Fun Days- Bugs and Apples

Since we have moved to Abilene and we don't have as busy of a schedule or many friends yet, I decided to plan some "fun days" for Brinley and I to do together.  I am also feeling a little guilty and selfish that I haven't started her in preschool yet like all her other friends, so this is my little version of "at home preschool".  She has eaten up the thematic aspect and all the attention from me, and that makes me happy because one on one time with me is about to be limited. :0)  I am going to try to keep this up on a once a month basis, but we will see what happens when the little man arrives.  Lots of my ideas came from the internet, and some were spur of the moment from my crazy brain.  It's funny how I am reminded of the kind of teacher that I was- running around planning stuff at the last minute.  Haha, thank goodness it's a little easier now. 

Our August fun day was Bug Day.  We started the morning by reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar and made a caterpillar pancake. 
 
Then we worked on counting and number recognition by making caterpillars on leaves with dot stickers. 

We also made a egg carton caterpillar and a pom pom caterpillar.

After nap, we read The Very Busy Spider and The Grouchy Ladybug and had spider and ladybug snacks.  Maybe I should have called it Eric Carle fun day. 

Other activities sprinkled in our day were a walk around the neighborhood to look for bugs (we have lots of them now!) a Curious George episode about a cricket, and a Very Hungry Caterpillar iPad game.   She had a blast and still asks if it's bug day again.

 

Our September fun day was Apple Day.  I am really trying to "will in" fall around here, and the smell of apples and cinnamon scream fall to me!  We started our day with the book, Apples Apples and some apple pancakes. 

I found this recipe on pinterest to dip apple slices in pancake batter and cook them on a griddle.  I would sum it up as a pinterest fail, but they weren't terrible.  Brinley ate all the pancake off and left the apple and Rocky ate them happily, even though they weren't great.  On a side note, I love that we get to have breakfast with Daddy these days!!

After breakfast we dressed in our pear shirt, because it's as close to an apple outfit as we have.  In the book we read, they made homemade applesauce, so it was our turn.  I got out my handy dandy pampered chef apple peeler/corer/slicer and we went to town.

 Brin loved the apple "snakes".  I have to admit I am pretty impressed with them too! We put the apples in our little crock pot with brown sugar, cinnamon, and some water and let them cook all day.  It smelled sooo good!

 We watched the YouTube video of 10 Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss because I didn't have the actual book.  That is a great tip for those of you who are parents of readers out there- You Tube has almost any well known children's book on it.  Now some of the readings are a bit of a stretch with people's accents and such, but it works!  And Brinley loves anything on the iPad these days.  We did an activity from my kinder days of gluing the apples in number order on top of the tiger's head. 

 Then we practiced writing her name.

 I was so proud when she set out to write her name on her own!  Seriously, this picture just makes my heart smile.  I had to assist a little with the e, but other than that, it was all her own!

After nap we read another apple book and made apple smiles for a snack.  These are just apple slices with peanut butter and marshmallow teeth. 

 Then we used the cores of our apples to make apple prints. 

 Our last project was an apple a.  Old school kindergarten curriculum shout out--- we listened to the Andy Apple song on YouTube!  Holla Frog Street Press!!

We capped off our Apple Day by watching Busy Town's Missing Apple Mystery then eating our applesauce with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Maybe I shouldn't say we, because Brinley didn't want to try it.  I think the texture grossed her out, but it was delicious! 

I am so grateful for these special days with my big girl and the memories we made.  Here's to many more!