1st Grade Activities: Week 29

Monday
1. Music: sing a made-up song: "Wake up snail..." to her pet garden snail.
2. Art: visit Auguste Rodin statuary and art museum; look at projects in The Encyclopedia of Origami and Papercraft Techniques, Emma Callery: make 2 jointed shadow puppets.
3. Read Aloud: Kiss Good Night, Amy Hest;
Henry and the Kite Dragon, Bruce Edward Hall;
Alice NizzyNazzy: The Witch of Santa Fe, Tony Johnston, illustrated by Tomie dePaola.
4. Reading: McDuff Moves In, Rosemary Wells;
5. P.E.: T-Ball practice; run and play at park.
6. Religion: read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
7. Science/Nature: care of pet snail; observe wasps and nest in a tree; observe tiny ants climbing another tree; watch a video about kittens.
8. Math: calculations for making books: 6 pieces of paper will give you a 12 page book (6 pieces x 2 sides = 12); 10 pieces of paper will give you a 20 page book (10 pieces x 2 sides = 20); 5 pieces of paper will give you a 10 page book (5 pieces x 2 sides = 10). She settled on 5 piceces of paper (+ front and back cover [colored construction paper]). She wants to make a book for her art teacher about pandas.
[She wanted to know the teacher's age, but I told her it was not polite to ask a lady's age. She wanted the number of pages to match her age. I suggested 12, then 20 ;) . But she decided a 10 page book would be fine.]
9. Computer: email art teacher asking her what her favorite animal is and what her favorite color is in order to make her a book as a parting gift (last class of section).

Tuesday
1. Art: make origami paper animals [kit: Easy fold-by-number Wild Animals, Yasutomo & Co.]; decorate a homemade envelope; draw a snail, hearts, flowers; attend Discovering Great Artists class: introduction to American artist Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) and her work; create a piece (watercolor flowers with oil pastel outlines) in similar style, present to the class; present 2 homemade books in front of the class.
2. Telling Time: review hours and minutes, hour hand, minute hand.
3. Geography: study a map of the Mediterranean in the book: The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela: Through Three Continents in the Twelfth Century, Uri Shulevitz (note some familiar places from past reading: Africa, Asia, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Egypt, Jerusalem, Rome).
4. Science/Nature: watch videos: See How They Grow: Forest Animals and The Magic School Bus Goes To Seed.
5. Music: singing, including trying to learn 1st verse of America the Beautiful.
6. Math: math number sequencing worksheet: teens; and 3 simple addition worksheets.
7. Read Aloud: June 29, 1999, David Wiesner;
Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever After, B.G. Hennessy.

Wednesday
1. Religion: pray Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be; attend Girls' Group (class) at church: learn about Saint Bernadette, make blankets for orphanage.
2. Read Aloud: Here Comes Kate, Kay Chorao.
3. History: My Tour of Europe, By Teddy Roosevelt, Age 10, Ellen Jackson.
4: Reading: vocabulary game (read and place sticky tags around the room): chair, globe, shelf, fruit, table;
Our Grandad, Jillian Cutting;
Would You Like to Fly?, Rebel Williams;
Who Says?, Miriam Frost;
Hello, Hello, Hello, Jan McPherson.
5. Library trip.

Thursday
1. Religion: read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Art: draw birds in a homemade book.
3. Science/Nature: make a book about 13 different types of birds; explain it to mom;
Observe birds (with binoculars): descriptions:
1st bird: "red head, tail tip blue, yellow breast, orange beak, black legs, medium sized bird";
2nd bird: "black with orange wings, black legs, small bird";
3rd: "also ravens: big birds".
March 23, 2006. 9:30 a.m. Weather: sunny, "not a cloud in sight, except for a baby one, partly cold, partly warm";
11:00 a.m. Weather: "it's all cloudy and there's no blue in sight. Actually it's beige-blue, so there is some blue in sight. Actually, I found the bluest spot";
Put together a journal to record drawings or information about birds.
Watch video: A Day with Horses;
4. Music: sing songs; attend choir rehearsal.
5. P.E.: run and play at park.
6. Presentation: present more books to art teacher.
7. Reading: "Are you sure you want to shut down your computer now?"
8. Read Aloud: Pocahontas Coloring Book, Brian Doherty.

Friday
1. Religion: pray.
2. Homeschool meeting.
3. Library time; use auto-book checkout station independently.
4: Drama: song and dance about the wind and snowflakes.
5. Reading: browse through children's dictionary;
read The Big Hill, Joy Cowley;
The Tree House, Joy Cowley.
6. Read Aloud: Colors Everywhere, Tana Hoban;
Just Me, Marie Hall Ets;
Abuela, Arthur Dorros;
7. History: read A Sweet Smell of Roses, Angela Johnson (Civil Rights movement).
8. Handwriting: workbook page: Bs and Ds.

1st Grade Activities: Week 28

Monday
1. Phonics: "ar", "ck", short "a" sounds in context: reading cards to choose the day's activities.
2. Read Aloud: Tracks in the Wild, Betsy Bowen;
The Book of the Goat, Jack Denton Scott;
The Three Pigs, David Wiesner;
How Animal Babies Stay Safe, Mary Ann Fraser
3. Math: watch World of Geometry (video).
4. Science/Nature: observation while reading Tracks in the Wild: "The front is like a human's; the back is sort of like a duck" (describing the footprints of a beaver); model from clay: deer and footprints, snail; internet research all about deer: what they eat, where they live, their predators, their habitat.
5. Art: illustrate a book about Easter bunnies; make a deer in a scene (clay and drawings) with footprints and plants, trees, lake: habitat; illustrate a book about T-Ball and dogs at the park.
6. Reading: cards: Pack, Park, Art;
the books: Mouse TV, Matt Novak;
The Eensy, Weensy Spider, Mary Ann Hoberman.
7. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
8. P.E.: play at the park.

Tuesday
1. Science/Nature: read from The Book of the Goat, Jack Denton Scott.
2. Art: attend Discovering Great Artists class, introduction to American artist Alexander Calder (1889-1976), make art creations from wire, clay, and foam, including a cat and a trophy; present them to the class; present the deer in deer habitat created yesterday, tell about the book we read and the research to find out where deer live, what they eat, who their predators are.
3. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day.
4. Read Aloud: The Great Egg Hunt, A.J. Wood;
The Children's Book of Heroes, Williamn J. Bennett.
5. P.E. play at the park.
6. History: read from Helen Keller: Out of a Dark and Silent World, Sandra H. Shichtman (includes historical photos).

Wednesday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Art: put together paper parts of a flower.
3. Reading: At the Park, Dr. Alvin Granowsky.
4. Read Aloud: Saint Ita, Ide Ni Riain;
Franklin's Pond Phantom, Sharon Jennings;
Just Call Me J.P., Jacqueline Sweeney.
5. Science/Nature: read from the book How Birds Fly, Nick Williams.
6. Spanish: story time at the library.
7. P.E.: run and play at the park.
8. Cooking: 4-H project: help prepare, set the table, and eat a pasta dinner, french bread, salad, chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Thursday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Phonics: ph = f, in phone, photograph.
3. Reading: Long Ago, Rachel Emmer;
A Windy Day, Robin Nelson;
The Three Pigs, David Wiesner (assisted);
Nursery rhymes: Hey Diddle, Diddle; Itsy Bitsy Spider; This Little Piggy; Pat-a-Cake; Hickory Dickory Dock; I'm a Little Teapot; Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; Little Miss Muffet.
4. Science/Nature: read How Birds Fly, Nick Williams.
5. Music: sing nursery rhymes.
6. Art: sticker and felt pen designs.

Friday
1. Music: sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, A-E-I-O-U, and made-up songs.
2. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today; read the story of Joseph from Genesis.
3. Phonics: do Lesson 4 of Tanglewood's Really Reading lessons (short and long vowels).
4. Reading: Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words, Kathryn Heling;
Here Comes Silent e!, Anna Jane Hays.
5. Handwriting: practice writing Aa and Bb as shown on the video: Learn to Read with Phonics (shows how to pronounce all the letters [short vowel sounds], write them, and read them in context).
6. P.E.: attend ballet class.
7. Read Aloud: He Remembered to Say Thank You, Victor Mann;
The Kind Samaritan, Teresa Olive.

1st Grade Activities: Week 28

Monday
1. Phonics: "ar", "ck", short "a" sounds in context: reading cards to choose the day's activities.
2. Read Aloud: Tracks in the Wild, Betsy Bowen;
The Book of the Goat, Jack Denton Scott;
The Three Pigs, David Wiesner;
How Animal Babies Stay Safe, Mary Ann Fraser
3. Math: watch World of Geometry (video).
4. Science/Nature: observation while reading Tracks in the Wild: "The front is like a human's; the back is sort of like a duck" (describing the footprints of a beaver); model from clay: deer and footprints, snail; internet research all about deer: what they eat, where they live, their predators, their habitat.
5. Art: illustrate a book about Easter bunnies; make a deer in a scene (clay and drawings) with footprints and plants, trees, lake: habitat; illustrate a book about T-Ball and dogs at the park.
6. Reading: cards: Pack, Park, Art;
the books: Mouse TV, Matt Novak;
The Eensy, Weensy Spider, Mary Ann Hoberman.
7. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
8. P.E.: play at the park.

Tuesday
1. Science/Nature: read from The Book of the Goat, Jack Denton Scott.
2. Art: attend Discovering Great Artists class, introduction to American artist Alexander Calder (1889-1976), make art creations from wire, clay, and foam, including a cat and a trophy; present them to the class; present the deer in deer habitat created yesterday, tell about the book we read and the research to find out where deer live, what they eat, who their predators are.
3. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day.
4. Read Aloud: The Great Egg Hunt, A.J. Wood;
The Children's Book of Heroes, Williamn J. Bennett.
5. P.E. play at the park.
6. History: read from Helen Keller: Out of a Dark and Silent World, Sandra H. Shichtman (includes historical photos).

Wednesday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Art: put together paper parts of a flower.
3. Reading: At the Park, Dr. Alvin Granowsky.
4. Read Aloud: Saint Ita, Ide Ni Riain;
Franklin's Pond Phantom, Sharon Jennings;
Just Call Me J.P., Jacqueline Sweeney.
5. Science/Nature: read from the book How Birds Fly, Nick Williams.
6. Spanish: story time at the library.
7. P.E.: run and play at the park.
8. Cooking: 4-H project: help prepare, set the table, and eat a pasta dinner, french bread, salad, chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Thursday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Phonics: ph = f, in phone, photograph.
3. Reading: Long Ago, Rachel Emmer;
A Windy Day, Robin Nelson;
The Three Pigs, David Wiesner (assisted);
Nursery rhymes: Hey Diddle, Diddle; Itsy Bitsy Spider; This Little Piggy; Pat-a-Cake; Hickory Dickory Dock; I'm a Little Teapot; Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; Little Miss Muffet.
4. Science/Nature: read How Birds Fly, Nick Williams.
5. Music: sing nursery rhymes.
6. Art: sticker and felt pen designs.

Friday
1. Music: sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm, A-E-I-O-U, and made-up songs.
2. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today; read the story of Joseph from Genesis.
3. Phonics: do Lesson 4 of Tanglewood's Really Reading lessons (short and long vowels).
4. Reading: Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words, Kathryn Heling;
Here Comes Silent e!, Anna Jane Hays.
5. Handwriting: practice writing Aa and Bb as shown on the video: Learn to Read with Phonics (shows how to pronounce all the letters [short vowel sounds], write them, and read them in context).
6. P.E.: attend ballet class.
7. Read Aloud: He Remembered to Say Thank You, Victor Mann;
The Kind Samaritan, Teresa Olive.

1st Grade Activities: Week 27

Monday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Art: make a Kufi hat from colored paper strips; make a paper retablo (cupboard); make Mexican Milagros ornaments (projects from Cultural Kaleidoscope Family Day at local Art Center); look at book of paintings by Raphael; make a paper shamrock doll; make a book about Robin Hood.
3. Phonics: discuss several vowel sounds.
4. Reading: read Latin words under chant notation;
read 2 math word problems from mathplayground.com ;
Noah's Ark, Sally Lloyd-Jones.
5. Music: sing made-up songs; sing the Our Father.
6. Math: read and solve 2 word problems online: 5+4, 3+4
http://www.mathplayground.com .
7. Handwriting: write GAMES.

Tuesday
1. Art: attend Great Artists class, introduction to Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), create an piece in oil pastels while listening to Johann Strauss's Egypt March, Op 335; name the piece and present it to the class; present two books she created to the class, and several projects from the Art Center; draw flower family; create a space, art pieces, and type and print out labels for a home "museum"; draw paw prints: dogs and cats.
2. Games: make a scavenger hunt game; draw borders for clue cards, make up clues; hide items; make a gift certificate and a prize; draw 7 flamingos.
3. Music: sing made-up songs.
4. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day.
5. Field Trip: Art Museum: observe paintings, sculptures, tapestries, statues, furniture: modern and classical; observe and sketch scenery: bay view with bridge; draw reflection of a figure reflected in elevator mirror.
6. Science/Technology: learn to select and resize type on computer.

Wednesday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Handwriting: write: PIZZA, GET WELL SOON, I LOVE YOU, DOG AND SKINK, THE END.
3. Art: illustrate a homemade book a dog and a skink (newt-like lizard -- we looked it up on the internet) titled "Dog and Skink".
4. Reading: read from a homemade book; read the titles of all the library books checked out today.
5. Phonics: sound out words to spell, reviewing sounds such as "qu", "sk", "ee", "oo".
6. Math: correctly identify the written numbers 1-19, 20, 30, 40, 50; with closed eyes, draw number tile out of a bin (1-100); name and demonstrate the numbers (with help) using 10 bars and single units: 6, 57, 85, 55, 70, 100; ask for 12 pages for book she is making: 6 pieces of paper x 2 sides each = 12 pages.
7. Spanish: story time at the library.
8. P.E.: run and play at park.
9. Read Aloud: Ronald Morgan Goes to Bat, Patricia Reilly Giff;
Snowmen at Night, Caralyn Buchner;
The Nursery Collection, Caroline Repchuk.

Thursday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of St. Frances of Rome; read Bible readings for today.
2. Art: create larger-than-life pink and purple cat (paper); draw various items and squirrels from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (video).
3. Science/Technology: search for and order kitten videos on library website (assisted).
4. Reading: Big Brown Bear, David McPhail.
5. Read Aloud: Big Susan, Elizabeth Orton Jones; comment: "This is the best book I've ever read!"
6. Music: sing made-up songs.

Friday
1. Music: sing made-up songs.
2. Art: make 2 twist-tie people, 2 birds, 1 bear; make a toy carpet (a facial tissue) with repeating patterns of green, red, purple bars of color and other decorations, such as cats.
3. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
4. Reading: read the words "See how mice grow"; "See how chipmunks grow";
Tabby Cat at Night, Phyllis Root;
Making a Hat, Kate McGough;
Worm Is Stuck, Kathy Caple.
5. Math: eat breakfast cereal, doing equations: 4-2, 10-3, 2-2, 7-3, 4-2.
6. Science/Technology/Nature: look up information about cats and kittens on the internet: specifically, looking for words to write describing cats; watch See How They Grow: Forest Animals (video).
7. Phonics: watch Learn to Read with Phonics (video).

1st Grade Activities: Week 26

Monday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Math: work with 100 board, review and count printed numbers 1-100; count the days until Spanish story time on Wednesday; make hidden number drawings: 8, 6, 4, 2.
3. Technology: dial a friend's phone number and leave a message, including the return phone number.
4. Art: draw cats with food and toys; draw a credit card with a long number; make a book about panthers for a friend in the hospital; make a twist-tie snake.
5. Read Aloud: Favorite Children's Stories from China and Tibet; The Starlight Princess and Other Princess Stories.
6. Creative Writing: dictate a book about two panthers; illustrate the book.
7. Science/Nature: observe and care for snail and fish.
8. Music: sing made-up songs.
9. Reading: read The Black Panther, the book she wrote today.

Tuesday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today; discuss fasting, prayer, and almsgiving for Lent.
2. Music: sing He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, making up verses.
3. Math: count unit cubes by 2s to 10, trade 10 units for ten bars, after 10 ten bars (count by 10s to 100), trade for a hundred square, up to 500 (ran out of 10 bars), count by 100s to "10 hundred" or 1000.
4. Reading: Edna's New Coat, Margaret Park Bridges;
Edna Bakes Cookies, Margaret Park Bridges.
5. Science/Nature: read from Paper, Chris Oxlade: about papier mache, Japanese screens, watercolor paper.
6. Art: attend Great Artists class, introduction to American artist Jackson Pollack (1912-1956), create an Action Painting piece; name it and present it to the class; present two books she created to the class.
7. P.E.: run and play at the park.
8. Music: listen to Mozart Horn Concertos (CD).

Wednesday
1. Art: make a book about Lent; draw reindeer, goat, hearts, birds, candles, wreath, crown of thorns; decorate an old CD with colored permanent markers.
2. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today; discuss fasting, prayer, and almsgiving for Lent; hang up links in a paper chain representing these deeds; explanation of art for Dad: "The cross means: God be with you in your dreams; the heart means: I love you; and the candle means: peace."
3. Reading: Johnny Lion's Book, Edith Thacher Hurd (assisted);
Biscuit Finds the Christmas Tree (homemade book).
4. Handwriting: write LOVE, GOAT PAPER DOLLS, MAKE A WREATH.
5. Spanish: story time at the library.
6: P.E.: run and play at the park.
7. Math: review hundreds, tens, and units places; use Montessori bead material: 100s, 10s, units to demonstrate various written numbers.
8. Latin: read the words of a Latin chant from printed music.

Thursday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today; hang up links in a paper chain representing Lenten deeds.
2. Art: add drawings to a book she is working on.
3. Science/Nature: observe and sketch an ocean scene; observe footprints in the sand, behavior of waves and foam; observe a seagull flying, but not traveling far (flying into the wind); observe and draw dogs.
4. Photography: take pictures of relatives.
5. Culture: eat with chopsticks; taste a variety of Chinese dishes.
6. Reading: My Bed Is Soft, Stewart Gardiner;
Up, Down, and All Around, Sharon Street;
Measuring Time, Margie Burton (assisted).
7: Music: make up a she goes: a long sung composition with variations in rhythm and melody based on a few words.


Friday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today; watch The Song of Bernadette (video).
2. Music: sing made-up songs.
3. P.E.: ballet class.
4. Art: make a shamrock paper doll.
5. Telling Time: name hours in the day from the book, Measuring Time.
6. Read Aloud: Abagail Takes the Wheel, Avi;
Favorite Children's Stories from China and Tibet;
The Children's Book of Heroes.