Hh week (old news)

I know it's very confusing. To catch you up, I started with Aa week, then Hh, then Ee, then Ff. I didn't start blogging until Ee week and decided that I would have to catch up on Aa and Hh when I could. There you go.

Monday- Not a good preschool day. It was too long and boring and nothing tactile involved. It's one of those days that helped me realize that I needed drawing or cutting or playdough every day. And I didn't come to the conclusion that My God emphasis day should not be governed by the alphabet and that the format was all wrong until Ff week. Ok...

Tuesday- This day has a funny tale. 5yo is obsessed with bum-bums. It's Hero day and I get a book from the library with a bunch of heros. I already returned it. Can't tell you the title. One of those heros is Lady Godiva. The important parts are covered, but you see a leg and the hip (bum, if you will.) 5yo noticed it before I did. "Oh great!" So I scan and print all the pictures that I wanted to talk about in preschool and 5yo realizes that Godiva is not included. He refuses to cut out the pictures unless the bum-bum is one of them. It is a good story: She tells her husband that the towns people can't afford higher taxes and she dares her to ride naked through the town. If she does he promises not to raise the taxes. She rides naked through the town and gets herself on the hero list. So I give in and print up Lady Godiva and 5yo cuts out every hero picture beautifully. Completely dumb founded when I try to explain taxes to him, though.

I kept my composure while talking about all the heros. Thought I was going to loose it with the firefighters and the world trade center and the hero from Tianiman Square. (Already returned the book, sorry about the spelling.) There was an unknown young man who was the first to stand in front of the tank. Probably the first to die I imagine. The point about heros that I did eventually make was that these people were brave and they did the right thing. Some times being a hero means you might be in danger. Other times you're not in any danger. Then I reminded the 5yo that when he helped the dressing room clerk unlock one of the doors by climbing under the door and moving the latch was being a hero. He liked that.

Wednesday- Heart- This was a great day. I happened to find a stethoscope at the thrift store for $4. (I cleaned it up good.) But what a luck break. We found everyone's pulse and wrote them down. Then I didn't some exercise and took my pulse again. They actually didn't care. I was suprized. So I passed out the heart-shaped cookie cutters and I tried to teach them how to trace the outside. Scribbling on the inside was easier to do and 5yo did a great job. 2yo usually draws a lot of large round things and little tiny scribbles that mimic cursive. I think that's on the right track. I'll have to look that up. I made a heart to go on our poster board body. I tried to make it a cross between a real heart and the symmetrical heart shape so they could see how their related.
I believe we might have gotten out the playdough this day. It was lots of tactile stuff: drawing and squeezing and rolling and smashing.

Thursday- This was a great day, too. I tried to tell them about the difference between a house and a home. I don't think they got it. But they appreciated my house map. I drew red, dotted lines to show how to get out of each room. I believe each room is supposed to have two exits, but if my kids can't go up the stairs, they're out of luck. I don't think any of them can open a window and the basement windows are blocked. One by the bay window and the other by the deck. And there's no ladders to hang from the upstairs window. I think I can make a trap door for the deck, but ladders for the upstais? Probably fall to their deaths just trying to get over the side. (Sorry, one of those things that I ponder too much upon.) So I counselled the kids that if they can't get out the door, to close their bedroom window and yell for help until the firefighter comes to rescue them. Boy, how do you teach kids the facts of life without scaring the petudy out of them.

The fun part of the day was when I got out the square, triangle and diamond shaped blocks. They loved building houses with them. And they were so proud of me and the houses I built. You just never know what they're going to love.

Friday- We have sung the ABC song and used the white 'Hooked on Phonics' cards everyday this week. I just didn't write it every time. We talked about horses. Maybe this was the day that we glued craft stick together to make an H. And perhaps this was the day we shaped cookie dough into letters. The kids might be to young for this still, but I think after doing it every week they're going to catch on to making a snake and shaping it. 5yo loves to make an E by squishing pieces together, which is great, but he asks me to make all the other letters he wants. Tip- let the letter cookies cool about 8 minutes before taking them off the cookie sheet. Too soon and they crumble. Too late and they break.

Field Trip- The best! Went down to Thanksgiving Point to ride on their ponies. We also got to milk a cow and they loved the garden exibit. 8yo was all about the conveyer belt and made up a game for us all to play. Only $10 for me and my three kids. I think we'll go there more often.