Saturn and Galaxies

We wrapped up learning about the planets with Saturn.  The girls decorated ribbon wands  that they danced to "Saturn Swirl" with. They also practiced spinning with the ribbons.

We talked about the letter S and played a version of Simon Says.  I called out verbs, and if it started with an S the girls got to preform that action.  Elli just followed what Addie did so it worked out great.

slide

Addie also wrote down words that started with s whenever she heard them.  This idea was from one of the other blog ambassadors, Mom With a Dandelion in Her Hair.

While Addie was writing her S words, Elli rolled a car around Saturn's rings.

tray play activity

Galaxies was the next daily topic, and it was so much fun.  Mother Goose Time came up with so many fun ideas for the day that the girls didn't want to stop when we were done.  We talked about the Milky Way.  The girls used the foam stars to create their own galaxies.

 Then the girls made their own glitter galaxy pictures.  They used paint glue to make their picture and then sprinkled glitter on it.  They both love using glitter, so of course this was a hit.

Next we made galaxy goo.  The girls loved this stuff and played with it all day.  You mix glue with liquid starch, food coloring, and glitter.  We're going to make another batch in a different color since they play with it so much.

Addie pretending to play the guitar

 After a long time playing with the galaxy goo, we headed outside.  The suggested activity was to build a solar system out of rocks, sticks, etc.  We still have too much snow to see the ground so I froze 9 water balloons with different food coloring the night before.  The girls used those to make their own solar system in the snow. 

When we came inside we read Hey Diddle Diddle from the rhyme time poster.  The girls took turns jumping over the moon pillows.  Elli can only jump in place so she would jump and then run or crawl over the pillows.

After they were sufficiently worn out, they completed the number 17 page in their My Little Journals. 

Elli went down for a nap and Addie did her math and reading workbooks, and then she and I played the provided space race game.  We only have 1 week left of space before we move on to April's theme, Ocean Commotion. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Beyond Math

Every month Mother Goose Time asks their blog ambassadors to think about the focus topic as they do their lessons.  This month the topic was beyond math.  I've mentioned in a few posts how we integrate math, but figured it might help to pull it all together in one place. Throughout the month there have been so many activities that have math aspects to them.  Of course they are all fun so the girls just think they're playing.  There have been cards for making patterns, manipulatives for counting and doing basic math operations, games where we measured distance and also checked temperatures.  The girls have put things in size order and even learned basic fractions like half and quarter with moon phases.  There are also the things we do daily, like count the calendar pieces until we get to the correct day and also decide what picture will come next on the calendar piece using patterning.  Addie also uses the more math book daily, which is a supplemental workbook.

counting

patterning

size order

basic math operations

The girls are learning math everyday, in a fun engaging way.  Mother Goose Time teaches by theme. This month it has been all about space, but in that topic they incorporate reading, writing, math, geography, art, music, history and science.  It's a comprehensive program that makes learning fun.  I think the girls are having an easier time retaining what they learn since all month the activities tie together.  They're always eager to start the day, and I think it's great that they're having so much fun learning.

Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune

Day 11's topic was Jupiter.  While Elli was napping Addie and I played Guess the Planets, which was like the game Guess Who.  I would give her characteristics of a planet until she narrowed the choices down to one.  After that we used the cards to play memory.

Elli woke up and we were ready to start the day.  We did circle time and talked about Jupiter, which is the largest planet in our solar system.  It has 67 moons, more than any other planet.  We used the balancing moon pieces from day 4 to do some math word problems.  Elli worked on counting to 3 while stacking them.  Addie used the pieces to complete the math questions.  An example:  There were 4 piles of rocks on the moon.  Each pile had 2 rocks in it.  How may total rocks were on the moon?  There are so many ways during the month that Mother Goose Time incorporates math into the lessons, and they always manage to make it fun and engaging for the girls.

Next we talked about the letter r and rings. 

Then we talked about how sun light reflects off the moon and planets, making them appear to shine.  We practiced making balls shine with a flashlight and also used a mirror to bounce light to the ball.  The girls had a lot of fun with this.

Addie worked on her workbooks while Elli did her tray play activity.

Addie also created her own planet.  She named it Flower and said it has 10 moons. She said it will orbit closest to the sun, closer than Mercury, so it won't have winter. She also talked about how it will look in the sky when the sun's light reflects off of it. I love how well she's retaining what she has been learning. It helps when the lessons are interactive and fun.  She had so much fun with this activity and told me so many facts about her new planet.

Day 12 brought us to Uranus.  Addie counted out the 27 icy moons then we used the ice cubes to do some basic addition.

It takes over 9 years to fly to Uranus.  The girls practiced walking very slowly from the Earth cutout to the Uranus cutout and then falling onto the planet.  We talked about patience and they both got a paper bracelet that said I am patient.  Both the girls loved the bracelets and wore them all day.  Addie even put hers back on after her bath so she could sleep with it on.  Unfortunately you can't see them in the pictures, they got covered up by their sleeves.

We stayed on Uranus and read Up In Space again.  Then the girls used the story telling pieces to make up their own stories.  Addie really liked these and actually brought them back out later in the evening to use again.

 Uranus is the 7th planet in our solar system.  I lined up the planet cutouts and put tape after each one.  Addie wrote the numbers of the planets on the tape, and of course Elli had to try and do the same thing.  Then we did a planet hop.  The girls started on the sun and I would tell them an action and a planet.  Like hop to planet 3, Earth.  Or crawl to planet 5, Jupiter.  They had a lot of fun doing this.                                                                                                                                                                                      

hop on 1 foot to planet 6, Saturn

All plants rotate while orbiting the sun.  We practiced spinning and rolling balls.  Uranus spins on a tilted axis, the theory is it was hit by something very big making it tilt.  We practiced spinning a ball and hitting it with something, and observing how it changed the way the ball was spinning.  This was a great hands on activity to demonstrate the theory that Uranus was hit by something.

The girls worked on their My Little Journals and finished up with workbooks and tray play.

My Little Journal

tray play

workbook activity

We ended the day with popcorn and a movie about patience.  The girls watched Veggie Tales, Abe and the Amazing Promise.

Neptune proved to be the best day of the week.  There were so many fun activities, the girls and I had a blast.  We started by finding blue items around the house.  Neptune appears blue because methane gas absorbs red light and reflects back blue. 

We mixed hair gel, glitter and food coloring in zip lock bags.  The girls practiced writing letters and had fun making hand and foot prints.  These bags were so easy to make and the girls have had so much fun using them.

Neptune has swirling storms.  The girls worked together to roll balls in a box.  Once they got the hang of it I added paper and paint.  They loved painting this way.  After the paper dried they glued their swirling planets on paper and put moon stickers around them.

adding the moons

showing off their masterpieces

Next we did astronaut voting.  I set out the planet cutouts around the room and the girls pretended to fly to them.  Then I read would you rather questions and the girls put stars on the picture that matched their answer.  Elli just put stars on her favorite pictures.  

Would you rather live on the moon, a space shuttle, or Neptune?

We talked about comets and the girls made their own out of tinfoil with tissue paper tails.  Then they took turns throwing them and measuring how many steps it took to get to them.  They played this game for a very long time before I suggested me move on to something else. 

 We finished the day with workbooks, tray play, and dancing.

tray play activity

Tomorrow we start Saturn.