P is for Popcorn and Penguins

Tonight, we've decided to pop some popcorn and watch "Happy Feet." I think the big boys watched this once when it first came out, but of course they did won't mind watching it again!

Don't worry, we read about real penguins this morning and talked about the fact that they don't really sing and dance in real life!! :)

...and just in case you're starting to think there is no real learning going on around here...

We discussed these questions from this website:

• What kind of animals are penguins? birds
• Do penguins fly? no, they can "hop," slide, swim, and waddle
  
• Are penguins found south or north of the equator? (or more simply for the boys, where do they live?) There are cold-weather penguins and warm-weather penguins, but they always live near a lot of water.
• How long can a penguin hold its breath under water? about 3 minutes (Justus loved this fact, because he always likes to time himself holding his breath under water at swim lessons and in the bath tub.)
  
• What do penguins eat? fish
  

We did a very simple science experiment also from the same site
(freeze flat sheet of ice...Bring in various objects from around the house. Will it slide? Use cotton ball, beans, etc.)

We also made rubber eggs (directions here)
(J made a chart for us so we would know when the eggs were "done.")

I didn't feel like taking pics of everything today, since I took so many of the pizza-making yesterday. Hopefully, we can take pictures of our rubber egg experiment when it is complete!

Finally, we watched some YouTube videos showing how penguins get around, how they protect their babies, and how the babies get their food. It was all VERY interesting, and penguins continue to fascinate me. I am itching to watch "March of the Penguins" again :) Maybe next week...

this week, swim lessons!!!

We took a break from school this week for morning swim lessons for J and T.
Next week, the letter F!
Flowers, fire station, farm animals, and more FUN!!!

dyeing eggs

...beets, ground turmeric, canned blueberries,
spinach leaves, vinegar, salt, and water

i guess they're beautiful in their own way...

more butterflies

...saw this activity on montessori beginnings

and knew the boys would love it :)
they did...

step 1: color on coffee filters with felt tip markers

step 2: spray with water (the more the merrier)

step 3: hang to dry

(i love the fact that the boys'
random scribbles turned out so much cooler
than my oh-so-carefully planned designs)
step 4: attach pipe cleaners around middle
and shape the "wings"
step 5: hang to enjoy!

happiness

...after a sick day yesterday...

some outside time,

water play,

working in the garden

and laughter were good for the soul!

...we are thankful today for blue skies and sunshine...

creativity at play

...the artist contemplates his next color choice...
(i caught him posed like this)

"next, we mix it all up..."

my current challenge? placing all of our arts and crafts supplies
at easy access for this one and keeping them OUT of the little guys' reach! hmmmm...

suggestions?

painting with ice

...one of us just felt like observing today...