September 30, 2013

 

More Liquid Layers

Cannon’s science experiment from school – making “wave” bottle using colored water and a clear oil inspired us to go one step farther and make another bottle using four liquids each with different properties.  After we did the math – our bottle could hold 750ml so we divided it by four – Cannon measured and poured the liquids into the round bottle. The liquids separated into four layers – pink shampoo, orange Dawn dishwashing soap, yellow vegetable oil and green colored water. Shake it up and then watch the layers separate. How and why – good questions! Maybe some research in the coming week will give us the answers.

 

Frog and Toad Together – The Game

We are continuing to develop our own board game about Frog and Toad.  This week we added more action squares to the paths to and from Frog and Toads house. We added detours to a pond, mailbox and forest where you had to draw a card.  You might be sent back 2 or 3 spaces, have to write a silly sentence for the mailbox, do a round of math slam, or identify a number of sight words. More cards will be added to the game and the stories will change also.  This week the game was based on the story Cookies. 

The best part were the game pieces, a wind up frog and toad that would do a back flip when they reached their destination.  This game was so much fun we played it for most of our session.

 

 

 

Trees!

Cannon studied the dry sycamore tree leaves and seed pods.  We cut one open to see the fluffy seeds that were compressed into the ball. Then we looked up the sycamore tree in our FANDEX of trees.  We also looked up our Gingko leaf and learned more about that tree. Maybe we will start a leaf collection. 

 

 

Words, Words, Words!

Silly sentences:

Miss Beth jumped over a red banana.  She put a bow on the Clock.

The dictionary search sent us to the back of the book.  We read the definitions for, wrong doing, wrench, and wrest.

We read another story from Frog and Toad – Alone.

 

Communication

Cannon offered me a cup of coffee when I arrived and helped make it.  Cannon and daddy were up early so they made a Sunday treat – Waffles! So I enjoyed a yummy warm waffle with my latte.  Several times Cannon alerted me to sounds outside, once for a distant emergency siren and then a few “teases”.  He used the sign for hear/listen + bell.

 

Making Music

Cannon showed me how he can "toot on his flute".  And then we practiced playing the harmonica we each have one now.  Cannon's is red and mine is green.  We made some music together.  Cannon held and moved the harmonica while I pushed air through it.

 

 

 

 

Too Much Fun!

 

 

September 22, 2013

Impressions of Celebrations

Curiosities

Greeting me in the entry way this morning was a single Ginkgo leaf.  It must have wanted me to take it upstairs to show Cannon.  We looked at it’s shape very different from other leaves.  This tree has ancestors going all the way back to the time of Dinosaurs!  There is more to learn about this leaf and tree. 

 

 

Thistle Be Careful!

 

 

Cannon explored a thistle – very carefully.  We compared it with the seed pod from the Sweet Gum tree.  Both seed pods are prickly outside to protect the seeds inside. The thistle has several different prickles, on the stem, long prickles surround the seed head.  Hum, I wonder what kind of creature would try to get to those seeds inside.  

 Painting Impressions of Celebrations

Special days of celebration are coming! Cannon selected acrylic colors and he painted in layers – letting one color dry before adding another, red, pink, orange, and purple were colors of choice. Brush strokes moved like streamers and round shapes symbolized balloons. To finish it Cannon added thin lines and squiggles of orange glitter glue.

 

The Harmonica Challenge and Too-Ba-Loo Too

 

Cannon has very sharp ears!  He can hear sounds way in the distance, sirens, and church bells.  He practiced whispering in the too-ba-loo.  It is fun to hold it to the ear and talk into it and hear the softest sounds we make when we whisper so low that almost no one else can hear us.

 

What is blue and comes in a long box that you can hold in your hand? Cannon’s new harmonica! Cannon successfully achieved the first challenge. He wrapped his lips firmly around it.  The next challenge is to push air through his mouth and make some music. You can make music by blowing out and breathing in.   

 

Creating a Board Game for Frog and Toad

We like the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel.  So we decided it would be fun to make a board game based on their adventures.  First Cannon indicated where Frog’s house should be then he showed me where Toad’s house should be.  Then we started to make paths between the two homes.  Cannon drew the first path and then we added two more.  Along the way Frog and Toad will meet many challenges.  I hope Cannon can help them out.  In this first game Toad is looking for a lost button.

 

Communications – more signs – more silly sentences – more sight words!

We are always finding new ASL signs to add to Cannon’s growing vocabulary.  This week we added:

Finish

Apple

Hungry

Quiet

We did some research on the ASL website and found only one sign for quiet and it is not what you think it is.  Hint it is different from the sign for hush. Check it out here.

http://www.aslpro.com/

 

 

Using the game cards with names and images of interesting things and the magnetic sign words Cannon Composed a silly story as follows:

 

Helen wants a butterfly.

She wants to fly with the butterfly. 

Cannon and Helen ate a hot dog with the butterfly.

 

Cannon demonstrate mastery over 12 more sight words.  He will soon master all 95 words in Level 1.

 

Dictionary Search

Cell phone

Chain

Cello

 

We noticed that the “c” in cell phone was different from the “c” in cello.  The “c” in cello sounds the same as the “ch” in chain.  How confusing!

 

Cannon helped clean up and put away our many materials.  He finished our session by showing Aunt Jeannie his paintings of the lily pads and goldfish and his impression of sunflowers.

Note: More images will be posted at a later date.