Monday highlight: Read apple books

We began by reading and reciting our memory poem “Autumn Fires” by Robert Louis Stevenson from A Child’s Garden of Verses. Next came the alphabet puzzle at our kitchen table. Having one of these is so helpful to give your child that tactile connection with the letters -turning them over and over in their hands. I handed Mick the letter “A” and had him repeat the name a few times before placing it on the puzzle. Last thing to do for Monday was to color the block letters, uppercase and lowercase, for the wall display. Get that awesome add-on here. Also, available are other themes if the train does not inspire or interest your child. An acorn and caterpillar are two examples of more alphabet wall display themes.

I had precut the train engine and train car “Aa.” I traced the letters with my fingers to help Mick distinguish the lines but I do not expect perfection. After all, grasping the concept of staying inside the lines takes time. I hung the engine on the wall where his wall display would go while he colored the train. Once colored, he proudly displayed the train car next to the engine on the wall using rolled tape.

Tuesday highlight: Apple dissection and painting

We read our couple of themed books and recited our memory poem again. Then instead of doing the puzzle we went to the wall where his wall display is hung and I asked him, “what letter is this?” Of course he didn’t get it right so I told him, “Aa. Aa is for Apple.” He repeated and then we sang the alphabet song. The activity included a couple ways to use an apple. We dissected the apples by cutting them in half and identifying the stem, skin, flesh, core, and seeds.

Next, I turned on the Apple of My Eye song by Frankie Vallie & The Four Seasons for us to listen to while I busted out the tempera paint, paintbrushes, and plates. Marty and Mo joined us and I showed them how to paint the flesh and then press down on a piece of construction paper and lift off. They had a blast stamping and sometimes smearing. They then helped me hang their creations on our artwork display wall to dry. 

To see a more in depth look about how to make this educational check out Using Apples for Science & Art. You can also download the free apple anatomy printable and 12 extension questions when you go there.

Wednesday highlight: Bake with apples

Wednesday began a little differently. We started with the alphabet wall display and singing. Then, I gave Mick one of the coloring pages to work on while I brought out all the ingredients for apple muffins. I intentionally scheduled this activity during Mo’s naptime to avoid any interference.

Once I had everything in the kitchen prepped I called the boys in. Mick is my little kitchen helper and eagerly joined me. Mick and Marty immersed themselves in every step: measuring, combining, stirring, and filling. Their joy when in the kitchen is contagious. Once the muffins came out of the oven golden and filling our home with their sweet scent we set our table for tea time. Mo awoke from his nap and it was time to nibble on our delicious muffins while we read apple themed books and enjoyed a poem by Helen Hunt Jackson. To read more about creating a magical kitchen experience check out Kitchen Magic.

Thursday highlight: Apple Math printable

We began at the table with Mick coloring his final Aa is for Apple coloring page. Then we snuggled on the couch to read a couple of themed books and recite our seasonal poem by R.L. Stevenson. We ended with a non-themed book, Click, Clack, 1,2,3. This gem by Doreen Cronin is my absolute favorite for teaching 3 year old’s how to count. We segued seamlessly into our last activity for the week, Apple Math.

I only used numbers 0-5 to keep it simple and manageable for Mick. He began strong but then he started having his mischievous moments. A little smirk accompanied some of his “creative” answers and when my patience was tested, I remained calm and decided to revisit this activity during Marty’s math lesson next week. Mick was not pleased that this lesson ended so quickly but I reassured him he would have another chance next week and that pacified him. To read more about Apple Math visit here.

Friday

The last day of our week is reserved for our homeschool co-op nature group. No formal Letter of the Week lessons -just the great outdoors and curious minds.