Week 17 - Homeschool Preschool

Another calm week at the Gladden house as we are amidst our Christmas vacation. Eric is still off from school for the time being and had a little vacation at home with us from work!! Eric's parents came to visit over the weekend through Monday and Ellie's cousins were in town whom we spent time with on Tuesday. So just a good ole Christmas vacation of riding bikes, playing outside on the swings, slide, Ellie's new playhouse, making mud pies, taking nature walks, and studying scripture together and snuggling on the couch with a lot of good stories to read together. 

I love Ellie getting to play with her family because she learns so much every time she gets to be around them. 

On Wednesday, Eric went back to work for just the one day, then was off again on New Year's Eve & Day. Yayyy! Wednesday was full of book reading, playing outside, counting, bible time, geometric games, and coloring. 

Thursday was New Year's Eve and in the past, every year, I have taken Ellie to the Children's Museum of Greenville for a rockin' "Noon" Year's Eve party which is always full of science experiments, art, music, and play, and pajamas! However, I didn't even look into it to see if it was happening this year because goodness knows even if they hosted it, it would just be limited social distanced mask wearing non-beneficial play. So, I decided to have a party of my own with Ellie with our own science, crafts, art, music, dancing, reading, playing, snacks, and balloons falling at noon! We made 2021 play dough, did a 2021 toddler interview for Ellie's favorite things, she drew a self portrait (also tying in Van Gogh), made a noise maker with plates and bells, made fireworks in a glass with water, oil, and food coloring, made fireworks with cut toilet paper rolls, paint, and glitter, had a dance party to some Jesus praising rap and pop music, and then we read a book. Finally, we rang in the "Noon" Year with a balloon drop at the countdown to twelve p.m. of balloons we had blown up and suspended in the air to the ceiling. The balloons were released, Ellie hopped, rolled around, kicked, and sat in the balloons. She also used them to make a beautiful door decoration with tulle. Then we did a bubbly toast with sparkling white grape juice. I put gummies in Ellie's to make it sort of pretty. She thought this was all very fancy and cool...and then she tasted the bubbles and juice and literally spat it out! 😂😂😂 She was convinced Eric's would taste different so then she asked to try his...once again, she spat it out. Bless! 

These projects were super fun but also really educational. The play dough was mathematical and sensory development. We used number cookie cutters to cut out "2021." We made a cube from the play dough, then also drew a cube on paper and discussed how a cube is a 3 dimensional square. She liked that. When Ellie drew her self portrait, she made an oval for her face. She drew lines for her arms and legs...and hair. She also knew to add facial characteristics such as eyes and a smile. She draws details quite well for a 3 year old in my opinion. When we did her interview of her favorite things, we began by writing her name. We talked about what letters we needed to make "Ellie Gladden" and then discussed how to draw those letters. Reminder our letters are being learned phonetically, first, to prepare for reading lessons next fall! The science experiment was of course the subject of science, obviously. Oil and water do not mix, oil is less dense than water. Cold water was important for the dispersal of the food coloring added to the top of the oil for the appearance it had in a slow release. Ellie was mesmerized by this. 

New Year's Day, we had planned a first day hike as a family. However, rain. Normally rain won't keep us from getting outside but the rain was torrential and so we just stayed in as a family reading, playing games, running around chasing each other, and cooking our New Year's Eve "lupper." Ellie helped to shred the collards and kept Eric company under the umbrella out at the grill. She really wanted to do some cooking and so I was happy to have the helping little hands. But she refused the onion chopping because last time she had her first experience of watery eyes and she wanted nothing to do with that! 😂

Ellie practiced some of her Preschool Math Curriculum by tracing some numbers and free handing a few in her book, tracing shapes and matching shapes, and observing differences in sizes. We only did this as long as she was interested and found it fun and when she was done, we were done because we don't want to make it a chore, we just want it to a fun playful time to learn. There is no need to force education and doing so can cause enjoyment in learning to crash and burn...especially at age 3. 

We were able to take a second day hike in place of the rainy first day and it was wonderful to adventure out, get exercise, Vitamin D, learn about evergreens a little more, and other wonders of nature. Also the family time was incredible. Then, once home, more playing with games, blocks, and reading books, playing outside together and cuddling a little at bed time. What a really great couple of weeks of slow paced family bonding learning.