Winter Wonderland Curriculum Booklist
Posted by Michelle on Jul 2, 2010
Curriculum coming soon… but here is the book list.
Harvest Time Curriculum Preschool/Kindergarten
Posted by Michelle on Jun 3, 2010
Harvest Time 12 Week Curriculum
(Preschool-Kindergarten / Ages 4-6)
I developed this Harvest Time curriculum when my oldest was in kindergarten and my middler in preschool (originally published Aug 2008 Nature’s Way Learning). It is the first term of a 3 term year schedule that focuses on the rhythm of the seasons with a special emphasis on holidays and nature. To complete the year you will also need to download (coming soon) Winter Wonderland (term two) and Bees, Butterflies and Buds (term three). This program was designed as a gentle way to introduce my children to the world around us. We read, baked, and crafted together. We did great big messy art and made a long lasting Harvest Quilt that is often fought over when we snuggle on the couch. It was a wonderful year that we all enjoyed thoroughly. I’m now dusting it off in preparation of using it again with my youngest and wanted to share it with our readers. I thought some of you might enjoy learning along with us this fall. I am also working on updating the other two terms and will have those curriculum guides posted later this summer.
Harvest Time
Posted by Michelle on Jun 3, 2010
My Homeschool Companion Guide for our Harvest Time Unit is almost complete. I should have it available in a printer friendly PDF later today.
UPDATE: The unit is now available at Wee Folk Art.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Posted by Michelle on May 27, 2010
We just finished reading “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” and absolutely loved it! Grace Lin wove together many Chinese Folk Tales into one great adventure story that my children adored (I loved it too). We checked it out from the library to use with our Ancient China studies but Bug insists that we need to add it to our personal library because he wants to read it again.
The story is about a young girl from a poor family who seeks out to change her family’s fortune. Along the way she encounters many characters from Chinese folk tales, makes many friends and in the end learns that her family is her fortune. There are a lot of great lessons that can be expanded on in discussions with your children.
Ack… where is everything?!
Posted by Michelle on Feb 2, 2010
Several months ago I moved everything from Nature’s Way Learning to Wee Folk Activities. Since then I have decided to limit access to friends and family only. BUT I still want to make all my curriculum tools available. I will be collecting my stuff together here in a user friendly format as I get a chance.
Kindergarten/Preschool Term One Overview (Harvest Time)
Posted by Michelle on Aug 20, 2008
This year our main social studies focus is on the seasons and holidays. Term one will start on the farm, bringing in the harvest and taking us into the holiday season. It will be very hands on with lots of crafts and baking. In science we will be using our senses to make observations and always asking questions like; How does if feel? How does it taste? What does it sound like? etc.
Our Break Down for the Year:
Term One: Sept, Oct Nov
Dec off
Term Two: Jan, Feb, Mar
Term Three: Apr, May, June
July, Aug off
We will be loosely following a Weekly Schedule (Preschool and Kindergarten)… with my general outline being:
Every Day: Pledge, Calendar, Days of the Week, Weather, Poem of the Month, Circle Time (songs & finger plays), Prayer, Free Art Time (play dough, water colors or colored pencils - their choice).
M: Read Story of the Week, Introduce an Art History Image, Introduce the Letter of the Week
Tu: Read Story of the Week, Complete a Handwriting Page, Craft/Directed Art
W: Read Expansion Book, Read Flower Fairy Alphabet Story and color Alphabet Book Page
Th: Read Story of the Week, Complete a Handwriting Page, Do an Illustration and a Narration in Our Story Journal about the Story of the Week
F: Baking Time, Nature Study/Science Theme/Field Trip, Finish Craft if Needed
Daily (Kindergarten only)
Phonics & Math (We are using ReadingA-Z.com and Right Start Math)
Days of the Week Song (sung to the tune of Fara Jocka)
Seven days, seven days,
In a week, in a week,
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday,
That’s a week.
Poem of the Month for September:
Little Boy Blue
Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn;
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He’s under a haystack, fast asleep.
Will you wake him?
No, not I. For if I do he’s sure to cry.
Composer for the Term: Tchaikovsky (Listen during free play or art time. You might want to watch one of his ballets like the Nutcracker or Swan Lake.)
Art History: You can choose an individual artist to study for a term (like recommended by Charlotte Mason) or use the Come Look With Me series of books to focus on a theme instead. We will be using Come Look With Me for now starting with Animals in Art.
Bedtime Reading: Some suggestions that come to mind are James Herriot’s Treasury for Children, Farmer Boy or Charlotte’s Web. We tend to mix up a couple chapters in a ‘big’ book one night with the kids’ pick of picture books the next. But both my 3yr old and 5yr old are really enjoying Farmer Boy right now (keep asking for one more chapter please) and I think we will be done with it long before the term is up.
Term One Book List
Craft for the Week: Modeled food (use salt dough to form veggie food shapes, paint when dry)
Baking Recipe for the Week: Carrot Cake
Craft for the Week: Stuffed Art (have kids draw a farm animal on fabric, cut out basic shape outline with a second piece too, sew together and stuff)
Baking Recipe for the Week: Homemade Butter and Bread
Craft for the Week: Tracks in the Mud (dip a variety of items in paint and then create tracks on the page)
Baking Recipe for the Week: Grape Nut Cookies
Craft for the Week: Quilt Square (we will make one a month to use to make a year end quilt)
Baking Recipe for the Week: Yellow Cake
Craft for the Week: Apple Prints
Baking Recipe for the Week: Apple Bread
Craft for the Week: Pine Cone Bird Feeders
Baking Recipe for the Week: Apple Pie/Crisp
Week Seven:
Craft for the Week: Weaving Project or Something with Wool Roving
Baking Recipe for the Week: ?
Week Eight:
Craft for the Week: Painting Pumpkins
Baking Recipe for the Week: Pumpkin Muffins
Week Nine:
Craft for the Week: Quilt Square
Baking Recipe for the Week: Popcorn Balls and/or Carmel Apples
Week Ten:
Craft for the Week: Craft for the Week: Beeswax Candles
Baking Recipe for the Week: Gingerbread Cookies
Week Eleven:
Craft for the Week: Table Decorations (Centerpieces or Place settings for our Thanksgiving Table)
Baking Recipe for the Week: Pretzels
Week Twelve:
Craft for the Week: Quilt Square
Baking Recipe for the Week: Corn Bread Muffins
Additional Resources This Term:
