One Sunday Morning

Covil Preschool: Day 4

Emphasis- Color
Book- Mouse Paint
Activity- Overlap ziploc bags filled with colored water to see different colors
Craft- Make colorful scarfs by dipping straws in colored water and dropping drops onto paper towels
Snack- Crazy Colored Pie made with Fruity Pebbles
Letter of the Day- B

Ready for students!

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Red + Blue= Purple


Color drops. Chloe had lots of fun dropping different colors on top of each other to create new shades.

Fruity Pebbles Pie

Lazy Daze Festival

Firefighter C

Decorating her shaker

We made a cornhusk doll.

An ice sculpture. No idea what it was once supposed to be.

This pirate had the whitest teeth in the history of the world. Seriously.

We didn't get to see their show because of the thunder and rain.

Covil Preschool: Days 2-3

Day 2:

Emphasis- Shapes

Book- Brown Rabbit's Shape Book

Activity- Find objects in the room that match the shape in student's present

Craft- Dip shapes in paint and make shape prints, then add a cover and bow to make a present like Brown Rabbits

Snack- Sweet Brown Rabbits

Fun and Games- A rendition of Duck, Duck, Goose called Color, Color, Shape that didn't really work for E and J. Balloons from book time proved to be great amusement.

Letter of the Day- A

Solo Time- Bob Books

Day 3:

Emphasis- Alphabet

Book- Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

Activity- Place toy fruits and veggies to plates labelled with their starting letter

Craft- make placemats by dipping veggie and fruit slices into correct color paint and placing them onto paper (we're laminating them at Staples this afternoon :)

Snack- fruit slices and PB

Solo Time- Bob books and BJU K5 math workbook (B gave it to us because she decided not to homeschool. Chloe is already on page 120/320 and hasn't needed much help yet!)

A Presidential Update

Chloe: The Foodie

On the days we go to the pool, the kids are responsible for making sure their water bottles and lunchbags get to the car, and from the car to the poolside table. When we get settled into the car,
Chloe asks, "Momma can I look in my lunchbag now?"
"It's not time to eat yet, sweetie."
"Oh, I know, Momma. I just really like to look!"
"Well, ok, then, sure."
"Yummmmmmmmmmy! You've made me a good one today, Momma! This looks GREAT!"

Heehee... now if only I could get her that exuberant about supper!

Covil Preschool: Day 1

Today was our first day of school! "Just pretend school, right, Mama? This isn't real school!"

If only all of our friends knew how Chloe felt about their homeschooling choices. ;)

We had an amazingly fun first day. I checked out a book from the Teacher's Resources section of our local library that is filled with lesson plans using well-known children's books as their jumping off point. Each lesson has a song, a craft, a snack, a learning game or two, and a physically active game. Today's book was Clap Your Hands by Cauley, and it was a good way to ease into our new routine. The children both had an absolute blast, and probably had no idea they were actually learning. You can only pretend learn at pretend school, after all! During Chloe's solo time we worked on reading from her Bob books we checked out of the library, and on her Presidents. She did great on her Bob books, sounding out words, and working on adding sight words to her repertoire. With Presidents, she has a hard time remembering Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, and Harry S Truman, but other than that, pretty much has them down. She not only has them memorized in order, she also recognizes their faces, and can name them out of order, and when we randomly see their pictures in books or on television.

Chloe's crazy costume for our parade

I look forward to seeing my children learn and progress as this final year passes by. I know I don't need to teach her to read, because, as Grandma says, "That child will be bored out of her skull when she finally goes to school!" But, I look forward to the bonding that will take place as we learn and grow, and to the sense of accomplishment we will both feel when we wake up one day and realize we did it!

The (Un)Official End is Here

Summertime is drawing to a close. At least in the crazy, hazy, lazy days kinda way. It's still hotter than ever, and probably will be for quite some time. Chloe had the time of her life this summer going on her first vacation, her first camping trip, her first real 4th of July celebration, her first T-ball class, trips to the beach and the zoo, and she FINALLY got to ride on a subway! It certainly did not disappoint. It was almost as good as her Chincoteague pony ride, every My Little Pony fan's dream! She has been one happy little girl. Since settling back into a home routine, she looks at our vacation photo album often, and loves to talk about the things we did, in a "Mommy remember when we...." fashion.

As we settle into our Autumnal routines, we are sure to have more fun and more memories to record. We will be starting preschool here at home. Chloe will be in a developmental soccer league at a nearby church. When the weather cools we will resume our almost daily picnic lunches at the park. The State Fair will be here before we know it, providing endless opportunities for fun memories. I am excited to see how much fun I can pack into this coming year, my last as a full-time caretaker of my precious little ones. Soon I will have to share the responsibility with others, and I am suddenly completely unhappy about the prospect.