Circle Time

O and I started having Circle Time in the mornings a couple of weeks ago, and we are having SO much fun! During circle time we sing LOTS of songs (days of the week, months of the year, continents, My 5 Senses, and various Spanish songs). I have been amazed by how quickly and easily O learns through music. We do lots of rhythmn stick activities, and in this picture we are singing a Spanish counting song while tapping the Spanish beanbags with the rhythmn sticks. After we sing our songs and do a brief Spanish lesson, we usually do our library activity kit. Since this week is the last week that I'll have access to the library kits (until I go back to work in October), I'll start designating a book of the week, and we'll do story stretchers revolving around that book. I also plan to incorporate sign language activities and yoga into our circle time as well. We've spent so much time doing our circle time activities this week that I haven't even turned our Montessori shelf around at all :(

Around the World- Library Activity Kit

Last week's library activity kit was called "Around the World." It came with 5 books about children from different countries. Each book focuses on a different aspect of their lives- housing, eating, travel, etc. The books were great, and O really enjoyed them. She also loved this puzzle with different children in their various outfits. In addition to the books and puzzles, we studied a globe and completed the contintents map while singing the continents song. I told O that we live in North America, and she said that when I was in her tummy we lived in South America (she's ALWAYS telling me stories about when she was the mama and I was the baby in her tummy).









She was intrigued by this map from Let's Explore. (Ours is the mini-version, but I REALLY wish I'd bought the larger version as it would be much easier to work with.)

 



We also read A Ride on Mother's Back and talked about the different countries in the book:)

A Listening & Matching Game- Rhyming Words

 
O and I had fun playing this rhyming game this week (I bought this game at Wal-Mart last summer). She is really into rhyming lately, and she is constantly coming up with real and nonsense rhyming words for different things she says, so this game was perfect for her. To play the game, you listen to a cd of different words, and you cover up the picture of the rhyming word on your card. O needed help, of course, but it was a great way to practice our rhyming skills while having lots of fun!

Bead Sequencing Set

O had fun with her Melissa and Doug Bead Sequencing Set this week. To do this activity, you put the pattern board in the holder (this is not easy to do!) and match the beads to the pattern board. This was a fun way to practice patterning skills!

Library Kit- Make Believe

Our library kit this week was a make believe kit. The book included was Abiyoyo, which O LOVED! The activity was this set of sequencing cards. We had so much fun with these cards. After O put them in the correct order, we told a story that went along with them. She always wanted me to start the story, so I'd say "First... (while pointing to the first card)." Then I said "Then" and I paused and let her fill in the 2nd part of the story. For the last card, I said "Finally" and she told what was happening on the last card. This was a great activity!

Fun with Pattern Blocks

O was not interested in these pattern blocks at first, and I thought that perhaps it was too difficult since I had so many blocks out for her. It turns out she just wasn't interested that day :) When she decided to complete the patterns on her own, she had no problems and REALLY enjoyed herself. My niece (who is almost 5) also LOVES the pattern blocks :)

Meet Roberta the Robot

My niece has to make a robot for a school project, so my sister, my niece, and O have been working diligently on this project. Roberta is super cute, and the girls are SO proud!



Melanie thought it would be fun to give the robot human organs made from playdoh :) It turned out great! M's favorite part was playing with the playdoh :) The girls have learned a lot about their internal organs during the making of the robot.



Melanie has given the girls several lessons on the names and functions of their internal organs.



Please excuse the dissaray!