Monday highlight: Prism rainbow.

Our days normally begin with the morning basket. In our morning basket are a couple books that highlight my preschooler’s theme for the week. The books I selected for today were, A Rainbow of my Own by Don Freeman and The Usborne Big Book of Colors by Felicity Brooks.

Immediately after the morning basket my 3 year old, Mick, was introduced to the new letter, R, using the Alphabet Train Wall Display. You can get that printable by following the link. In addition to a train, there is an adorable squirrel with acorns or a caterpillar to choose from. 

Next, Mick helped me to create a rainbow on the wall using a prism and flashlight. This always fascinates my kiddos because they are getting to create their own. This activity is great to pair with the book A Rainbow of My Own. At the end of the book the boy spots the bands of color on his wall. These are created by the sunlight shining through his fish bowl.

Once we finished studying the colors on the wall, it was time to color in the rainbow printable. There are a couple options to use for different ages. At Mick’s age my goal is to simply convey primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. As well as secondary colors: orange, green, and purple. For an older child like Marty, 5, I want to be more specific with the colors in a rainbow. Instead of simply coloring in purple, he can separate purple into indigo and violet because that is more accurate and suitable for his age.

Tuesday highlight: Color mixing experiment.

Our day began as usual with the morning basket. Then we used our wooden alphabet puzzle to review the letters of the alphabet. I only supply Mick with letters A through R so that we can complete the review in a timely manner. This will also prevent overwhelming him.

After review it was time for our color mixing experiment or you could call it a demonstration. It is a simple set up with water glasses and primary colors. The goal is to create secondary colors by mixing the primary. It can take a little experimenting to get the amount from each color correct. My 5 year old joins in on the fun because both boys love the challenge.

Wednesday highlight: Rainbow scratch paper.

Morning basket kickstarted our day as usual and after review using the alphabet puzzle I gave Mick a coloring page from Rr is for Rainbow to complete. While he colored I searched through our homeschooling supplies to find the activity for today.

Scratch paper is a simple yet fun way to continue our rainbow theme. I love this pack because it also comes with stencils. The boys practice fine motor skills while using the scratch paper and stencils together. Marty, 5, enjoys using the stencils to make stories and Mick simply experiments with tracing things that catch his eye.

While the boys scratched away I first read a couple themed poems. One is from a particularly favorite book of mine, The Rainbow poem by David McCord from Doubleday’s Favorite Poems: Old and New. Then, I turned on music to listen to, including Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland.

Thursday highlight: Grow a rainbow.

Thursday is the last day of our Letter of the Week because Fridays are reserved for nature group. Our last day with our theme is a little sad because the boys love rainbows. Probably because they are little surprises and rarely spotted. Or maybe it’s because a favorite Bible story ends with one stretching across the sky. No matter the reason, today’s activity is the perfect end to our day.

Morning basket and review had to begin our day. We reread our themed books plus Raindrops and Rainbows by Patti Hamilton. The boys of course do not mind listening to the same books over and over again. We used the Alphabet Wall Display to review by singing the alphabet song. Then, I asked Mick where different letters were and he pointed them out to me. 

Once review was over Mick colored his second coloring page and Marty jumped in too because he enjoys it all as well. While the boys colored I did too. But mine was to set up for the activity. After completing the coloring and the boys finished I set up the experiment and they watched a rainbow grow. While it grew we reviewed primary vs. secondary colors.