Angus grows bored in this winter at home. Don't we all?! But we weren't bored with this book a bit. Here is what we got into!
Our bible verse for this story is: Psalm 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
We have a precious pet dog, Blondie. My daughter loves dogs and all other animals so this book tickled her fancy! Conveniently, our dog's birthday was this week also. So we made dog treats to go along with the book and to celebrate Blondie. Blondie Loved them! Ellie practiced counting and measuring and number visual recognition here.
Here is our recipe:
*1 cup of pumpkin puree
*2 cups flour
*2 eggs
*1/3 cup PB
*1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-Mix ingredients together
-Roll out on a flour covered surface and use a cookie cutter to make desired size and shape of your treats.
-Place cut outs on greased cookie tray
-Bake at 350F for 25 minutes
We noticed the owl in the book of course. It was small and a silhouette, but before I ever read any words, Ellie pointed to it and said, "An owl!" I love that even though the owl lacked details, she could see the silhouette and tell me what she was looking at. She noticed characteristics in shape. So, I printed out many images of animal silhouettes and she thought it was such a fun game to name what they were. She even got "Koala Bear," which I thought would be tricky. This is so good for shaping the mind and allowing it to bed down a new path and think in a different way.
It was winter in the story and it is winter, now. Angus wanted to go home but it was dark and he was lost and there was snow that came upon him! He had to hide and shelter in a cave for the night. We made snowflake art! We made our own puffy paint. Here is our recipe:
Then, she used her squeeze bottle on black construction paper to make snowflakes. Then we microwaved the pieces for 1 minute causing the dough to rise. She found this super cool. The squeezing of the bottle allowed her to explore, strengthen hands for handwriting skills, and be creative. Simple and good fun!
We also talked about safety. Angus left home and he got lost. What should Ellie do if she ever is lost, in trouble, or needs help? We discussed as we have many times in the past to never ever go outside of our house without one of her parents. She is to never walk away or leave or even go play outside without letting us know and receiving permission and she understands this. I asked her if she knew my name. I expected her to say, "Mommy," yet she did in fact say my full name. then I asked her if she knew daddy's name as well and she did. So good! Then we discussed what to do in an emergency, if she is lost, if she is hurt. Get a phone and call 9-1-1. We are still working on number visual recognition so this was a good way to also teach those numbers further. We sang a song, did a rhyme, and a dance about this number. Then throughout the day she would ask me questions about what to do and I would answer them. I pray she will never need this information but I want her to be prepared to be safe always.
We also went hiking one day so we weren't bored in the house on a cold winter day like Angus. On our hike, we discussed safety further in the event Ellie was lost, alone, or hurt on the trail. We recapped my name, daddy's name, 9-1-1, and what to do if lost in the woods. Stay put where you are, stay calm, don't panic, don't move, call out for help or blow a whistle. Don't leave with anybody that isn't one of our trusted public servants (police, EMS, firemen), give them mommy and daddy's name. I also took the liberty of creating a tag with my name and our address and phone numbers to attach to her hiking bag. I never ever plan on losing her, but does any parent who has been in such a situation? Safety first for us both! I liked being able to calmly discuss these important topics with Ellie through this book. She was very receptive and would bring it up in discussion with me throughout the week. It really resonated with her. God willing though, we will never have to use any of these tactics!
Ellie also made a cave like the one Angus had to hide in for shelter. She made it in our living room where we read the book again.
Go along books:
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