Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Lilly's "I Love You" song
A (very short part of a) serenade by Lilly while on vacation. She can say 'you' more clearly than she does in this song, but... words often get mushed in lyrics!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Gymnastics & Gymboree
After not seeing Abby for four days, Shawn was thrilled to
have Abby back!
Shawn must have really missed Abby- he didn't seem to mind when
she sidled up next to him & 'got in his space' in Gymnastics today! During warm-ups, it looked like they were
working hard when asked to hop backwards and crab-crawl. They were tricky! In small group with Coach Enrique, they started
at the obstacle course. They also worked
on handstands, the ladder wall, foam pit, jump track, rings and bars, and balance
beams.
After a lunch/snack in the car, Shawn walked into Gymboree
and wasn't being very cooperative for some reason. He was fine all
morning! When Music Class started, he
hid behind me and wouldn't participate. Arg.
Anyway, we started a jazz & swing unit. We LOVE the song Boogily Woogily Piggy and look forward to singing it each time this
unit comes up! Suddenly, a pair of hands
and feet appeared from behind my waist so Shawn could 'boogy woogy all the way
home!' When the jingle bells came out, I
received an impromptu back rub as Shawn used them as props! (Hmm... maybe it's
not so bad he's back there!) Abby had a
great time dancing with other girls in a circle to It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing! Shawn
danced along too, but only from behind me.
Shawn also started answering vocab questions from his hiding spot. In addition to knowing ‘crescendo’ and
‘decrescendo,’ Shawn and Abby did a great job answering questions about ‘forte’
and ‘piano.’ By the time the instrument
box came out, he was more than ready! We
also sang Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,
Three Little Fishies, and a few others. During another swing dance, I kneeled on the
floor and swung Shawn and Abby around with (fake) swing dance moves, including
spins and (their favorite) backward dips!
Finally, Shawn had lots of smiles, though I don’t know what the issue
was earlier! Finally, Ms. Michelle read/sang
What a Wonderful World by Ashley
Bryan (one of my all time favorite songs).
During Open Gym, Shawn played with friends on the equipment
while Abby tried to poop again. (She had
tried earlier this morning, but was unsuccessful. She hasn’t gone since she was at our house on
Friday, so… it was time.) At one point,
she asked for some privacy, which was great because I could stand outside the
door to see if anyone else needed to use the bathroom – she was in there for a
verrrrrry loooooong time! (I actually
did bring her out once so another family could go!) At one point, when I checked on her, she had
taken off all of her clothes “to make it easier!” LOL Whatever works! Eventually, she did it! PHEW!
In School Skills, they worked on letters X, Y, and Z
today. They played Hide & Seek (Abby’s
favorite part) and with play dough. For
their science lesson, they talked about ‘evaporation’ (Shawn’s favorite part). They learned that it means ‘drying’ and
watched the process by drawing with water-color markers on a paper towel,
wetting it, watching the colors spread out, and checking on them throughout
class as they dried. They also watched a
puddle of water on the floor as it dried throughout class. Plus, they felt hand sanitizer evaporate on
their hands. They had to be careful
listeners during a ‘sneaky song’ and change from tiptoeing to hiding places
around the gym during quiet music to running around in circles during loud
music. In a similar game, they listened
as the teachers called out “Giants awake!” and stomped around the room or
“Giants asleep!” and pretended to drop to the floor asleep. For their art project, they decorated hearts
in honor of Valentine’s Day, which lead to a few discussions about their heart
beat (or ‘heart BEEP,’ as Abby called it). Finally, they read the book How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Party 'Till We Drop!
Shawn completely lacked confidence during his swimming lesson today. He clung to me, the wall, or any floating device he could reach – practically white-knuckled. I’m not sure why. Ms. Becca and I agreed, since there’s only one class left in this session, Shawn needs another round of practice at this level, then we could revisit moving him up. Even though there are kids at the Pike level who can’t do some of the things that he can do already, because he’s so young, the director has higher expectations of him in order to move up. Oh, well. I’m disappointed, but I understand, especially after his ‘off’ day today. Another session of Pike with Parent certainly won’t hurt!
After class, we dropped Baron off for grooming. I made beer bread and spinach and artichoke dip (both from Tastefully Simple boxes) for a Mothers & More party this evening. While Shawn finished lunch with Raj, I picked up Baron from grooming. (They got out lots of his shedding fur out of his coat – phew! The fur balls he’s been leaving on the floor were big enough to sprout their own legs!)
I quickly showered and got ready for the Gymboree Pumpkin Patch Party, the first festivity of the evening. Shawn wore the Dalmatian costume that he picked out from the Mothers & More resale. (He’s been reminding us that he didn’t want the lion costume that I showed him that day because he liked the ‘Dalmatian Dog’ better – how does he remember this stuff?!)
At the Pumpkin Patch Party, we saw our friends Andrew (the cow), Alex (the pirate), and a few other faces that we recognized from various classes, but most of the attendees were pretty young in comparison to Shawn. (Probably because the party took place in the late afternoon, so little ones with early bed-times could come to this one.) There were a lot of really cute costumes, including three Tiggers, a Pooh Bear, a dragon, a catepillar, a fire fighter, a lion... the list goes on and on! Not surprisingly, a few parents (and even a teacher) asked where Abby was and how odd it was to see us without her. We sang songs modified for the Halloween season. Even though the equipment was still set up in the same configuration as the ‘Animals in the Zoo’ theme from last week, they re-named each station to be associated with the holiday and season. We visited an arts and crafts table where Shawn decorated a foam pumpkin and Raj decorated a real one. A little later, we came back to the same room for Halloween cookies and water. On the way out, we said our thank-yous and good-byes to the teachers, who then gave us the rest of the party balloons to take to our next shin-dig!
Then, we headed out to Naperville to the DuPage Children’s Museum for a Mothers & More Fall Family party. We got there an hour early, so we visited a park around the corner to kill the time. It was a little odd having our little Dalmatian running around the playground, but it was a nice day to be outside and his costume kept him warm.
Once the party started, we had the whole place to ourselves. Shawn remembered being at the museum with Oma and with his friend Anna before. (Again, his memory amazes me!) It was fun to show Raj around to the different exhibits, since he’d never been there before. Shawn had no trouble jumping right in to all of the hands-on play-learning. Since it was a private event and we didn’t have to battle the crowds of kids who are normally there, we got to play in the bubbles area and work in the carpentry/handyman room, which we’ve never had a chance to do before. (Raj commented how fun it would be to host Shawn's next birthday there, but was disappointed when I told him that it wouldn't be a totally private event like this was. We may still look into what a party would entail and if it's even possible, private or not.) The kids lined up for a costume parade, which zig-zagged around the main floor. (Yet again, we never made it to the other floors, but I heard that there’s not much there and what is there is more directed towards older kids.)
It was a lot of fun. Even without a nap, Shawn did amazingly well. While we were refueling in the snack room, Shawn finally hit the wall. Raj and I joked about him falling asleep before we would get out of the parking lot, but Shawn even beat us to that! He fell asleep before we got out of the museum (~8:00 pm)!
Like last weekend, I wasn’t able to transfer Shawn to bed as smoothly as I had hoped, but since he woke up, I was able to change him from a Dalmatian back into a boy (wearing pajamas). He had a hard time settling down for the night and woke up a few times upset and screaming, but each time, he was later able to tell me, “I’m okay now, Momma.” When he was finally able to fall asleep for the night, it was still just about 9:30 pm.
I’m starting to wonder if we should cut out naps in order to get the early bedtime… 8:00 pm is much more reasonable than 11:00 pm!
After class, we dropped Baron off for grooming. I made beer bread and spinach and artichoke dip (both from Tastefully Simple boxes) for a Mothers & More party this evening. While Shawn finished lunch with Raj, I picked up Baron from grooming. (They got out lots of his shedding fur out of his coat – phew! The fur balls he’s been leaving on the floor were big enough to sprout their own legs!)
I quickly showered and got ready for the Gymboree Pumpkin Patch Party, the first festivity of the evening. Shawn wore the Dalmatian costume that he picked out from the Mothers & More resale. (He’s been reminding us that he didn’t want the lion costume that I showed him that day because he liked the ‘Dalmatian Dog’ better – how does he remember this stuff?!)
At the Pumpkin Patch Party, we saw our friends Andrew (the cow), Alex (the pirate), and a few other faces that we recognized from various classes, but most of the attendees were pretty young in comparison to Shawn. (Probably because the party took place in the late afternoon, so little ones with early bed-times could come to this one.) There were a lot of really cute costumes, including three Tiggers, a Pooh Bear, a dragon, a catepillar, a fire fighter, a lion... the list goes on and on! Not surprisingly, a few parents (and even a teacher) asked where Abby was and how odd it was to see us without her. We sang songs modified for the Halloween season. Even though the equipment was still set up in the same configuration as the ‘Animals in the Zoo’ theme from last week, they re-named each station to be associated with the holiday and season. We visited an arts and crafts table where Shawn decorated a foam pumpkin and Raj decorated a real one. A little later, we came back to the same room for Halloween cookies and water. On the way out, we said our thank-yous and good-byes to the teachers, who then gave us the rest of the party balloons to take to our next shin-dig!
Then, we headed out to Naperville to the DuPage Children’s Museum for a Mothers & More Fall Family party. We got there an hour early, so we visited a park around the corner to kill the time. It was a little odd having our little Dalmatian running around the playground, but it was a nice day to be outside and his costume kept him warm.
Once the party started, we had the whole place to ourselves. Shawn remembered being at the museum with Oma and with his friend Anna before. (Again, his memory amazes me!) It was fun to show Raj around to the different exhibits, since he’d never been there before. Shawn had no trouble jumping right in to all of the hands-on play-learning. Since it was a private event and we didn’t have to battle the crowds of kids who are normally there, we got to play in the bubbles area and work in the carpentry/handyman room, which we’ve never had a chance to do before. (Raj commented how fun it would be to host Shawn's next birthday there, but was disappointed when I told him that it wouldn't be a totally private event like this was. We may still look into what a party would entail and if it's even possible, private or not.) The kids lined up for a costume parade, which zig-zagged around the main floor. (Yet again, we never made it to the other floors, but I heard that there’s not much there and what is there is more directed towards older kids.)
It was a lot of fun. Even without a nap, Shawn did amazingly well. While we were refueling in the snack room, Shawn finally hit the wall. Raj and I joked about him falling asleep before we would get out of the parking lot, but Shawn even beat us to that! He fell asleep before we got out of the museum (~8:00 pm)!
Like last weekend, I wasn’t able to transfer Shawn to bed as smoothly as I had hoped, but since he woke up, I was able to change him from a Dalmatian back into a boy (wearing pajamas). He had a hard time settling down for the night and woke up a few times upset and screaming, but each time, he was later able to tell me, “I’m okay now, Momma.” When he was finally able to fall asleep for the night, it was still just about 9:30 pm.
I’m starting to wonder if we should cut out naps in order to get the early bedtime… 8:00 pm is much more reasonable than 11:00 pm!
Friday, October 14, 2011
It's Just Not the Same Without Crepes
We started our morning with a Level 5 Play and Learn class at Gymboree. We visited the ‘Animals at the Zoo’ again, but instead of a book at the beginning, we looked at pictures of animals that we might see there. Both Shawn and Abby loved finding hidden bananas that were scattered around the room. (They’ve gotten very good at returning Gymboree toys to their proper baskets, even if it’s not intentionally part of the activity.) They also had fun swinging across the monkey bars, calling out, “Ooo-oo! Ahh-ah!” as they went. Abby likes to hang from one, let go, grab the next with both hands, let go, and repeat until she gets all the way across. Shawn likes to move one hand at a time from one to the other, and needs just a little help to support his weight. They really were little monkeys today!
When class was over, we played around for a few minutes, but when the babies’ class was ready to start, we took a break in my car. I played a CD of Dr. Seuss stories and read a few Thomas the Train stories while we snacked and enjoyed the sunshine. I’m sure there won’t be too many more weeks that we can do this before it gets too cold to hang out in the car!
An hour later, we came back inside for Family Music. We studied country and folk music again. Shawn and Abby helped pick animals for Old MacDonald, duck and horse respectively. They love their maracas and drums! They even got to do Bah-Bah’s into the toy microphone today, which we haven’t had time to do in a long time. They got very excited when their turns came around. It’s amazing to watch these two in music class. They participate and follow directions extremely well. Shawn gave a maraca to a three month old who was in her car seat while her mom and older brother participated in class – he gently placed it in her hand and made sure it didn’t fall out while she tried to grab it. Abby wants to help everyone around get their instruments back to the teacher or basket when it’s time to clean up. They can so incredibly sweet and considerate!
After class, we made our weekly trip to the Schaumburg Farmers’ Market. But, to our dismay, there were no crepes! I’m not sure if the crepe stand closed early due to the wind (up to 40 mph gusts) or if they weren’t there at all, but , oh, the calamity! Hopefully, they’re not done for the season, the market is still open until the end of the month. We made the best of our visit and visited the apple orchard stand for some cider (and a free apple cider donut sample), the olives and hummus man for black bean and chipotle hummus, garlic hummus, and black olives (and free olive samples), a farmer for potatoes (which Abby and Shawn helped me pick, but I must have left the bag somewhere at the market because I didn’t have them when we got home!), and a fruit farmer for apple butter (and free samples of various types of apples and cranberries – pucker!) Without our crepe snack, it didn’t feel like our visit was complete, but as we were going back to the car, the vendors were shutting down.
When it was time for naps, I guess Abby didn’t think it was quite time yet. She didn’t object to going down, but she certainly wasn’t ready for sleeping. She talked and sang to herself from about 1:15 – 2:30! After listening to her for a while, I remembered to grab my SmartPen and I recorded her! I slid the pen under her door and captured her saying things like, “How about… How about…Mr. Sun? No! How about.. let’s sing B-I-N-G-O!” I could pick out a few lines from Old MacDonald, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Bingo… but eventually (around 2:30 of the recording), she settled down and finally went to sleep.
When class was over, we played around for a few minutes, but when the babies’ class was ready to start, we took a break in my car. I played a CD of Dr. Seuss stories and read a few Thomas the Train stories while we snacked and enjoyed the sunshine. I’m sure there won’t be too many more weeks that we can do this before it gets too cold to hang out in the car!
An hour later, we came back inside for Family Music. We studied country and folk music again. Shawn and Abby helped pick animals for Old MacDonald, duck and horse respectively. They love their maracas and drums! They even got to do Bah-Bah’s into the toy microphone today, which we haven’t had time to do in a long time. They got very excited when their turns came around. It’s amazing to watch these two in music class. They participate and follow directions extremely well. Shawn gave a maraca to a three month old who was in her car seat while her mom and older brother participated in class – he gently placed it in her hand and made sure it didn’t fall out while she tried to grab it. Abby wants to help everyone around get their instruments back to the teacher or basket when it’s time to clean up. They can so incredibly sweet and considerate!
After class, we made our weekly trip to the Schaumburg Farmers’ Market. But, to our dismay, there were no crepes! I’m not sure if the crepe stand closed early due to the wind (up to 40 mph gusts) or if they weren’t there at all, but , oh, the calamity! Hopefully, they’re not done for the season, the market is still open until the end of the month. We made the best of our visit and visited the apple orchard stand for some cider (and a free apple cider donut sample), the olives and hummus man for black bean and chipotle hummus, garlic hummus, and black olives (and free olive samples), a farmer for potatoes (which Abby and Shawn helped me pick, but I must have left the bag somewhere at the market because I didn’t have them when we got home!), and a fruit farmer for apple butter (and free samples of various types of apples and cranberries – pucker!) Without our crepe snack, it didn’t feel like our visit was complete, but as we were going back to the car, the vendors were shutting down.
When it was time for naps, I guess Abby didn’t think it was quite time yet. She didn’t object to going down, but she certainly wasn’t ready for sleeping. She talked and sang to herself from about 1:15 – 2:30! After listening to her for a while, I remembered to grab my SmartPen and I recorded her! I slid the pen under her door and captured her saying things like, “How about… How about…Mr. Sun? No! How about.. let’s sing B-I-N-G-O!” I could pick out a few lines from Old MacDonald, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and Bingo… but eventually (around 2:30 of the recording), she settled down and finally went to sleep.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
P is for Pumpkin, Potty, and Pfffffft!
I woke Shawn in time to catch the garbage truck come around our circle, which also meant he was awake to greet Abby and Bill when they arrived. Suddenly, he wasn’t so bleary-eyed anymore! It’s play time!
Bill explained that Abby’s doctor didn’t think she was ready for potty training yet, so they were going back to diapers. Bummer, but okay!
Art class focused on pumpkins today. Too bad Shawn didn’t focus on pumpkins today! He was all over the place and not very interested in participating in the projects.
I will admit that Shawn helped stuff the paper bag with newspapers in the beginning, but when it came time to paint, his contribution was done. Every once in a while, I got him to hold the paintbrush, sometimes with me sometimes independently, and made a couple of dabbles, but he just wasn’t into it. Meanwhile, Abby realized that scrunching the giant sheet of newspapers was a bit too tricky for her fingers, so she figured out how to loosely roll up the paper, then fold it into (about) thirds in order to get it all to fit inside the paper bag! Great problem solving! She had a great time painting her bag and was very aware of any brown bag showing through. (Ms. LouAnn even commented on her attention to detail!)
Shawn was a little more interested in the second project. They painted an apple orange and stuck stickers on it to make a jack-o-lantern face. Shawn figured out that rolling the apple in the paint was a much faster way to cover it, but we managed to use the brush to spread the paint around. He loved putting the stickers on, too. (Meanwhile, I thought it was a weird project to do at all!)
For the last activity, Ms. LouAnn uncovered the tub/table and the kids found balls and foam blocks. She set up a game of 'Pumpkin Bolwing,' since most of the balls were orange and the blocks could stand up like pins. It was a good practice in taking turns and waiting patiently.
I had a chance to chat with Shelley while kids napped. Since Abby’s enjoying wearing underwear and using her potty seat, Shelley decided to continue potty training as we have been. (Phew!) There have been other instances that she hasn’t been happy about with their current pediatrician, and this sealed the deal. Now, she’s on the market for a new doctor. Shelley said she had someone lined up to get a second opinion and I shared Dr. Lin’s business card, just in case they want to shop around.
Bill explained that Abby’s doctor didn’t think she was ready for potty training yet, so they were going back to diapers. Bummer, but okay!
Abby and Shawn played in the living room with some trucks and books until breakfast was ready. Then, played some more until it was time to go to art class.
Art class focused on pumpkins today. Too bad Shawn didn’t focus on pumpkins today! He was all over the place and not very interested in participating in the projects.
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| Abby's |
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While the kids ate Winnie the Pooh cookies, Ms. LouAnn read Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington. It was a simple story illustrating the growth of a pumpkin, starting from a seed.
Shawn was a little more interested in the second project. They painted an apple orange and stuck stickers on it to make a jack-o-lantern face. Shawn figured out that rolling the apple in the paint was a much faster way to cover it, but we managed to use the brush to spread the paint around. He loved putting the stickers on, too. (Meanwhile, I thought it was a weird project to do at all!)
For the last activity, Ms. LouAnn uncovered the tub/table and the kids found balls and foam blocks. She set up a game of 'Pumpkin Bolwing,' since most of the balls were orange and the blocks could stand up like pins. It was a good practice in taking turns and waiting patiently.
I had a chance to chat with Shelley while kids napped. Since Abby’s enjoying wearing underwear and using her potty seat, Shelley decided to continue potty training as we have been. (Phew!) There have been other instances that she hasn’t been happy about with their current pediatrician, and this sealed the deal. Now, she’s on the market for a new doctor. Shelley said she had someone lined up to get a second opinion and I shared Dr. Lin’s business card, just in case they want to shop around.
I’m so glad I closed the windows in the kids’ rooms before naptime. The house stinks of exhaust from the roofers’ machinery and generators. It’s a shame to shut out the beautiful day, but there’s certainly no fresh air circulating around here today!
Abby woke around 3:30 pm and was not happy with all the noise over our heads. She was all smiles by the time Bill came to get her though. Perhaps being back in underwear for the first time all day had something to do with it…?
When Raj got home, he and Shawn went out to Open Gym at Gymboree. When they came home, Shawn had a goose-egg / strawberry on his forehead. He was excited to tell me about the Elmo ice-pack he got to use though, so the bump must not bother him too much!
After bath time, we were each doing our own thing in different rooms. Suddenly, I heard a sound that I haven’t heard in 20-something years, yet I knew immediately what Shawn was doing. We keep a cassette (yes, cassette) of German/English songs in the tape player of the mini-stereo in his room. I heard the familiar, though distant, swooshing sound of the tape being pulled from the inside of the cassette. Argh… Using the eraser tip of a pencil, I managed to re-wind it all back inside, but as I was spinning the pencil around and around, I kept reminding myself, “This is why no one uses cassettes anymore!” Though I got it all back in place, Shawn had it pretty crumpled in spots, so it may be history… like the rest of the world’s cassettes! (It would be a shame not to have those songs anymore…
...oh, well...
...it is a cassette!)
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Good Night to the Autumn Leaves That Fall from the Trees
We had a great start to the day!
At Gymboree, Ms. LouAnn started art class by giving the kids orange paint for free painting. After a few minutes, she added a squirt of blue to their pallets. Almost as soon as the first drop of blue landed on Shawn’s paper-plate pallet, he announced, “Chicago Bears!” Ms. LouAnn was beside herself (especially since they were off-shades of blue and orange, but he still made the connection). Dadda will be so proud!
The rest of the class time focused on a fall theme. The kids colored the outer rings of paper plates with red, yellow, orange, and green creamy crayons. Then they glued on various shapes, sizes, and colors of leaves that Ms. LouAnn had collected.
Throughout the day, at random moments (like riding in the car), Abby would break into song. Not just any song though, she’d sing, “No more pee-pee in my underwear!” (A little ditty that I made up in an effort to encourage… well, I guess it’s pretty obvious…
This evening I had a doctor’s appointment to follow up from my visit on August 24. The lump in my left breast is still there, but I feel like it has changed a little – softer maybe? They did a pregnancy test, since hormones can do all kinds of crazy things - negative. They sent me to get blood work to see if my thyroid is to blame. I also have to set up an appointment for a mammogram and an ultrasound to make sure what we think is a ‘collapsed cyst’ really is just that. I’m not looking forward to my first mammogram, but I am looking forward to finding out the results!
Meanwhile, Raj and Shawn opted to play outside in the gorgeous weather rather than go to Open Gym at Gymboree. Abby joined them with her mom and grandfather for fun time with chalk and ‘baseball.’ A great evening to be outside!
When it was time to tuck Shawn into bed, I had him read Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown to me. It was interesting to listen to his rendition. (I’ll definitely have to record him ‘reading’ sometime.) Afterwards, I read it to him and he helped me fill in missing words. When he noticed that the “old lady who whispered, ‘Hush’” was no longer in the room with the little rabbit, he asked where she went. I explained that she went to sleep in her own room. A little while later, we pulled up his covers, gave each other goodnight kisses, said our, “I love you – always and forever!” lines. With the lights turned off, I sat on the ottoman next to his bed while he settled in for the night. About five minutes later, he looked up at me and revealed, “You can go to sleep in your bed now, Momma. It’s okay.” Really?? Seriously?? And before he had a chance to change his mind, I kissed him one more time and left. Good night to the little boy who grows up so fast!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Chicks, Ducks, and Wheels on the Bus!
It was week four of the library’s Drop-In Story time. Ms. Nancy’s theme this time was “Chicks and Ducks.” We read:
In case you need an interpreter, Shawn’s phrases included:
The Chick and the Duckling by Mirra Ginsburg
“A chick and a duckling hatch at the same time. The chick can imitate the duckling except when the duckling goes swimming.”
“A chick and a duckling hatch at the same time. The chick can imitate the duckling except when the duckling goes swimming.”
Just Ducky by Kathy Mallat
“A lonely little duckling looks into the pond and sees its reflection. The duckling thinks that it has found a new friend.”
“A lonely little duckling looks into the pond and sees its reflection. The duckling thinks that it has found a new friend.”
Peep! by Kevin Luthardt
“A duckling follows a boy home. The boy is sad when the duckling is ready to be reunited with other birds of the wild.”
“A duckling follows a boy home. The boy is sad when the duckling is ready to be reunited with other birds of the wild.”
Wee Little Chick by Lauren Thompson
“Other farm animals comment on the tiny size of the little chick. Little chick is proud of everything that it can do.”
“Other farm animals comment on the tiny size of the little chick. Little chick is proud of everything that it can do.”
We sang and danced to:
And, we recited a few poems:
Baby Duckling
One baby duckling, he’s brand new.
Here comes another. That makes two.
Wait, here’s another. That makes three.
Three baby ducklings waddling across the floor.
They meet a little friend, and that makes four.
Four baby ducklings, watch how they dive.
At last they see their mother. That makes five.
When a Yellow Duck
When a yellow duck walks down the street (hold up hand)
Quack! goes his bill (open and close thumb and fingers)
Waddle! go his feet (waddle hands back and forth)
He comes to a puddle and with a bound (pretend to jump into a puddle)
In goes the yellow duck and he swims around. (pretend to swim)
The Little Chick
This little chick heard a loud horn (hold up index finger)
This little chick ate all the corn (hold up middle finger)
This little chick saw a big ball (hold up ring finger)
This little chick said, “Please don’t fall!” (hold up little finger)
But this little chick said, “Peep, peep, peep!” (hold up thumb and wiggle it)
Please be quiet, I’m trying to sleep!” (wiggle thumb)
One baby duckling, he’s brand new.
Here comes another. That makes two.
Wait, here’s another. That makes three.
Three baby ducklings waddling across the floor.
They meet a little friend, and that makes four.
Four baby ducklings, watch how they dive.
At last they see their mother. That makes five.
When a Yellow Duck
When a yellow duck walks down the street (hold up hand)
Quack! goes his bill (open and close thumb and fingers)
Waddle! go his feet (waddle hands back and forth)
He comes to a puddle and with a bound (pretend to jump into a puddle)
In goes the yellow duck and he swims around. (pretend to swim)
The Little Chick
This little chick heard a loud horn (hold up index finger)
This little chick ate all the corn (hold up middle finger)
This little chick saw a big ball (hold up ring finger)
This little chick said, “Please don’t fall!” (hold up little finger)
But this little chick said, “Peep, peep, peep!” (hold up thumb and wiggle it)
Please be quiet, I’m trying to sleep!” (wiggle thumb)
Each time we saw a picture or read about a chick, Shawn and I would whisper, “Just like the chicks at Oma and Opa’s house!” Maybe next time we visit they’ll have some chicks for Shawn to see up close. (He and Abby got very good at quacking and cheeping and peeping during story time today!)
At the end of naptime, I could hear Abby chatting to herself for a little while. At one point, I think she was trying to sing Ring Around the Rosie! I also heard her say, “Abby awake!” Before I went to get her out of bed, there were strange rustling noises in Shawn’s room. Here is what happened when I went to check them out:
In case you need an interpreter, Shawn’s phrases included:
“Momma, go see Abby?”
“It’s really bright.”
“Let’s go find out!”
“Ready? Watch!”
“Shawn opened the door.”
“I have a good nap, Abby.”
I guess it’s time to go play some more!
After Abby went home, Shawn and I took Baron for a walk. (Or did Baron and I take Shawn to the park?) Shawn loves climbing on the playground equipment, but he prefers one particular corner…
Never knew that playground equipment could double as a performance stage, eh?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
A Very Musical Day
Music class focused on Rock ‘n Roll today, specifically the band Queen. (We did include a few spring time and rain songs, too.) A few of Queen’s songs that we played were We Will Rock You! (we worked on the short, short, long rhythm), I Want It All (we played bells to a steady beat, then fast, and then stopped), and Under Pressure played in the background while the kids explored the box of instruments. Abby wasn't quite sure what she wanted in class today. She switched back and forth from running around the room to wanting to be picked up. But, when the microphone came out, she lead the way in the Ba-Ba activity!
Shawn fell asleep on the way home, so I left him in the car seat while Abby and I had lunch. I had a little down time between the time that I put Abby down for her nap and when Shawn woke up. When he woke up, he happily announced, “I want to play with Abby!” But, since she was still napping, I explained that he could play with her in a little while. It was a nice treat to have some one-on-one time with both kids today.
Abby’s really starting to expand her vocabulary and language skills. She makes me smile now that she’s saying, “I funny!” She’s even learned that she’s much more likely to get what she wants if she asks politely. So, she’s trying very hard to remember to say, “May I have ___ please?” (Her polite smile afterwards is the icing on the cake.) She really made me giggle when she said, "May I have poo-poo please?" (I'm pretty sure she was trying to tell me something, rather than ask for something...)
It was definitely a good day between Abby and Shawn. Shawn confirmed it while he was getting ready for bed. I’m just glad my camera wasn’t far away - and that he didn’t get camera shy!
Oma: LOL. I understand completely.
Shawn fell asleep on the way home, so I left him in the car seat while Abby and I had lunch. I had a little down time between the time that I put Abby down for her nap and when Shawn woke up. When he woke up, he happily announced, “I want to play with Abby!” But, since she was still napping, I explained that he could play with her in a little while. It was a nice treat to have some one-on-one time with both kids today.
Abby’s really starting to expand her vocabulary and language skills. She makes me smile now that she’s saying, “I funny!” She’s even learned that she’s much more likely to get what she wants if she asks politely. So, she’s trying very hard to remember to say, “May I have ___ please?” (Her polite smile afterwards is the icing on the cake.) She really made me giggle when she said, "May I have poo-poo please?" (I'm pretty sure she was trying to tell me something, rather than ask for something...)
It was definitely a good day between Abby and Shawn. Shawn confirmed it while he was getting ready for bed. I’m just glad my camera wasn’t far away - and that he didn’t get camera shy!
… His growing repertoire includes love song serenades as well as action-packed ditties with tricky foot work...
American Idol's got nothing on this budding vocalist!
Now appearing in his world début... SHAWN!
American Idol's got nothing on this budding vocalist!
Now appearing in his world début... SHAWN!
Oma: Next up: add a word and do Abby Road.
Great songs; better than Am Idol, fur sur
Great songs; better than Am Idol, fur sur
Me: LOL - I'm trying to get some of his other songs caught on camera, but sometimes he gets camera shy. "Abby, Abby" had a verse about "Shawn, Shawn," but when the camera came out, he forgot the words! ;)
Oma: LOL. I understand completely.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
This morning, Shawn asked me, “See Daydo (Diego)? Play with Daydo’s (Diego’s) toys?” Yup! It’s Spanish Class today! Once we got to Language Stars, it took Shawn a little while to warm up, but he was chiming in before long. Abby made an attempt to say, “Me llamo Abby (My name is Abby),” but could only get out “Me… Abby!” Even when we’d prompt her for the missing word, she’d skip it and go straight to “Abby!” She knew exactly what was going on and what we were doing though. Both of them were fully participated in the Buenos Dias / Good Morning song, including giving two big thumbs up when we say, “¡Muy bien! (Very well!)”
This unit is about naming body parts. We focused on la cabeza (head), el brazo (arm), and la pierna (leg) today. We gave a teddy bear a bath, naming his parts including los manos (hands) and los pies (feet). While he got clean, we sang En la tina/In the Bathtub.
Our project involved making funny faces on a piece of paper by gluing los ojos (eyes), las orejas (ears), la nariz (nose), and la boca (mouth), which were all a review, onto the frame of a face and coloring el pelo (the hair). Diego worked with Shawn while I helped Abby. When we were done, Diego confessed, “Mine is not as cute as you!” Now, I am absolutely certain that he meant, “The funny face project that Shawn and I made with cockeyed features did not turn out as well as the one that Abby and you made.” …But, I like the way his broken English version sounded better!
At lunch the kids really wanted to share their food!
While both kids napped in the afternoon, a neighbor pulled out of his driveway and hit both his garbage can and his recycling cart that were still on his curb from this morning. He didn’t stop to take them inside or even to move them out of the way. He just left them toppled over half-way into the street. I guess he must have been late for work or something! It would’ve been kind of funny, except for the fact that Baron jolted into guard dog mode and all of the commotion woke up Abby, somehow Shawn amazingly slept through it all. Baron calmed down pretty quickly, but Abby, who was scared out of her wits, needed a little help catching her breath and relaxing in order to go back to sleep again. (Thanks a lot, Frank!) About 15 minutes after she fell back to sleep, there was a delivery to the house next door. The delivery truck’s door made more racket which woke Abby up. Luckily, this time she wasn’t frightened. She just thought Daddy was here to pick her up. When I didn’t go in to get her, she simply drifted off… again. Poor kid.
It has been a GORGEOUS day!! It’s only 45F, but the sun is dazzling, the sky is bright blue, and the big, puffy clouds remain to be giant, floating cotton balls and haven’t turned gray or threatening… so far. (Rain is in the forecast in the next day or so). Even though it is still pretty chilly in the shade, which includes half of our house at any given point in the day, I opened the windows and doors to let in the fresh air. On the sunny side of our house, it was actually a little warmer outside than inside! I did close the windows in the kids’ rooms at naptime, since the breeze cooled down the rooms considerably. Besides, the landscaping crew was out and about today, so closing the windows at naptime helped muffle any noise they might make as they go by. (It wasn’t enough to block out Frank’s garbage can collision or the clatter from the delivery truck though!)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Word of the Day: Loquacious
Shawn interrupted our lunch today with, “Ah-ehm, ah-ehm, ah-ehm! (tapping his throat) Tengo, tengo, tengo sed!” ( I am, I am, I am thirsty!) It took me a moment to figure out what was going on and that he wasn’t just speaking in jibberish before I realized he was trying to sing part of a song we do at Language Stars before water is served during snack time. Sure enough, I’d forgotten to give him his sippy cup. Always full of surprises…
We went to Open Gym at Gymboree and saw some old friends, who we haven’t seen in a while. Abby was excited to play with a few girls a little older than her. Shawn joined a game of basketball with a little boy who exclaimed, “Slam dunk!” each time his ball went through the hoop. Before I knew it, Shawn was calling out, “Slam dunk!” each time he threw the ball - into the basketball hoop or elsewhere. (I’m not sure I would’ve been able to interpret what he was trying to say if I hadn’t seen the story unfold, but since I knew the context, it was pretty funny!)
We didn’t stay at Open Gym the whole allotted time because Abby was giving me the impression that she was getting tired. She’d find a ball and then sit on my lap to watch the other children playing. If she lost her grip on her ball and it rolled away, she’d get up to retrieve it, but otherwise she was content to sit and watch, sometimes even leaning her head back on me. That was my cue that it was time to go.
Moments after pulling out of the Gymboree parking lot, we saw a semi-truck with the silhouette of a horse in its logo. Abby was very excited to see the horse and gave out an energized, “Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!” And, for the entire 18.1 miles and 40+ minutes it took us to get home (I stopped at an ATM along the way), Abby impersonated an extremely loquacious pony. (Loquacious – good word, eh?) I’m not sure what happened to Sleepy Abby that I saw back at Gymboree, but we must have left her behind! This Abby’s rhythmic repetition was so mind-numbing that it actually put Shawn to sleep!
When we got home, I parked in the garage and left Shawn in his car seat to nap. (With the rocky sleep he’s been having lately, there was no sense in disrupting him.) On the other hand, Abby was no longer interested in sleeping. So, she put Blue Baby Doll in time out (I wonder what she did!), had a leisurely snack, and then I put her in the Pack & Play. She talked to herself for a good 30 minutes (including a few versus of No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!") before finally drifting off. In fact, Shawn woke from his nap before Abby did, which NEVER happens. I even texted Bill that Abby was still sleeping, so he decided to keep working until I let him know that she was up. When she finally did wake up, Shawn joined me to get her out of bed. He rushed up to the side of her Pack & Play and asked, “Abby, have a good nap, Abby?” and she answered with a wholehearted, “Yeah!” I would say so!
We went to Open Gym at Gymboree and saw some old friends, who we haven’t seen in a while. Abby was excited to play with a few girls a little older than her. Shawn joined a game of basketball with a little boy who exclaimed, “Slam dunk!” each time his ball went through the hoop. Before I knew it, Shawn was calling out, “Slam dunk!” each time he threw the ball - into the basketball hoop or elsewhere. (I’m not sure I would’ve been able to interpret what he was trying to say if I hadn’t seen the story unfold, but since I knew the context, it was pretty funny!)
We didn’t stay at Open Gym the whole allotted time because Abby was giving me the impression that she was getting tired. She’d find a ball and then sit on my lap to watch the other children playing. If she lost her grip on her ball and it rolled away, she’d get up to retrieve it, but otherwise she was content to sit and watch, sometimes even leaning her head back on me. That was my cue that it was time to go.
Moments after pulling out of the Gymboree parking lot, we saw a semi-truck with the silhouette of a horse in its logo. Abby was very excited to see the horse and gave out an energized, “Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!” And, for the entire 18.1 miles and 40+ minutes it took us to get home (I stopped at an ATM along the way), Abby impersonated an extremely loquacious pony. (Loquacious – good word, eh?) I’m not sure what happened to Sleepy Abby that I saw back at Gymboree, but we must have left her behind! This Abby’s rhythmic repetition was so mind-numbing that it actually put Shawn to sleep!
When we got home, I parked in the garage and left Shawn in his car seat to nap. (With the rocky sleep he’s been having lately, there was no sense in disrupting him.) On the other hand, Abby was no longer interested in sleeping. So, she put Blue Baby Doll in time out (I wonder what she did!), had a leisurely snack, and then I put her in the Pack & Play. She talked to herself for a good 30 minutes (including a few versus of No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!") before finally drifting off. In fact, Shawn woke from his nap before Abby did, which NEVER happens. I even texted Bill that Abby was still sleeping, so he decided to keep working until I let him know that she was up. When she finally did wake up, Shawn joined me to get her out of bed. He rushed up to the side of her Pack & Play and asked, “Abby, have a good nap, Abby?” and she answered with a wholehearted, “Yeah!” I would say so!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
T is for Tanner, Trucks, Tunes, Toys, and Teddy Bear
It was a rough night last night. We didn’t sleep much. Shawn and I slept in a little, but he still woke up on his own in time for our swimming lesson. Again Raj suggested we skip class and sleep in, but with both of us awake in time, it didn’t make much sense. We didn’t get to the pool early enough to get in before class started, like we normally have been, but we got there just as they were taking attendance.
I wasn’t very impressed with the swimming lesson today. We had a lot of play time (a.k.a. down time)! The water was cold – 83F water, 85F air, which sounds warm enough, but kids’ lips were blue, chins were chattering, and limbs were shivering. A few of us asked if temperature could be turned up, but management said no because lap swimmers complain it’s too warm to do their exercises. So, I guess our babes will get hypothermia instead – sure, that’s reasonable! Grrr….
Tanner’s mom asked me if we were going to sign up for the next session of classes, but I haven’t been very impressed by this one, so I don’t think so. The only real benefit that I’ve seen from these lessons is it’s at a set time each week, which actually gets us to do it. If we don’t have an activity scheduled and on the calendar, then we’re not likely to do it, whether it’s something in the community or a playdate. So, saying that we can just go to the pool this summer sounds great and logical, but if we don’t actually plan it, it’s not likely to happen. Maybe I’ll look for swimming lessons through a different group, like the park district, and see if we get anything more out of it.
When Shawn woke up from his nap, Raj and I heard him talking to himself – something about a truck and a house. We opened the door to find him sitting in his rocking chair, reading The Little House, “I’m reading stories in the rocking chair all by MY self!” What a character.
Shawn has been very vocal today. He sang Baa, Baa Black Sheep while playing with his farm. Throughout the day, he sang many other songs, some real and others made up (or perhaps medleys of a few real ones). He can now fill in the missing words when we sing I’ve Been Working on the Railroad, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, A Tisket, A Tasket, Frere Jaques (in English though), Humpty Dumpty, You are My Sunshine, Merrily We Roll Along, and a few others, which escape me at the moment.
Shawn’s also getting very quick at putting together his chunky puzzles. I may need to see if there are any new ones available on Freecycle. He never really showed much interest in the puzzles before, other than playing with the pieces individually. I think he’s learned a little from Abby, because she loves doing puzzles and is very fast to put them together.
Surprise! Shawn knows the letter T. He’s been pointing it out in different contexts all day: on Dadda’s flavored water bottles, in his books, on the computer “buttons”… I’m not sure where this came from, but I guess we should run with it!
While Shawn was playing for a little while before going to bed, he pulled out a teddy bear and an empty plastic box that’s made to hold wipes. He proceeded to tell us that Teddy Bear’s diaper was dirty and he needed to change it! He laid Teddy Bear on the ground, pulled out pretend wipes from the box, lifted the bear’s legs, and told us that he was cleaning up Teddy Bear. Raj and I just watched and giggled. I love his imagination.
I wasn’t very impressed with the swimming lesson today. We had a lot of play time (a.k.a. down time)! The water was cold – 83F water, 85F air, which sounds warm enough, but kids’ lips were blue, chins were chattering, and limbs were shivering. A few of us asked if temperature could be turned up, but management said no because lap swimmers complain it’s too warm to do their exercises. So, I guess our babes will get hypothermia instead – sure, that’s reasonable! Grrr….
Tanner’s mom asked me if we were going to sign up for the next session of classes, but I haven’t been very impressed by this one, so I don’t think so. The only real benefit that I’ve seen from these lessons is it’s at a set time each week, which actually gets us to do it. If we don’t have an activity scheduled and on the calendar, then we’re not likely to do it, whether it’s something in the community or a playdate. So, saying that we can just go to the pool this summer sounds great and logical, but if we don’t actually plan it, it’s not likely to happen. Maybe I’ll look for swimming lessons through a different group, like the park district, and see if we get anything more out of it.
When Shawn woke up from his nap, Raj and I heard him talking to himself – something about a truck and a house. We opened the door to find him sitting in his rocking chair, reading The Little House, “I’m reading stories in the rocking chair all by MY self!” What a character.
Shawn has been very vocal today. He sang Baa, Baa Black Sheep while playing with his farm. Throughout the day, he sang many other songs, some real and others made up (or perhaps medleys of a few real ones). He can now fill in the missing words when we sing I’ve Been Working on the Railroad, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, A Tisket, A Tasket, Frere Jaques (in English though), Humpty Dumpty, You are My Sunshine, Merrily We Roll Along, and a few others, which escape me at the moment.
Shawn’s also getting very quick at putting together his chunky puzzles. I may need to see if there are any new ones available on Freecycle. He never really showed much interest in the puzzles before, other than playing with the pieces individually. I think he’s learned a little from Abby, because she loves doing puzzles and is very fast to put them together.
Surprise! Shawn knows the letter T. He’s been pointing it out in different contexts all day: on Dadda’s flavored water bottles, in his books, on the computer “buttons”… I’m not sure where this came from, but I guess we should run with it!
While Shawn was playing for a little while before going to bed, he pulled out a teddy bear and an empty plastic box that’s made to hold wipes. He proceeded to tell us that Teddy Bear’s diaper was dirty and he needed to change it! He laid Teddy Bear on the ground, pulled out pretend wipes from the box, lifted the bear’s legs, and told us that he was cleaning up Teddy Bear. Raj and I just watched and giggled. I love his imagination.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
A Good Day Outside
Today was a significantly better day than yesterday! (There was plenty of room for improvement!)
We arrived at the library a little early for story time today, so Abby and Shawn got to play in the children’s corner for a few minutes. We also found lots of animals painted in the mural and the stuffed animals that live among the bookshelves (out of reach) in the story room. Ms. Nancy was very impressed with how many animal names they knew. When she was ready to start story time, we were the only ones in her audience, but a few others showed up later. Today’s theme was “Going for a Walk.” Shawn, Abby, and I really liked the first story, I Took a Walk by Henry Cole. It had beautiful and very realistic illustrations showing different places a child went outside and the things he saw there. There weren’t many words to the story, though there were a lot of labels identifying various things in the pictures. It was really hard for Shawn and Abby to resist running up to the book to point out something they found on each page. (If we had been the only ones there, I probably would have let them, but when they managed to slip from my fingers, they blocked other kids’ views.) Another boy who would rush up to point at something was called back by his mom a few times too, but he was a little older and was pretty easily redirected. The second story Ms. Nancy read was Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins. It was about a hen, Rosie, who had no idea that a fox was following her as she walked around the farmyard. Rosie reminded me of Oma and Opa’s chickens at the Barony and, oddly enough, the fox reminded me a little of Wiley Coyote - each scene showed the hen walking safely by various objects, which inevitably fell on, hit, or somehow battered the disaster-prone fox. I Went Walking by Sue Williams was a very short book about a child pointing out familiar animals. It was a lot like Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin and Eric Carle. It was cute, but not very memorable for me though – I had to look it up on Amazon to refresh my memory! We also read Spot’s First Walk by Eric Hill. We have one of the books from this series at home. Shawn and Abby both like to discover what’s hidden under the flaps on each page. Spot encounters surprises along his walk, which Ms. Nancy revealed from under the flaps. Toward the end of the book, a fish warns Spot, “Don’t fall in!” as he’s about to drink from a pond. The next page shows Spot shaking water off his fur. I smiled when his mom asks him what he did while he was gone. You see him next to various things he picked up along his walk, but, just like the typical kid, he tells her, “Nothing.” The last book we read was also by Eric Hill. Spot’s Walk in the Woods told about things Spot saw during an adventure into the woods. Since it was written as a rebus, Ms. Nancy had the children help her “read” the words that were replaced with pictures. They got pretty excited about interpreting the pictures with her. Abby liked the ending of the story, when Spot was back home and discovered a frog from the woods had jumped into his backpack. She started hopping each time Ms. Nancy read the word ‘frog.’
Ms. Nancy taught us the sign for ‘walk’ in sign language. We danced to Walk Outside from Raffi’s Box of Sunshine CD and tried to sign ‘walk’ whenever it came up in the lyrics. We also recited a few rhymes:
Around the Yard
After the library, we played outside. Abby and Shawn pulled out a lot of toys. The bubble machine is Abby’s favorite. The Cozy Coupe ranks pretty high with Shawn.
Balls, buckets, and shovels littered the yard, too.
We even wished for warm weather by pulling out the kiddy pool! Shawn and Abby had a blast pretending to swim and splash and toss toys into the non-existent water.
Unfortunately, we had to stop our pool party short because Shawn tripped and scraped up his fingers. It was time for lunch anyway, but it would have been nicer to end the festivity without the need for Band-Aids!
When Abby woke up from her nap in the afternoon, I heard her say, “Hi, Baby!” She talked to herself a few minutes before I went in to get her. We played together while Shawn continued his nap.
We arrived at the library a little early for story time today, so Abby and Shawn got to play in the children’s corner for a few minutes. We also found lots of animals painted in the mural and the stuffed animals that live among the bookshelves (out of reach) in the story room. Ms. Nancy was very impressed with how many animal names they knew. When she was ready to start story time, we were the only ones in her audience, but a few others showed up later. Today’s theme was “Going for a Walk.” Shawn, Abby, and I really liked the first story, I Took a Walk by Henry Cole. It had beautiful and very realistic illustrations showing different places a child went outside and the things he saw there. There weren’t many words to the story, though there were a lot of labels identifying various things in the pictures. It was really hard for Shawn and Abby to resist running up to the book to point out something they found on each page. (If we had been the only ones there, I probably would have let them, but when they managed to slip from my fingers, they blocked other kids’ views.) Another boy who would rush up to point at something was called back by his mom a few times too, but he was a little older and was pretty easily redirected. The second story Ms. Nancy read was Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins. It was about a hen, Rosie, who had no idea that a fox was following her as she walked around the farmyard. Rosie reminded me of Oma and Opa’s chickens at the Barony and, oddly enough, the fox reminded me a little of Wiley Coyote - each scene showed the hen walking safely by various objects, which inevitably fell on, hit, or somehow battered the disaster-prone fox. I Went Walking by Sue Williams was a very short book about a child pointing out familiar animals. It was a lot like Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin and Eric Carle. It was cute, but not very memorable for me though – I had to look it up on Amazon to refresh my memory! We also read Spot’s First Walk by Eric Hill. We have one of the books from this series at home. Shawn and Abby both like to discover what’s hidden under the flaps on each page. Spot encounters surprises along his walk, which Ms. Nancy revealed from under the flaps. Toward the end of the book, a fish warns Spot, “Don’t fall in!” as he’s about to drink from a pond. The next page shows Spot shaking water off his fur. I smiled when his mom asks him what he did while he was gone. You see him next to various things he picked up along his walk, but, just like the typical kid, he tells her, “Nothing.” The last book we read was also by Eric Hill. Spot’s Walk in the Woods told about things Spot saw during an adventure into the woods. Since it was written as a rebus, Ms. Nancy had the children help her “read” the words that were replaced with pictures. They got pretty excited about interpreting the pictures with her. Abby liked the ending of the story, when Spot was back home and discovered a frog from the woods had jumped into his backpack. She started hopping each time Ms. Nancy read the word ‘frog.’
Ms. Nancy taught us the sign for ‘walk’ in sign language. We danced to Walk Outside from Raffi’s Box of Sunshine CD and tried to sign ‘walk’ whenever it came up in the lyrics. We also recited a few rhymes:
Read a Book
(To the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Read, read, read a book
Travel anywhere
World-wide, you decide
A book will take you there!
Around the Yard
Let’s go walking around the yard. (walk)
We’ll keep on walking, then we’ll stop. (stop)
Let’s go walking around the block. (walk)
We’ll keep on walking, then we’ll stop. (stop)
Let’s go walking to the library. (walk)
We’ll keep on walking, then we’ll stop. (stop)
Going for a Walk
Going for a walk is so much fun (walk)
We look at all the lovely trees (cup hands over head)
We don’t’ hurry, we don’t run (shake head)
We watch for birds and watch for bees (flap hands and make buzzing sound)
Unfortunately, we had to stop our pool party short because Shawn tripped and scraped up his fingers. It was time for lunch anyway, but it would have been nicer to end the festivity without the need for Band-Aids!
When Abby woke up from her nap in the afternoon, I heard her say, “Hi, Baby!” She talked to herself a few minutes before I went in to get her. We played together while Shawn continued his nap.
After Shelley came to pick up Abby, Shawn woke up. He found a book on his bookshelf (I could tell by the sounds of him rattling around in his room), then tried to open his door (I was on the other side secretly trying to help him). When he got it open, he rushed out smiling and then made a bee-line to Abby’s pack & play, “Abby? Abby?” He was really disappointed when I explained that she had already gone home. He just stood in the hallway looking at the stairs going down to the front door. I had to take his hand to get him to snap out of it! Then, he went back into his room and found some books to read, which were quickly spread across the floor. He misses her already. It’s a good thing there’s still one more day with Abby this week!
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