WINTER

Artist: Van Gogh Music: Vivaldi Themes: January Snow and Forest February The Night Sky March/April Serving God and Others

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

WINTER BOOK LIST

LIBRARY? OWN?
Stopping by Woods on Snowy Evening illustrated by Susan Jeffers The Story of the Snow Children by Sibylle Von Olfers Zin Zin Zin a Violin by Lloyd Moss Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant Possum Magic by Mem Fox Vincents Colors by Vincent Van Gogh and the Metropolitan Museum of Art One Snowy Night by Nick Butterworth

Miss Rumphius by Barbary Cooney Papa Piccolo by Carol Talley Gabriellas Song by Candace Fleming The Clown of God by Tommie DePaola

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

JANUARY
Theme: Snow Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy Poem: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Storytelling: The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

by Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty! God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity! Holy, Holy, Holy! all the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; Cherubim and Seraphim falling down before Thee, Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be. Holy, Holy, Holy! though the darkness hide Thee, Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see: Only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee, Perfect in power, in love, and purity. Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea; Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and Mighty! God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN YOUNG KIDS

Once upon a time there was an old goat. She had seven little kids, and loved them all, just as a mother loves her children. One day she wanted to go into the woods to get some food. So she called all seven to her and said, "Children dear, I am going into the woods. Be on your guard for the wolf. If he gets in, he will eat up all of you all, even your skin and hair. The villain often disguises himself, but you will recognize him at once by his rough voice and his black feet." The kids said, "Mother dear, we will take care of ourselves. You can go away without any worries." Then the old one bleated, and went on her way with her mind at ease. It was not long before someone knocked at the door and called out, "Open the door, children dear, your mother is here, and has brought something for each one of you." But the little kids knew from the rough voice that it was the wolf. "We will not open the door," they cried out. "You are not our mother. She has a soft and gentle voice, but your voice is rough. You are the wolf." So the wolf went to a shopkeeper and bought himself a large piece of chalk, which he ate, making his voice soft. Then he came back and knocked at the door, calling out, "Open the door, children dear. Your mother is here and has brought something for each one of you." But the wolf laid one of his black paws inside the window. The children saw it and cried out, "We will not open the door. Our mother does not have a black foot like you. You are the wolf." So the wolf ran to a baker and said, "I have sprained my foot. Rub some dough on it for me." After the baker had rubbed dough on his foot, the wolf ran to the miller and said, "Sprinkle some white flour on my foot for me." The miller thought, "The wolf wants to deceive someone," and refused to do it, so the wolf said, "If you will not do it, I will eat you up." That frightened the miller, and he made his paw white for him. Yes, that is the way people are. Now the villain went for a third time to the door, knocked at it, and said, "Open the door for me, children. Your dear little mother has come home, and has brought every one of you something from the woods." The little kids cried out, "First show us your paw so we may know that you are our dear little mother." So he put his paw inside the window, and when they saw that it was white, they believed that everything he said was true, and they opened the door. But who came in? It was the wolf. They were terrified and wanted to hide. One jumped under the table, the second into the bed, the third into the stove, the fourth into the kitchen, the fifth into the cupboard, the sixth under the washbasin, and the seventh into the clock case. But the wolf found them all, and with no further ado he swallowed them down his throat, one after the other. However, he did not find the youngest kid, the one who was in the clock case.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

After satisfying his appetite he went outside and lay down under a tree in the green meadow and fell asleep. Soon afterward the old goat came home from the woods. Oh, what a sight she saw there. The door stood wide open. Table, chairs, and benches were tipped over. The washbasin was in pieces. The covers and pillows had been pulled off the bed. She looked for her children, but they were nowhere to be found. She called them by name, one after the other, but no one answered. When she at last came to the youngest, a soft voice cried out, "Mother dear, I am hiding in the clock case. She took it out, and it told her that the wolf had come and had eaten up all the others. You can just imagine how she cried for her poor children. Finally in her despair she went outside, and the youngest kid ran with her. They came to the meadow, and there lay the wolf by the tree, snoring so loudly that the branches shook. She looked at him from all sides and saw that something was moving and jiggling inside his full belly. "Good gracious," she thought. "Is it possible that my poor children, whom he has swallowed down for his supper, can still be alive?" The mother goat sent the kid home and to fetch scissors, and a needle and thread, and then she cut open the monster's paunch. She had scarcely made one cut, before a little kid stuck its head out, and as she continued to cut, one after the other all six jumped out, and they were all still alive. They were not even hurt, for in his greed the monster had swallowed them down whole. How happy they were! They hugged their dear mother, and jumped about like a tailor on his wedding day. But the mother said, "Go now and look for some big stones. We will fill the godless beast's stomach with them while he is still asleep." The seven kids quickly brought the stones, and they put as many as many of them into his stomach as it would hold. Then the mother hurriedly sewed him up again. He was not aware of anything and never once stirred. The wolf finally awoke and got up onto his legs. Because the stones in his stomach made him very thirsty, he wanted to go to a well and get a drink. But when he began to walk and to move about, the stones in his stomach knocked against each other and rattled. Then he cried out: What rumbles and tumbles, Inside of me. I thought it was kids, But it's stones that they be. When he got to the well and leaned over the water to drink, the heavy stones pulled him in, and he drowned miserably. When the seven kids saw what had happened, they ran up and cried out, "The wolf is dead! The wolf is dead!" And with their mother they danced for joy around about the well.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

FEBRUARY
Theme: The Night Sky Hymn: What a Friend We Have in Jesus Poem: The Moon Storytelling: Johnny and the Three Goats

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

THE MOON
by Robert Louis Stevenson
The moon has a face like the clock in the hall; She shines on thieves on the garden wall, On streets and fields and harbour quays, And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees. The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse, The howling dog by the door of the house, The bat that lies in bed at noon, All love to be out by the light of the moon. But all of the things that belong to the day Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way; And flowers and children close their eyes Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

JOHNNY AND THE THREE GOATS

Every morning Johnny drove his three goats to pasture and every evening when the sun was going to bed he brought them home. One morning he set off bright and early, driving the goats before him and whistling as he trudged along. Just as he reached Mr. Smith's turnip field what should he see but a broken board in the fence. The goats saw it too, and in they skipped and began running round and round the field, stopping now and then to nip off the tops of the tender young turnips. Johnny knew that would never do. Picking up a stick, he climbed through the fence and tried to drive the goats out. But never were there such provoking goats. Round and round they went, not once looking toward the hole in the fence. Johnny ran and ran and ran till he could run no farther, and then he crawled through the hole in the fence and sat down beside the road and began to cry. Just then who should come down the road but the fox. "Good morning, Johnny!" said he. "What are you crying about?" "I'm crying because I can't get the goats out of the turnip field," said Johnny. "Oh, don't cry about that," said the fox. "I'll drive them out for you." So over the fence leaped the fox, and round and round the turnip field he ran after the goats. But no, they would not go out. They flicked their tails and shook their heads and away they went, trampling down the turnips until you could hardly have told what had been growing in the field. The fox ran till he could run no more. Then he went over and sat down beside Johnny, and he began to cry. Down the road came a rabbit. "Good morning, Fox," said he. "What are you crying about?" "I'm crying because Johnny is crying," said the fox, "and Johnny is crying because he can't get the goats out of the turnip field." "Oh, don't cry about that," said the rabbit. "I'll chase them out for you."
Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

Through the fence hopped the rabbit, and round and round the field he chased the goats, but they would not go out, and finally the rabbit gave up the chase and went out into the road and sat down beside the fox, and he began to cry. Just then a bee came buzzing along over the tops of the flowers. When she saw the rabbit she said, "Good morning, Bunny, what are you crying about?" "I'm crying because the fox is crying," said the rabbit, "and the fox is crying because Johnny is crying, and Johnny is crying because he can't get the goats out of the turnip field." "Don't cry about that," said the bee, "I'll soon get them out for you." "You!" said the rabbit, "a little thing like you drive the goats out, when neither Johnny, nor the fox, nor I can get them out?" And he laughed at the very idea of such a thing. "Watch me," said the bee, and over the fence she flew and buzz-zz-zz she went right in the ear of the biggest goat. The goat shook his head and tried to brush away the bee, but the bee only flew to the other ear and buzz-zz-zz she went, until the goat thought there must be some dreadful thing in the turnip field, so out through the hole in the fence he went, and ran down the road to his pasture. The bee flew over to the second goat and buzz-zz she went first in one ear and then in the other, until that goat was willing to follow the other through the fence and down the road to the pasture. The bee flew after the third goat and buzzed first in one ear and then in the other until he too was glad to follow the others. "Thank you, little bee," said Johnny, and, wiping away his tears, he hurried down the road to put the goats in the pasture.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

MARCH/APRIL
Theme: Serving God and Others Hymn: Amazing Grace Poem: The Camels Hump Storytelling: The Real Princess

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

THE CAMELS HUMP

by Rudyard Kipling
The Camel's hump is an ugly lump Which well you may see at the Zoo; But uglier yet is the hump we get From having too little to do. Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo, If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo, We get the humpCameelious humpThe hump that is black and blue! We climb out of bed with a frouzly head, And a snarly-yarly voice. We shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl At our bath and our boots and our toys; And there ought to be a corner for me (And I know' there is one for you) When we get the humpCameelious humpThe hump that is black and blue! The cure for this ill is not to sit still, Or frowst with a book by the fire; But to take a large hoe and a shovel also, And dig till you gently perspire; And then you will find that the sun and the wind, And the Djinn of the Garden too, Have lifted the humpThe horrible humpThe hump that is black and blue! I get it as well as you-oo-ooIf I haven't enough to do-oo-oo! We all get humpCameelious humpKiddies and grown-ups too!

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

AMAZING GRACE
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear The hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come; 'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me. His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, As long as life endures. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil, A life of joy and peace. When we've been here ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we've first begun.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

THE REAL PRINCESS

There was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but then she must be a real Princess. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady; but there was always something wrong. Princesses he found in plenty; but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, for now one thing, now another, seemed to him not quite right about the ladies. At last he returned to his palace quite cast down, because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife. One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents: besides, it was as dark as pitch. All at once there was heard a violent knocking at the door, and the old King, the Prince's father, went out himself to open it. It was a Princess who was standing outside the door. What with the rain and the wind, she was in a sad condition; the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body. She said she was a real Princess. "Ah! we shall soon see that!" thought the old Queen-mother; however, she said not a word of what she was going to do; but went quietly into the bedroom, took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put three little peas on the bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three peas, and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses. Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night. The next morning she was asked how she had slept. "Oh, very badly indeed!" she replied. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over black and blue. It has hurt me so much!" Now it was plain that the lady must be a real Princess, since she had been able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of feeling. The Prince accordingly made her his wife; being now convinced that he had found a real Princess. The three peas were however put into the cabinet of curiosities, where they are still to be seen, provided they are not lost. Wasn't this a lady of real delicacy?

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

JANUARY SUMMARY
JANUARY: Snow God's World Book of the Week Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening Katy and the Big Snow Zin Zin Zin, A Violin The Story of the Snow Children Adventure Snow Hike Art Snowy Watercolors Snowball Snack Musical Art Snowy Scene Painting Snow Flakes Homemade Band Inside Snow Play Block City Baking Day Activity Your Ideas

Around the World A Beautiful World Extra

Compass Treasure Hunt

Supplies Needed: Watercolors, tape, large sheet brown paper, wooden blocks, assorted household items, plastic tub, shaving cream, white glue. Ingredients Needed: hot chocolate, marshmallows, salt, dates, cocoa powder, shredded coconut, nuts, tortilla, powdered sugar.
Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

FEBRUARY SUMMARY
FEBRUARY: Night/Stars God's World Book of the Week Night in the Country Baking Day Activity Art Adventure

Zucchini Moons (Pretend Soup pg 47) Lamingtons

Starry Night Play dough

Night Time Adventure

Around the World A Beautiful World My World

Possum Magic Vincents Colors One Snowy Night

Invisible Art Sew a Starry Sky Constellation Search Paint a Still Life Starry Night Art Visit a Planetarium

Supplies Needed: glitter or sequins, white crayon/oil pastel, cross stitch hoop, black cross stitch fabric, blunt plastic needle, yellow embroidery floss, construction paper, yellow/gold do-a-dot marker, Ingredients Needed: Flour, cream of tartar, oil, table salt, black and/or blue food coloring

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

MARCH SUMMARY
MARCH: Serving God and Others God's World Around the World My World Book of the Week Miss Rumphius Papa Piccolo Gabriellas Song The Clown of God Pizza (Pretend Soup pg 86) Homemade Pasta Bagel Faces (Pretend Soup pg 22) Baking Day Activity Art Adventure

Flower Arranging Nature Study on Cats Sink or Float/Boat Activity A Rainbow for God

Fence Weaving Daddy Date

Extra

Paint like DePaulo

Supplies needed: Flowers, small pitcher, small vase, assorted ribbons and strips of fabric, assorted household items that float or sink, construction paper, watercolors Ingredients needed: Eggs, yeast, flour, pizza toppings, sauce, cheese, bagels, cream cheese, assorted veggies

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

JANUARY
Snow Hike: Bundle up and go for a hike. You may not be able to stay out as long as you would in other seasons but there should still be things to see and explore. Try making tracks in the snow. Talk about what you hear (or dont hear). Snowy Watercolors: Using tape (painters or masking), mask off tree shapes on paper. Paint over entire page with cool/winter colored watercolors (blues, purple, grey, etc). Sprinkle salt over page. Salt should create a textured effect that resembles snow. Remove tape to reveal white tree shapes. Youve made yourself a snowy forest! Compass Treasure Hunt: Act as a compass to help your preschooler find some treasure while familiarizing them with the concept of directions. Hide a baggie with hot chocolate mix and marshmallows outside. Using your arms as a needle, point and say a direction (North, East, etc) and tell your child to take X # steps. Vary the type of step (big steps, walk backwards, hop) and remember, you dont need to take the most direct route. Continue until your child reaches the treasure then hurry inside to warm up and enjoy your treat. Snow Ball Snack: Place cup dates, teaspoons vanilla, 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 Tablespoons shredded coconut, and cup of nuts of your choice in a food processor until mixture looks relatively homogenous. Roll into small balls. If mixture doesnt hold together well, try adding teaspoon water at a time. Roll balls in more shredded coconut or powdered sugar. Eat and enjoy! Block City: Lay down a large piece of brown paper. Using wooden blocks, set up a city. Make sure you include the places you often visit: church, library, post office, grocery store, etc. Add roads with markers. You arent trying to make a real map, just talk about the places in your community. If you want to add a compass, feel free. Musical Art: Pick out several selections of classical music and your medium of choice (pastels, crayons or paint would all work well). Play each for a short time then ask your preschool how that makes them feel and how they could draw/color that fast, slow,
Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

bright colors for happy songs, dark colors for sad songs, etc. Finish up the selection and your art before moving on to another piece. Homemade Band: Search your house for items to make instruments. Some ideas to get you started: fill empty spice containers with dried beans or rice for shakers, use wooden spoons on empty oatmeal container for a drum, stretch rubber bands across a shoebox for a guitar or cover end of an empty paper towel with wax paper and rubber band for a kazoo. Snowy Scene Painting: Draw an outdoor scene - a tree, a favorite playground or even your backyard. Then add some snow paint using either of the two recipes below to turn it into a winter wonderland. Puffy Snow Paint: 1 part shaving cream (cheap kind, 1 part white glue Apply with a paint brush, Q-tip or fingers. Should dry puffy. Crystal Snow Paint: 4 Tablespoons Epsom salt cup hot water Dissolve Epsom salt in water. Brush over painting, stirring the salt water each time the brush is dipped to keep brush full of salty water. Be careful once dry as the salt will brush loose. Snow Flakes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fold flour tortillas into quarters. Take clean scissors and let children cut small shapes out (dont cut out too much or the snowflake will fall apart). Unfold, place on cookie sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake for 5-8 minutes until beginning to brown. Let cool slightly then sprinkle/sift powdered sugar on top. Enjoy! Inside Snow Box: Fill a medium size plastic container (Rubbermaid tote style) with snow. Add measuring cups, scoops and other kitchen items. Put on a pair of mittens and enjoy playing in the snow in the comfort of your warm home. You might want to put a towel underneath the box to catch runaway snow drips. If you dont have snow in your neck of the woods, considering purchasing some Insta-snow.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

FEBRUARY
Make Starry Night Playdough: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar 1 Tablespoon oil cup table salt 1 cup water Black and/or blue food coloring Tools and add-in options: Glitter, sequins, star-shaped cookie cutters. Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and sticks to spoon. Let cool slightly. Knead, adding glitter if desired. Make Lamingtons: http://www.joyofbaking.com/Lamingtons.html Invisible Pictures: Using a white crayon or oil pastels, draw on a white sheet of paper. Reveal your picture by painting over the drawing with water colors. You could also try making a note for a friend or family member and including instructions for them to reveal it themselves. Sew a Starry Sky: Adult prepares a cross stitch hoop with black cross stitch fabric. Using a plastic blunt needle and yellow embroidery floss, let a child stitch as desired. No need to make a design, just let them practice pushing needle through the fabric. Do ensure that needle goes back and forth through fabric and doesnt get wrapped around edge of frame. For a slightly easier version, use black plastic stitching and yellow yarn. No hoop needed. Paint a Still Life: Explain to your child that a still life is a picture or painting of objects arranged. Go on a hunt through your house and arrange a still life of your own. Favorite stuffed animals or loveys make good additions as well as the classic fruit and flowers. Paint or draw your still life.

Constellation Search:
Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

In advance, parents prepare the activity by drawing constellations in pencil on black sheets of construction paper. Dustbunny.com has constellation maps and the Big Dipper, Gemini and Orion are fairly easy constellations to imagine (and find outside later on if you wish to have more constellation fun!) For the activity itself, the child finds the pencil marks and stamps over them with a yellow or gold do-a-dot marker (you can also use yellow chalk). Ask what shape they see. Once they have taken a guess, connecting the lines for them or with them and reveal the name. Explain how people have used their imaginations to create stories about the stars for a long time. They can even try making their own constellations by drawing a few dots on a piece of paper and creating their own background story about what it might be. Starry Night Art: Wet several paper towels. Dab pastels on wet paper towels and draw on black construction paper.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

MARCH
Flower Arranging: Depending on your weather, find some wildflowers or buy some at the grocery store. Prepare a tray with 2-3 flowers, a small pitcher of water, a funnel, a small vase and scissors (if your child is a proficient with scissors, otherwise pre-cutting is advised). The vase can be any small glass container; my daughters favorite is a salt shaker with the lid removed that we found at a thrift store for $0.10 and it is perfect for holding little dandelions. Guide your child as they pour the water in the vase, measure and cut the flower to be to the correct height, remove the leaves that would be in the water, and arrange as desired. Encourage your child to be thoughtful in their choice of locations and they find a spot where the family can enjoy the flowers over the next few days. Fence Weaving: Gather various ribbons and strips of scrap fabric and weave them into a chain link fence. You can weave abstractly or try and make shapes like circles, squares and hearts. Nature Study on Cats: Nature study doesnt have to be limited to outdoors. Spend a day observing your cat. Talk about what you already know about cats and what you can observe. Draw a picture of your cat. Then keep track of what your cat does during the day. If you have access to Anna Comstockss Handbook of Nature Study, pre-read the section on cats to give you some ideas of things to look for. If you dont have a cat, try visiting a pet store or go on a playdate to a friends house and borrow their cat. If allergic, just study a different pet. Make 2-ingredient Homemade Pasta: Pioneer Woman has the recipe and instructions. Try letting your preschoolers crack the eggs (in a separate bowl first just in case any shell slips through). Unlike many muffins and quick breads, you dont have to worry about overworking pasta dough so let your little chef knead to his or her hearts content. Sink or Float: Gather up household items (ideas: pennies, drinking straw, piece of aluminum foil, toothpick, marble, pepper (sprinkled from a shaker), cork, rock) and a basin of water. Have your preschool predict whether each item will sink or float then have them test it.

Rainbow for God:

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.

The clown wanted to give a gift to God. Talk about what kinds of gifts God wants us to give him. Have your child draw a self-portrait in the middle of a piece of paper. Cut out or draw colored circles (to represent juggling balls) and label each with a gift such as obedience to parents, kindness to siblings, helping others, etc. Make sure to emphasis that we give gifts because we love the other person and want to make them happy. Draw like DePaola: Take a look at the illustrations in The Clown of God. They are done with ink outlines and watercolor paint. Have your preschooler draw a picture with a pen and then color it in with watercolors.

Worlds of Learning; Copyright MacKenzie Limesand www.brcbanter.blogspot.com All rights reserved.