Zebras

 Today's Mother Goose Time lesson was zebras. During circle time the girls traced the hands on letter Z.  They used different body parts to try and draw a big Z in the air.  They thought drawing them with their cheeks was super funny.

 We talked about how our skin and hair feel.  Then I put different textured objects in a bag for the girls to feel.  They tried to guess what they were, and then pulled them out to see if they were right.

The girls guessed what animals the different patterning pieces were part of.  After they made their guesses we checked them with the animal fact cards, and then used the pieces for some patterning work.  When they finished that they used popsicle sticks to work on making striped patterns.

The girls looked around the house for striped items, and then made their own zebra pictures.  They used chalk to draw the stripes on the black zebra cut outs.  

The girls worked on the letter z page of their my little journals.

Addie completed the more math and literacy pages in her workbooks.

 We finished up with a library book.

Elephants and Rhinos

The girls have been loving this months safari theme from Mother Good Time.

Elli loved playing feed the elephants.  She used tongs to pull leaves off the door.  If it had an E on it she got to "feed" it to the elephants.  If it had a different letter she put it in a bowl, and if it had ants on it she had to go fast and stick it back o the wall.  She played this game a bunch of times; getting the leaves with the ants was her favorite part.

Every month comes with a new I Can Read book.  These books are great for encouraging reading and increasing confidence.  

Day 8's topic was the rhino.  During circle time we looked at the world map and identified Africa. A long time ago rhinos used to live in Egypt, and we looked at the petroglyphs from member resources to see how scientists know that.

Elli pretended to give the animal counters a drink at a watering hole.  She loves using a dish of water when she plays with them and has been doing this every day.

We played a watering hole game.  Elli practiced taking turns and following directions.  She also worked on counting the dots on the dice and counting out the correct number of spaces when she moved her game piece.

Elli made her own rhino horn and had lots of fun pretending to be a rhinoceros.  

She also completed the provided rhino puzzle.

 

We read some books about African animals and looked for rhinos in the pictures.

Lions

This week with Mother Goose Time we learned all about wild safari animals.  We started off with the lion. The girls took turns roaring into different sized containers, but they had the most fun using the microphone.

They had fun making their own lion masks.  They painted their plates and then worked on curling paper strips to make the mane.  

I read Why am I Small to the girls and then asked the comprehension questions at the end.  Addie practiced measuring different objects, and Elli worked on finding things that were big and small.

We talked about patience and how lions wait for the right time to chase their prey.  The girls played a game where they practiced patience, and then received bee badges when they were done.  They each picked a lion card with a different number and hid while they waited for their corresponding numbered zebra card to be flipped over.  Once I called out the matching number, if it was theirs they got to run and catch the zebra.

We also completed a lesson from the Experience God add on.  This month revolves around Daniel and the lions den.  The girls made their own lion puppets to go along with the story. 

 

The girls completed the letter S page in their my little journals.

Addie got some extra practice with math and reading by completing the more math and more literacy workbook pages.

We read some books about lions.

 And ended the day by making a den and watching The Lion King. 

Safari Safety

We finished up our first week with Mother Goose Time's safari theme by learning about safari safety.  Elli made foot print impressions in play dough using the safari animal counters. 

We used the safari cards from earlier in the week and an animal spinner to decide which animals would herd together for protection.  

Elli used binoculars, a magnifying glass and kaleidoscope to look at the animal cards up close.  

Elli made her own binoculars.  She was so happy to have her own, just like her big sisters set.

I hung the safari cards around the house and Elli used her binoculars to look for the animals on a safari hunt.  I would call out an animal and she would run around trying to find it. 

Elli worked on the oval page of her my little journal.  Her tracing is getting better every month.

When Addie came home from school the girls played wild animal chase.  They took turns spinning the spinner, and if it landed on the lion they got to chase the other "animal."  There was a blanket where the girls could herd together for protection from the lion.  They thought this game was great.

We talked about how it's important to stay on the path when you're going on a safari.  It's safer for you and the animals.  The girls practiced kicking a ball on the letter S path without hitting any cups.  So far they've been having so much fun with this months theme.  Next week we start learning about safari animals.

Safari Vehicles

During circle time Elli identified the yellow animals from this months manipulative bag.  Yellow is the color of the month, and it is reinforced throughout many lessons this month with Mother Goose Time.

Elli used the safari picture cards from yesterday to pick an animal she would like to see.  She drew a picture of herself and a gorilla on the cover of her my little journal. 

We looked at pictures of wild animal that live near us and talked about what we would do if we saw a lion in our yard.  Elli said she would hide.  Elli used the looking glasses to find different items on the monthly theme poster.  She always loves using these, and each month Mother Goose Time sends a new poster with magnifying glasses.

We talked about watering holes and I gave Elli a bowl of water and the animal manipulatives.  She gave each one a drink of water, complete with sound effects.  Once each animal had a drink she decided they all needed to go swimming at the beach.  She had so much fun with this that every morning since we did this she has asked for a bowl of water and the animals, so they can "drink" and "swim."  

Next we used the animals to work on counting to 9.  The counting cards that come every month work great to practice one to one counting

Elli loves playing in boxes, so we drew some windows and doors on one and she used it as a safari jeep.  We played a game called roadblock.  Elli pretended to be driving on a safari, but had to stop whenever an elephant got in her path.  The elephant stayed in her way until she was able to roll the number 5.  Tomorrow we wrap up week one with safari safety.