This month has been so awesome! I feel like I'm finally getting into the groove of this. I hope this will hold up long after the new baby is born!
I've been planning lessons for Daphne the past two months (ever since June), and this month went particularly smoothly.
Allow me to summarize our lessons (usually grouped by a weekly theme):
July 1-6: Our theme was "Our Nation's Birthday". This week we did a flag craft that required Daphne to color a flag and then attach 50 star stickers in the correct place. She also colored and learned about the Liberty Bell and the Statue of Liberty. We discussed what a symbol was, and how those landmarks are national symbols. I hosted a 4th of July Potluck for a mom's group I am part of on the 3rd. The kids made noise makers, flag cakes and designed their own firework t-shirts. On the 6th, Daphne made a bald eagle puppet, google-y eyes and all! She's so adept at using scissors. Books we read: Happy Birthday, America!, Hats off for the Fourth of July!, and The Flag We Love.
July 7-10: Since July is National Picnic month, Picnics were the theme of this week! On Wednesday and Thursday, we made 2 baskets out of stock paper. Daphne and I explored the differences between fruits and veggies. I then had her cut out fruits and veggies from grocery advertisements and sort them using the baskets we made. Friday was National Teddy Bear Picnic Day so we read, The Teddy Bears' Picnic as well as crafted a little bear with a patriotic shirt (to help reinforce last week's lessons). She glued this onto a brown paper bag and we went on a a teddy bear picnic. Other books we read this week included The Bears' Picnic (Berenstain series) & We're Going on a Picnic!
July 11: We went on a 3 mile hike at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. They had a neat interpretive trail and interpretive center.
July 13-17: This week's theme was boats. We did a sink or swim activity on Tuesday. This activity required Daphne to collect a few items from around the house and predict whether they would sink or swim. We filled a dishpan full of water. Daphne then took each item and placed it in the pan to determine whether her predictions were correct. She then recorded the outcome of her experiment. On Wednesday, we went to the San Diego Maritime Museum. There, we were able to explore a REAL Soviet B-39, a replica of an English Frigate (the one they used in the movie Master & Commander), a ferry, along with many other historic ships. The kids were so thrilled because we actually got to ride on a historic boat! It was an hour-long boat ride, and Lotus held up pretty well! We read Boats, Boats, Boats, and watched a DVD called Paddle to the Sea based on the award-winning book.
July 20-25: This week, we're going to be learning about the earth, the moon, the sun & astronauts to commemorate the first moon landing on July 20, 1969. Yesterday, we read the following books: Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle, One Giant Leap: The Story of Neil Armstrong by Don Brown, Rooftop Rocket Party by Roland Chambers & Man on the Moon by Anastasia Suen (sorry I couldn't provide the authors for the other books, I forgot them). Daphne also colored a picture of the Earth, the sun and the moon. Lol, she pointed out how the Earth had arms. I had to clarify that the earth really didn't have arms. She kept disagreeing, citing her coloring page as evidence! Today (or sometime later this week), we'll be make astronauts using toilet paper rolls and affixing pictures of each girl on their respective astronaut. The top off this week's astronomy adventures, we'll be participating in the Louis Rubidoux Nature Center's Star Party and Evening Nature Walk this Friday at 6:30 PM. Here is a description from the Nature Center's page: Come view the night sky with telescopes from the Astronomical Society! Take a guided evening walk along the creek. Make a scrapbook page! Crafts, refreshments, and much more!
Needless to say, I'm very excited about this all! This morning, I tried on my Babyhawk Mei Tai and discovered that I can still comfortable use it while pregnant! Also, Lotus actually likes it. She was actually very upset when I took it off.
July 25-21: Our theme will be sea life. We'll be learning about octopi, walruses, dolphins and starfish. Crafts this week include making an octopus windsock, a jumping dolphin craft, and textured starfish necklace. This week's theme will actually spill over into the first week of August (3-7) when we will cover, sharks, sand dollars, eels and fish. This two-week theme will end with a visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific on August 8.
