Learning Basket: Grapes...

Books

The Man and the Vine

First Day in Grapes

Aesop's Fables (The Fox and the Grapes)

Apples to Oregon

Activities

  Dissect a grape with seeds and a seedless grape and compare.  Research how grapes are grown seedless
Enjoy eating lots of different types of grapes and graph everyone's favorites
See if there is a vineyard that you can tour (or even a neighbor with a grape arbor!)
Make oatmeal raisin cookies or Irish Soda Bread
Try this experiment with raisins:

Bouncing Raisins

Materials 

6 raisins
    Glass tumbler
    Vinegar
    Baking soda

Directions

    Pour a cup of water into the glass jar.
    Add one teaspoon of baking soda and stir until dissolved.
    Gently add one-fourth cup of vinegar and wait until it stops fizzing.
    Drop in three or four raisins.
    Watch and see what happens (it takes about 10 to 15 minutes).

Note: The gas, carbon dioxide, that forms when you add vinegar to the baking soda forms bubbles all over the raisins. The raisins start to rise as the bubbles of carbon dioxide carry the raisins upwards and they fall when the bubbles are released.

Learning Basket: Watermelon...

Books

Eating the Alphabet

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Watermelon for Everyone

One Watermelon Seed

The Watermelon Seed

Activities

Make watermelon scented playdough using Kool-Aid 

Create a watermelon slice using half a paper plate, bits of red, white, and green construction paper, glue, and watermelon seeds

Enjoy lots of watermelon (taste test different types and varieties of watermelon:  seedless, seeded, yellow, sugar baby, etc)

Find a farm that sells watermelon and see if they will take you on a tour of their watermelon patch

Save seeds from the watermelon that you eat and use them to in math related activities:  sorting, counting, estimating, etc.

The Nutcracker...

 

This past Sunday was the first time that the children and I have ever gone to see a live performance of The Nutcracker!  What fun it was!  We were able to go with a family from our church and upon arrival, the little ones were each given their own nutcracker by my friend.  This thrilled the children, as you can imagine!

The performance was quite good.  We were able to see a local ballet studio perform the majority of the ballet and they brought in two women and one man from the state's ballet company to do some of the dancing.

When we got home, I dug out my copy of A Very Young Dancer for the little ones to look through.  It has been paged through dozens of times by Sugar Plum and Little Man already this week!  The children have also been inspired to dance a lot (we just find some of the music on YouTube and they hop, skip, and jump around quite happily!).  I've also been revisiting our Nutcracker Learning Basket and just found out this morning that the winter edition of Rhythm of the Home has a free Sparkle Story called Living Room Nutcracker!  We'll listen to that this afternoon.

What seasonal joys are you experiencing?

Learning Basket: Fireflies...

Books

Fireflies

Firefly at Stonybrook Farm

Fireflies at Midnight

The Very Lonely Firefly

Fireflies in the Night

Activities

Surprise the little ones with a twilight walk to catch fireflies

Set up a firefly nature table

Create fireflies out of wool roving

Draw a nightsky picture on black construction paper using sidewalk chalk for stars and fireflies

Gingerbread Day!

When I found out that our little local bookstore was hosting a Gingerbread House party for the second year, I was thrilled! We began the afternoon with by reading our favorite gingerbread stories and enjoying some gingerbread boy and girl stickers that I found while out and about. After dinner, we headed out to the bookstore to have some fun! Miss Allison read the little ones a Jan Brett book and then passed out pre-made houses (so much easier!). Then the decorating began! There were many different snacks and sweets to decorate with (and sample!). Yum! Both Sugar Plum and Little Man's houses have found a place on our table to be admired by all who stop in!

Learning Basket: Peaches...

Books
Each Peach Pear Plum
Peach and Blue
Three Perfect Peaches
Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains

Activities
Pick Peaches
Make Peach Delights: Peach Ice Cream, Peach Cobbler or Peach Crisp, Peach Jam, etc.
Practice Cutting Peaches
Explore a Peach Orchard

Learning Basket: Sunflowers...

Books
Camille and the Sunflowers
Katie and the Sunflowers
Sunflower House
Sunflower Houses: Inspiration from the Garden
The Sunflower Parable
Sunflower Sal

Activities
Taste Sunflower Seeds
Plant Sunflower Seeds
Count and Sort Sunflower Seeds
Hang a Sunflower Head from a Branch for the Birds to Feast on
Look for Fields of Sunflowers (they are abundant near our church)
Buy Sunflowers for the Table
Play Flower Alphabet Rummy

Learning Basket: Blueberries...

Books
Blueberries for Sal
Jamberry
Peter in Blueberry Land
A Fair Bear Share

Activities
Pick Blueberries
Make Blueberry Treats: Jam, Pancakes, Buckle, Crisp, Sauce for Ice Cream, etc.
Freeze Fresh Blueberries for the Cold Months Ahead
Go on a Color Hunt to Find Things that are Blue
Do a Few Counting and Sorting Activities with Fresh Blueberries

:::::

Learning Basket: Independance Day...

Books

The Fourth of July Story
George Washington
The Story of America's Birthday
McDuff Saves the Day
The Very Lonely Firefly
(See Also The American Flag Learning Basket)

Activities
Go to see Fireworks
Host a Picnic or BBQ
Wear Red, White, and Blue
Listen to Patriotic Songs (We Like Wee Sing America!)
Light Sparklers (with Adult Supervision!)

Learning Basket: Boats...

"Driving" a Friend's Boat Last Summer

Books
Curious George Rides a Bike
My Blue Boat
Little Toot
Boat Book
Lightship

Activities
Go for a Boat Ride
Make a Newspaper Boat
Float Sticks in Puddles (or a larger body of water!)
Play with Boats in the Bathtub
Sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat (sing in rounds with older children)

Learning Basket: Summer...

Catching (and Releasing!) Baby Crabs Last Summer

Books
Mama, is it Summer Yet?
Summer
Summertime in the Big Woods
Summer Story
Flower Fairies of the Summer
Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic

Activities
Play in Water (use the hose if all else fails!)
Enjoy Summer Fruits and Vegetables
Visit the Farmer's Market
Visit the Beach or Pool
Pack a Picnic or Dine in your Backyard
Take a Walk to Hunt for Treasures for Your Nature Table

Learning Basket:: American Flag...

Books

The Flag We Love
Our Flag
Stars and Stripes:The Story of the American Flag
F is for Flag
I Pledge Allegiance

Activities
Make a Flag Cake
Hang a Flag Outside Your Home
Review Flag Etiquette
Sing Patriotic Songs (we like Wee Sing America!)
Learn the Pledge of Allegiance
Dress in Red, White, and Blue or Wear a Flag Tee Shirt

Learning Basket: Seashells...

Books
One White Wishing Stone: A Beach Day Counting Book
What Lives in a Shell?
A House for Hermit Crab
Seashells by the Seashore
The Seashore Book

Activities
Collect Seashells on the Beach
Play with Seashells during Bathtime
Snack on Madeline Cookies at Teatime
Listen for the Ocean Inside a Large Conch Shell
Glue Shells Together to Create a Picture or Sculpture

Learning Basket: Strawberries...

Books
Strawberries are Red
The First Strawberries
Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka and the Strawberries

Saving Strawberry Farm
Hedgie's Surprise

Activities
Pick your Own Strawberries
Make Strawberry Jam and Strawberry Shortcake
Observe the Strawberry Seeds on the Outside of the Berry with a Magnifying Glass
Select a Bowl of Strawberries to Give to Your Neighbors Anonymously
Grow Strawberry Plants in your Garden
Attend a Strawberry Festival (or Host Your Own!)

Learning Basket: Butterflies...

Books
Waiting for Wings
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
A Butterfly is Patient
Where Butterflies Grow
Monarch Butterfly of Aster Way
Sibley's Backyard Butterfly Folding Guide (for your region)

Activities
Grow Your Own Butterflies!
Hang a Butterfly Garland
Dress-up Like a Butterfly
Create Magazine Butterflies
Play with a Butterfly Puppet

Learning Basket: Birds, Eggs, and Nests...

Books
About Birds: A Guide for Children
An Egg is Quiet
Birds, Nests, and Eggs
Robin at Hickory Street
The Backyard Birdsong Guide
Sibley's Backyard Birds Folding Guide (for your region)

Activities

Set up a Bird Watching Station by a Window in your Home: Child-Sized Binoculars, Bird Guides, and Perhaps a few Audubon Birds
Take a Nature Walk to Search for Birds and Their Nests... Perhaps You'll Find an Eggshell from a Robin!
Create a Bird Haven in your Garden: Fill your Bird Feeders Regularly, Keep a Clean Bird Bath, and Add Plants to Your Garden that attract Birds
Visit Your Local Zoo to Catch a Glimpse of a Few Exotic Birds
Purchase a Wooden Birdhouse from the Craft Store and Have your Child Decorate it

Learning Basket: Farms...

Books

Our Farm
A Big Treasury of Little Animals
Farm
Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm and The Year at Maple Hill Farm
The Big Red Barn

Activities
Set up a Farm Scene with Play Animals
Visit a Farm
Buy Food and Flowers at a Farmer's Market
Try to Spot Tractors and Other Farm Equipment in Action
Make Homemade Butter
Sample Different Dairy Products (sour cream, goat milk, cheese, cream, cottage cheese, skim milk and whole milk, honey butter, buttermilk, and eggs cooked different ways)


:::::

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

Baa, baa, black sheep,

Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,

Three bags full.

One for the master,

One for the dame,

And one for the little boy

Who lives down the lane

Learning Basket: Peter and the Wolf...

Peter and the Wolf Puppet Theater by Sarah Jane Studios

Books
Peter and the Wolf
The Three Little Pigs: An Old Story
Little Red Riding Hood
Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China
Face to Face with Wolves
Walk with a Wolf

Activities
Listen to Peter and the Wolf
Watch Peter and the Wolf (Disney version and PBS version - PREVIEW FIRST)
Peter and the Wolf Puppet Theater
Visit the Wolves at the Zoo

Learning Basket: Spring...

Books
Spring
Everything Spring
Spring is Here
Our Farm
Flower Fairies Spring
Spring Story

Activities

Set Up a Bird Watching Station to View the Return of the Birds from the South
Plan Your Garden
Feed the Ducks and Geese
Take Stock of Outside Gardening Tools, Toys, and Bikes to Clean, Repair, or Replace
Take a Nature Walk to Spot Signs of Spring

Learning Basket: Rainbows...

Books

All the Colors of the Rainbow
A Rainbow and You
Planting a Rainbow
A Rainbow of my Own
Weaving the Rainbow

Activities
Listen to Roy G. Biv by Mr. Ray
Hang Prisms in a Sunny Window
Watch Somewhere Over the Rainbow on YouTube
Paint a Rainbow using Watercolors
Try to Create Rainbow on a Sunny Day by Spraying Water with the Hose
Dye White Carnations and Make a Rainbow Bouquet