Purple!

We finished our Dinosaur fun and moved on to the color purple! Gathering purple items was harder than previous colors, because it is not a primary color. We chose the color purple simply because she can say it. It includes toys, books, mom-made items (the I spy jar), cards, plastic fruit, toy balls, and magnets.

Tot Shelf!

 

Fun Fun!

 

Monitored play items!

 

Theme of the Week!

Hey everyone! In August we will be starting 'Theme of the Week'! Below is a chronological list of our themes. These do NOT include our Bible themes. I will do a later post on those specific themes!

Fruit
Outdoor Fun
Pets
Pond
Zoo Animals
Farm
Tools
Bugs
Body Parts
Ocean
Household Objects
Nature
Cold Weather
Nativity
Royalty
Rainforest
Outer Space
Transportation
Noah and Rainbows
Landforms
In My House
Instruments
Toys
Clothing

Each theme will last one week (Nativity lasting 3 weeks)! If you have any items/junk laying around the house that would enhance our 'Theme of the Week', they would be greatly appreciated! Remember it can literally be junk or trash!

First Week of Tot Trays!

Below are snapshots of the daily trays for the first week of tot trays! I promise to take more pictures of Jordyn in action!

DAY 1
Transferring, Stickers, Coloring

 

Day 2
Beading, Matching, Tracing

 

Day 3
Sorting, Matching, Coloring

 

Day 4
Sorting, Playdough, Coloring

 

 

 

Tot Trays!

We started our next part of Tot School Today! Tot Trays! I chose closed ended (for the most part) activities that I think Jordyn would enjoy and place them on 3 trays the night before. Today we had Pom Pom transfer, sticker book work, and Tracing the letter A (which was really just practice using a marker).

3 Tot Trays!

She looks like such a BIG GIRL!



What a joy this journey will be.

 

A&C



Looking for a zebra puppet!

Here is the reading curriculum we have chosen. It is called All About Reading (Pre-reading level). After reading a ton of reviews on many of my favorite homeschool blogs, I decided it would be best choice for us. www.allaboutlearningpress.com . We bought the most basic package. They also have the spelling curriculum we will use later. 


We are now looking for a piece of the curriculum that is way overpriced! Below is "Ziggy the Zebra Puppet!" If you find a zebra arm puppet that allows the mouth to open and close  and is cheaper than $18; buy it and we will pay you back. We will not need it until next January (so we have a year to be on the look out). It is important that it is a zebra and that it's mouth can move b/c we will work on syllables with "Ziggy!"
Thank you sooooo much!

 

This is Ziggy!!!! Look for something like this!!!!



A&C

D is for Dinosaur!!!

We chose to take a break from our colors and enjoy some 'Dinosaur Fun!' Ultimately, we hope to give her a good, Biblical foundation to explain dinosaurs. This can be very confusing for children and even adults! We will teach her about these interesting creatures' existence based on scripture, since it is sufficient for all things. A couple of our favorite books that will help us in teaching Jordyn are 'D is for Dinosaur' and 'A is for Adam', by Ken Hamm. These books explain how dinosaurs were created on Day 6 of creation, some entered Noah's ark while others did not, then the ones that made it off the ark were killed by many possible factors. Overall they dispel the mystery of when dinosaurs lived, how they died, and how finding them now in the ground does not contradict the Bible or a 7 day creation, but actually harmonizes nicely. Below are some pictures of our dinosaur fun!

Dinosaur Tot Shelf!

Sensory Bin!

She loves the Geodes.

Good ol' Dinosaur scoop...

Dot Fun!

Coloring Page!

God Created Dinosaurs on Day 6!

Some dinosaurs entered the ark!

Some dinosaurs did not!

The dinosaurs that came off the ark died over time too.

Here are some ways they could have died hunters, ice age, volcanoes, storms, disease, drought, or snow.

The grand finale....an erupting volcano!!!!

 

She was very tired after this exciting day! We plan to play in the sensory bin, make dinosaur footprints in play dough, and do more coloring (she needs lots of practice)! All in all, it was a BLAST! 

 



A&C

Something's Fishy!!

So, there has been a bit of an addition to our family. We are now three fish heavier than a day ago. Jordyn loves them, of course, and Alvin and I are pretty fond of them too. None of us have ever owned fish before. One thing we have already noticed is that even fish have a way of inspiring awe in our Creator. They show us, in a more special way, His wisdom, His power, and His ultimate superiority to us. Just like Job said:

Job 12:7-8 "But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you."

 

10 gallon paradise.

Jordyn, what sound does the fish make...?

"Jett" (by day and by night) ~ Glo Tetra



"Scooter" ~ Striped Tetra



"Gabe" ~ Fresh Water Angel Fish

 A&C

"Go West Young....Family."

Well, we had the exciting privilege of visiting with some very special family this year at Christmas. This trip is always a pleasant one. However, this year, the occasion was particularly noteworthy. Alvin, Gwen, and Sage were able to come in from Colorado and join the festivities. This would mean that Jordyn would meet her Aunt Sage "Pi", "Papa" Alvin, and Gwen for the first time. She would also get to see her Auntie Kerry, Barbara, and "H" again. You can imagine our excitement in the prospect of getting these two little girls together, Jordyn and Sage. The results were not disappointing. Here are some of those moments.



Bon Appetit!

Puzzle Mania!

Can't start em' too young.

1 down, 3 to go.

So many gifts, so little time.

Merry Christmas, Jordyn!

A quick break to enjoy the lute.

Gotta love the blocks.

Sage tries to teach Jordyn.

Instant pals.

There is no celebration without books.

In the end, the trip was thoroughly filled with safety, love, and family. The mercies that we receive on a daily basis are beyond our ability to fully perceive. However, the special mercies that we receive in the form of family, though perceived well, are simply too wonderful to be fully understood or appreciated. We have much to be thankful for, and we have felt its weight this Christmas.

Soli Deo Gloria

A&C