Letter M and Marshmallow Painting

After nap-time and a quick trip to the mailbox it was time to explore the Letter M box.  Usually the first time the box is opened I let them explore without much interference. Other than then occasional explanation of how something works or the name of an item I stay pretty quiet. 

Mirror and Magnifying glass ( Hannah calls it a finding glass).

Clearly he knows how to use it.

This is a video of Ethan finding the letter M upside down.  Hehehehehe.

Today, we also painted with Marshmallows.

Ready to go.  I saw this at Childcareland.com

Hannah stamps away in blue.

Ethan very quickly mixed his colors.

Peering at the paint soaked marshmallow.

Squeezing the marshmallow with all his might.

I caught her just before she took a bite.

Hannah's marshmallow masterpiece.

Ethan.

Remembrance Day

In honour of Remembrance Day today, Hannah, Ethan, and I made this poppy picture.  Obviously,the kids are too young to understand much of what I said but I think it was a good activity anyway.  I think it is important to remember the soldiers that fought for our freedom.  So this is what we did:

Flanders Field. 

This is Hannah's finished work.

All we used were blue and green paper, glue, a  sharpie,  red paint, sponge  bits,
and finally some crosses cut out of white paper.

First I cut the green paper to look like a soft hill and Hannah glued on the crosses.

Next, Hannah used the sponge (I rounded the end to give it a poppy shape)  and the red paint to dab poppies all over the grass between the crosses.

Ethan did too. He moves so fast its hard to take a picture.

Finally, I used the sharpie to add black centers and glue it onto the blue sheet.

I is for insects

This is leftover from the end of last week but because of a busy weekend and not feeling well I haven't had a chance to post it.  We did a few a activities about insects.

Growing insects.

Hannah dropped in 4 capsules that grow into insect sponges.
 She watched but it was a very slow process.

This was hours later.

Finally in the morning, they were all done.

Here is Hannah drying her insects and telling me there names.  The was an ant, a butterfly, a caterpillar,  and a  grasshopper.

Later on after nap time, Hannah and I painted insect rocks to keep outside.  Earlier I glued the paper cutout of the insect on the rock and sealed it.

Already.

Hannah painted them very quickly.

The paint was quite thick, so next time I would thin it down with some water so that it was more translucent.  Where the paint was applied quite thickly it was difficult to see the lines underneath.

Next, Hannah and I sponge painted with our insects.  The butterfly turned out really well.  The others not so much.

Two of our rocks, the dragonfly and butterfly.  I sealed them again and now they are outside ready for playing.

Lastly,  Hannah's picture.  She drew a picture of Auntie Jen and wrote all about it underneath.   

H is for Huge House part 1

So this is the big project I have been working on (Andrew did the actual cutting, I'm not allowed to play with knives).  By big I mean in size.  When I brought it out and told Hannah she was going to paint it her eyes went equally as big.  This is the first part of the project.  Today we painted it.  When I saw the weather I knew it needed to be soon.  Once it starts raining here it may be awhile before it stops (I'm not complaining I like the rain.).  But we were not going to paint it inside so it needed to be done.

Right not it is a huge cardboard shaped house.  I figured it would be easier to paint before I cut out windows and doors.

Having never painted on such a huge surface it was fun to watch Hannah .

Everyone helped, some bailed early to cuddle on the couch.

Hannah is painting a bird in a nest.

Look at those hands!!!

An artist at work.

She knew she could paint everywhere but really she painted the same 2 places over and over.

I really liked painting outside, aside from the fast cleanup it was also very relaxing.

Stay tuned for part 2: Doors and Windows.

Letter G wrap up

I can't believe we finished.  We did quite a few different things for the letter G, I think all of us (including Ethan) enjoyed the activities.  It was a lot of fun seeing Ethan get involved and playing with Hannah and I.  G took extra long but thats okay, I really am looking forward to Letter H.  Here is a look back at G:

Letter G Box

Ethan getting right into it.

We did tow types of play dough fun.  Both super easy to set up and a blast for my play dough loving girl.

Gardening play dough.

Hannah also played with the g cookie cutter.

We had a great lunch with GG

We sponge stamped grapes.

We collaged the letter G.

We matched colored pom poms to the matching colored goat. (The goat printable is from Tot school printables).

Hannah and Ethan enjoyed the green sensory salad.

 Finally, yesterday we concluded with a game of golf.  I found this set at the dollar store (yeah).  I also took some plastic cups leftover from the last birthday party and staked them down with tent pegs.  Then we tried to knock the balls into the cups.

Getting ready for his tee time.

Hannah was Ethan's Caddy.

Go Hannah.

They may have confused golf and hockey.

Hole in one.

Onto the letter H.

Linked to:


Homeschool Creations
MOM TO 2 POSH LIL DIVAS 

1+1+1=1 Tot School

Link and Learn

Bumps, Lumps, and Grapes

Today was one those days that FELT so long.  It probably had to do with being up so early. This morning Andrew and I took Ethan to Children's Hospital to see an ophthalmologist.  He has a lump beside his eye and he needed it looked at.  Our appointment was originally scheduled for January but we were on the cancellation list (yeah).
According to the Doctor it is a:

Periorbital dermoid cyst

Dermoid cysts can appear in young children, often near the lateral aspect of the eyebrow (right part of the right eyebrow or left part of the left eyebrow). They often have a rubbery feel. These are sometimes watched and sometimes excised. An inflammatory reaction can occur if the dermoid cyst is disrupted.

She wants it removed, so we see a surgeon in November, unless it gets noticeable bigger, then we go sooner.

Right eye shows it well.

After nap time (which Ethan did not participate in), Hannah and I did a few activities together. First, we sponge painted some grapes (for our g activities).  I drew some leaves and stems on a piece of card stock, cut some sponges into circles, and got out our purple paint. (I saw this activity here on A Little Learning for Two.)

The setup.

Hannah's face when she saw the paint.

She liked sucking up the paint with the sponge.

Making grapes.

Mommy's grapes.

Hannah and her finished grapes, I think she may have eaten some because her chin is purple.

Next, we played with a sponge and some water. (I saw this idea on The Wonder Years).  The idea is to transfer water from one dish to the other.

The set up.

She let the sponge suck up water from the first bowl.

Then she squeezed the water into the second.

Finally, she poured the water on the tray and practiced cleaning it up.

I have had this idea for a while.  Each week I will ask Hannah to draw me a picture and then narrate what she draws so I can write it down.  It will be fun to see the progression of her drawing skills.  She has just recently started describing what she draws so I know I could start.

Who does not LOVE school supplies.  

Her first drawing.  She drew a flake and a circle.  I'm not sure what she meant by a flake but I wrote it down anyway.


Now on to the weekend.