Sunday, October 28, 2012

H is for Hike

Each week we devote ourselves to a different letter and use the senses to explore that letter. We discover tangible objects throughout our house that start with the noted letter, take a trip to see or experience something with that letter, eat food that starts with the letter, etc. Several weeks ago, we learned the letter "H." After reading some children's books devoted to H, as well as my go-to books: "Dr. Seuss's ABCs" and "My Spiritual Alphabet Book," the boys had to sort objects into two different piles. One pile was devoted to objects starting with G, for reviewing; the other, with H. The objects mingled in a bag and one by one, Joey or Ezra delved elbow-deep into the bag to claim an object. Although Joey was the main sorter, Ezra managed to help, too. In the G pile, glasses, a giraffe, glue, and a game were placed. The H pile grew to include: a heart, a helicopter, a hotpad, and a hat.

Later in the week, we took a hike on one of the myriad trails along Skyline Drive. Getting the boys in nature any time is important, but connecting letters with experiences is a great way to making the alphabet real for them - so H for hike made an impact. Not only were the boys enamored with the Limber Lost trail we took, but they were even excited to point out items along the way that could be identified with the letters they knew. Rounding a bend in the path, we came upon the short remains of a chopped tree trunk.

"Look!" Ezra pointed with great exuberance and in his little boy accent, "a heart!"

"Ezra, heart starts with the letter H," Joey said in his big brother way, as if he had just centered new meaning in the galaxy (which in some ways he had for himself; and which is also apt as we have been reading Madeleine L'Engle - so his mannerism seemed to come from the pages of her books).

"Oh!" said Ezra, "okay!"  Then, he proceeded to run ahead to the next interesting spot on the trail.

Besides a heart-shaped tree trunk, the boys found a hole, which was the escape route of a chipmunk they were frantically stalking on the hike. They also found some non-H bits of nature that were just as fascinating, and all along the trail, Joey finger-drew his name in the fine gravel of the trail. Letters abounded.

And, they can abound for you, too. If you decide to run through the alphabet, consider cooking foods that start with or can shape the letter for the week. Plan activities with that letter in mind. Perhaps hopscotch or horseback riding would round out your H week. Read books that start with the letter H or have main characters whose names start with H. Listen to music by bands or composers with your proclaimed letter. Look for youtube videos that incorporate the letter, too (such as a good video of juggling for J - I would highly recommend Juggling Charlie at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfJM1I9hFRs). Or, browse books at the library or the Internet for good images of a non-native animal that begins with your letter. We researched hot air balloons recently, because Joey wanted to know how hot air balloons descended (more on that later). We found a great book at the local library, a Curious George book that included a hot air balloon, and saw some videos on youtube to help with this research. 

Learning should be a life experience and it should be based on student interest. If you can make a child's learning relative, fun, engaging, and contextual - as well as child-focused and not teacher-focused - then, you're looking at a great recipe for encouraging life long learners. And, more importantly, life long learners that engage the community around them and work toward making a difference in the lives of others.

So, happy learning - and have fun!  And, do share the fun ways you engage a letter in your home.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Patterning prompts possibility

Lately, Joey has become fascinated by various kinds of colorful pattern blocks.  On the one hand, my four-year-old maneuvers wooden wedges into mesmerizing arrangements that mimic quilt squares, but brighter than his subtle blues, greens, and creams. He selects a card and with a determined spirit, sets to work until the square platform is complete.  With a glee-filled smile as wide as his face, Joey shares the design with us, disassembles the pattern, and starts again.

On the other hand, Joey loves our large tub of plastic shapes, which he manipulates into creative images, determines ending patterns to sequences, and engages in other imaginative play with the blocks. I am usually amazed by his created concoctions. Of course, he is equally enamored with the incorporation of items such as mini-marshmallows, candies, and vegetable chips; however, these do not stick around very long - as you can imagine - and so, pattern play with edibles does not last.

Recognizing patterns does not have to include special equipment.  Ezra enjoys sorting socks, which I also line up to create patterns that he imitates by placing sock mates below my array of mismatched socks. When we hike, Joey collects acorns, small rocks, and autumn leaves, which we arrange in patterns, too. 

Regardless of age, patterns and sequences are a great tool at any age. These tools translate well into early reading strategies, and compliment learning skills such as memorization.

How does your little one enjoy patterns while playing? Is there a favorite pattern-based activity or game that you enjoy (of course, our votes would be those like Simon, Cryptoquips, and even the chaotic patterning of Twister). What materials do you use for patterns?

Monday, October 8, 2012

The allure of shadow


Shadows are fascinating! I still recall the first time Joey and then Ezra discovered the play of shadow and light on the floor - they were mesmerized. Children's books, such as "Bear Shadow" by Frank Asch and a segment from Ezra Jack Keats' "Whistle for Willie," display imaginative play with one's shadow at its best (although, I don't think I will give my little boys nails and a hammer for unguided play any time soon).

Recently, we explored the shadow in another way. Since we do not own a television, but are fortunate enough to own a projector, we used the latter technology to simulate the sun's rays in a dark room. Joey and Ezra grabbed object after object, put them in the blue light's way, and watched the resulting shadows as they danced across the wall. Some objects were transparent or translucent, like a water glass, and seemed to sparkle even on the screen. Other objects were opaque, blocking the light and casting black forms, like Joey and the trumpet. With each ebony-etched pattern, we oohed and aahed.

Although my boys are too young to understand certain concepts, like Shadow Blister Effect or Rayleigh scattering, as well as analyzing the proportionality of the cotangent of the sun's elevation angle and the length of a shadow, these are concepts they can learn one day. And, it will all begin with the childlike delight at flashing shadows across a screen.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Simple shapes formulate fun learning!

Joey & Ezra, grueling away, hard at work in their homeschool room.
The boys, bleary-eyed and frizzle-headed, wander to the kitchen every morning with a happy "good morning" and warm hug. Even before we eat breakfast, they are asking what we are going to do today. Sometimes, I'll place something on the table to give them a hint for what to expect - like an assortment of items that start with a certain letter or a game that they will learn or a gazetteer which symbolizes a hike for the day; other times, I will actually fashion their breakfast into the clue (like pancakes made in myriad shapes or whipping up some delicious egg-and-bread bird nests).

Recently, while Joey was creating patterns with some of his shaping toys (anticipate an upcoming blog topic), I gave Ezra some miniature shape-cutters to use in creating stars and hearts out of his apple slices. Since Ezra loves food, this was a perfect activity to keep his interest, to help with developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and to encourage imaginative play.  It is also highly adaptable!  

Any sized cookie cutters and a wide assortment of food material can be used for this activity: try bread or cheese, other fruits or thinly-sliced vegetables, luncheon meat, etc.  Use this for breakfast, snack time, lunch, or even dinner.  If you do not have miniature shape-cutters, use a blunt knife to make basic squares, triangles, rectangles, etc.

Great versatility exists, too, in how the shapes are used for learning. At the most basic level, Ezra learned the names of shapes he did not know before and showed his understanding of naming the shapes he did know. For Joey, I made a pattern line of shapes and asked him to add the next one to the chain. For example, following a star, a star, a circle, a star, a star, a circle, he would thoughtfully position a star-shaped apple chunk. Older children can create an elaborate pattern or you could create a pattern, have the child study it for one minute, and then mix up the shapes and ask the child to recreate it.  The ideas are endless!

So, grab some shape-cutters, a delectable medium, and have some fun fashioning home learning.  

Comment on how you use shapes and how this inspires other ideas!  For example, Joey was so enamored with shapes and patterns that he used bits of lunch to form the letters of his name.  (I did help him with the E.)