Phonics and Chrysalises

Today after singing the alphabet and naming letters, I showed Aidyn the new phonics program that we'll be using. It's basically a CD that follows a booklet which introduces phonics. For me this is new territory as I learned to read using the whole word approach, but I figure that a blending of the two schools of thought wouldn't hurt. Aidyn has been "reading" simple, rhyming words by sight, so I know that he's naturally picking up reading skills; however, learning the nuts and bolts of reading will help him when he comes across a word he doesn't recognize. So, at the table, we followed the booklet, spouting letter sounds and accompanying words. We went through the whole alphabet, took a break, and repeated it a couple hours later. My plan is to do phonics work a couple times a day for the duration of the week and, of course, continue reading stories daily.

In other news, our caterpillars have begun hanging on the top of their cup and one or two have officially become chrysalises. That means that very soon we'll need to pick up some fresh flowers for our soon-to-be arriving butterflies!

Spring Egg Festival

Because we have been learning about life cycles (particularly by observing caterpillars) and the newness that Spring brings, the family make a trek to the Discovery Center Museum of Science and Natural History for their Spring Egg Festival. There was quite a show out, and the grounds had so many activities for us to do. First Aidyn climbed into the cockpit of a rocket ship and pretended to be an astronaut. Then we let him lead us through a maze of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Aidyn had a ball twisting and turning, finding dead ends, and finally breaking free at the end!

Then we went across the way and walked through this impressive Cacti Garden with rocky trails and gigantic cacti, some of which looked like tentacled undersea creatures. We then stopped to play at a bubble-blowing station. We then spied a Children's Garden, so we explored that. A caretaker of the garden invited Aidyn to stand on a colorful slab of cement that said "MAR" for March. She then asked him to point his hands straight up in the air. Looking closely, we saw the the tip of his shadow kissed another colorful slab of cement that said "12," which is what time it was. We explained to Aidyn that he was standing on a sun clock and he was the hands! Afterward, we played hopscotch, read about vermicomposting, and marveled at the beautiful flowers and animal-shaped hedges.

Then it was time for the egg hunt. Aidyn got a simple white basket with his name on it, we waited in line, and then off we went searching the grounds for hidden eggs. Scores of children participated, so I was proud when Aidyn walked away with a full bag. We planted ourselves in the shade and cracked open his prizes until we heard our stomachs growling.

After lunch, Aidyn poked his head through cut-out boards of dinosaur scenes. He pretended he was an apatosaurus and then a baby triceratops. The beautiful sound of beating drums alerted us to the Aztec Dancers, so we gathered with a crowd to watch. Several dancers, decorated in long, exotic feathers and some in animal-headpieces, shook their wrists and heels which were wrapped with clinking shells. Outside their dancing circle, two others banged on the drums and incense filled the air. It was quite a sight!

Aidyn then said he wanted to "do crafts," so we walked to the Arts and Crafts table and were surprised at what we found...Large arachnids and scorpions, meal-worms, and roaches waited in little clear boxes. The lady behind the counter invited us to hold a tarantula. When I asked Aidyn if he'd like to hold one, he carefully shook his head. To help him see that it was okay, I held my hand out as the lady placed a surprisingly colorful and hairy spider that took up the whole of my palm. I have never held a tarantula before, and it was quite a sensation. I held some other spiders as the lady gave us a mini-lesson on them, and Aidyn listened intently. We also checked out a turquoise-colored scorpion, pet large meal-worms, and spied a dozen roaches. We saw cases of other insect specimens, most of which were brilliant, natural colors like teal and silvery yellow. We touched old turtle shells of massive sizes, played with plastic representations of tadpoles and frogs through various stages of change, and toured a little are called Walden Pond. (I loved the reference to Emerson's pond that much inspired Thoreau!)

At Walden Pond, we were allowed to grab small nets and attempt to catch tadpoles, which proved much more difficult than it seemed. The whole family had a go, but we all came out empty-netted.

On the whole, this was an amazing outdoor smorgasbord of fun and exploration. For me, it epitomized the beginning of Spring and set the tone for the rest of the season.

Stories Galore

As if it were planned this week, Aidyn and I read a plethora of books together. After an exhausting day of work and school, I looked forward to our regular storytime on the couch. We read wonderful classics, most of which were favorites that I grew up with, such as The Story Ferdinand by Munro Leaf which echoes the theme of self-contentment. We also read a favorite story of ours called Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack encouraged the moral that it is better to face the music than run away. Another favorite reread we enjoyed was The Best Nest P.D. Eastman.

Yesterday, after I refreshed our books at the library, Aidyn and I sat down and read two Mercer Mayer books: There Are Monsters Everywhere and There's an Alligator Under My Bed. Aidyn adored them both. We then shared the cute and colorful Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Afterward Lyle, Lyle Crocodile ended up becoming a vocabulary lesson and in-depth conversation about the plot line (which is always encouraged!) We finished off the story session with another P.D. Eastman classic, Big Dog, Little Dog.

We've also filled our home and car with Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, and Aidyn especially likes The Nutcracker. Today we plan on traveling to a hands-on science discovery museum for a Spring Egg Festival.

Effie Yeaw Nature Center and Homeschool Hike

Yesterday, as a birthday present to a dear friend, Aidyn, my friend and her two children, and I traveled to the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael. It was a delight to find this place teeming with educational opportunities. Inside the actual center, animals in various stages of rehabilitation are housed and the kids peeked in at them with excitement. Further inside the center, a touch-and-feel museum about California Indians and indigenous animals invited the kids to explore. Once we went outside, we followed a scenic nature trail with springtime blooms, flitting butterflies, and roaming families of deer. Stopped on a bench for lunch, we spied the brave family of deer meandering near us, picking leaves off trees and crossing the fields. While Aidyn was munching, I asked him questions about the area and jotted his observations down in our journal. Later, we followed the two boys as they ran down the thin paths. Happening on a pond, we explored the area and tested the boundaries of the muddy shoreline. The nature trail, on the whole, was beautiful and rich with nature reserves fit to study and simply observe. Although we stayed just a short while, comparatively, there was so much to soak in. I'm definitely making a mental note to revisit this wonderful place!

Grab Bag

Yesterday afternoon, Aidyn and I played a game of Grab Bag. This is a game in which I hide a certain three-dimensional shape in a pillowcase and invite Aidyn to put his hand in and use his sense of touch to guess the shape. For example, I secretly hid a wooden circle in the pillowcase and asked Aidyn to guess what shape it was. Other times, I hid wooden letters and let him guess what they were. He was able to correctly identify all the shapes which included a circle, a rectangle, a triangle, a ball, and the letters A, X, U, and O. The idea of a game like this is to learn the physical shapes of things without relying on sight to tell you what it is. For us, it's fun brain food.

Homeschool Hike--Caswell and the Stanislaus River Part Two

Around noon, Aidyn, his grandma, our dog Niki, and I went hiking at Caswell Memorial State Park. It was the first time there for grandma and Niki, so Aidyn had fun giving her the grand tour and pointing out the tree scents and natural sights. We walked down to the beach area for a view of the Stanislaus River. Since Aidyn was a pro at spending time in this spot, I asked him to tell us something about the location. He narrated that the river is green, very cold, and the current goes "that way," as he made swift motions to the right.

We dunked our fingers and hands in the icy cold water and walked on the beach before Aidyn asked if he could put his feet in the water. I thought that was a wonderful idea. I stripped Aidyn of his shoes and socks and followed suit myself. It is amazing how much more you absorb and learn by going barefoot in a place you've never been barefoot. We proceeded to squish our toes with mud, sink our heels in the sand, and rinsed off briskly in the river water. Aidyn loved it. He practically rolled in the mud and emerged from the beach as a mini-mud man, but it was all in the name of education!

After wading, mud-squishing, rock-collecting, and scenery-gaping, the four of us hiked a bit farther down some trails and explored the park. The outing refreshed us all, and we returned home spent but renewed.

Starry Night with Daddy

Due to time constraints, David took over the usual activities today. We were set to observe Van Gogh's "Starry Night," so the boys tackled that one together. According to David, he asked Aidyn to have a look at the painting for a few minutes. He then asked some questions about the piece. For instance, he asked Aidyn what he noticed in the painting, what was happening in the painting, what certain things were, and what his favorite color was. I heard that Aidyn commented that the people in the town must be sleeping because it was night. I was so happy to hear Aidyn make a connection to the painting and what the people inside of it were thinking or doing. From the sound of it, their first art observation together went rather well.

They also worked on letters and the alphabet song, and David commented that Aidyn did a good job and had fun learning, even asking his daddy to continue after it was over.

It's a relief to know that when I am unavailable, David can pick up the pace.