The Wonderful Distraction of Spring!!!

So in my attempt to keep track of our homeschool life, I am happy to say that we are way behind in documenting things because Spring has finally come and dragged us outside! We have still been doing school but in much more of a, "Hey, it's nice outside let's go do Nature Study for hours!" kind of way. Which has been so refreshing after such a long, cold winter.

We recently bought a great wagon and the kiddos have had hours of fun playing a variety of trip games like, "Escape the Tornado" "Vacation Fun," and "The Israelites Escape the Egyptians." All creative and dramatic--who knew a wagon could spark such fun?

Arctic Animals Playscape

Playscape for the Littles
In the midst of all the crazy, I TRY to set up some kind of sensory table or work for our littlest one to give her something to do during lessons. I admit I fail at this most of the time but this was one of the more successful attempts lately, so I thought I'd share it.
Arctic/Antarctic Animals Unit
We have been immersed in all things Polar lately probably b/c it looks pretty Polar outside our windows. So I dug around for all of the Toob animals that our girls have received as gifts over the years, remembering that there were quite a few that could go along with our theme. We have a great little table that is low to the ground whose original purpose was probably some kind of Montessori doll cradle but for us--it's the sensory table.
Setting the Stage
The Toob animals combined with some blocks of "ice" and a little "igloo" shelter (complete with chintzy fabric chosen by 2 very fashionable older sisters) and our Polar playscape was complete. Now if only I could get this silly little one interested in playing at this DURING school lessons, all would be perfect. But at least it does entertain her and the bigger girls have played with this a surprising amount as well, Win-Win.

Toob animals can be found here:

Puppet Theatre: Worth the Effort

The girls received a puppet theatre for Christmas 2012 and also some handmade puppets of well-known fairy tale characters. I wasn't sure how well they would play with this b/c it requires a bit of storytelling effort for the show to be really enjoyable.
If It's Pretty They Will Play
They initially loved the look of it and handling all of the puppets but my hesitations proved correct when they didn't seem to know how to really "use" it. So after many, many puppet shows directed and performed by Mom (some better than others depending on my patience level) they finally seemed to get the hang of it.
If It's Working, Invest in It!
We've managed to collect many more puppets in the last year which has broadened the scope of our little puppeteers and has vastly increased the length and variety of storylines--which is appreciated by their main audience (Mom & Dad.)
Storytelling Skills
The best things to come from our experience with the puppet theatre are the ways in which the girls understand story concepts now (plot development, characters, suspense, setting etc.) that they may not have learned without having to work it out using the puppets. And also their ability to think spontaneously and creatively to create a story. This didn't come right away, mind you--but it did development after many attempts and a lot of encouragement. Which therein lies the other benefit we've seen--perseverance. The girls can look back now and remember how difficult it first was to come up with stories and see how much they have learned about how a good story can be crafted.
Now the puppet theatre has become a favorite playtime toy and one that I enjoy seeing them use. (even if I still have to put on a few performances now and again.)