A few words about worms:
About a month ago, Austin participated in a ZooperKids class at the Louisville Zoo, and the topic was about earthworms and their importance to life at the zoo. Every since, he has been on a worm kick. In fact, he has become quite taken with bugs in general.
A few weeks ago, we found an ugly brown caterpillar that had made its way into our living room. I called Austin over to look at it, and the creature immediately became Austin's pet worm. He carried it around for several hours, and much like Eeyore and his pet caterpillar, they were the best of friends. Then I had to break the news to Austin that he could not keep the worm in the house. He was heartbroken when he had to turn his (nearly dead) worm loose on our deck. He was convinced that it was going to be eaten by a bird. I encouraged him that the worm would be happier in the wild. Since this incident, whenever Austin finds a new "pet" outside, in order to avoid similar heartbreak, I am quick to remind him that he will not be able to bring the creature into the house. We haven't had anymore pets, thankfully.
I saw Austin digging in a pile of rollie pollies the other week out in our courtyard. He let them roll around in his hand.
The locust-like cicadas have emerged in full force in middle Tennessee. Austin thought they were great when we visited our parents last week. He would hold them by their wings with no fear and even let them crawl up his arm. Ugh! I still have horrible memories of being swarmed by these noisy creatures when I mowed the grass as a teenager. (They come out every 14 years, I think.)
Austin held a "skeeter eater" (those ugly bugs that look like giant mosquitos) by one leg at my parent's house.
He tried to play with a beetle type bug that must have come in through my mom's screen door. (I quickly informed him that we do not play with anything that resembles a roach. Yuck!)
A year ago, Austin would have been scared of any of the above mentioned creatures. He is becoming more of a boy, and it is fun to watch. (even if bugs are gross to me, a girl)
Favorites books from this week:
Thesaurus Rex written by Laya Steinberg, illustrated by Debbie Harter (cartoonish pictures, introduces new words like foraging and frolic)
About dinosaurs: Austin's new thing is Godzilla. Joseph found a big box of unopened Godzilla toys at his parent's house that he had collected as a child, and it was like Christmas morning when he gave them to Austin. Joseph really likes it when Austin shows interest in the things that he liked as a kid- Godzilla, Star Wars, Mario, etc.
The Dragons are Singing Tonight poems by Jack Prelutsky, pictures by Peter Sis (I was very impressed with the quality of the writing in this one. Great vocabulary words- amiable, disparage, plume of fire, ferocious, maneuvers, pallid blue, cacophonous chorus, once upon a happenstance, miserable brute, talons designed to dismember.... You get the idea. The illustrations are like something you might see as a print on someone's wall. I highly recommend this for preschool aged boys, and even older boys.)
Since we are talking about dragons, have you see the movie How to Train Your Dragon? Very good movie. Joseph even liked it.
Other books we read this week:
Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh (The original story behind the PBS show.)
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, pictures by Harry Bliss (Austin listened to this one on an audio cd and followed along with the book.)
Do You Want to Be My Friend? By Eric Carle (The best thing about Carle are his illustrations. This book only has a total of 8 words. It would be good for little babies, too.)
Worm Gets a Job by Kathy Caple (comic book style- Austin is on a worm kick. He picked this one out.)
Let's Go Home, Little Bear by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Barbara Firth (along the lines of Goodnight Moon)
Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
Pierre a cautionary tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue by Maurice Sendak
The Story Tree: Tales to Read Aloud retold by Hugh Lupton, illustrated by Sophie Fatus (seven classic stories from around the world)
If you've made it to the end of this post, you must be a good friend, so I'll let you know that I am having a biopsy performed on my thyroid Monday morning. It is a very painful procedure, which I have endured 3 times before, and I would appreciate your prayers. The biopsy will determine if the cysts on my thyroid are cancerous and/or whether or not I need to have surgery to remove my thyroid. I would like to keep my thyroid since it is still functional, so please pray that the biopsy comes back normal. Also, pray that the procedure would be quick and as comfortable as possible. Thanks!
May 14, 2011
May 6, 2011
The Beauty of Productivity (Books 26-27)
Wow, have I been productive this morning! After rising at 5:00 a.m., I have gotten myself ready for the day, read my Bible, got the kids up, fed and dressed, ran three loads of laundry, vacuumed, swept and mopped, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom and checked my email. And, it's not even 9:30 yet! (I normally hit the snooze for awhile, but I set three alarms today, which got me out of bed a little quicker than usual!)
We are going on vacation next week, so I'm trying to get everything in order before we leave. Joseph and I have never both had a whole week off work at the same time, so this is going to be great!
Here's the books we read yesterday:
26. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs written by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett (There is also a movie with the same title. Basically, there is a town where it rains food. Pretty entertaining for a toddler or preschooler.)
27. Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett (Austin's first introduction to this classic tale. This version was a bit wordy, but it had nice illustrations.)
We are going on vacation next week, so I'm trying to get everything in order before we leave. Joseph and I have never both had a whole week off work at the same time, so this is going to be great!
Here's the books we read yesterday:
26. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs written by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett (There is also a movie with the same title. Basically, there is a town where it rains food. Pretty entertaining for a toddler or preschooler.)
27. Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett (Austin's first introduction to this classic tale. This version was a bit wordy, but it had nice illustrations.)
May 5, 2011
Resources for Choosing Children's Books (#20-25)
How do I go about picking books to check out from the library?
Sometimes I let Austin pick some off the shelves. (This is usually overwhelming, though, since good books are mixed in with not-so-good books.) More often, I do an online search for books relating to topics that interest him. I also found this PBS website that gives lists of age appropriate books on different topics. Then I see if our library has the book, and I reserve it online. Then the library notifies me when it is ready to be picked up.
The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease highlights some interesting research about the importance of exposing children to WORDS, and lots of them. It also has lists of recommended books in the back, which is a good starting place if you don't know which children's books are classics and which ones are duds.
Mysteries of the Komodo Dragon by Marty Crump (a non-fiction book- very interesting facts and pictures about real "dragons")
Math for All Seasons by Greg Tang (would be great for school aged kids learning to add and subtract)
Madlenka's Dog by Peter Sis (about a girl and her "imaginary" dog- I had an imaginary friend as a girl. Didn't you?)
Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman (about a class full of deaf children who listen to a concert through its vibrations- easy segway into talking with Austin about those who aren't able to hear)
Top Picks:
Lucy's Picture by Nicola Moon (I actually got teary eyed at the end when I realized that her grandfather was blind. This was a great way to teach Austin about what it means to be blind.)
What a Wonderful World illustrations by Ashley Bryan (the words of Louis Armstrong's famous song put to pictures- beautiful! Shows children of different skin colors.)
The PBS website gave me the option to search for books about people with special needs, which is why we read the books about the blind man and the deaf children. Until I saw those books, I never really thought about teaching Austin about people with special needs. I certainly wouldn't have thought to look for a children's book about it. What great resources to teach children while they are young so these handicaps don't seem so strange to them when they are older.
Sometimes I let Austin pick some off the shelves. (This is usually overwhelming, though, since good books are mixed in with not-so-good books.) More often, I do an online search for books relating to topics that interest him. I also found this PBS website that gives lists of age appropriate books on different topics. Then I see if our library has the book, and I reserve it online. Then the library notifies me when it is ready to be picked up.
The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease highlights some interesting research about the importance of exposing children to WORDS, and lots of them. It also has lists of recommended books in the back, which is a good starting place if you don't know which children's books are classics and which ones are duds.
Mysteries of the Komodo Dragon by Marty Crump (a non-fiction book- very interesting facts and pictures about real "dragons")
Math for All Seasons by Greg Tang (would be great for school aged kids learning to add and subtract)
Madlenka's Dog by Peter Sis (about a girl and her "imaginary" dog- I had an imaginary friend as a girl. Didn't you?)
Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman (about a class full of deaf children who listen to a concert through its vibrations- easy segway into talking with Austin about those who aren't able to hear)
Top Picks:
Lucy's Picture by Nicola Moon (I actually got teary eyed at the end when I realized that her grandfather was blind. This was a great way to teach Austin about what it means to be blind.)
What a Wonderful World illustrations by Ashley Bryan (the words of Louis Armstrong's famous song put to pictures- beautiful! Shows children of different skin colors.)
The PBS website gave me the option to search for books about people with special needs, which is why we read the books about the blind man and the deaf children. Until I saw those books, I never really thought about teaching Austin about people with special needs. I certainly wouldn't have thought to look for a children's book about it. What great resources to teach children while they are young so these handicaps don't seem so strange to them when they are older.
May 4, 2011
Take Advantage of your Local Library
If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of the public library system. We participate in the Summer Reading Program each year, and we have started going to the weekly story hour. They also have special activities throughout the summer months. Austin will get to participate in a special program this summer for kids heading into kindergarten.
The special events and story hours are great, but I have found the best thing about our library system is that I can request specific books online and pick them up at the front desk of my local library (within walking distance!). I don't have to wait for books to show up on the shelves, and if I want to seach for books on a certain topic, I can do it from the comfort of my own laptop. It's great!
Moral of the story- Make use of your local public library. Your tax dollars pay for it, so you might as well use it!
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| Inside the children's castle at the library |
The special events and story hours are great, but I have found the best thing about our library system is that I can request specific books online and pick them up at the front desk of my local library (within walking distance!). I don't have to wait for books to show up on the shelves, and if I want to seach for books on a certain topic, I can do it from the comfort of my own laptop. It's great!
Moral of the story- Make use of your local public library. Your tax dollars pay for it, so you might as well use it!
May 3, 2011
Factorial Anyone? Books 16-19
I learned something new today.
10! is pronounced "ten factorial" which means 10x9x8x7x6x5x4x3x2x1 =3,628,800
Likewise, 4! would be 4x3x2x1, etc.
Now, I made an A in high school calculus and aced the AP exam, but I don't remember learning about factorials. I'm sure I did at some point, but it was like learning it all afresh today when Austin and I read Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno. Such a fun way to teach math! I definitely recommend it.
Cir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander is another great math story. (about King Arthur and the "round table")
Paul Bunyan, a tall tale retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg was a fun read as well.
Splash! by Ann Jonas was a simple counting book (appropriate for children learning to count- Austin enjoyed it)
Note about Kindergarten: For those who care enough to read my blog, you will probably be interested to know what we plan on doing for school in the Fall. While it is not carved in stone, we are intending to send Austin to the public school nearest to our home, Field Elementary. It is supposed to be one of the best schools in Louisville, and it has a good principal. We are also happy that the school is only about a mile away- we could walk him to school some days if the weather is nice!
Even though this decision has kept me up at night recently, now that we have a plan, I am relieved and actually excited about sending Austin to school!
Stay tuned to our blog throughout the summer as we read lots of books and start teaching Austin to read.
10! is pronounced "ten factorial" which means 10x9x8x7x6x5x4x3x2x1 =3,628,800
Likewise, 4! would be 4x3x2x1, etc.
Now, I made an A in high school calculus and aced the AP exam, but I don't remember learning about factorials. I'm sure I did at some point, but it was like learning it all afresh today when Austin and I read Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno. Such a fun way to teach math! I definitely recommend it.
Cir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander is another great math story. (about King Arthur and the "round table")
Paul Bunyan, a tall tale retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg was a fun read as well.
Splash! by Ann Jonas was a simple counting book (appropriate for children learning to count- Austin enjoyed it)
Note about Kindergarten: For those who care enough to read my blog, you will probably be interested to know what we plan on doing for school in the Fall. While it is not carved in stone, we are intending to send Austin to the public school nearest to our home, Field Elementary. It is supposed to be one of the best schools in Louisville, and it has a good principal. We are also happy that the school is only about a mile away- we could walk him to school some days if the weather is nice!
Even though this decision has kept me up at night recently, now that we have a plan, I am relieved and actually excited about sending Austin to school!
Stay tuned to our blog throughout the summer as we read lots of books and start teaching Austin to read.
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