she totally loved it and wore it until naptime! =)

Activity 4 was completely impromptu! ;o) After lunch I went to re-arrange their bedroom {pics tomorrow} and while sorting their dramatic play area they wanted to dress up in their costumes!! Caleb is "Skelebones" & Julie is the Fire Chief! {of course} =)

-- Dramatic Play --

Caleb is supposed to be showing me his "Skele-face" and Juju is just being cute! ;o)

Then, Activity 5:

-- Water Play --

This was later in the afternoon, after we'd finished re-arranging furniture -- notice the big wicker trunk is gone? It's moved to my bedroom. Since we moved the twin bunk out of there last month we had the space for it!! =) It totally opened up that part of the living room and gives them even more space to play & explore! =)

We laid out towels on the LR Floor & set Julie up with a salad dressing bottle that was clean & empty, a bowl of water & beads, a cup & a little bucket w/ a handle to pour with. Then, we had a little impromptu Activity 6 with rice and beans & cups and funnels & bowls. =) I was busy cleaning up messes and didn't even think to take pics! =/ I want to color some rice soon and will take pics after we play with it! =)

And, Activity SEVEN for the day was completely bad judgement on my part and should never have taken place! =| It was already after 9pm and we were playing Elefun & the Honey Bee Tree game in their newly arranged bedroom and as we're cleaning up the last of the honey bees Caleb tries to catapult one with the lid of the box. It goes Flying but... well, it could've been better! ;)
I showed him how to really launch a honey bee and sent one all the way across the room! =D He was amazed! He loved it! =) And so then, my mama's heart lost track of time, my teacher's dedication to provide an enriching learning experience for my child came out, and I remembered one of my most recent purchases from Micheal's.

{queue 16th century England music}

-- The Catapult --

I don't know if I thought that the pieces would be already painted, like the little colorful picture on the box, or if it just completely slipped my mind that the thing would need to be painted, but I was thinking it was just going to be something simple we could put together and we could get them on to bed. Oh no.

This thing came in 26 pieces and needed to be sanded, then finely detailed and dried before it could be wood glued together the next day. I was in the spot where I had already gotten him SO excited about it that I couldn't turn back. {sigh}