Crafting With Fall Leaves

On Friday, Jonathan & I used all those leaves we gathered on our Thursday walk for our science class and a craft project. We learned about deciduous trees and why they lose their leaves in the fall. Then we made a mobile using our colorful leaves. First, we chose the very best leaves from the bag, then we placed them on a sheet of clear Contact paper.

Next we put on the top layer and smoothed it out.

Then Jonathan cut out each leaf, which took a little while but was great practice with cutting around all the little edges of the leaves.

We used a branch we found on our walk to hang the leaves on. We used twine I had on hand. Jonathan punched a hole in the cut out leaf (wherever he wanted to on the leaf), then I strung it with the twine in varying lengths. We tried a couple of different places to hang it, but the only place that really worked was the living room window. Jonathan handed me the leaves and I tied them on.

This is our finished product:

We tried to identify all of the leaves we were using. We have oak, maple, birch and some we didn't identify (yet...it was getting late in the evening and time for bed). We also left a little space to add any pretty leaves we find on future walks this fall.

We were both very pleased with the outcome of our combination science lesson and craft time. I'd like to take credit for thinking of this, but the idea came from Disney's Family Fun magazine. We have a few more crafts with leaves we want to try this month and we are hoping they will be just as much fun to do!

Jonathan's Day

Little boys. Nothin' like them! After breakfast, Jonathan folded all of the washcloths for me.

He does a very nice job! Then he played with his Nerf gun for a little while before getting dressed for school, having lunch and getting on the bus for an afternoon at school.

Nerf bullets stuck on everything! He's a pretty good shot.

I picked him up from school and we took a few minutes to review the papers he brought home. I made dinner while he watched a little bit of PBS Kids on TV. After dinner we took the trash to the curb. He helped with that, too. It was such a beautiful fall afternoon, I felt like we needed to be outside for awhile, so we went to a local park. We took a walk in the woods to collect a few twigs and leaves for some fall crafts.

Of course, you have to test your balance by walking on a fallen log.

There was just enough time to go down the sliding board and swing for a bit before heading home.

There is still a few remnants of dinner on that face, so it was home for a bath, then to read this week's book to me before bedtime. I think he's had a pretty good day!

Chicken Rodeo!

What, you ask, is a chicken rodeo? I was asking the same question myself a few weeks ago when I signed Jonathan up to attend. This was the fifth annual chicken rodeo at our library, and I was too intrigued to stay home Saturday even though it was raining.
First, meet some of the contestants:

These are some of the chickens a local farmer brought to race with the kids. Kids were placed in pairs with a library staffer, and they chose a chicken for their race. The kids had to shoo their chicken to the finish line. Of course, the chickens had a mind of their own and didn't just run straight for the win!

Ready, set, go!

Going the wrong way there, little chicken!

Shoo her toward the finish line

Since there weren't as many kids in attendance, due to the rain, I'm sure, parents were invited to race, too. I can't believe I actually raced a chicken, in public, in the rain!. Jonathan didn't want to race with me, he wanted to challenge me.

We are ready to race

Jonathan finishes first, we're still coaxing ours along 

He & his chicken won first place in this race, my partners & I finished second. Oh, and I may have made a new friend. A lovely lady who was there with her children took the pictures of Jonathan & me racing. You never know who you will meet at a chicken rodeo!

I just love all the activities at our library, recently named the top library in Kentucky. As I have said before, it is so much more than books!

How did you spend your Saturday morning?

Kindergarten Homework

When my older son was in kindergarten 33 years ago (oh my goodness has it really been that long??), they learned quite a bit, but it was also a time for the children to learn social skills and the rules of school--standing in line, raising their hand to speak, etc. None of the children in his class had been to preschool.
Things have certainly changed! Jonathan brings a homework packet home each Friday which is due back at school the following Friday. He's been in school four weeks and I have watched the work get more involved every week. This is the second week of bringing home a little reader, which he has to read to me every day. I sign a log, and the book and reading log goes back to school on Friday. This is this week's book, 8 pages long:

They do not read the book at school, so I have him try to read it to me first, and then I read it to him, and then back to him for the rest of the week. I worry that he has it memorized and is not really reading, so I made my own "flash cards" of words from the book. I use them to make sure he can recognize the words out of the context of the book--and without the help of illustrations. So far, so good!

I am still amazed at the level these kids are expected to learn. I guess it's time I realize my son is no longer a baby or toddler, but a capable little boy. I'm quite proud of him!

Science In The Park

It was a beautiful Friday morning, so it seemed like a perfect time to have a breakfast picnic before school. We packed fruit, yogurt and drinks, then made a quick stop at a nearby McDonald's for a hash brown, Jonathan's favorite. We were also having our science lesson, so I took along all our supplies.

We were studying cicadas. Jonathan found an exoskeleton on a tree in our yard and wanted to know more about them. I did some research to see what I could find out about the little guys. He enjoyed looking at it with his magnifying glass as I told him some interesting facts about them.

He wrote what he had observed in his journal, with me telling him how to spell the words.  He loves writing in his journal...

...and showing it off.

Then we each drew a cicada on a paper plate, colored it and cut it out. We took a walk in the park and chased a few butterflies, then it was back home to get ready for afternoon kindergarten. It was so much fun to have breakfast and science outdoors. I hope we can do this at least once more this fall.

I found these cool "I Love Science" pencils for my budding scientist at the Parent-Teacher Store. They have so many great pencils there in a variety of themes. I love browsing around in that store!

Grandparents' Day at School

Today was Grandparents' Day at Jonathan's school. Grandparents were invited to an ice cream social and the bulletin board in each classroom featured pictures of grandparents with their grandchildren.
Jonathan has no living grandparents, so we invited dear family friends to attend as surrogate grandparents. They truly love Jonathan and treat him like a grandson. They attend all of his sports games and were there for his end of year preschool programs.
I am so thankful that Jonathan has these wonderful people in his life. We are blessed.

Bobby with Jonathan in his classroom

Having ice cream with Edie

Pictures of the three of them on the bulletin board at school

Bountiful Produce

One of my neighbors is a member of a produce co-op where she shares produce with several other families each week. She picks up her week's worth on Thursday mornings, and she never knows what she will get. She called this morning and graciously offered to share her bounty with me. We probably can't use all of this, so I will, in turn, share with a friend. I do see a pot of vegetable soup and some banana bread in my immediate future (and in my freezer!).