Farm Sensory Bin

I couldn't wait to organize our farm sensory bin after seeing this lovely idea at Playing House! I loved the idea of using popcorn kernels in our plastic container, and it was fun collecting bits and pieces of different toy sets to add to the bin. I also added a teaspoon and measuring cup set that I purchased just for the girls, which I thought would coincide wonderfully with our math time. This should be lots of fun for both of our girls!

I know Easter is over...



We found this adorable egg decorating kit at Target.

...but I just cannot part with this delightful set of decorated Easter eggs completed by our oldest daughter! We undoubtedly completed these about three weeks ago, and our little girl was soooo proud of these. This project took most of the afternoon to complete, and she worked so hard to get her royal egg family set up just perfectly. I displayed these on the dining room table for us to enjoy throughout the remainder of the Easter season, and as I prepared to clear the table this past weekend in preparation for a few dinner guests, I thought it would certainly be time to say goodbye to this unforgettable royal egg collection, as hard-boiled eggs would probably not be the most endearing of crafts to savor in the coming years. But... I just couldn't toss them! How could I when our beloved little one had worked so diligently? I will hang on to these a bit longer, and perhaps the jotting down of this memory and the collection of a few priceless pictures will fill a mother's heart just enough to allow me let these go... another day.

Frog Went A-Courtin'



Source

We are IN LOVE with John Langstaff's rendition of Frog Went A-Courtin'! We found a copy of this beloved classic at the library several months ago and have been singing our version of it ever since. So I was quite excited when our own copy arrived in the mail this week, reviving our interest in this 400-year-old tale. Feodor Rojankovsky's illustrations are beautiful, the words are catchy, and I cannot help but think of our little girl sitting on the floor, "reading" and singing this to me as I worked in the kitchen this weekend. And, of course, I dare not forget our occasional nighttime dances when we must dance as the "old gray goose" who picked up her fiddle and "cut loose!" And our less-than-refined but oh-so-delightful version would not be ever-so-perfect if it were not sung to the tune of "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain," instead of one of the more traditional tunes. A regular mmm..hmmmm.... is all that we need to keep us on cue throughout the song! What a fun memory-making book this is!

Getting it Right with Handwriting

Source

I recently mentioned that we were not in love with our current approach to handwriting. Well... that has all changed! I'm so excited to share what we've been doing with our new set of materials from Zaner Bloser. I just love the materials included in the Teacher Resource Package. Our oldest loves the brightly colored illustrations in her workbook, and the little chalkboards are a definite favorite. And our one-year-old has taken to the alphabet strips and enjoys "singing" her ABCs while she points to different letters. This package was a bit pricey, but almost everything is reusable, so I think it's a worthwhile investment. And along with our Write & Wipe Alphabet Practice Cards from Lakeshore Learning, our handwriting lessons have become so much more fun!

A Friendly Old Bear

I just love a particularly friendly old bear without any brain named Pooh. This chubby little guy who can think of nothing else but his sweet pot of honey around eleven-ish is absolutely, unequivocally endearing. And while I have always found him sweet, I have never really taken to him... until now. Our oldest and I have enjoyed our visits over the last couple of months to the Hundred Acre Wood in the beautifully written, delightfully imaginative, and wonderfully funny stories of Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

I cannot help but devote an entire post to this special collection of tales by A.A. Milne and the beloved illustrator Ernest H. Shepard because these are some of the most precious, wonderfully told stories that I have ever read. Who could forget Eeyore's dreary rhetoric, or Owl's notable spelling abilities, or Pooh's round belly that didn't quite make it through Rabbit's door, or the lovely haycorns which Piglet so often enjoys? I am so thankful to be sharing these stories with our oldest. What a memory it is to share late-night giggles as we ponder the happenings of these lovely characters! And so, my little girl, I must accidentally say on purpose that I just love you!

Don't toss it yet...

Save that Easter grass! Try using different colors of grass to add a little excitement to your children's barn or stable sets. Our oldest has enjoyed the yellow "straw" that lines the horses' stalls in her wooden stable. And green "grass" will make a great addition to the pasture outside!

Don't forget to share your latest ideas at a bowl full of lemons!

A Homeschool Mother's Journal

We loved kicking off these first days of spring with delightfully homemade Strawberry Shortcake... for dinner! Sunday evening was a perfect night to enjoy this delicious warm-weather treat. We may just have to keep this a tradition!

In our homeschool...
We have enjoyed progressing with our morning math time over breakfast. We love counting anything that comes in a collection, from plastic hearts to small teddy bears. And we've continued with our regular exercises in reading and writing. We have also loved delving into American history and have continued to enjoy our time learning about our nation's presidents.

What we love...
We love our morning Bible studies. We look forward to this time after breakfast has been enjoyed and the dishes have been tended to. We head to our sitting room, gather on a cozy rug, and prepare to study God's Word. We love using Betty Lukens Flannel Board felt set. This was quite an investment, but worth every penny.

And in regards to our scholastic endeavors, I think math in the mornings works great for us. And I'm loving teaching our oldest to read with The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. We started with magnetic letter tiles in the initial stages and now use a dry-erase board for reading sentences. She's doing wonderfully, and we're both enjoying this time together.

What's not working as well...
Our writing program. Our oldest is doing very well and learning to write her letters, but we're not enjoying our materials as much as I'd like. Just to put this in perspective, here's a quote that was uttered in such a sweet way earlier in the week: "Mama, when you try to make my writing more fun, it's not so fun when you try to make it more fun." Hmmm... I'm looking into another curriculum, but I'll plan to post more about the details later.

I am inspired by...
Our children. These sweet little girls at the tender ages of one and three are so wonderfully sweet, and I marvel at their love for studying God's Word, their love for His beautiful creation, and their love for one another and for others, and their ability to do what is right in difficult circumstances. And I just love their sweet spirits... these little girls are so much fun!

What a great week it was, and I'm thankful that I can jot down the memories here. From our time learning from God's Word to enjoying Sunday evening treats, I am reminded of what a wonderful time this is in our lives. We are so thankful for God's many blessings!

Please visit The Homeschool Chick and link up with The Homeschool Mother's Journal!