Hopping Around Like Grasshoppers

This week we studied grasshoppers. Honestly, I wasn't all that excited about this topic. I can't say we have ever seen a grasshopper near our house. But, then learning it not just about what we see all the time so I decided that we would stick with the grasshopper theme. I think we all learned something new this week! Here is a glimpse at our week! 

Here is where we start each school day. We begin with the calendar and weather. We have an ongoing pattern that we work on each day ( I switch it up every week or two), we practice our weekly site word, keep track of the days we have school using straws, and have our music and story time here too. 

Ava likes to look at books as she falls asleep. She came down in the morning with this great big insect book. She was super excited to tell me she had something to show the class. (Which made me laugh because the "class" consists of just us.) But I went with it and let her have her show and tell moment to open up our grasshopper theme. We read several other grasshopper related stories throughout the week (both fiction and non fiction). 

We explored how grasshoppers move through music and movement. They loved doing this! 

One of this weeks centers for Dominic was sorting bugs by color (the bug collection included grasshoppers). 

Ava used the same bugs to complete different types of patterns. 

Here is a pattern she created all by herself without any help. I was excited to see how complex the pattern was. Last year her own patterns would have been simple AB patterns. Amazing what a year will do!

Okay this is not grasshopper related, but its something I told myself I wouldn't stress about this year. Last year I would have stressed to create a number review activity to fit out theme. This year I am content with not recreating the wheel. The Melissa and Doug number puzzle accomplishes the same thing! 

I kept the same sensory table open this week. Something new coming for next week! 

This weeks sight word was can. Here is one of her sight word works. She used gems to build the letters in the word.

Dominic wanted to give this work a try too!

Ava practiced her sight word in her journal as well. She needed to illustrate a picture of a grasshopper and write what grasshoppers can do. She wrote, "Grasshoppers can jump." 

She reviewed all the sight words so far by using dry erase markers to copy the words. Using these markers is something she loves to do. 

Ava created an "I Can" book by stamping the word can on each page to complete a sentence. For example, the first page read, " I ________ run." Ava filled in the blank by stamping the word can. The other two had fun with the letter stamps while she worked on this activity. 

Again, not grasshopper related. One of the art activities this week was the option to paint at the easel. Sometime it is nice not to have a specific project for her to create and let her have all the artistic license.




On the reading front, Ava is moving right along in our reading program and starting to pick up books on her own and sound out words. It is so much fun to see her so excited about it. She loves to read to anyone who will listen to her! 

Next week we will explore leaves!