Sideways Saturday

A few days ago, I decided I was OVER the current curriculum I'm doing with Three.  He hates it.  Therefore, I hate it.  It's no fun making him do work he hates.  So, I decided to ditch it.  I have a bunch of file folder games passed on to me by a friend (Hallelujah!) and he will be required to do one math game (either a file folder game or a game from the book Games for Math,) and one literacy game each day.  He will be required to do two workbook pages in "Get Ready for the Code."  We will start with Hooked on Phonics, we will work on sight words, and we will do a "unit study" with Four for science and social studies.

Book suggestions:  The Snowy Day,  The Mitten, Three Little Kittens, Bear Stays Up.

Make some paper snowflakes. Discuss how every snowflake is different. Look at snowflakes through a microscope on this site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2009/jan/07/1

We will play with "snow" in the form of shaving cream, and mashed potato flakes.

I will freeze a sheet of water and have the boys try to drive a matchbox car on the ice.  Then we will sprinkle salt on the ice, and learn about why there are salt trucks out when we have snow or ice.

I hope to make borax snowflakes....I'm off to the store to look for some borax right now.

Make this:  http://www.eslkidstuff.com/Worksheets/snowmancraft.gif

Gather up all your winter gear!  Scarves, hats, boots, jackets, mittens.

Song: (sung to tune of "Are You Sleeping")
"It is snowing, it is snowing,
On my head, on my head
I need a hat, I need a hat,
On my head, on my head"

Vocabulary: As you sing name the body part in the above song, let the children pick out the correct article of clothing to finish the verse. For example, if you say feet...they would pick boots. (This was a HUGE hit at my house last time, I can't wait to do it again.

We will talk about arctic animals and where they can be found.  I downloaded this:  Arctic-Animals-Research-Reading from teacherspayteachers, it's FREE!  I also printed these:  http://www.kidsparkz.citymax.com/f/Arctic_Animals_flashcards.pdf to go along with the reading.

We will also work on making this:  http://www.homeschoolshare.com/polar_animals_lapbook.php

I will freeze some toys in a bowl of ice and have the boys hypothesize about how to get them out.

I'm going to work on listening skills and make a scavenger hunt with this rhyme.  I will take the colored paper mittens and hide them in the locations mentioned in the rhyme, they will have to listen and then go find the mitten.


My poor little kitten lost her mitten
And started to cry, boo-hoo.
So I helped my kitten to look for her mitten.
Her beautiful mitten of BLUE.

I found a mitten just right for a kitten
Under my mother’s bed.
But, alas, the mitten was not the right mitten,
For it was colored RED.

I found a mitten just right for a kitten
Under my father’s pillow.
But, alas, the mitten was not the right mitten,
For it was colored YELLOW.

I found a mitten just right for a kitten
On the hand of my brother’s toy clown.
But, alas, the mitten was not the right mitten,
For it was colored BROWN.

I found a mitten just right for a kitten
Under the laundry so clean.
But, alas, the mitten was not the right mitten,
For it was colored GREEN.

I found a mitten just right for a kitten
Inside a grocery bag.
But, alas, the mitten was not the right mitten,
For it was colored BLACK.

I found a mitten just right for a kitten
Under the kitchen sink.
But, alas, the mitten was not the right mitten,
For it was colored PINK.

I found a mitten just right for a kitten
Inside my favorite shoe.
And this time the mitten was just the right mitten,
For it was colored BLUE!