Sweetness and Light

Fun with Sean-Paul!

Violet has been having a grand time putting together weekly (mostly) activities for her littlest brother including many Montessori and literature based ideas. He has been totally excited about this and the fact that he gets to do most of these with sissy is a big PLUS!!! Here's a little tour of the past three weeks or so of his Preschool Learning Center activities:

Forest Animals Theme ~ This one was very easy to put together for him as we had everything already in the Learning room to pull from:

• Small wooden forest animals,
• Toob forest animals (ours were from Michaels),
• Cherry Tree blocks (maybe Magic Cabin, I can't remember),
• Animal Tracks/Forest Animals matching game w/ magnifying glass (for the hunting),
• a forest scene to water color (from Little Saints Preschool) then add forest animal stickers,
• Mammals book to identify forest animals,
• Forest Animal Alphabet Matching upper to lower case,
• an Owl Shapes counting
• Raccoon coloring game (dice rolling color-by-number), 
• "F" Sound Bin (see this post here) Pink Reading Series.

Forest Animals Picture Books ~

• Annie and the Wild Animals
• Adventures on Klickitat Island

I wish I'd gotten some other pictures during this week as he really did do more than just distribute sea creatures in his forest scene ;-)

Next up his week was all based on Dog's Colorful Day a delightful picture book all about Dog's adventures and all the "color" he gets in to ~ Such a fun little week of activities for him. She found all of her printables at Making Learning Fun (this site is invaluable, a true treasure trove of preschool fun)!!!

Other Literature Selections ~

• Baby Einstein: Van Gogh's World of Color

 
 
 From the top shelf down ~

• Color Classification Cards (used with the book, or independently)
• "DOG" with felt spots attached to stick on while reading the book (it's actually a polar bear as we did not have a pure white dog. I thought Violet was remarkably resourceful to think of this little gem, I would have bagged it :)
• Rock Crayons (these are SO fun!)
• "Dog" paper cut out with different sizes of colors to attach w/ glue stick

 

• Maze for Dog to find his bathtub
• Draw-a-color Cards and color dog with crayons 
• Color Box 2
• Dixie Cup Dog glueing activity (ours was a variation on the linked idea)
• "D" Sound Bin
• HWT "D" and Sandpaper "d"
• Moveable Alphabet

Here is Sean-Paul pretending to sleep through his Sound Bin lesson ;-) (That's his "Newsies" hat)

• Felt "Dog" with different sizes of felt "colors" to attach (not shown, but very adorable)

THIS was quite a fun week for him, I'll not be surprised if he asks to do many of these activities again! (Violet rocks!!)

And now we're on to PUMPKIN week!!! She has some great stuff that he has already been exploring and enjoying, off we go ~ let's see what we have...

Literature Selection ~ It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall

• Pumpkin Seed game,
• Jack-o-Happy shapes cutting and pasting activity
• Bingo Marker Alphabet identification (stamping game)
• Pumpkin tracing
• Pumpkin Shapes
• Pumpkin Quilt block puzzle
• Lifecycle of the Pumpkin 3-part Cards
• Lifecycle of the Pumpkin paper plate activity
• Pumpkin Dot-to-Dot
• Bingo Marker 5 Little Pumpkins
• "P" Sound Bin
• "P" HWT and "p" sandpaper letters 

And here's our little man working through one of the fun activities this week ~

This was the Pumpkin Seed Game; and instead of real pumpkin seeds, Violet cut out felt shapes! He and I played it numerous times and then he has played it with Violet a couple of times as well :)

We'll keep you posted on how the rest of the week goes and don't forget to visit my Daily Learning Notes blog if you like the minutia :))))

Many blessings and thanks for visiting our Preschool Learning Corner today!!

Seen, Heard and Read ~ October-best!

It's truly autumn in our area of the country. The Pacific NW is bursting with fall color, and I hope to snap some pictures of it soon, just as soon as it stops raining again....(remember the green, remember the green). I can be comforted by the fact that we haven't had any snow, yet....

We are busier than I would like to be at the current moment, hence the light blogging, but as this blog has always focused on the "Sweetness and Light" I am assured that someone is still peeking in here now and again!

We have successfully dodged illness so far, except for a sniffly thing this week for Violet, thankfully it did not slow her down too much (just ME!!!). Am hoping and praying all our friends and family stay healthy this year :)

Seen ~

Here's a look at Violet's Forest Animal setup for Sean-Paul after he got busy adding marine animals and amphibians to it!!

A mama caught on film giving out some lovin'! It was a long day for this little ball player :) 

 

 Heard ~

Lots of nice music this week! Seamus and I had the pleasure of hearing his cello teacher this past weekend with her symphony, so he was naturally inspired to excel at his own cello playing! Little brother likes to play along on his Glockenspiel too :))) He keeps time pretty well, if I do say so, perhaps another budding musician....

SP: In the car on the way back from Mass friday, "I wish I could get a star and put it in my pocket and save it for a rainy day." (Guess which movie that was from and I'll send you a signed copy of my book :))) Hint: It was done in song "Catch a Falling Star...."

Read Around the House ~ (In no particular order, just random sightings)

Me - way behind on catching up my Goodreads reviews, but LOVED Revolutionary Road, couldn't put Jane of Lantern Hill down (but sadly fell asleep on most nights trying to read just "one more page") am currently working on Betsy's Wedding and loving it! 

Matthias - The Motor Boys Over the Rockies (an oldie found at 1/2-price books), Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford, still working on The Singing Tree... 

Violet - Blue Willow by Doris Gates, Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden, Maggie's Door by Patricia Reilly Giff, Winding Valley Farm Anne Pellowski, many other miscelaneous books.

Seamus: He and I are reading aloud Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White a classic and he loves it! Sean-Paul listens in on it too, especially at bedtime!

Lots of picture books to Sean-Paul, mostly listed in my Enjoying this Week sidebar!

As always, posting our daily learning notes at Mama's Muse, if you truly have nothing better to do ;-)

Well, that about wraps it up, hope you enjoy a lovely weekend with your sweeties, many blessings to you all!

Seen, Heard & Read ~ Autumn is Here!

Definately getting in our groove :) We had the most fabulous first day of fall...78 degrees and spent mostly at the beach!! Hello marine biology! A recap of the week is posted at my learning notes blog Mama's Muse! Also, I am trying to post weekly at Nature's Sweetness to track our Science this year :)

Seen ~ Lots of good art and sketching this week ~

Burrowing Owl by Matthias

 

Also saw this adorable little Kitty in Matthias's sketchbook, he worked on a "learn to draw" book during morning read aloud time, so cute!

 

Another sighting in Matthias' sketchbook from August, this delightful Mountain Bumblebee (Bombus monticola)

Thou, in sunny solitudes,
Rover of the underwoods,
The green silence dost replace With thy mellow,
breezy bass. ~ Emerson

 

Seamus watercolored this very scary Great White Shark, I LOVE it :) So life like, yet soft with the coloring :) Oh, and it's eating a sea lion (poor guy).

 

Violet worked on our nature table with some of our recent Autumn finds. I'm pretty sure everyone contributed something to the table this week :)

 

Violet is working on this cute little homemade Alphabet book with Sean-Paul. They are just randomly searching for things to include mostly from stickers and magazines :)

 

Sean-Paul also started his very first soccer lesson this past week, he's a natural and loved it :) First of the Henning's to play soccer, he was thrilled to say the least!!

 

Seamus decided to create US geography state notebooking pages and I am totally excited about this free site!  He really enjoyed tracing the WA puzzle piece and coloring his bird from Enchanted Learning (who doesn't LOVE this site :) It will be a fun year of US geography for him!

 

Heard ~

S-P: "Mommy, what day is my soccer on??" (Monday)

Me: "Friday."

"Mommy, what day is my soccer on??" (Tuesday)

Me: "Friday."

Wednesday, "..." and so on, all through the week :)

We were all very happy when Friday finally arrived!

Read ~ Independent Reading

Violet ~ several books finished this past week - They Loved to Laugh, Rilla of Ingleside. Also reading Pinkey Pye, various Horse books for her Sunflower basket work, Voyage on the Great Titanic (Dear America book), A Place to Hide (WWII Historical Fiction), Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. I know there were a slew more, but this is all I can remember :)

Matthias ~ still working on Edmund Campion, Archedimes and the Door to Science, The Castle of Lyr, finished Finding Buck McHenry (baseball historical fiction), started The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy(WWI historical fiction).

Seamus ~ we're almost finished with Swallows and Amazons (RA), probably tonight :) Listening to Robin Hood A Tale Retold (a delightful Homeschool Freebie of the Week)

Sean-Paul ~ Many "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books, the Pig a Pancake one is a special favorite, love the illustrations in these. He really digs all the Magic School Bus picture books too, I'll post in our "Enjoying this week" right side bar :)

Moi ~ started on Schindler's List, Jane of Lantern Hill (LOVE this!!!), The Story of the Von Trapp Family Singers, Designs for Living and Learning (lots of great early childhood ideas here). Revisiting many of my cookbooks for menu planning, things always go better if I am organized in the meal department!

Our shell collection is starting to grow too ~

We're now off on another week of learning, see you all soon! Many blessings in your day :)

 

Seen, Heard & Read ~ Wild Animal Edition!

We ventured to a wild animal park about an hour south of our home on Labor Day. We were privileged to have my father join us and it was a delight for us all.

Seen ~

Six hundred and fifty year old tree, wowee! At Sean-Paul's chin was the year Leonardo da Vinci was born!

 

The river otter (Lontra canadensis) was a favorite of everyone, especially grandpa :)

 

This young bull elk was not in the least interested in the three-car tram that was passing him by. He apparently has claimed this herd prematurely as the cows were as disinterested in him as he was with us :)

 

Heard ~

"Mommy, look how the slightest breeze makes the leaves shake on that tree." (Seamus on a nature walk)

"Look, here's a picture of the baby squirrel we just saw on the doorstep." (Sean-Paul painting)

"Mom, you won't believe what I found, it's the biggest limpid shell yet!!" (Violet at the beach Friday night, SCORE one for the shell collection)

"I wonder how big satellites are and how they move around?" (Matthias, the ever-wondering scientist)

Books Seen Being Read ~

Read Aloud ~ Swallows and Amazons (almost finished, even though I will be sad as this one is truly an all-time favorite)

Seamus ~ The Cat and the Hat Comes Back (he couldn't believe that he could read this now, very exciting!!) This is Our Home (Seton Reader)

Matthias ~The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy, Bionicles (6 book collection) Archimedes and the Door to Science, Edmund Campion (Vision book)

Violet ~Rilla of Ingleside, They Loved to Laugh, Catholic Girls Guide, Home Comforts, Nancy Drews, a Costume making book, Things to Make and Do: Accessories (American Girl) Mary Frances Housekeeping

Moi ~ Revolutionary Road (almost finished) Howard's End (audio cd's) Teach Your Own by Holt (always a nice injection at the beginning of a new school year).

 

We lift our eyes to the heavens and sing of His glory and thank Him for the goodness in our lives.

We're settling in to a nice groove. Really good week! Thanks for visiting our little corner :)

Seen, Heard & Read ~ Week's Worth

Our past week has been filled with yet more profound and undeniable sadness as the news of yet another loss in our online community. I have truly been without words...

Never the less, some happenings and things to share :: Seen ~

A warm summer evening walk produced these lovely Trumpet Vine Creeper (Campsis radicans) blossoms. They are also called the "Hummingbird Magnet". 

 

These incredibly vibrant lavendar and white "petunia-like" flower, anyone care to gander at what this might be??? I couldn't find a match but thought it was a petunia variety??

 

We finally got around to making our Father Pine, except it's not made from pine, but we like how the cross holds our "fiddleback style" vestement which thanks to Violet came out beautifully with a little gold glitter paint :)

Here's closer look at them ~

Overheard ~

"Mommy Tyrannasaurus Rex starts with a "T"!! (Sean-Paul)

"Hey Sean-Paul, wanna be in my secret spy club?" (Seamus)

Reading Around the House ~

Read Aloud ~ Magic Tree House #7 Sabers at Sunset to Seamus/Sean-Paul at bedtime (how can these be SO boring)?? Seven Silly Eaters, Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent, I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean (Sean-Paul)

Independent Reading ~

Violet ~ Rilla of Ingleside, Nancy Drew The Case of the Velvet Mask (a bit of a light week for her reading wise as she has been at intense ballet rehersals for an exciting part in Coppelia)!

Matthias ~ The Black Cauldron (second Prydian chronicle) Jackie & Me with Seamus (still wroking through) Boys' Life magazine

Seamus ~ The Little Bear Collection (he's thrilled he can just pick this up and read it now :)

Me ~ Revolutionary Road (about 1/2-way on this, good) Around the Year With the Trapp Family

A parting shot, another beauty from our evening walk :: Butterfly bush 

 

"Best I love September's yellow,
Morns of dew strung gossamer,
Thoughtful days without a stir,
Rooky clamours, brazen leaves,
Stubble dotted o'er with sheaves -
More than Spring's bright uncontrol
Suit the Autumn of my soul.' ~ Alex Smith

I bid you a lovely Labor Day weekend with many snuggles with your loved-ones, my prayer is that you are all safe.

Jesus said, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you."

Seen, Heard & Read ~ New School Year!

We inched our way back in to a new round of learning this past week. It was with heavy hearts that we began, and many of us (mostly me) had trouble focusing on what we were really supposed to be doing. Frankly, I just wanted to snuggle on the couch with my sweeties and read books and remember why we do this thing called home education, and life...

A few happenings to share :: Seen ~

This incredible wasp nest in the tree just at the end of our front entry walk (yes, both the dog and Matthias have been stung on separate occasions) The nest has now been removed.

 

Bumblebees up close and under the microscope (not this beautiful live one but a few we've found that had perished on the driveway).

 

Reorganization of some school room shelves and spaces by Violet (thank you sweet girl :)

Sean-Paul's table and our Language area ~

 

Newly updated craft shelves next to ~

 

The Science table and Liturgical Shelves/Area got an overhaul too I just didn't get any pictures (lazy, I know ;-)

Reading Around the House ~

Audio Books ~ James Herriot's Treasury, Velveteen Rabbit and The Empty Pot (Little Boys), From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenwiler (Matthias), The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Violet), Howard's End (Me).

Read Aloud - Swallows and Amazons, Children's Kindergarten Hour (a gem found at the library from 1920), a few Magic Tree House books to Seamus. Many picture books to Sean-Paul; Curious George Flies a Kite, Big Bigger Biggest, Across the Stream, Arnosky's Ark, I'm Terrific, Bunny Cakes...

Independent Reading ~

Violet ~ Under the Lilacs (Alcott), Lily's Crossing (Patricia Reilly-Giff), Skylark (Patricia MacLachlan), Born to Trot (Marguerite Henry), Nancy Drew Notebooks, The Family Manager Takes Charge (reading with me, see below), Martha Stewart's Good Things for Organizing, Marthat Stewart's Wedding Cakes

Matthias ~ The Book of Three (Prydian Chronicles) by Lloyd Alexander, Danny the Champion of the World (Road Dhal), Popular Mechnics "The Boy Camper" and Why Does a Curveball Curve, Dan Gutmann's Ray & Me, Jackie & Me-(Matthias reading aloud to Seamus) ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia 5th Edition

Seamus ~ This Family of Ours (Seton)

Me ~ cafe life: PARIS, Chasing Matisse, A Homemade Life, Revolutionary Road, Saintly Solutions, Literary Guide to Provence, The Lady in the Palazzo, The Family Manager Takes Charge

Heard ~

Some amazing Cello and Piano playing by Seamus and Matthias. Seamus is making incredible leaps and bounds in his pieces (we adore his Russian teacher, she's amazing). He's working on the Sonata in E Minor by Vivaldi, Beethoven's Country Dance and Sonata in C by Breval just to name a few.

Matthias is playing Two-Part Invention by Bach, some pieces for the Harpsicord and Organ accompaniment to prepare for Bachtober Fest coming up in September :) and some Aaron Copeland for fun! His teacher is an incredible guy who plays many different instruments as well; harpsicord, organ, accordian and of course the piano. We have been so blessed with finding these amazing musicians to further the boys passions!

Well, that about wraps the whole shootin' match for the first week, we ended up with a yucky tummy bug that has debilitated some of us, hoping we're done with it and it won't drag in to next week...

Many blessings and thanks for visiting our little corner of the world :)

'Fairest of months! ripe Summer's Queen
The hey-day of the year
With robes that gleam with sunny sheen,
Sweet August doth appear.' ~ R. Cambe Miller

And it will sadly and all too quickly disappear, enjoy these last few fleeting weeks of summer dear friends!

Library Haul :: 7.22.09

Okay, I'll admit it. I. Am. A. Library. Holds. Addict.

There, I said it! Mind you, it's only an occaisional habit...well, let's just say, an every other day habit :))) Yes, my library holds shelf and I are ONE. Sadly, Violet and her brothers are also acquiring my habit, fiercely! In fact, one hour before guests were to arrive for dinner Monday evening, Violet races up the stairs with her library bag in hand and begs says, "Mom, we have to go to the library NOW, I have fifteen items waiting!!!" "Uh, okay." Upon hearing this, Matthias leaps up and asks if he can come too, just to ya know, "check and see if there's anything for me."

See what I mean, we're rather blatantly wild about our library holds, sigh...I guess it could be worse, it could be fabric or something!  

What are you reading this summer?? I'm kind of all over the place, as you can see by my random stack here :) I am really enjoying keeping track of books read, books to-read and reviews at Goodreads. I've tried other places, like my blog, and I'm sorely tired of uploading links into typelists, but that's mostly becuase I'm feeling lazy right now, you know, since it's summer and all ;-) I really should be planning, I'm getting around to it...really.

Off to check my library lists and see if there's anything else waiting....Many blessings in your day :)

Book Stacks

Violet's Stack: The Story Girl by LM Montgomery, Ginger Pye, Emily of Deep Valley (also on my to-read list) Minuk - a Girls of Many Lands book, Rilla of Ingleside LM Montgomery, Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff, Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott, some Saddle Clubs, Carney's House Party (my list too) Nancy Drew #51, The Moffat Museum, Miracles on Maple Hill (recommended by Alicia), A Girl of the Limberlost....and some other titles which I failed to write down and can't remember at this point ;-o

Matthias' Stack: Still working on A Boy's King Arthur, some Star Wars novels, Ichiro Suzuki baseball book, some Dan Gutman baseball novels (he's reading these alous to Seamus), The Way Science Works. 

Seamus' Stack: Some Magic Tree House books, a Seton Reader, Bears on Hemlock Mountain, Jackie Robinson (Childhood of Famous Americans Reader) and our current lunchtime read aloud - Swallows and Amazons!

Sean-Paul's Bedside Basket: A House for Birdie, Boynton's A to Z, Mother West Wind, and he loves listening to James Herriot's Treasury stories.

My Stack(s): Really, they're all over the house, and Violet keeps organizing them all for me in different baskets. In addition to the ones in Violet's pile: still listening to A Room With a View (excellent narrator, so good), How Your Child Thinks (this one is really good), slowly working through Belloc's Volume 2 History of England (focuses on Catholic History of the time), re-reading For the Children's Sake (cause it's so good), and there are many others just begun: The Deep End of the Ocean, Christian Unschooling (just perusing), Edmund Spenser Shorter Poems: A Selection (Everyman's Library edition), and just picked up from the library hold shelf: The Mysterious Benedict Society, What Einstien Told His Cook, How the Scots Invented the World, Mother West Wind's Children, Gifted Children. Oh and Violet just thrust - Chocolate Holidays at me and exclaimed, "You have to look through this one mommy!"

Okay, happy reading to you, off to enjoy!

Afternoon Bliss...

Talk about Something for Mary...that's right, I'll be busy for a while!! Most of the afternoon for sure :)

If you haven't ordered yours yet, you can check out Karen's lovely book here.

I can already tell, it's going to be well worn copy around here by several hands who want to read it too :)

Okay, see you soon...

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

Book Review :: Take It to The Queen

 

This book review is so long overdue, and I ask pardon on the delightful author Josephine Nobisso for her mercy and her grace, as this absolutely delicious picture book is worthy of many words and many readers! 

First we'll talk about the book and then the amazing illustrations!  I believe the very bookish Karen E. has also reviewed this lovely picture book and I hope I can also do it justice!  Just on seeing it's cover, I knew it was going to be an enchanting tale of goodness.

Take It to the Queen: A Tale of Hope is one of a kind, much like it's predecessor, The Weight of A Mass.  It became one of my children's favorite books right from the get go!  When I read Take It to the Queen, they immediately recognized it as one of Josephine's books and they settled in for a good listen!  The story is written as a creative allegory that engages the reader and the listener to discover the hidden meanings within the beautiful text.  It is indeed a tale of hope and when one reads it one will see the implications of the goodness of Our Lord and His mercy in the final pages.  There's also a very thorough catechism at the end of the book for more pondering!

Upon first hearing the story, my daughter Violet exclaimed, "I love how the author modeled the story after Jesus, Mary and Joseph."  In addition, she loves the illustrations!

Matthias and Seamus both agreed that, "It was cool how she (the author) made the water the 'peace' of the village." 

and Seamus included, "I liked everything!"  Sean-Paul just kept asking to read it again :)

The illustrations speak for themselves and I would consider this book a coffee table type picture book as it is so beautiful!  Visit Katalin Szegedi at her website for inspiration!

Whether you've just happened upon Josephine's beautiful books or have these special two on your shelf already, make sure you stop by Gingerbread Books to see all of her latest happenings, you won't be disappointed.

  Many blessings and prayers for more beautiful tales of hope and love from this special author!