Reading Our Way Through "c" week... Well with all the other events of this week - it seems I have little energy to do much more than read to the kids on the themes of the week. We have done some hands-on experiments including making homeade crystals. As I type this the kids are playing with their cars on their car roll-out village mat and having a good time using their imagination. We just spent an hour reading on different subjects related to our theme of "C' - today we traveled to the circus, rode on a Conestoga wagon, counted dinosaurs and visited long ago and far away castles. On the way to pick up Serona from the airport (he has been in Cincinnati all week) we will catch up on the adventures of our favorite clownfish "Nemo" on a read-along CD. We also made the kids their own calendars as we talked about the concept of time as it relates to calendars. Tonight we intend to make our own log cabin with our Lincoln Logs and perhaps let the kids "camp out" in a tent.

Even if we don't do much true "schoolwork" - I would say that reading as many books as we do that we are definitely learning as we go through our days. We also point out C wherever we go and keep our active word list. It is truly amazing how many things are interrelated once you start looking. I find the "C" in almost everything we do by being creative and when I miss it the kids are usually able to point it out. Sometimes this creativity brings the joy and simplicity back into our lives as well.

Well here is the reading list so far for today:

Czech Republic by Henry Pluckrose
Count-a-saurus by Nancy Blumenthal
Parade Day: Marching Through the Calendar Year by Bob Barner
Canals by Elaine Landau
Castles by Franklin Watts
Circus Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Going West by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Covered wagons)

I am also excited for tomorrow's character lessons. I plan to use "Quick as a Cricket" as my main lesson plan and talk about all the different character traits in the book and how our characteristics make us up. It is a favorite book in our house and I think the lesson will go well.

Peace,
Tenn