Apple Week

 

We're back! Last week was our first week officially homeschooling. We've jumped up a notch from our Toddler Tuesday school days. This week our book of choice was "Apple Farmer Annie" By Monica Wellington. This happens to be one of our favorite fall books. It has vibrant pictures with adorable details, such as places where you can count apples, see the many varieties of apples, the lifecycle of an apple and so forth. It's not on the BFIAR book list, but it was a good and familiar book which made it a good jumping off point.

 

The base for our sensory bin this week was GF oatmeal and cinnamon sticks. This was by far one of the most loved sensory bins we've done yet. There was a lot of oatmeal rain and burying the little apples. I did have to keep an extra close watch on Badger with those bright, shiny ,chokeable apples; but it was worth it. They were both excited and ready to play productively for about a half hour every day with the bin.

Here are the art activities that we managed to make last week. Most are self explanatory, but the red blobs were supposed to be apple prints.. They didn't turn out well, but we had fun and Panda is proud of them; that's what counts. I did have a few more crafts but we didn't get around to them. We were going to stamp our arms in brown paint and make an apple orchard. Then use our finger prints to make green leaves or red apples. I also wanted to make a "stain glass" apple using tissue paper and clear contact paper, but I misplaced my tissue paper.

Our salt tray was so lovely and scented with cinnamon... But this did not go so well. I think I pushed a bit to far. Panda loved the tray and making shapes, so we scaled back and practiced shapes and handwriting readiness skills. We will still focus on letter recognition,but we wont be writing any letters for a little while. He just isn't ready.

We had more luck with this activity. I drew a Dot to Dot 'A' and Panda traced over it with chalk. Then I had him trace over it again with a q-tip and water. There are two sides to this slate (it belonged to Bear when he was a boy), so we were able to practise 'A' four times in one sitting.

I found this idea on Pinterest. Panda really enjoyed this activity. The red apple is actually GF play dough. There are "seeds" (black beans), "stems" (twigs), plastic worms, and leaves from a real apple tree in this wonderful invitation to play. We also used the tray to dissect an apple and put skin, stem, seeds, core, and flesh all in the different compartments while talking about the parts of an apple and taste testing different varieties. I don't have a picture, but we also baked a few batches of apple muffins, apple crisp and had cider as special treats this past week.

For math we counted and sorted apples with these Attribute Apples. I love them. There are three different sizes and colors. Some apples have leaves, and some have worms. These are one mighty teaching aid to have on hand. Both boys loved just holding them. In this picture we went bobbing for apples. Panda used the tongs and Badger used his hands. 

This was a simple color sorting activity that both boys enjoyed.

Our song for the week was "Way Up High in an Apple Tree". We liked the song  so much that we might keep it for our opening circle time song.

This was a simple game I found on Pinterest. It was supposed to be a memory matching game but Panda isn't ready for that. Instead we took turns flipping the caps over to see who could find the most apples. Turn taking is going to be a big social skill we will be working on.

We finished the week with the Apple Star story. I want to do a puppet show each week, but I kept this week simple by just telling the story and sloooowly cutting the apples up. Panda was entranced and thrilled to pieces when I showed him the stars in the centers. We were also supposed to have a field trip to the apple orchard, but they aren't open yet for the season. All in all I think our first week went rather well. What have you been up to? Stay tuned,  I will be bringing back Toddler Tuesday. Staring Baby Badger!

Shine on,

P.S. I would have posted links to the Pinterest items, but I'm not on my normal computer and am having Pinterest difficulties. I'm sorry about that.

A New Beginning

It has been such a long time since I have had time and peace to type here in this space. This past summer I've been trying to decide if I should close this blog and start a new chapter or forge on ahead. Life has changed so much since I started this blog. Then I thought, this space I've carved out is about Our Family. This space has always served to keep me on track and to record events to look back on. I don't want or need to give that up. We're here to stay. And so...

At the beginning of the year Panda was seeing several different therapists all at different times and my dream of homeschooling was going up in smoke. He gave up reading books and started hitting himself. As the reality of what it means to be a parent of a "special needs" child burned itself into us, hope dwindled further and further away. I was burned out and needed some respite. It was a bad summer.
But!

I am so happy to announce that this week he started therapy at a center where all of his therapy will be handled at the same time and place, every day! The only available slot was during the morning, so I had to pull him from the school districts program. By default we are now homeschooling in the afternoon! Next week I will begin blogging again about our school week, but for now, we are back and in action. I can already feel the peace and rhythm rushing, cascading, flooding back into our home. Panda loves the center. Their teaching style resonates with our wishes for Panda. He has stopped hitting himself, and for this entire week he has brought me book after book to read. One night he brought me twenty bedtime stories. If there is ever a good reason for staying up late that was it. I know we can't always do that, but finally I feel like my boy has been returned. The future is looking very bright.

Panda and Waldorf do not mesh. It's a sad fact that I have to honor. I love Waldorf and there will be several aspects of Waldorf in our home and educational life, but it's time to honor how my son learns and let that 15 year old dream go and embrace a new one.

So what does our Education Plan look like?

Before Five in a Row is the backbone of our education plan.
Basically we read a book every day and base all of our activities off of that book. Very similar to our Toddler Tuesdays. Some books we will be using wont be on the BFIAR list, but the process is the same and easily applied to any book.
Waldorf (because I can't let it go completely) will be used for our daily rhythm and art. We will also be using Math Gnomes. They aren't exactly Waldorf, but often the two get thrown together.
Reggio-Emilia will be used for science- and his therapy center is also Reggio-Emilia based.
Montessori will be used for life skills.
Charlotte Mason will be utilized for early reading and focus.
(yes Mouse, this should all look very familiar. It was a good plan, and fits us well).
But lets not forget Badger. He will even have baby school (soon to be the rebirth of Toddler Tuesdays) to keep him occupied while working with his big brother.
Perhaps I shall name our Home school Frankenstein Academy because of all the different styles we have cobbled together. Lol.
Deep Breath.. And THAT is everything that has been happening in our world, and a glimpse into what is to come.
Shine on!

Summer Solstice

Welcome Summer! Before another day slips by I want to record our Summer solstice events. I've been absent to long and my computer is not working right so bear with me while I record pictures that were unable to be edited (grin). First we started by making 

this 16 pointed Waldorf star.... Ah hem... With many errors, but it looks nice so I went with it. I might redo it later. I found the instructions "Here"

We also made a sun out of yellow lunch bags.. There were a million tutorials online how to do this.. This blogger has easy to follow instructions. She used 5 paper bags, I used 7.. But other than that it's all the same.

During a long drive in the country we picked roadside flowers for crowns and decorations. Panda even helped make a Sun Banner to put up.

I also made a Midsummer "Maypole". Panda loved this and had a beautiful moment of awe and stillness inspecting it.  We had no delusions that he would happily dance around it, so we chased him and jumped around and around it instead

Once everything was decorated we kicked the fun off with a color fight! I found directions on how to make colors with cornstarch from "This" blogger.. But didn't have time to make them and just ended up using some nontoxic powdered paint I had laying around.

It took a little to get Panda going, but then there was no stopping him. I can tell this is going to be a new family tradition for us. I feel that it honors this festival and my boys wild and free spirits perfectly.

I wish there was an "after" picture. We had so much fun. Really, you have to try this.

After we cleaned up from our fight (I didn't want either of my boys rubbing color into their eyes), we went back out for Panda's first official bonfire. We were a little nervous, but he handled it very well. He also made his first Smores. We use Smoreable gluten free crackers and Enjoy life chocolate chunks to make it safe, but the end result is just as yummy. I don't have a photo of our finale.. But as the night sky bloomed above us we set off on one more "First" adventure that is sure to not be a last. We took the boys to go catch fireflies! Oh what an adventure that was and a perfect kick off for summer..

So Happy Summer Solstice!

P.S. Bear will never forgive me for this photo, but I had to put it in. It's a horrible picture of us... But a Beautiful picture of "Who We Are".

Shine on!

Sun Banner

 Hello. I know I have been absent a lot lately and I don't see an end of this anytime in the near future, but I wanted to share this banner that Panda and I made for the Summer Solstice

 . I cut up an old flip flip in the shape of a sun and hot glued it to the bottom of a jar. I used a jar so it would be easier for Panda to hold. I cut a whole bunch of burlap triangles and then we just went to town stamping. When they were dry Panda helped me stitch them together with yarn and a simple running stitch. 

 Such a simple project and it turned out so sweet. I hope to have our Solstice pictures up soon... Soon will be determined by my boys. Shine on!

April 2016 Pictures

April is over, May is here. Panda, you are now 3! Where has the time gone? 

You are such a funny and inquisitive little boy. The other day I was watching you carefully carry bowls of water to and from your play areas outside. The look of concentration on your face held me spellbound. You built tall stick structures and watered them down, patted the mud into place. I would love to know what was going on in that secret world of yours, but I'm to old now to understand. Instead I will sit back in awe and watch you work. Quietly, purposefully, and with all your heart.

I don't know where this new year will take you, but I know you will face everything it brings head on. Happy birthday sweet Red Panda. 

Badger, you are now six months old.. Half a year has gone by. Again.. Where has the time gone?

April was a rough month for us all. We all kept getting sick. Tummy bugs, flu, strep throat. You gave us quite the scare with a high temp, but things are finally on the mend for us all. Now all we have left is a pesky cough that just wont leave.

Through everything you remain my happy little Badger. You've started making adorable kissing noises and you are rolling all over the house.  We started you on baby oatmeal, but you still have issues swallowing so we've pulled back a bit. I can't wait to see what the next six months bring.

Our journey is only just started. Shine on my beautiful quirky boys.

Love, 

~Mum~

DIY Peg Doll Maypole

 Hello, I'm so very excited to share this tutorial with you. Panda's birthday is coming and this year we are giving only handmade gifts to our boys. Panda loves his peg dolls and things that move. Mayday is coming and so the idea of a Maypole popped into my mind...

  But It Had To Move...

I used:

 a blank wood clock face (bought at a craft store and squirreled away years ago),

a thin circle of balsa craft wood

two wood wheels

a chopstick

ribbon

a circle of felt (not pictured)

and six rainbow colored plastic caps that fit the bottom of Panda's peg people.

(I had everything on hand except an orange and a purple cap.. Those I made Bear search High and low for much to his dismay.)

 First widen the holes on the wheels with a drill to make the chopstick fit. Then hot glue the chopstick and one wheel to the base. The wheel gives added stability to the pole. The green caps in the picture are just a hair taller than the wheel to help keep the second wood circle level for the next step. They are not glued down.

Next, drill a hole into the wood circle, slip it over the chopstick. and then glue the second wheel at the top of the chopstick. The wood circle should move freely. 

Hot glue the ribbons to the top of the wheel and around the side. I wanted to be sure they were firmly glued in so they would last through my boy's not so gentle play.

Pull the ribbon down and glue it just so there will be enough room to add the cap. It should be just taught enough that when the green caps are removed from underneath the wood circle does not rest on the wheel, but hangs freely.

see? The slack disappears once the cap is  glued on.

Almost done now.

Last of all I added a circle of felt to the bottom of the base to keep the wood from scuffing tables. 

SPIN!!

Ta DAH! I can't wait to see the look on his face when he opens this up. Let me know if you make one. or have some other Peg People ideas. I would love to hear about them in the comments below. 

Thanks for visiting.

Shine on!

VIDEO UPDATE 

Toddler Tuesday: Knights

Knights, one of Panda's favorite things. Last week one of his therapists suggested using knights as a motivator for him, and things have been working out rather well. Our sensory bin this week is a dish with water and water beads (I have been excitedly waiting for him to be old enough for these), and a scattering of knights. Panda loves  splashing and watching the beads bounce and scoot around in the water. When he is done with the bin it's his job to mop up the water.

While  Panda is playing with his bin, Badger gets to roll around this bottle . He loves watching the beads float and sparkle in the lights.

To start our day out, first Panda has too cut open envelopes to get to his knights. This was also suggested by his therapist. We will be getting a pair of Loop Scissors for smaller hands, but until then these work okay.

One of the things we focus on in life skills is learning how to dress himself. His therapist wanted to work on snaps with him. So I made these felt chains with snaps. So far he isn't interested, but I'm hoping as the week goes on his interest will perk up. Its also a great fine motor skill if he does find interest.

We are making shields. Panda's task is to trace shapes. I was going to have him cut them out, but cutting the envelopes at the start of the day seems to be enough for him for now.

When he is done with his shield we hang them up on this banner. It is going to look incredible when they are all filled up. I'm thinking about leaving it up as a birthday decoration.... And then maybe pulping the paper to make homemade paper. (seriously, I love these projects, but I think we will be murdering an entire forest before this subject is done).

We are also working on number recognition. Panda can count to 16, but his number recognition is a bit shaky. Still,  that's pretty impressive for 2 years old (he ain't 3 yet folks).

We're also working on letter recognition, I don't expect him to spell, but he has been picking up on letters lately. Each week we will choose one word and focus on what letters are in the word. This week (and next) we will focus on his name. The number and letter cards are leftovers from when our store closed. I'm glad we had a set of each left. They are thin balsa wood. sanded smooth and then words and letters were wood burned in.

We are also practicing for a knights tournament... I had to figure out a tie-in... At therapy his therapist has a log swing that she uses to help with vestibular and proprioceptive input. She rocks him side to side, and back and forth while he throws bean bags into a barrel (also great hand eye coordination). I took that and recreated it at home with what we had. Balancing on the exercise ball is great for his sensory diet, works on balance, building core muscles, and feeds his need for movement. Then he throws balls into a basket. Panda LOVES this activity....

And that is what we are up to this week. Next Tuesday I will let you know how things are going. I will also have a few other activities that there just wasn't time to prepare this week. Till then, 

~Shine on~