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While we had a nice time doing our morning routine, the fun really began when we started bringing out the lego-type blocks!
First we started with the biggest blocks for the littles. I had the big kids build towers with the large legos while the littles and I worked on learning to seat the blocks properly and hold down the base of their towers so they could build higher. After a little while they got the hang of it and enjoyed playing on their own. Soon after, I brought out the medium legos and the big kids and I worked on some early math skills as we build pyramids. We started with five blocks as our base, then added four, then three, and so on. We talked about subtraction in terms of "taking away." Processes like addition and subtraction are a very abstract notion; using manipulatives and working in a physical way is one way to work on early math understanding.
Later, we took all our baskets off the shelves and loaded them up with groceries as we played grocery store. This time the big kids really took over the roles of shopper and clerk as I helped out from the sidelines as the bagger. The littles enjoyed helping me put items into bags as I gave the big kids suggestions to help the pretend game flow more smoothly. We worked on identifying all the items as well. Bread crumbs and medicine were the toughest ones to figure out, while chocolate candy was a definite favorite and everyone knew what the container had once held.
We took some time to read several books by Sandra Boynton- Opposites, Happy Hippo, Angry Duck, But Not the Hippopotamus, and Snuggle Puppy to name a few. Sandra Boynton books are near and dear to my heart because they have just the right mix of relatable animal characters, rhythmical language, and humor to delight children of all ages. The children especially liked making faces for each emotion in Happy Hippo, Angry Duck, and the big kids got lots of giggles as they watched the littles try to make sad and angry faces.
In the afternoon, we went outdoors for a walk around the neighborhood. We saw lots of neighbors and practiced nice manners like saying "hello" and stating our names. It was lots of fun to see so many other people outdoors with us, and a great chance to get some exercise as we used scooters and bikes.
See you tomorrow!