Pumpkins/Fall/Orange/Halloween: A simplified unit

The past few weeks we've been on vacation...actually, we still are.  We get back late tonight and then it's back to the daily grind.  I have had to change plans on my October themes because it's just too much to do!  So, I've decided to simplify these couple of units.  Here are some of the ideas I compiled for Pumpkins/Fall/Orange/Halloween.  Hopefully they can be of some use during this busy Halloween week!

Activities:

1.  Math: Cut out pumpkins and label paper 1-10 (or 1-3 for younger kids).  Glue the pumpkins on the paper

2. Arts/Crafts: Pumpkin Seed Collage: Carve a pumpkin and scoop out all the seeds.  Make a collage with the seeds and count them (I did this with my 1st graders...they loved it, but it was still tricky for them to count up all the seeds, even when we grouped them in rows of ten).

3. Science: Sink/Float with a pumpkin (other fall items)

4. Arts/Crafts: Making trees: On a sheet of manila paper, trace the child's hands and arms (to about elbow). Extend the fingers upwards to create the tree branches. Have the children paint or color the tree's trunk and branches brown. Have the children dip one fingertip at a time in paint (red, orange, yellow, red) and then press it all over the paper, especially on the ground.

5. Exercise: Go for a walk collecting leaves...bring them home, let them dry and do leaf rubbings, jump in the leaves on your walk too--can also make a fall collage (older kids)

6. Arts/Crafts: Make an orange collage...orange stickers, crayons, markers, yarn, fun foam, tissue paper, etc...

7. Math: sorting fall objects: pinecones, seeds, leaves, etc..

8. Arts/Crafts: Decorate a bag to take trick or treating

9. Arts/Crafts: Fill gloves with popcorn or candy corn and tie them off--make a ghost

10. Sensory: Fill cartons with different things and let your baby squish them (give them halloween names--guts, etc..)

11. Math: sort different halloween treats

Extras:  Visit a pumpkin patch, go on a hayride, carve pumpkins as a family, have a Halloween-themed dinner to gear up for trick or treating and just have fun! 

Hopefully these ideas can be of some use to you this week.  Little children absolutely LOVE this time of year when everything seems so magical.  Enjoy the time with your kids and choose a few of these activities to enhance your Halloween plans :)

Pumpkin Preview

Even though we're taking a little break this week, I decided to get my books from the library a little early.  Imagine my surprise when I went to get books and they were all CHECKED OUT!  "No biggie," I thought, "since I'm early I'll just request them."  Sure enough I was emailed within the week about all these books I got to pick up!  So, request theme books early from your library...they go fast!

We also took a family trip to the Pumpkin patch and my little toddler got to pick out the perfect pumpkin which was just her size.

Any good books you've requested to start talking about Pumpkins, Halloween and this fabulous time of year called fall?

Make Writing Fun

My daughter really loves scribbling with crayons (for about 30 seconds).  The goal in this is to start early and help her enjoy writing.  To make writing fun we like to write to our cousins, grandparents and other relatives that live far away (and even those that live close by).

When I was young my mom would always write a "weekly letter" to my grandparents.  It was kind of a journal for herself.  As kids we saw her do this and ended up participating in the same way.  It started with scribbling, then coloring pictures and eventually we all wrote our own "weekly letters."  I didn't realize this at the time, but what a great way to help us work on writing!  It was something we enjoyed doing and we were given great feedback by my parents.

So, find a time every couple of weeks and write a short note to a loved one, friend, family member or pen pal.  Show your child that writing is fun and have fun reconnecting with people by "snail mail."  Who doesn't like getting something in the mail?  Especially from a cute little one :)

Fall Break!

One of the things I love about being a stay-at-home mama is that we don't have to live by a "schedule."  I get to make my own schedule and so we're taking a break :)  We'll be visiting with family over the next couple of weeks and just having a grand old time taking a little break.  

I've still got a few posts lined up to make this blog somewhat interesting and get the juices flowing for things to do with your kiddos, but I won't be posting a unit for this week.  Check back next week for a unit on Pumpkins, Orange and Fall!

Where's your favorite place to go with your kids on a vacation or break?  Any fun suggestions for the week?

Family Unit Review

What a great week we had talking about family.  We are so excited to be visiting with family for the next two weeks.  It's such a treat that we get to see both sides of the family, so we're pretty excited.

A favorite activity from the week was matching family members to each other.  She's really started getting this down and it's fun to see the progression in her skills.

She also loved making "family" puppets.  I didn't have paper bags or sticks so we used pencils.

And probably the highlight of the week was making our own finger paint and painting/collaging our family tree.

For some reason she didn't want to get her fingers too messy...so she ended up using a paintbrush for most of the "leaves."

She definitely enjoyed showing this to daddy when he came home!

What were your successes this week?  Any activity suggestions?

Family Culture Night: Germany

Seeing as how it's Oktoberfest in Germany this month, we decided to have our family culture night centered on Germany.  My husband and I have both lived in Germany for a few years and we love German food, the culture and the traditions.  I'm sure that we'll be using many of their traditions in our family for years to come.

After Daddy and Baby got dressed in their matching "Fussball" shirts, we ate the traditional wurst (with Amazing German mustard), german potato salad and apple strudel for dessert.  We also enjoyed drinking rootbeer (since we don't drink alcohol).

 

Daddy took the role of providing the activities for our evening.  He had fun talking about German culture and he enjoyed teaching us a German song.  Then he made a flag with paper, crayons and a spoon, turned on some very lively German music and off they went...marching around the whole house.

To say that our little girl was "in heaven" would be an understatement.  She loved this fun evening with her daddy (and mommy too)!

What culture do you want to introduce to your family?  Any good ideas for next month?

Family Unit

In the next couple of weeks the little one and I are heading off to visit some family.  I thought this would be a great unit to do before we see a lot of extended family members.

Books:

Are you my mother?, P.D. Eastman

Love you forever, Robert Munsch

Guess How Much I Love You, Sam McBratney

Just Me and My Dad, Mercer Mayer

The Family Book, Todd Paar
A Pocket Full of Kisses, Audrey Penn
The Relatives Came, Cynthia Rylant
Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?, Eric Carle
You Were Loved Before You Were Born, Eve Bunting and Karen Barbour
I Love You Because You're You, Liza Baker
Counting Kisses, Karen Katz
Grandma Calls Me Beautiful, Barbara M. Josse

Rhymes/Songs:

Song--"I Love Mommy" (or Daddy, Brother, Sister, etc.)  (tune:  Frere Jacques)

I love Mommy, I love Mommy.
Yes I do; yes I do.
And my mommy loves me,
Yes, my mommy loves me,
Loves me too; loves me too.

Families
Some families are large (spread arms out wide)
Some families are small (bring arms close together)
But I love my family (cross arms over chest)
Best of all!

A Family Fingerplay
This is a family (hold up one hand, fingers spread)
Let's count them and see,
How many there are,
And who they can be (count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

This is the mother (touch pointer finger)
Who loves everyone
And this is the father (touch big finger)
Who is lots of fun.

This is my sister (touch ring finger)
She helps and she plays,
And this is the baby (touch little finger)
He's growing each day.

But who is this one? (touch thumb)
He's out there alone,
Why it's Jackie, the dog,
And he's chewing a bone. (wiggle thumb)

Love Song (replace mommy with other family members)
Love my Mommy,
Yes I do,

Love my Mommy, 

Yes I do,

Love my Mommy, 

Yes I do,

Love my Mommy, 

And I love you!

Activities: 

Note:  Before I begin this unit, I ordered a few (doubles or triples of each person) cheap prints of different family members (grandparents, some cousins/aunts/uncles, parents, child, etc...).  Plan accordingly.

1. Creative Play/Arts and Crafts:  Family puppets:  Collect some small brown bags (or popsicle sticks).  Attach individual pictures of your family members to the top of the brown bag or to the popsicle stick.  Have fun acting out what that person would say and interacting with all the family members as puppets.

2.  Math: Picture Matching:  Use some of the pictures you printed out (alternatively you could find some pictures online of a "mom," "dad," etc...).  Have your child name and then match them to the same picture.  Ex: You would have two prints each of grandma, grandpa and their cousin.  Have your child match grandma to grandma, grandpa to grandpa and cousin to cousin.

3. Writing/Arts and Crafts: Family Tree fingerpainting:  Get a large piece of butcher paper and draw a tree or an outline.  Using fingerpaint and have your child make a thumbprint of every family member.  Once it dries, label them and talk about each member of your family.

4. Arts and Crafts:  Family Collage: At the end of the week, glue all the pictures that you used throughout the week together.  You can also draw pictures of your family or for older children maybe find some things in magazines that family members like and glue them to the collage.  Display it in a prominent place where you can talk about it a lot. 

Spiritual:  Sing Families Can Be Together Forever and other family songs from the Children's Songbook.  Use this article for any supplemental activities.

Extras:  This is a great week to spend a few extra minutes writing letters to family members, adding pictures of family to your fridge, calling and talking to family who doesn't live close (using skype too) and going through photo albums or pictures together.

Farm Animals Review

We had another great unit this week.  I think I learn something new every week I do this, about teaching and about my daughter.  I'm always impressed at the impact that a 10-20 minute activity/books/songs have on my daughter.  

Her favorite activity of the week was playing with this farm house we borrowed from great grandma.

I love watching how her mind works.  She saw me making "eating" noises for the horses and cows and she started going the same thing.  Then she wanted "cheerios" to put in the trough so the horse could eat them.  Now every time she starts playing with this set, she ultimately finds the trough, walks into the kitchen and asks for food for her animals.  I love watching her mind work.

She also liked matching up the farm animals in a "math" activity.  She did really well and now she's started matching up her puzzle pieces together too.

Another fun activity was making the farm animal mobile.  Who knew tape could be so much fun?!  I think she liked putting it together more than she did tangling up the strings in the finished product.

 

We're also heading to the farm today to round out our week.  What were some of your successes this week?