Our Journey Westward » Preschoolers http://ourjourneywestward.com Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:13:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 New! PK/K Nature Curriculum http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/12/new-pkk-nature-curriculum/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/12/new-pkk-nature-curriculum/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:00:07 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=5080 You’ve asked for a long time, and it’s finally here – a nature study curriculum for 2-5 year olds!

I’m so excited to release the first of four seasonal studies for preschoolers and kindergarteners!  In Nature by the Season: Winter, enjoy over 40 nature study activities designed specifically to engage little ones.  Perfectly suitable for little hands, active bodies and bright minds, each nature study includes indoor follow-up ideas to keep the excitement and learning going strong.

Visit Shining Dawn Books to learn more and view a sample.  Facebook friends are enjoying a code to purchase the e-book for only $4.95!

 

 

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/12/new-pkk-nature-curriculum/feed/ 0 A Four-Year-Old Trained in Nature Study http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/10/a-four-year-old-trained-in-nature-study/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/10/a-four-year-old-trained-in-nature-study/#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:47:36 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=4512 Eli is our nature treasure hunter.  While the rest of us set out on our nature walks with high hopes to stumble upon something great, it’s often Eli (the preschooler) who finds the most greatness.  He loves nature walks and finds great joy in his keen sense of discovering things that make the rest of us “ooh” and “aah”.  I think it helps, too, that he’s closer to the ground than the rest of us!  At any rate, it blesses me beyond measure to see his excitement in exploring God’s wonderful creation.  Some of his recent finds…

Asiatic Dayflower. When open, Eli thinks it looks like a dragon. I think he's right.

Caterpillar Egg Casings

Can you see the hair-like fungus growing on the tomato?

Eli finds all sorts of fungi. This one is a tiny bracket fungus.

A beautiful spider web catching the sun.

A "furry" acorn growing on a white oak tree.

Do you see the caterpillar hanging out inside the morning glory bloom?

Don’t underestimate your preschoolers and their abilities!  Their greatness might surprise you!

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/10/a-four-year-old-trained-in-nature-study/feed/ 2 Nature Study with a Toddler or Preschooler http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/nature-study-with-a-toddler-or-preschooler/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/nature-study-with-a-toddler-or-preschooler/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:40:24 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=4266 One theme Melissa and I have noticed several times in questions is whether or not our units are appropriate for the younger crowd five and under. While 1st through 8th graders were our target audience, we didn’t leave out the little ones! (Or the bigger ones for that matter.)

In each unit, there’s a section written specifically for little ones with ideas for sensory skills, motor skills, broadening vocabulary skills and several hands-on explorations. There are also fun crafts, cooking and dramatic play ideas for little hands.

At the same time, most of the outdoor activities in the main section of the units can be used with young children, too!

Here are a few examples of how my two-year-old son has tagged along during our recent nature studies. And maybe I shouldn’t even use the words “tagged along” because he was learning just as much as us on his own level!

Hes probably more serious about finding things in nature than his big brother and sister!

He's probably more serious about finding things in nature than his big brother and sister!

Throwing and hitting help him learn about the world around him.

Throwing and hitting help him learn about the world around him.

We touch a lot of things and I use descriptive words.

We touch a lot of things and I use descriptive words.

I never force nature on him, I let him make his own discoveries - and his finds are often better than mine!

I never force nature on him, I let him make his own discoveries - and his finds are often better than mine!

I always let him take part in what the big kids are doing if he wants.

I always let him take part in what the big kids are doing if he wants.

God reveals Himself through nature to our little ones as well as us! Don’t leave little guys and gals out!

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/nature-study-with-a-toddler-or-preschooler/feed/ 0 Preschool Snow Study http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/preschool-snow-study/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/preschool-snow-study/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:19:37 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=4242

When it’s a bit too cold for little ones to be outside learning about snow, bring the snow inside! A simple box of snow is a great form of indoor snow study – and it’s LOTS of fun! (Oh, and it keeps preschoolers busy for a REALLY long time. WooHoo!)

This is just one of many ideas found in our Snow and Ice NaturExplorers unit! We’re expecting more snow in KY this weekend and Eli’s already asking if we can bring “thome thnow in to pway wiff.” :)

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/preschool-snow-study/feed/ 0 Drip, Drop, Plop http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/drip-drop-plop/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/drip-drop-plop/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:37:43 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=4196 It’s been a very rainy spring in Kentucky, making for lots of rain related nature study. One morning soon after breakfast, and soon after the passing of a storm, my littlest guy and I headed out to find raindrops on plants. (His idea.)

Here are some of the simple (preschool) lessons we learned on our walk…

Large, flat leaves hold pools of water.

Long, skinny leaves hold dainty droplets in rows.

Leaves shaped like a bowl hold lots of water.

Mud is a great place to find animal prints.

Puddles are fun to play in - even in your pajamas.

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/drip-drop-plop/feed/ 0 A Preschool Walk http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/a-preschool-walk/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/a-preschool-walk/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:28:08 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=4151 During a recent study of the letter G with my three-year-old during our preschool time, I was thinking about a fun way to explore the color green. A scavenger hunt nature walk turned out to be perfect for this time of year. With so much of the world around us turning brown because of autumn and the drought we’ve experienced, green is harder to come by around here than you might think. So we set out on a short walk to find as many greens in nature as we could.

You’ll notice as the walk went on, green in nature was replaced with just finding green things. I think the downfall started with the hay bales! :)

Our first find was a green grasshopper! You probably can't see him very well in our picture, but what an exciting thing for my little guy to find right off the bat!

A few green leaves still hang on, especially on bushes.

Green clumps of grass stand out in the midst of brown leaves and acorns.

Two colors of green lichen were very pretty!

Not a great picture, but this was a treasure in the midst of mostly brown acorns.

Green moss felt very soft growing on the side of a tree.

These fallen leaves were sitting in the middle of a low lying nest.

Small remnants of green could still be found on a few wildflowers.

Eli didn't pay much attention to the green growth on this hay bale because...

...this is what he wanted to do!

Mold on this pile of bricks was a very pretty color of green.

I'm supposing this is the same mold as on the bricks.

And finally, Eli insisted on taking this picture himself. If he'd had his way, there would've been many more green photos of farm implements!

Walks like this one will be highlighted in our upcoming preschool nature study curriculum. I’m not sure when you should expect it, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted as the time draws closer.

Oh, and watch for a post soon about the Nature Study and the Holidays walk we took this week looking for red and green. My big kids went along this time and had just as much fun as the preschooler did! Scavenger hunts are so exciting, aren’t they?

<img title=”056″ src=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/056-300×225.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”225″ />

Green moss felt very soft growing on the side of a tree.

<img title=”069″ src=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/069-300×225.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”225″ />

These fallen leaves were sitting in the middle of a low lying nest.

<img title=”061″ src=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/061-225×300.jpg” alt=”" width=”225″ height=”300″ />

Small remnants of green could still be found on a few wildflowers.

<img title=”063″ src=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/063-300×225.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”225″ />

Eli didn&#39;t pay much attention to the green growth on this hay bale because...

<img title=”065″ src=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/065-300×225.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”225″ />

...this is what he wanted to do!

<img title=”058″ src=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/058-300×225.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”225″ />

Mold on this pile of bricks was a very pretty color of green.

<img title=”060″ src=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/060-300×225.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”225″ />

I&#39;m supposing this is the same mold as on the bricks.

<img title=”062″ src=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/062-300×225.jpg” alt=”" width=”300″ height=”225″ />

And finally, Eli insisted on taking this picture himself. If he&#39;d had his way, there would&#39;ve been many more green photos of farm implements!

Walks like this one will be highlighted in our upcoming preschool nature study curriculum.  I’m not sure when you should expect it, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted as the time draws closer.

Oh, and watch for a post soon about the <a href=”http://shiningdawnbooks.com/available-units/holidays-mini-unit/”><span style=”text-decoration: underline;”><strong>Nature Study and the Holidays</strong></span></a> walk we took this week looking for red and green.   My big kids went along this time and had just as much fun as the preschooler did!  Scavenger hunts are so exciting, aren’t they?

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/07/a-preschool-walk/feed/ 0 The Letter T http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/05/the-letter-t/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/05/the-letter-t/#comments Tue, 03 May 2011 00:14:21 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=3927 Wow.  I’m pretty behind on my posts.  We’re actually finished with school for the year and I’m just now publishing our letter T lessons!  And it may not get better over the next month or so.  Our schedule is CrAzY with three kids in ball this spring, not to mention I’ll be writing like a mad woman this month to meet my May 31st deadline.  I’ll get around to posting the rest of the alphabet lessons and other school happenings as I can.  Until then, I hope you’re May is much more relaxed than mine!

This is our letter poster hanging on the wall - a tissue paper tree.

Eli has loved learning about life cycles. This one shows a turtle.

Teeth stickers fill in the T template from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

Playing with tools.

Tikertoys are fun for building.

Dollar Tree workbooks helped Eli learn about triangles.

We sorted and graphed foam triangles.

The foam triangles were fun for art, too.

Transportation was a fun "boy" theme to go along with the letter T.

Of course, we couldn't forget to play with tractors!

Tracing T's in cornmeal was good handwriting practice.

 

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/05/the-letter-t/feed/ 2 The Letter S http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/04/the-letter-s/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/04/the-letter-s/#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:57:20 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=3908 I had to reign myself in on the letter S because there are so many things we could’ve done!

Scooby Doo stickers - the template came from Confessions of a Homeschooler

Smiley face stickers fill this template - also from Confessions of a Homeschooler

A seed planting experiment

Playing store

Building skyscrapers

Straw painting

Star worksheets from a book from the Dollar Tree

Sand and sparkle art with help from big sister

Sink or float experiment

Art with little stampers

Art with shapes

Scissor skills

Sorting shapes - an activity from Preschool Activities in a Bag

Somebody game

I Spy memory game

Skeleton fun

Playing with 3-D shapes

 

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/04/the-letter-s/feed/ 0 The Letter R http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/04/the-letter-r/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/04/the-letter-r/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:20:52 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=3839 We’re motoring on through the alphabet with the letter R!

Have you ever come across a rabbit this colorful? This one rests on our alphabet wall.

We sorted rocks as we talked about textures, colors, sizes and shapes.

Predicting which rocks were heavier was easy to prove with our balance.

Instead of calling this game memory, we called it the "R"emembering game. I included two memory games in the resource widget below that are on my wish list since I don't think this one is available anymore.

This game is called Big Roll Bingo and is super-easy for preschoolers.

Free play with cuisenaire rods was an introduction for math to come.

The whole family acted out The Doorbell Rang with pretzels (instead of cookies).

We loved a peaceful nature walk to the river.

]]> http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/04/the-letter-r/feed/ 1 The Lonely P http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/04/the-lonely-p/ http://ourjourneywestward.com/2011/04/the-lonely-p/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:32:11 +0000 Cindy http://ourjourneywestward.com/?p=3943 Eli wrote his very first story a few weeks ago called The Lonely P.  I thought I’d post it for my new friends Kim Kautzer and Debbie Oldar, authors of WriteShop.  They were our wonderful, WONDERFUL booth neighbors at the Midwest Homeschool Convention last week.  They are such sweet mentors!  Be sure to check out their writing programs!

The Loney P, by Eli, age 4

Once upon a time there were pools that the lonely P swam in. Some kids and dads and moms swam there, too.

The P made a friend, the number 2.

The P swam in one pool and the 2 swam in another pool.

He was a happy P now.

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