Wednesday, May 6, 2020

A Heartfelt THANK YOU!



‘A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.’ 

–Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

They say it takes a village to raise your littles and that couldn't be more true!

This week is Teachers Appreciation Week and I know we're all giggling about how we've all taken on the role of teacher during this time of change, but the truth is - we would be pulling out all our hair right now if it weren't for the fact that the teachers in their lives have spent the past several months building the groundwork and foundation for distance learning to even be a possibility. 

Teachers are all around us, even in some uncharacteristic ways. From school educators to ballet instructors, soccer coaches to Sunday school leaders - teachers are everywhere and impacting our littles in so many ways. I don't know about you, but there were teachers in my life that still impact my day to day and how much I've achieved thus far. They made me into the "good woman" I am now and I was honored to learn from them and continue learning from them to this day (Hi Mrs. Sigsworth and Ms. Hansen!)

This week is normally one where we get to shower our special instructors with homemade cards and treats baked with love, but since we're all staying safe at home - we wanted to shout from the rooftop how much we love all the teachers in Tots life and how much of an impact they've made, even during this time away. 

From the bottom of our hearts - we thank you for molding our little girl into the confident, graceful, kind person she is! 

VAA Teachers & Staff

When we first decided to move Tot to a new school, it was literally 4 days before the school year was slated to kick off. We knew she needed a change and craved structure that was a bit different than what she was receiving. With so many life changes being thrown her way (new baby brother en route, Mama traveling for work a TON), we needed something consistent for her and decided relocating to a new private Christian school was the right path - we were just a little behind in making the switch, and were nervous to say the least. 

Even just thinking about how thankful we are for VAA and the staff there just brings me to tears (for real - whenever she tells me she misses school, I cry because I know she truly does..). 

Our little girl has blossomed into this beautiful soul this year and that is because each and every one of you. From the grace you've shown her during the transition, to spending the time to get to know what makes her glow and focusing on that - you've gone above and beyond for our family this year. She's excited to worship the Lord every day and can't wait to show me everything she completes at school, and it's a LOT. Her classroom has become her oasis and the love you surround her with she replicates here at home with her family and friends. When Charlie was in the hospital, you spent every day listening to her little heart ache and pray with her when she didn't quite understand it all. She was able to bounce through that because of the staff at VAA and the concrete support structure they provide for her. 

With distance learning, you didn't take a second to even doubt next steps. You set up platforms for our littles and daily videos you record from your home to continue her education (the alphabet hunts are our favorite). From weekly chapel we stream in our living room to music class, her schedule hasn't changed because of all the extra work you put in. Every day, she prays for the germs to go away so she can go back to her favorite place - school, and we're so blessed to have found an extra family for her to love and to love her back just as hard. 

Mrs. Linares, Ms. Magda, Ms. O, Ms. Michaela, Mrs. P, and Ms. C - you have changed our little girl into the best version of herself and the joy she shares with others is because of YOU. Thank you! 

Bella Ballerina Staff 

When we first moved here, I wanted to put Tot into an extra-curricular so she could really get to know others. And, selfishly - I wanted to meet other Mama's too. We walked into Bella Ballerina and they immediately showered her with love and affection as if she had been there for years. She's grown up within those four walls with the teachers providing her with additional support outside of the stereotypical classroom. They love on her, support her, keep her smiling during the tough stuff and teach her skill sets beyond academic learning that she'll carry for life. 

During this safe at home period, they've risen to the challenge and found new and innovative ways to keep our littles engaged in physical activity through dance and creative outlets with their classes. 

I'll never forget Tot's first recital a year ago where we were all pretty confident she would be too nervous to dance. She was so scared to practice the dance during class and cried her way through rehearsal. But, Ms. Jen was confident our little girl could do it and encouraged her over and over and over again to show us her smile on stage. She stepped onto that MASSIVE stage and wow'ed us. I'm not sure who cried more, me or Ms. Jen - the performance was worth every hour spent getting her to break out of her shell and now, we can't stop her from begging to dance on the big stage. She's a pro now and that's because of the support the BB staff showed her. 
They even visited our little one this weekend for her birthday and told her how much they loved her from afar. Every student is cared for in such a special way and I can't thank the staff enough for the imprint they continue to leave on our sweet tiny dancer. 

Ms. Z, Ms. Gabby, Ms. Meghan, Ms. Jen, and Ms. Ebbony - we cherish you all! 

Lifelong Teachers 

You know those teachers who cherish your littles so much they leave a lasting impression? Tot has been so blessed to have a few of those in her life and she's even more lucky that she gets to still be blessed by their love each and every day.


I couldn't say thank you to teachers without saying thank you to Ms. K. You were Tot's first teacher post-move and her little toddler brain was trying to understand it all, you and Ms. M. stepped in and loved her so fiercely - Tot couldn't help but adjust to her new surroundings. The tears - oh the tears, this little girl cried for so long post-move, we questioned if we did the right thing in leaving California. Ms. K didn't care and just crushed her with grace and hugs until the tears dried and the giggles started. 

You taught her to use the potty (let's be real - there was no way she was going poop in the potty until you stepped in), and to this day - whenever she does something she's so over the top proud of, she tells me she can't wait to tell Ms. K. You taught her how to be kind and gentle to her friends, to listen with her ears turned on, and how to say please and thank you even when she didn't want to. You spent almost 2 years of her life shaping and molding her into the kind princess she is today and we're so thankful for you. She still gets to love and see you and every time she gets mad at me, she tells me she's running away to Ms. K's house (one of these days I may just drop her off there - kidding, sorta). You were a beacon for her toddler years and as a parent, I've recognized that you need your tribe to help mold your littles into who they're meant to be and you are one of those core people. We love you, Ms. K! 

And who can forget Ms. M - the peanut butter to Tot's jelly. You simply showed her affection and it changed her day each and every day she entered that classroom. I always knew when Ms. M had after-school care because Tot came home with the biggest smile on her face. 

Lastly, Tot's first teacher - Ms. Lisa. As a new Mama, dropping off my little girl at daycare for the first time was the scariest thing in the world. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to do it, but your kindness and light helped me realize that Tot needed others around her to help her grow and you were one of those people. Every time we talk about San Francisco, she lights up talking about you and that says so much about the effect you made on her little soul. 


Teachers are the glue for our littles and they hold them together as they grow. Without you, we as parents would be lost, and if this time at home has taught us anything - it's that we don't thank you enough. You're their world and I hope I spend the next 14 years of Tots life thanking you over and over and over again. You light her world and for that, we'll be forever blessed. 

So spend some time this week thanking all the teachers in your life and reminding them of the positive impacts they make in your world. 

Thank You!


Monday, April 27, 2020

Weekly Theme: Weather


Weather, Weather

                     What do we see?

This week's theme is WEATHER. If you live in the Northern Virginia area, you'll know we're poised to get hit with LOTS of rain this week so I switched things around and decided this would be the perfect week to focus on everything we see outside. 

From Meteorologists to tornados - we're going to study it all while incorporating some letter review (A-V) and number review (1-16). 

Tot has really been responding to some type of art activity so I've incorporated quite a few into this weeks lesson. However, a lot are through Scholastic Teachable's, which means my links won't help you unless you've registered for their remote learning. If you haven't, both Scholastic and Education.com have been my main resources each week. If you are registered and would like the links, just comment below with your email address and I'll send them your way! 

Scholastic Teachable's

One other tidbit - I purchased the Learning Dynamics Reading Kit. Tot has really been trying to read and I want to equip with her with as many resources as possible. She also can only listen to me so much during the week so wanted to set her with something he can do independently with little interaction with her Mama. She's pretty sick of me this week and it's only Monday - what can you do? I will give it a week and let you know if it's working and worth the $ stay tuned! 

Magic School Bus - Season 1, Episode 1 (Netflix): Kick Up A Storm 

National Geographic - Weather: link 

PBS Wild Weather: link 

Weather Reports - we are doing a daily weather report that will be in the kitchen for us to check on at least 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Have child go outside and tell you how the weather is (hot, cold, sunny, etc.) - we're also incorporating days of the week with this so that we can review those while discussing weather. The weather report I found is through Scholastics, but there are lots online to use. 

What is a Meteorologist? 

Weather Book: worksheet

What to Wear Weather: worksheet

Weather Activity: Have your little one head into their room and do a little fashion show based on different weather description you give them. So we don’t end up with a room full of chaos, I’m going to put a couple thing from each weather condition (rain coat, winter hat, tank top etc.) on her bed for her to choose from.

Weather Song: link

Weather Wheel: link 

Weather Wear Matching: worksheet 

Color and Learn - Rain: worksheet 

Weather Prediction: worksheet 

Missing Letter - Weather: link 

Find the W - Weather: worksheet


Tornado Video: link 

Tornado Facts: link 

Tornado in a Bottle Experiment: link 

Severe Weather Video: FEMA link 



What causes thunder and lightening? link 

How do we know when it’ll rain? link 


Thunderstorm Art: link 

Weather Art (Rain, Wind, Frost): link 


Weather Words: link 

Bible - Psalm 104: link 

The Lord rides on the wings of the wind
He makes the winds serve as his messengers
He makes flashes of lightning serve him.

The Lord waters the mountains from his palace high in the clouds.
The earth is filled with the things he has made


God Controls the Weather: link 


Enjoy the week, everyone! 

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Lesson Plan: All About Me


      All About 

             ME!

Our lesson this week is all about the human body and the five senses. Tot has really been interested in doctors, medicine, and all things science recently so I wanted to switch up our lessons to really focus on all of these things. I took out the emotions piece because with her regular school work piling up from her teachers, it was just too much. So, it's a two-part lesson plan with next week focusing more on emotions and how we spread love to others. 
I did cheat and purchase a few additional things to help - crafting and painting have been something that I've noticed really helps her incorporate things she's learned. 

Magic School Bus - Journey into the Human Body - link 
Human Body Workbook - link

Let's DIVE into the HUMAN BODY

Human Body Lesson Videos 
(23 mins) - Link
(37 mins) - Link
Trunk, Upper, and Lower Limbs - Link
Magic School Bus (21 mins) - Link 

Printable Worksheets

Human Body Facts for Kids - Link

Super Skeleton - Link 

Body Part Song - Link 

Body Part Activity have your little one trace you on a piece of paper and help you label your body parts (if you don't have a paper roll, glue some construction paper together to make a larger pieces or have them trace a smaller sibling). Display you outline and review each body part—head , arms, legs, chest, hands, and feet—with your littles. Have them color in the heart, brain, and stomach with patterns and any type of stamps etc. you have in the house. 

Once done, have them fill out this attachment LINK

Music Activity - find some larger pencil, cardboard rolls, wooden spoons etc. and practice your music tapping skills. Have them practice with a few simple tunes (row, row, row the boat) and then turn on this video for them to show off their rhythm skills (LINK)
All About the Five Senses - Link (video)
Worksheet 1 - Link 
Worksheet 2 - Link 

Letter U 
Song - Link
Song - Link 

Worksheet 1 - Link 
Worksheet 2 - Link 
Worksheet 3 - Link 
Worksheet 4 - Link 

Number 15 
Worksheet - Link 
Worksheet - Link 

Numbers Bingo (1-25 review) - Link 

Bible Study - 1 Corinthian 12 
Video - Link 

God Made Me Special Song - Link 

Lesson Plan - Link 

Worksheet 1 - Link 

Worksheet 2 - Link 

Coloring Sheet 1 - Link 

Coloring Sheet 2 - Link 
Enjoy this lesson plan. Next week - we continue with all things emotions! Catch up on all things shop local love on our instagram as well as any daily crafts we incorporate into our learning. Sending all our love to you & yours. xo

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Lesson Plan: Easter


EASTER

        HE IS RISEN

Our lesson plan this week focuses on Easter and the Christian reasons behind the celebration of Easter. Like I mentioned, Tot attends a private Christian school and it is a holiday that is near and dear to our family. But, I know this lesson plan isn't for everyone so while the majority centers around the biblical studies of Easter - I have included quite a few generic Easter activities and worksheets for you to use.

Next week, we're back to themes related to science (Tot's favorite thing right now) and we're focused on All About ME. We'll learn about the human body, our emotions, etc. Stay tuned for that lesson plan later this week!

Before I dive into all things Easter, here are a few things we've been utilizing that are really great resources and activities for little ones....

Bella Ballerina - they're now including multiple studios to choose from for streaming and really focusing on classes for all ages. They include special events (like meeting Elsa, Rapunzel, etc.) and really can help you knock out 45 mins of work while your little is twirling around nearby. They've uploaded a sample schedule for you to review, but honestly - I can't say enough about the service and the company as a whole. Every time I need to fill 30-45 mins to get something knocked out, I have her enter a class and VOILA. The streaming fee is $3 a day, but they've given me a special code to offer y'all.

Use code BUMBLEBEETOT for 30% off your streaming subscription

Visit Bella Ballerina for more information!

Homer - there are some days (like yesterday) where Mama just has to yell SNOW DAY even though it's 65 outside and school is canceled. Like how that works? But, I can't have her watching Disney+ all day so we've been utilizing the Homer App for days like yesterday. Is it the same as teaching her? No, but it's pretty darn close. She is loving the pathway learning and I can already see a difference in her pronunciation of certain words after only a few days. Won't work for every family, but we've loved it so far. Check it out here.

Eat KBC - Top Chef winner Kelsey Bernard Clark is hosting daily virtual cooking classes from her kitchen and filling the classes with all types of scrumptious goodies. She also has lots of classes geared for little ones and we're registered for her Thursday biscuit class for kids. I don't know who's more excited - me or Tot?!? The shrimp & grits class looks like a pretty solid date option as well. We can't wait for Thursday. For more details, visit here.

Franklin Party Stylist - this sweet company has ramped up their Princess and Super Hero appearances and they're so wonderful. We're planning to schedule another one for next week as a surprise for a few great weeks of school. From Elsa to Ariel, she provides a schedule each week for parents to choose from and it's as simple as messaging her on Instagram for a time slot to sign up for. Have a few littles you want to entertain? She'll do coloring parties and can FaceTime, Zoom etc. She sings with them, dances with them, just all the thing and it's the cutest. You can also purchase a gift card for any families you'd like to donate time with - any parents on the frontline who's littles could use a smile. Support this Mama and schedule an online call today!

Stone Tower Winery - how could I possibly provide a list of essentials without talking about the WINE. All the wine. Anyone else feel like they're plowing through bottles of wine like they're going out of style? I mean, I'm slightly worried a few Mama's here will help me drink our winery out of brut rose. But, I couldn't hold onto this secret for much longer...our winery is doing $5 FLAT RATE SHIPPING. Doesn't matter where you live, doesn't matter if you're a member. Everyone has access. They've put together some great packages for you as well (think tasting bottles etc.), and are providing weekly happy hours to join in on. We've been doing them weekly and can't gush enough about the tasting packages. Visit their site and the $5 shipping will automatically reflect in your total. Go already!
And, be sure to check out my Amazon shop where I've linked all the activity books & crafts purchased that tie into our lesson plan. Shop HERE 

Easter - He IS RISEN

Bible Verse
John 3:16
Easter Numbers Worksheet: Link

Easter Addition - simple addition problems: Link
All About the Letter T
Video Introduction: Link
How to write the letter T: Link 
Coloring activity: Link 
Letter T worksheet: Link 

Number 14 Soaring High
Introduction to 14: Link 
Counting Transportation: Link 

Easter Alphabet Activity: Link

Easter Patterns - sort through and replicate simple patterns with an Easter touch: Link 

Decorate an Egg: Link 

Jelly Bean Letter Recognition: Did this one by hand, but drew a quick jelly bean jar and each jelly bean has a letter written in it. Call out each of the letters like a letter bingo and have your little one place a jelly bean on every letter they get correct. We did this with uppercase letters, but can be done with lowercase letters and numbers too.
Sight Words: Link 1 Link 2
Easter Tic Tac Toe: Link 

Easter Memory Game: Link 
Easter Bingo: Link
Easter the Story (He Is Risen): Link

He Is Risen Coloring Pages: Link

The Story of Easter (Christian): Link 

Compilation of Easter - songs and stories around Easter with the Veggie Tales cast: Link 
- This is 47 mins so I used this right before lunch today to quiet things down before food and nap time 

John 3:16 Review 
Link 1 (worksheet)
Link 2 (video review)
Link 3 (memory lesson)

Learning about Jesus' sacrifice: Link 

Easter Story (fill in the blanks): Link

That's it for this week. We're about to start Yellowstone for our next series to plow through, but share your recommendations on what you're watching!

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Oh, hello there world. 

Lots of changes. So much to unpack. We're all processing and let's be real, none of us are going to get this completely right. And, that's OK!

Mama's - I need each and every one of you to give yourself some grace. At this very moment, I want you to fill yourself with as much grace as you can possibly muster because we will certainly need it to get through this. There's so much to talk about, but there will be a time and place for that and right now? All we need is some help and light from one another.

I can't come and wrap you all in love, but I can offer some help.

As you all know, I'm Mama to a sweet preschooler and since I just started my delayed maternity leave - I have a bit of extra time on my hands. Well, that's not entirely true but I stayed up until midnight lesson planning for the next few weeks and I want to share with you all what I can. These are the first of two (2) lesson plans I've put together for age ranges 3-5, but I have more to come. I've scoured the internet for you and found a few fun things to pull together to help.
Friendly Reminders

1. I have an infant with me who does have some extra special needs (NG tube) so most of the activities will take place indoors and/or with little involvement from me since my hands will be full and the pump isn't exactly super portable. But, if you're able to - I can't tell you enough how wonderful it is to go outside for many of these lessons. We're working to hit up to 2 walks a day with the littles to get fresh air and get our energy out so we're more capable of learning when we do sit down
2. Plan as much as your heart and time will let you. We've been doing Sunday night family planning to get us through each week. Even if I'm not online 100% for work, I do still have emails and calls each week (no where near all you rockstars though) and need to ensure both the Mr. and I are aligned on schedules. Plus, we announce our Theme of the Week for Tot on Sunday nights and it's something to look forward to for the week and gets her thinking
3. I scoured Amazon high and low and will link my Amazon Shop here for everything I purchased. If these aren't all used (I'd be shocked) we can use them for our restaurant grab & go loot

4. Our school is going above & beyond with check-ins for Tot. So blessed by them and what they're offering our sweet family. They continue to provide handouts, lesson plan, etc. that I'm incorporating a well. We just love them - thank you, Virginia Academy!
5. I subscribed to Scholastic for Teachers/Parents and can't recommend it enough. The handouts and lesson plans are plentiful and really easy to print out. They're offering a special for all parents and have 50% off their membership. Check it out!

6. Because we aren't super mobile, a lot of our energy wasters are through our local dance studio. Not an advertisement by any means, but these sweet women are really taking a huge toll off of my shoulders. They are live streaming classes from a variety of studios and provide an all day schedule. Can't gush about them enough. Just today, Tot got to participate in Story Time with Jasmin as they're offering weekly fun events. Bella Ballerina is just the bees knees. We've also been supporting some small businesses like the Franklin Party Stylist - they're offering personalized FaceTimes with princesses and heroes that are a real treat at the end of a long week. Be sure to check them out!
7. Lastly, I created a little make-shift journal for Tot. Every time we finish an activity or two, I have her draw a little picture in her journal and practice whatever letter, word etc. we just reviewed. I've learned through all my research that repetition matters. We also told Tot she can present her journal to her teacher when this is all done to show her what she learned at home! 

Here are the first two lesson plans I've put together thus far. I have another I can share tomorrow on next week's theme: Gardens & Ponds. Let me know if this is helpful...

Theme: Nature 
Letter S Number 14

Scholastic Plan linked here

Monday ROCKS! 

Rock Themed Activities: LINK

Sink or Float: LINK

Rocks - what are they? How do they feel? LINK
- Use a think sheet (white paper with box outlined) to have your little one draw a couple of rocks and talk about the color, shape and size

Magic School Bus Rock n Roll: LINK
Note: All Magic School Bus episodes can also be found on Netflix

Rock Spelling: LINK 

Introduce Letter S: LINK

Tuesday: Bella Ballerina (Jasmine Visit)

Rock Detective: LINK 

Nature Walk for Rocks: After watching Rock Detective, we're going on a walk to find all things ROCKS. We're going to collect some of different shapes and sizes to take home to trace and draw

Rock Painting: Once we've finished tracing and learning about the different types of rocks from our walk, we're going to paint them. White, blue, red - whatever colors or even markers you have around the house.

Baking and MATH: we're going to work on our numbers and let Tot lead the instructions for sugar cookies and banana bread

Wednesday: Nature is BEAUTIFUL!

Nature Collage - collect things from your front yard ONLY and use a white piece of paper to make a collage. Talk about what you find, season, and why nature continues to grow.

Nature Song: LINK

Nature Vocabulary: LINK 

Tree Bark Rubbings - tape a white piece of paper over the bark of a tree. Use a variety of colors (crayons) to trace over and talk about the different patterns and textures you found

Introduce Number 14: LINK 

Spring Scene: draw a quick box on a white piece of paper for your little. Have them look at the window and draw the scene they see. Ask them to narrate what they're seeing and what they're drawing, including the colors and shapes of things

Nature and the Bible: LINK

Thursday: the ZOO!

Zoo Introduction: LINK

What animals do we know? Describe them in your think sheet. Texture, color, pattern, size.

Zoo Worksheets: LINK

All about the Zoo Video: LINK and LINK

Feed the Animals - cut out pictures of different types of food that zoo animal eat (leaves, fruit meat, etc.) from a magazine (or have them draw) to make cards. Provide toy zoo animals you've gathered around the house and let children feed the zoo animal with the correct food they would eat.

Worksheet - feed the monkey: LINK

Z for Zoo - let children practice writing the letter "Z" and the word zoo. Write the letter Z O O on index cards and let children spell the word zoo. If you don't have index cards (like us), I just cut up printer paper into four.

Watch & learn - baby animals: LINK

Parent and kid differences - talk about how animals are the same as us! LINK

Friday: Fun Friday at the Zoo

Continuing from yesterday, feel free to do any activities you couldn't finish.

Chat with a Zookeeper: LINK

Morning Walk with the Zookeeper - have your little one pretend they're a zookeeper and go on your morning walk. Stop every so often and ask your little one to pretend to be an animal. Talk about what they look like, how they eat, and where they hang out (grass, water, etc.)

ZooCam: One of our favorite things here, the San Diego Zoo is great for webcams of a multitude of animals. Feel free to keep this on while they do any worksheets on the letter S and number 14: LINK

Animal Patterns: interactive activity where they can go ahead and solve some simple pattern questions with animals LINK

Number Review: 1-10 interactive video Hop with Me! LINK

Nature Boom Episode: Watch a National Geographic episode about an animal/environment of your choosing LINK 

All about Reptiles: SONG and  VIDEO 

30 Min Free Play - we earn this based on weekly goals. For this week: spelling 2 new words (SOIL and ROCKS, counting to 40, and matching 10 letters with cards I've made). If that's completed, she gets 30 minutes of any activity and I will play with her (i.e. Hospital, Princess, etc.).

Theme: Garden & Ponds
Letter T Number 15

This lesson I didn't assign by day. I'm finding some days we're all super aligned and ready to go and others are a hot mess. Here's a list of things based on dividing the week into Garden first then all things Ponds towards the end. Tackle it however it works for you all!

Amazing plants that the Lord has made..

Scholastic Lesson Plan: LINK

What are plants? Have your little one describe what plants are to them? Do they know of any? What color are they? Ask them to narrate a scene with plants (i.e. my backyard has green plants and pink plants and spiky plants etc.)
LINK

Plants Explained: LINK

Letter T Introduction (Song): LINK

Garden Activity - create a construction paper "garden box" (essentially, a square outlining the edge of the paper) and have your little one plant what they want to grow. Have them narrate what they are drawing, color, size of items etc.

Let's be Terrific and Learn about T: LINK

Garden sensory bin: LINK 

Magic School Bus Goes to Seeds: LINK 

Seeds to Plants: Talk to your littles about growth and how seeds become a plant. Grab a glass of water and ask them to take a sip. Talk to them about how plants need water to grow.
Video: LINK

Berenstain Bears Season and Plants: LINK

Plant Journaling - Nature walk to see all the flowers and plants. Bring a journal with you to help your little one stop and document what they see. Pick up any flowers, plants that have fallen that you can tape into your journal. Come home and draw 1-2 plants that they liked the best.

Plant Scavenger Hunt - create a list of plants you know are within your neighborhood. Provide your little one with a ziploc bag and the list to go ahead and gather everything they find. Come home to make a plant collage.

Flower Crafts
- First one is to cut out a simple flower in 4 parts for them to glue onto a white piece of paper (does not have to be perfect at all). You need the flower, stem, leaves, and root.
Video LINK

What is a pond? LINK

Use the think sheets and have your little ones draw what they see: LINK 

Frog Jump: frogs can jump ten times their length. Lay ten cutouts (use anything you have) end to end to see how far a frog can jump (I used the square construction paper I put in a ziploc bag to use for activities). Count each of the cutouts and take some away to change the numbers each time.

Number 15 Introduction: LINK

Gus the Alligator: LINK
Watch a National Geographic video called "Gus the Alligator", and discus what we learn about alligators. We make a 4 page book about alligators.

Alligators eat....
Alligators live....
Alligators have....
Alligators can....

The blank are filled in with the children's dictation (a fact about alligators they learned from the video), and the children draw a picture to illustrate it.

Frog/Fish Bingo: LINK for printout (fish LINK)

To prepare the bingo market stamping games, print out the game that matches your theme. Write a letter, number, or shape (whatever you're focusing on) on each picture and make a copy for them. To play the game, let them pull a number or letter card from a stack you made. They will find that letter/number on their mat and stamp it out. You can use a normal stamp or a marker (pick a shape they need to do etc.).

God Made Animals: Bible Lesson LINK

Vocabulary Cards: LINK 
- cut these out and let your little one first try to identify each of them, they have them work on identifying letters in each of the words. Lastly, work on spelling 1-2 word each week based on sounding out the letters on the cards.

Frog Connect the Dots: LINK

Music Lessons:
LINK
LINK 

Counting 1-15 Review: LINK 
More to come for week 3 and 4! 
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