Little Hands to Heaven Unit 7: Moses

School this week was so much fun!  We learned all about Young Moses, the number 7, and the letter "F".  I am so very pleased with Little Hands to Heaven and how easily it teaches our children biblical lessons.

Key Idea: The people of Israel worked hard as slaves in Egypt. 

The girls had to build blocks to make different towers (some tall, some wide, some a certain color, etc.).

Letter Activity: Cover a large "F" on the floor with blocks, making the letter sound as each block is placed. 

Signing the letter "F"

Art Activity:  Moses in the basket

Tear up pieces of green construction paper for the grass.  Glue onto blue construction paper (the water).  Draw a baby on a small oval piece of brown construction paper (the basket) and hide it among the grass.

Younger children may rip the green construction paper to make the grass.

Letter Activity: Practice writing the letter "F" using sidewalk chalk

Active Exploration:

We altered this a little bit from the book and took the activity outside.  The key idea was that God turned the Nile River to blood because the king wouldn't let the Israelites go.  We filled up some buckets outside with water, used aluminum foil as the river, and gathered lots of items to "explore" the water with.  After about a half hour of exploration and play, I added red food coloring to turn the water to "blood".  Real tears were shed when I did this because now they did not have any water to play with. We talked about how sometimes our sinful actions affect more than just ourselves. 

EXTRAS THIS WEEK:

The fingerplays and circle time continue to be a highlight of school time.  This week we added a song called "Itty Bitty Moses" that I found on Kids Sunday School Place.

Puzzles:

Basket Weaving: 

Montessori Inspired Activity: Peeling and Sharpening Crayons

Printables: Continue to add worksheets from Answers for Preschoolers, Kumon My First Book of Tracing, and Getting Your Preschooler Ready for Math. 

Homemaking Monday: Radish Relish

Praise God for his blessings!  We harvested many more radishes this week (most of them White Radish Hailstones).  I used the radish greens in a salad, and shredded the radishes up to make some lacto-fermented radish relish.  Below is my recipe.  You can adjust the amounts based on the size of your jar and harvest or experiment with other veggies added.

RADISH RELISH:

Ingredients:

~35 radishes, shredded

~3-5 carrots, shredded

~2 cloves garlic, shredded

~2 TBSP sea salt

Directions:

1. Mix and pound all ingredients together for about 20 minutes to release the natural juices.

2.  Pack tightly into a mason jar (or your favorite fermenting container), leaving at least 1 inch of space at the top.  Add some water if necessary to make sure the relish is covered with liquid.

3.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for about 3 days.

4.  Move to the fridge and enjoy on salads!



Tot School Tuesday: Easter

We did a mini (4 days) Easter unit to learn about the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For more ideas, you can check out our Easter Unit from last year in these three posts:

Easter 2011 Week 1

Easter 2011 Week 2

Easter 2011 Week 3

Craft: Painting Crosses

Printables:

from various sources including:



Totally Tots

ABC Teach

Confessions of a Homeschooler

1+1+1=1

Easter Egg Shape Sorter:

"Boo" loved these!

Resurrection Eggs for Toddlers:

Great idea from Happy Home Fairy!  "M" really enjoyed these and quickly learned the story of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

Easter Egg Painting:

Definitely a hit!!!







Tot School Tuesday: LH2H Unit 6

"M" is 3 years, 3 months

"Boo" is 1 year, 9 months

The main themes throughout Little Hands to Heaven Unit 6 is the Letter "E", Number 6, and Joseph Becomes a Leader (Genesis 41-48). 

Number 6 Page:

God gave Joseph the knowledge to interpret the King's dream.  Cut out six pillows or blankets and glue to the Number 6 page.

Art Activity:

On brown construction paper the girls were to draw a picture of Joseph no larger than a sticky note.  They then were to paint the paper with thinned glue and sprinkle salt over the glue to make it look like desert sand.  When the glue dried they covered Joseph with a sticky note to represent how Joseph's brothers did not recognize him.

Active Exploration:

Pictures help us remember those we love.  We discussed special things about the people in these family photos.  Joseph had not seen his family for a long time.  He had to keep the memories of them in his mind until he saw them again.  I also turned this activity into an art activity by having the girls paint popsicle sticks to make picture frames for each of the photos.

ADD-ONS RELATING TO UNIT 6:

Art Activity: 7 Fat Cows

Using cotton balls (soft and fluffy, like pillows we dream on), paint 7 cows in the tall green grass.

Wikki Stix Rings:
The king put Joseph in charge of the land of Egypt and gave him a ring to show Joseph was important.

"Boo" must think Mommy is very important because she just kept making my ring bigger and bigger!

ON OUR SHELVES:

Rings and Beads:

sort, stack, make patterns, use strawberry pickers...

3 Letter Words Flash Cards:



More Chicks!

We had heard that our local feed store had some Ameraucana chicks, which we have been looking for (because of their blue/green eggs and cute fuzzy cheeks), so we immediately went to pick up six more chicks.  We came home with 4 Ameraucanas and 2 White Leghorns.  Sadly, one of our Ameraucana chicks died yesterday.  The girlies handled it very well and we quickly buried it in our backyard.  "M" said, "I'm sad Mommy, but it's okay.  The chick will grow big in heaven with Jesus".  Love the sweet, innocent, simple faith of a 3 year old! 

Wanting to get some chicks?  Well, we are new to chicks our self so I am definitely no expert on the matter, but here are some things we have found you need to get started:
*Brooder Structure
This can be as simple as a large, plastic Rubbermaid container.  You will also probably want some sort of chicken netting to cover the container with.  We have found that even at a very young age our chicks and jump up pretty high!
*Light
We are using a 250-watt infrared bulb.  The chicks will let you know with their behavior if they are too hot (won't go inside the light circle, spread their wings, pant) or too cold (loud chirping, laying in a pile on top of each other).  Generally you start with the temperature at 95 degrees for the first week, and lower it approximately 5 degrees each week by moving the light up about 2 inches per week.  Since we are keeping our chicks in the garage right now where the surrounding temperature in variable, we need to lift the light higher during the day and lower it at night.
*Floor Covering
We are using cardboard and pine shavings because that is what they were on at the feed store, but you can simply use burlap sacking or newspaper.  You need to keep your floor covering very dry, so expect to change it a few times a day.
*Feeder and Chick Starter
The feed store where you purchase your chicks will be able to tell you what they have been feeding the chicks and make recommendations for you.
*Waterer and Clean Water
You do not need one quite as large as ours when they are so little, but eventually you will.  Our chicks make a mess of their water (kicking in the loose litter), and I need to change it several times a day.  I never fill the waterer more than a quarter full, as it would just be a waste of water.
*TIME
It is not difficult to care for the chicks, but they do require lots of time and attention.  I check on them 6 or so times a day to make sure they have clean food and water, a dry floor, and good temperature.

A great website I have found for more information is Backyard Chickens.

Have fun and enjoy the many teachable moments!