Hands down, our favorite activity this week was making pine cone bird feeders and hanging them in our yard. It has been a treat to spy out our windows and catch hungry birds nibbling away on the pine cones. The experience also afforded us the opportunity to talk about what certain animals do in the winter, where they obtain their food, what they do for shelter, and how they respond to the weather.
In related homeschool news, Aidyn continues work on his number recognition and counting. He does rather well and is able to identify every number from 1-10 with the exception of 5 for some reason. Next week, we will continue working on numbers and counting.
The house has been filled with Schubert and his highly moving, melodic pieces. I feel that, out of all the composers we have listened to, his music contains the most passion. The experience of sampling various composers has certainly added some tranquility to our home.
We're also experiencing the death of a furry family member. This is Aidyn's first time dealing with the subject of death up close. Our very old cat is dying, peacefully and quietly. In seeing him respond less and less, we're all discussing the inevitability of death. Not to my surprise, Aidyn is handling it well. He shows curiosity but understands what is happening in simple terms. Although heartbreaking, it is a learning experience, and I intend to allow Aidyn to ask any question about the topic of death and answer him as best as I can.
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Feeding the Winter Birds
Yesterday Aidyn and I worked on his numbers. With his new number cards and the pocket chart, he spouted off numbers he knew, met numbers he didn't, and worked on counting up to twenty. Afterward we played a number counting game using a separate set of cards.
When we wrapped up number work, we talked about birds. Specifically, we talked about what birds do in the winter and the limited supply of food in the area. He then flipped over his "surprise page" and found a robin to color. After coloring, he hole punched the paper and put it in his binder. He is getting much more adept at using the hole punch and opening and closing his three-ring binder.
Later in the day, we shopped for wild bird seed and brought it home. We found several pine cones in our front yard perfect for feeders. First we mixed peanut butter and shortening in a bowl. In a separate bowl, we mixed the bird seed, oatmeal, bread crumbs, and corn meal. After slathering each pine cone with the PB&S mixture, we dunked and tossed them in the seeds until well-coated. We left them overnight to sit and dry, so this morning we hung them in various places around our yard. We filled one of our conventional bird feeders with the remainder of the seed mix and now patiently await some bird-watching.
Through these activities, we've been able to have good conversations about birds, wintertime, and what some animals do in the winter weather.
When we wrapped up number work, we talked about birds. Specifically, we talked about what birds do in the winter and the limited supply of food in the area. He then flipped over his "surprise page" and found a robin to color. After coloring, he hole punched the paper and put it in his binder. He is getting much more adept at using the hole punch and opening and closing his three-ring binder.
Later in the day, we shopped for wild bird seed and brought it home. We found several pine cones in our front yard perfect for feeders. First we mixed peanut butter and shortening in a bowl. In a separate bowl, we mixed the bird seed, oatmeal, bread crumbs, and corn meal. After slathering each pine cone with the PB&S mixture, we dunked and tossed them in the seeds until well-coated. We left them overnight to sit and dry, so this morning we hung them in various places around our yard. We filled one of our conventional bird feeders with the remainder of the seed mix and now patiently await some bird-watching.
Through these activities, we've been able to have good conversations about birds, wintertime, and what some animals do in the winter weather.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Winter
Week of January 11th:
Theme: Winter
Adventures in Nature theme: Birds in Winter
Music: Franz Peter Schubert
This week we plan on reading winter-related books and doing winter activities. We also aim to make homemade bird-feeders (from found pine cones, peanut butter, and wild bird seed). Hanging our bird feeders in a visible area, we plan on doing some simple bird watching. We'll talk about what certain birds do in the winter as well as other animals and living things. Schubert will be our classical composer for the week, having finished our sampling of Beethoven.
Theme: Winter
Adventures in Nature theme: Birds in Winter
Music: Franz Peter Schubert
This week we plan on reading winter-related books and doing winter activities. We also aim to make homemade bird-feeders (from found pine cones, peanut butter, and wild bird seed). Hanging our bird feeders in a visible area, we plan on doing some simple bird watching. We'll talk about what certain birds do in the winter as well as other animals and living things. Schubert will be our classical composer for the week, having finished our sampling of Beethoven.
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