Autumn is finally here and with it comes all sorts of fall fun! Over the weekend we trimmed and burned lower tree limbs on a set of trees, and mowed around them so the kids would have their own little forest. Another tree is just right for the 6 year old to climb up in on her own (and get down, thank the Lord), and if we boost the 4 year old, she shimmies right up there, too. This brought up 2 main things that just naturally/accidentally happened. I call this accidental learning…
These tree trimmings allowed us to talk about:
Taking care of trees/plants you already have
Camouflage
Why trees might die without light
Adaptation of a tree to no light (trunk is bent 3 in. up and growing toward a gap in the trees to the sun)
We also took a short walk around our back yard and discussed:
How to identify trees- by leaves, seeds, smell or bark
Rings on a tree stump and what they mean, what this year’s rings will look like with lots of rain
What trees we had (some clues were given)
Walnuts and Osage oranges (aka hedge/ hedge apples)- whether they were edible or not
Squirrels burying acorns and walnuts and making new trees for next year
Colors and shapes of leaves
Worksheeting:
Finishing up some of the stuff they missed last week (coloring pages, etc).
Learned a bit about the months in the fall and using capital letters on months.
Autumn pages (apple patterns, copying sentences, etc.)
ex. Scarecrow coloring page (draw in a face)
Gourd Maze
Math- 6 year old [3 of the 2 digit piggy pages]
Math- 4 year old [trace and write 9/10 and nine/ten plus review of 1-10 numbers in Sofia book]
Writing for the 6 year old:
I had her write all the Kindergarten words again, and she got them ALL!
I found the first set of 1st grade words and had her write the first set of them 2x apiece.
Topical reading:
The Tree Stump by Forbes
Under the Apple Tree by Metzger
Pablo’s Tree by Mora
the Gumdrop tree by Spurr
The Tallest Tree by Overlie
Cherry Tree Children by Blaisdell
Pigs from A-Z (building a treehouse) by Geisert
The Friendship Tree by Caple
The Alphabet Tree by Lionni
The Cookie Tree by Williams
Reference: Arbor Day Leaflets and Tree Guide
Media:
Reading Rainbow video ‘Once There Was A Tree’
Hands-on:
Cracking pecans
Scooping out pumpkins and drawing faces on jack o’lanterns
Smelling and feeling walnuts in different stages of growth
Osage oranges/ hedge
Art:
Best tree ever
Draw your best jack o’lantern
6 year old Independent Reading:
How to be A Pirate by Cowell
How to Speak Dragonese by Cowell
Dear America Voyage on the Great Titanic Diary of Margaret Ann Brady 1912 by White
Dear America My Face to the Wind The Diary of Sarah Jane Price A Prairie Teacher by Murphy
Choose Your Own Adventure Owl Tree by Montgomery
Butterfly Battle Magic School Bus Chapter Book by White
13-story Treehouse by Griffiths
Dancing Magic Silverlake Fairy School by Lindsay
Henry and Mudge the First Book by Rylant
4 yo Reading Time:
Heavy Metal Mater and Other Tall Tales by Cars /Disney/Pixar
Piglet’s Big Movie
Mine, Yours, Ours by Albert
Today I will fly! by Willems
The completed Hickory Dickory Dock by Aylesworth
Linking up with homeschooling linky: http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/weekly-wrap-up/
