Thanksgiving unit.

Well, last week we managed to get in quite a bit of learning during my free time, which was very very limited.  However, all the rest of the time I was racing around to work, rehearsals and performances.  I had two video recording sessions, two rehearsals, a dress rehearsal and performance on top of my normal 3 job schedule.  Needless to say.  I wrote nothing at all last week.  I will get back to last weeks fun moments soon, however, we are in the middle of the most fun Thanksgiving unit and it is time to write about it.  I have linked all my inspirations in each discription.

First, on Sunday afternoon I had Madalynn make two construction paper turkeys.  One for her and one for her Remington.  She is crazy with glue, but she had fun.

After a google search of various pilgrim and indian ideas, I came across this blog link.  I am not sure how I cam across the toilet paper printables, but here is the link.  I was really disappointed that the printables were not the same as pictured on their website, but they served the purpose for a preschooler.

 After making the people, we bundled up and went out in the snow and wind and gathered some sticks from an old dead tree in our yard and some rocks.  We haven't got to the rock fire activity yet.  However, I asked Russ if he would be willing to help Madalynn build a teepee while I was finishing making dinner.  We had to go back outside a second time to look for more sticks, but we eventually found the perfect sticks.  

 The next morning I got out my hot glue gun, some scrap white muslin fabric from my stash, sewed some pieces together and glued it to the sticks.  I only glued it to one stick to start the fabric and then to the same stick after I had wrapped it around.

 Afterwards, I looked up imaged of Native American Tepees online.  There are some of the most amazing black and white images of various older Indians in front of their Tepees.  I had Madalynn pick her favorite image.  The kids loved it.

 Then I got out the paint colors she asked for and she went to work.....for the next TWO HOURS!!!  It was heaven!!!  She is very studious, but seriously, it is so nice to have time to spend doing stuff with just my son.

 Remington and I drew around his hands to make turkeys for a little while.  Then I just let him color while I watched, talked to him and encouraged him.

The TONGUE KILLS ME!!!  He is totally my
husbands and my son.  

 I just sat back, taking pictures and enjoying just relaxing on a nice Monday morning.

 Remington and I started working again on our wood 12 piece puzzles from Melissa and Doug.  I love these sets.  He is getting this one for Christmas.  We talked through finding the ground and then the various body parts.  He is sooooo ready for these puzzles.  His concentration through all 3 boxes of 4 twelve piece puzzles was outstanding.  I don't know why I just keep expected him to do things later than his sister did at this age.  I think, part of it is his slower speech capabilities.  He just doesn't speak as clearly, but he is developmentally just fine and moving along.

 More watching.  

 All finished.  The front flap does lift up to the left and there is a round door opening for her to play in.  Her replica was awesome for 4 1/2 yrs old.  She has watched her Daddy work a lot and I think she has learned a lot about attention to details.  I certainly love this little girl.

 Oh...and while i was taking pictures of just the teepee, I looked up and Remington gave me the most heart melting smile ever!!!  It was out of control amazing.

 I was about to put my ipad down to go get lunch ready...when I saw this precious moment.  They were both admiring their own work.  He was cheering while staring at the puzzles and she was explaining how she would play with her teepee.  Three cheers for hands on learning!!!

Tomorrow, we are going to focus on the pilgrims.  We are going to take a quick trip to Fort Utah, which is about three blocks from our home.  We will get the Lincoln logs out to build another fort.  I will be taking many pictures and I am sure I will be posting many of them.  I will also look at Scholastics website and got a tour of the pilgrim ship the Mayflower.  I think that Madalynn will really enjoy that.

We will be doing this packet tomorrow.  Thanks to all those people that have pinned thanksgiving units and also those that provide free stuff that I can use.  I would never keep up without their help.

Wish I had had time to order this book.  This is exactly the kind of thing that Madalynn would enjoy.  I am linking it in case I ever want to get it again in the future.

Hope you enjoyed and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Normal Play night 11/11/14

I wish I had taken a picture of Madalynn putting on the flag today with Russ.  However, I was jumping in my car for a long 9 1/2 hour work day.  I worked at UVU from 9-1 and I taught piano from 2:30-8pm tonight.  I don't get much done on Tues.  However, like I said before, I work long hard days so I can spend time with my kids on the other days.

I learned about 6-9 months ago a fascinating thing about my son.  When I am near him and sitting on a piece of furniture he is constantly trying to get into things and quickly moving from one activity to another.  However, if I sit on the floor...even if I am not paying attention to him, he can sit and play with the same toy for an hour.  Crazy huh!!!  I can't believe I even figured this out.  So, we started closing his bedroom door and playing on the floor about that time.  Well, on Tues nights I put the kids in his bedroom...with a door knob child proof handle on the inside.  I can watch them from my video monitor while I am teaching, but they stay out of my way.  I only do this for the last two lessons.  Russ has to leave for his calling at church and I still have to finish my last two lesssons.

Recently he has taken to emptying every box in the closet during this time.  It is driving me NUTS!!  Seriously!!  Well, last Tues he got the train tracks out.  He has loved trains since he was really little.  When he first started talking, one of his first imitations was a train whistle.  We live by lots of train tracks so he sees them a lot.  It never ceases to amaze me how he can spot a train anywhere when we are driving.  Well, I cleaned the floor last Sat and moved the kitchen table and let them build with the train tracks.  It is amazing the skills that are used...just to create a track.  The small motor skills to put the pieces together.  The logic that a child needs to use to get the pieces to turn and line up.  As I watched Madalynn trying to get a bridge to stand up and watching her decided how many supports it needed, I was just amazed at her patience.  Usually if something doesn't work, she gets super super angry and won't try again.  Well, she tried a few times until she got the bridge to work.  Simple play moments, really create huge teaching moments.  I talked to her about how to add tracks to help the trains turn around, how to make quick turns with tiny pieces and how to make large turns with the longer pieces. I could really go on and on, but it is not necessary.  We had to clean up all TOOOO soon because I had to get to a family party thing.   There is a certain time frame that my kids seem to need to have ample child play and I probably cut it an hour short.

Well, tonight my son dumped out the Lincoln Logs.  There are two sets combined in this box.  The ones my dad played with when he was a child in the 60's and a newer set my grandparents had purchased when we were kids.  The newer set has an instruction booklet on several different forts you can make.  I had Russ show Madalynn how to do one of those about 2 months ago.  When I came in from teaching, she had made this one.

Well, she wanted to know more about building tonight and I decided this was going to be our playing/teaching time for the day.  I told her that first she had to clean his room before we could build.  I told her our limited time period, since I got in there at 8:15 and she needed to get ready for bed a 9.  Clean up is an important part of play, and they did it super super quick.  Remington is constantly amazing me with his ability to understand how to play with building/boy toys.  He started stacking the small pieces with no problem.  I talked to Madalynn about height, directions, windows and doors, stability at the base, strong and weak points based on how wide or skinny a tower is.  I showed Remington to how to put on the roof and let him line up roof pieces.  I let her talk through several design ideas giving input as needed.  We were all fully engaged.  We talked about hitting, as Remington of course just wanted to destroy after 20 min and they started hitting each other and crying.  We learned about how to put the piece in the box with long and tall pieces stacked and little pieces just falling around them.  Etc.  It was the perfect end to a very very long day.  I look forward to some playing/teaching moments tomorrow after I pick them up from the babysitter.

Building a castle tower

Tearing down and rebuilding the wall

Learning how to take turns as they build a larger and larger tower

He is watching Madalynn take her turn

Putting on the roof

Determined to get the roof finished.

Mom, take a picture...and she smiles.  

I can't find the exact quote, but in the book I am reading it states (paraphrasing), that the more a child sees you taking pictures and notes about their work, the more it validates their ideas.  I take LOTS of pictures of each activity that we do.  I want my daughter to know her work matters to me and her ideas are strong and important.  So while each picture may not have been necessary to view, it meant the world to her as she moved through each stage of building.  She would yell out when she wanted a picture and after the whole night, she wanted to look through them again and discuss what she was doing in more detail.  So, if I post a ton of pictures this is my reasoning for taking them.

Hope you enjoyed.