Walking by the Way

T is for Teddy Bear

Please read the information about Read to Me & ABC here

Read to Me

Our book of the week was Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom.  

Alphabet Art- Toothpick T

Supplies
T Pattern
toothpicks
glue
markers

Simon colored all over the T with markers. Then I put a strip of glue on in a T shape. He glued toothpicks on the T shape.

Lessons & Lapbook

I used the lessons for Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? from Before Five in a Row. I used some of the lapbook printables from Homeschool Share and some of the T printables from the Alphabet Notebook.  

Simon loves dressing Jesse Bear in his lapbook. I laminated the pieces and added some Velcro for stickability.

Right side of the lapbook with family book opened and cards out of pockets.

Playing the "Find the Bears Game" was a huge hit! We hid the cards in all kinds of crazy places. Simon never tires of this game.  Here is one hiding in a row of books.

We glued this rhyme to the back of the lapbook. Simon enjoyed acting it out (with and without his teddy bear!).

Simon also had fun with his Bear Family Dress-Up Puzzle.  I found this years ago at a book sale.

Let’s Make a Memory ~ Build-A-(Teddy)-Bear

Simon didn’t have a teddy bear, so we decided to make a special memory this time. Thanks so much to a kind friend who made this possible for us!

Simon’s bear, Chocolate Chip Jesse, is on the left. Elijah’s bear, Paddington, is on the right. 

Note: If you already have plenty of stuffed friends, or if a trip to Build-A-Bear is not something you want to do, you can make a memory by hosting a teddy bear picnic for your child’s furry friends! You can even invite other preschoolers to share the fun.

Book Basket
How Do You Say It Today, Jesse Bear by Nancy White Carlstrom
Happy Birthday, Jesse Bear by Nancy White Carlstrom
Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear by Nancy White Carlstrom
The Teddy Bears’ Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy
Corduroy by Don Freeman
A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman

We also listened to A Bear Called Paddington multiple times. Both boys really like the adventures of this mischief-finding bear from darkest Peru.

Shopping List
~ toothpicks (flat are best for preschoolers)
~ Aleene’s Tacky Glue
~ treats for a Teddy Bear Picnic

S is for Snow

Please read the information about Read to Me & ABC here

Read to Me

Simon winging a snow angel.

Our book of the week was Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats.  

Alphabet Art- Shiny Silver S

Supplies
S Pattern
Aluminum Foil

Cut squares of foil out and let your preschooler glue them to the S to make it super, shiny, and silver! 

Lessons & Lapbook

I used the lessons for The Snowy Day from Before Five in a Row and some of the lapbook printables from Homeschool Share.  

Let’s Make a Memory ~ Shaving Cream Snow

shaving cream + one table + no shirt = one happy kid!

Let’s Make a Memory ~ Painting Snow

Let’s Make a Memory ~ Spraying Snow

I filled Simon’s spray bottle with some water and food coloring.  He loved this and brought me his spray bottle every time he went out to play in the snow.

Book Basket
The Mitten by Jan Brett
The Hat by Jan Brett
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Dream Snow by Eric Carle
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt
Snowbears by Martin Waddell
Snow is Falling by Franklyn M. Branley
Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

Shopping List
~shaving cream
~ tempera paint
~ food colors
~ spray bottle
~ aluminum foil

D is for Dog

Please read the information about Read to Me & ABC here

Read to Me

Our book of the week was Angus Lost by Marjorie Flack.  

Alphabet Art- Do-a-Dot D

Supplies
D Pattern
Do-A-Dot Markers

This is a SUPER simple alphabet art.  Just dot the D! 

Lessons & Lapbook
I used the lessons for Angus Lost from Before Five in a Row and some of the lapbook printables from Homeschool Share.  
 

Well, Angus might be black, but this little dog is RAINBOW!

back of the book

Let’s Make a Memory ~ Doggie Games

We played Doggy, Doggy, Where’s Your Bone?.

We also played Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone.  I hid Simon’s stuffed puppies, and we would sing the song.  Then Simon would hunt down the lost dogs.  This was simple, but it helped him learn the song and he loved it! 

Book Basket
Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack
Angus and the Cat by Marjorie Flack
Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone by Iza Trapani
How Much Is That Doggie in the Window? by Iza Trapani
Our Puppies Are Growing by Carolyn Otto
Dogs (Usborne Beginners)


Shopping List
~Do-A-Dot Markers
~stuffed puppy (any kind of dog/puppy toy will work for the games)

M is for Moon

Please read the information about Read to Me & ABC here

Read to Me

Our book of the week was Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.  

Alphabet Art- Mitten M

Supplies
M Pattern (I used the large capital M & printed it at 80%)
paint
small mittens cut from felt or fun foam
glue

Simon wanted to paint the M red before gluing on the fuzzy felt mittens.   

Lessons & Lapbook

I used the lessons for Goodnight Moon from Before Five in a Row and some of the lapbook printables from Homeschool Share.   What a rich book this is!   It references a fun nursery rhyme ("Hey Diddle Diddle") AND a fun fairy tale (Goldilocks and the Three Bears); we had lots of good snuggly reading time with this one!

back of the lapbook (stores sorting cards for Goldilocks and the Three Bears)

Let’s Make a Memory ~ Make a Messy Moonscape

This idea came from No Time for Flashcards.  You mix up a homemade puffy paint and let your student finger paint a large moon!   If you have the opportunity, it’s also fun to let your child look at the moon with a telescope and to discuss the craters on the surface of the moon.

For this project you need:
~measuring cup
~1/2 cup glue
~1 1/2 cups shaving cream
~spatula for stirring
~bowl
~black poster board
~white crayon
~a large circular item (bowl or lamp shade) to trace
~yellow paint (optional)

First, trace a large circle on your poster board (I used a black poster board, so I used a white crayon).  

Next, let your little person help you mix up glue, shaving cream, and a bit of yellow paint (if desired) to concoct the puff paint. 

Remove your tot’s shirt and let him make his moon.   Once he’s finished, put it somewhere nice and high to dry (for 24 hours) before hanging it on the wall (or the fridge…or wherever you decide to stick it).

Book Basket
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (any version)
The Moon illustrated by Tracy Campbell Pearson
The Moon Might be Milk by Lisa Shulman
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff


Shopping List
~felt (any color will do for the alphabet art)
~shaving cream
~glue
~black poster board
~yellow paint (optional)

B is for Boat

Please read the information about Read to Me & ABC here

Read to Me

Our main book of the week was My Blue Boat by Chris Demarest.

Alphabet Art- Bubbly Blue B



Supplies
B Pattern (I used the large capital B)
blue paint & paint brush
bubble wrap
rubber cement

Simon painted the B blue.  After it was dry, I cut it out and covered it in rubber cement.  I put a piece of bubble wrap on top and cut around it to meet the B shape. 

Lessons & Lapbook

Simon stamped the inside of his folder with a sailboat stamp.

I used the lessons from Before Five in a Row and bits of the lapbook from Homeschool Share.  I also used a few of the B printables from the Alphabet Notebook page at Homeschool Share.   This lapbook is pretty simple (and that’s okay!).

We sang LOTS of fun songs during this unit!

Simon’s B book included bananas, books, a baby, a beaver, and a barn.

After Simon painted his blue B, he had extra paint…so I gave him a piece of paper.  He filled it up with "ocean" so I decided to find him a sailboat to paint and add to the sea. 

This painting is a result of one of the lessons from Before Five in a Row.

We also had fun singing and swimming whales through the air.

Let’s Make a Memory ~ Ice Boats!

This is cheap, easy, and loads of fun for your preschooler.  Just get a freezable container, fill it with food colored water, put foil on top, pop a popsicle in, and freeze.    The next day, pop the mold out, add a fun foam sail, and you’ve got an ice boat! 

Book Basket
Baby Beluga (Raffi)
The Wheels on the Bus (Raffi)
Boat Book by Gail Gibbons
Busy Boats by Tony Mitton

Shopping List
~small plastic boat (I gave Simon one as a surprise.  I have pictures of him playing with it in the bath tub, but I didn’t get one that’s postable!)
~sailboat stamp (I found mine at Hobby Lobby with 3 other stamps for .99) & ink pad
~food coloring (ice boats)
~fun foam (ice boats)
~popsicle sticks (ice boats)
~bubble wrap
~rubber cement
~blue paint

Y is for Yellow

Please read the information about Read to Me & ABC here

Read to Me

Our main book of the week was Yellow Ball by Molly Bang.

Alphabet Art- Yellow Yarn Y



Supplies
Y Pattern (I used the large capital Y)
glue (Aleene’s Tacky Glue is great)
yellow yarn cut into strips

Add glue to the Y.  Let your preschooler add the pieces of yarn to the Y. 

Lessons & Lapbook

I used the lessons from Before Five in a Row and the lapbook from Homeschool Share.  I also used a few of the Y printables from the Alphabet Notebook page at Homeschool Share.  

Let’s Make a Memory ~ Yellow Day!

The boys got up and got dressed in yellow shirts.  We made…

Yellow Breakfast (pancakes with a bit of yellow food coloring)

and Yellow Lunch (scrambled eggs, banana, pineapple juice…a bit weird, I know!)

and did a Yellow Painting

Simon also got a yellow ball to play with.  He even went to sleep with it (just like the boy in the book!).

Book Basket
Beach Ball by Peter Sis
Ducky by Eve Bunting
10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle

Shopping List
~yellow yarn
~items for Yellow Day! (yellow plates, yellow cups, yellow food items, yellow food coloring, yellow paint, etc.)
~yellow ball (I found mine at Dollar Tree in the summer)

C is for Carrot

Please read the information about Read to Me & ABC here

Read to Me

Our main book of the week was The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss.

Alphabet Art – Carrot C

Supplies
C Pattern (I used the large capital C)
orange fun foam
green crayon
glue

Cut small triangles from the orange fun foam.  Let your student glue them on the C.  When finished, draw carrot tops with the green carrot. 

Lessons & Lapbook

I used the lessons from Before Five in a Row.  I am doing this with a handful of the books in the Read to Me & ABC program, but we are saving most of the Before Five in a Row lessons for next year when Simon is four.   I used pieces of the lapbook from Homeschool Share.  You could also used some of the C printables from the Alphabet Notebook page at Homeschool Share.

Simon loved the carrot top observation activity.  I don’t have pictures of the tops growing, but they took off in just a few days!    I remember when Elijah and I did this many years ago…the carrot tops took FOREVER.

Another observation activity we did was the old Queen Anne’s Lace in colored water trick. 

Simon learned that plants drink from the bottom.  This was really helpful, actually.  It helped him understand that he shouldn’t water the tops of the plants in the garden. 

Let’s Make a Memory! ~ Pulling up Carrots!

I have to tell you, I have no clue what letter we are going to focus on from week to week.  I have a general idea of what we will do, but I don’t have things mapped out.  The carrots were ready about the 2nd week of July, so I decided to pull out The Carrot Seed.   If you don’t have any carrots to pick (chances are…you don’t!), you can "plant" some carrots from the grocery store in a sandbox or in the ground and let your student pull them up.   My original idea for Let’s Make a Memory was to make a yummy carrot cake together, so that’s another option.

Book Basket
Muncha, Muncha, Muncha by Candace Fleming
Incy by Inch: The Garden Song
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
The Giant Carrot by Jan Peck
How a Seed Grows by Helen Jordan
The Enormous Carrot by Vladimir Vagin

Shopping List
~ingredients for carrot cake
~carrots (if you need some to plant or do the carrot tops)
~food coloring & a carnation (or Queen Anne’s Lace if you can find it)
~orange fun foam (for the alphabet art)