Caring

Yesterday we did a great activity to build on our trip to the zoo last week. We made lion masks. We ripped paper & glued and had lots of fun... and made a huge mess.

We also did ABC work. Counting to 10 (no problem) and then backwards again (new for us) and following the numbers on our poster as we went (hoping to learn numeral identification). Some color work (for Emma' sake) and reviewing of shapes.
Yesterday we read a book about caring for others and had to come up with ways to show people we care about them. Alex thought it would be a good idea to call people and ask how they are doing. So, we called all the grandparents.
A realtor showed our house today, so not much formal school work. We had lunch with the Green girls and both girls had therapy this afternoon. Emma helped me make lemonade today and she thought that was great. I even let her serve Alex's lemonade like a big girl.

Friday

This morning the girls and I loaded up the van and headed to the Tulsa zoo. We spent a few hours there and the girls really had fun. We started with the elephants and got to see them having a bath. We walked through the elephant museum and Alex learned a new continent. Africa. So now I can ask her, "If elephants aren't in the zoo, where do they live?" and she says Africa. They gave us a good thing to go on, since a lot of the animals there are native to Africa.
We also go to go into Feather Fest and feet the parrots. They would land on the girls seed sticks and eat their seeds. It was a lot of fun.
We had lots of fun and although we only stayed a couple of hours we were really exhausted and ready for a nap when we got home.

Wednesday

Worked with the Hooked On Phonics program today. Alphabet & numerals. Then spent some time with the sticker book, matching animal stickers to their outlines. This afternoon we drove through the bank and Alex looked at the man in the car next to us and said, "I no know that boy." Perfect opportunity for the 'strangers' talk. On our way home from church tonight it was dark and Alex made a comment about it. So I took the opportunity to talk about morning, daytime, evening and night. She seemed satisfied with my explanations there. At least opening to the doors to some better understanding and vocabulary.
Emma had OT today and Alex had PT.

Tuesday again

I'm not doing a very good job of blogging daily. Last week took a down turn when Emma busted her head and we spent the morning at the ER. Then Thursday I took Alex to Kansas City for a follow up on her feet.
Yesterday we our art project was from a new (old) book I got. I let them use their fingers to paint the brown on the tree trunk and then they used their finger tips dipped in red paint to color the apples. The had fun but wanted to do more. They seem to have more fun when they get to free style.

We've been playing outside a lot, enjoying the weather. I got a Little Tykes car at a yard sale last weekend and the girls are loving it. Emma's sharing leaves much to be desired, but she has to share anyway. Alex is really very great at taking turns and sharing.
Of course we read everyday and we are still working on the alphabet. We've gone over speech homework. Working on 's' blends. The both say 'mell' instead of 'smell', etc. Emma has been working on locations of things. Where does the refrigerator belong? In the kitchen. Where do cars drive? In the road. Etc. In addition to actual time dedicated to that I ask a lot of questions throughout the day. We have also been working on same vs. different.
Yesterday I kept Mary Grace and Hannah for a while so the girls got to play for a few hours.
Therapy as usual. I am considering taking the girls to the Tulsa zoo on Friday. We will probably do animal related activities the next few days to lead up to that.

Tuesday

This morning we worked with the Hooked on Phonics books. We went over colors and shapes (mainly for Emma's benefit, but also to reinforce Alex). Then we counted, trying to relate the numbers they are counting to the actual numeral. We counted different things from the book and also in the house. How many eyes does Alex have? How many eyes to we have all together. Chairs at the table? etc. Then letters. Hooked on Phonics does not teach the letters in alphabetical order and I was impressed that Alex could identify so many letters. A, E, X, T, M, O, P were clearly identified and a few others were on the verge. This evening we did more letter work, identifying letters from our home made flash cards. Repetition seems to be working, we will keep at it and try to add new activities to reinforce the same concepts.
Alex had PT, OT & ST today. Emma had ST & PT. Alex is having trouble with same/different in speech. I think she has the concept, but she has trouble with the vocabulary of it. We will be working on that at home. Alex is doing well with long, longer, longest, etc. Emma is working on her 's' sounds.

The long weekend

Random things from the last few days. Drew was home for 4 days, that was wonderful. The girls got in good Daddy time. As far as learning goes, the highlight was sitting in the drive way this afternoon and inspecting a caterpillar with our new magnifying glass. We held it and felt how fuzzy it was and how it tickled our hands. We turned it upside down and felt its sticky little feet. We looked at the pretty colors on it's head and back and talked about how it would become a beautiful butterfly. We even sang the Hungry Caterpillar song. Fun stuff.
Other than that we read every day as usual and Alex and Emma got to show off some new things for Daddy. Alex said the Pledge of Allegiance. Drew noticed that in church she said the Lord's Prayer with everyone.
This afternoon Alex had PT and Emma had OT.

Wednesday

Alex came down with a fever Monday evening so the last few days have been spent at home. Once she started feeling better we found ourselves getting back to 'normal'.
Today we read three new books about God's creations. They were about how God made outer space, the weather, and our bodies. They were a little over Emma's head, but Alex stayed pretty attentive.
I found Emma with a math workbook today. She was looking and 'studying' so I asked her what she was looking at. She said, "Bananas!" She was right, so I pointed out the numerals on the page that 1-4. She looked up at me and said, "Numbers!" So she is catching on.
This afternoon we made cupcakes together. We read the recipe together and I tried to point out to Alex on the recipe as I read off each ingredient. We measured together and I let Alex pour in the water and Emma pour in the oil. As I separated the egg whites they wanted to touch the yolk. So when I was done with each egg I let them put their fingers in it. We talked about how it was cold, slimy and squishy. Then they took turns putting the ice cream cones in the muffin tin. I did my best to explain as we went along and point out how the batter gets hot in the oven and bakes into cupcakes. Oh, and then we ate way too many when they were done!
They got their new Highlight's magazines last week so we laid in the floor and read part of them today. This month's activity was putting appropriate face pieces on the jack-o-lantern. We played on the blank side of the pumpkin and they created their own silly faces. Then we read a few of the poems and stories. They don't really like the hidden picture activity (I think it is a little bit hard) but they like finding silly things in the silly picture.
Both girls are getting so great at pretending. Alex saw a camel in the magazine and next thing I know she was doing something silly. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was a camel. I'm not sure how to act like a camel, but she thought she was doing it :)
Last night we read the book Morris Goes to School. I showed the girls how to put their hands on their head to look like antlers and be a moose. Emma thought that was great.

Monday

This weekend the girls and I took an impromptu mini vacation to Branson and Eureka Springs. We did lots of shopping and having fun, but took time for something educational. We went to see the Christ of the Ozarks and then went to the museum there. The museum has dinosaur fossils and connects science and biblical theory when it comes to creation. The girls loved the dinosaurs. We looked at how different they all were... some were big, some were little. Alex wanted to see a real dinosaur so I had to explain that they aren't alive anymore, but these are their bones and that is how we know what they looked like. We then spent some time in the museum gift shop and bought quite a few neat things for school. Things on creation and the Earth. A few books, a few workbooks, and a huge floor puzzle. We had fun talking about all the things that God created. WE names people we knew and lots of animals, trying to make the point that everything was made by God. We did the puzzle yesterday and the girls loved it. Although I had to do most of it, I made sure to pick pieces up and point out details of it... then asked Alex if she could see the other birds, etc. When we were done they had just as much fun tearing it apart when we were done. I've noticed that Emma is getting better at staying focused long enough to get something done... like picking up toys. I told them we had to pick the pieces up and put them in the box and to my surprise, Emma actually did it without any extra encouragement. Yeah Emma!
Today we went over shapes again and Alex remembered the octagon. Went over colors. Counted to ten forwards and backwards. Now for the alphabet. Alex is doing amazing. She was looking at a new Elmo book in the van on the way to Branson, it happened to be about ABC's. Then she looked up and said, "N is for Nonnie." Yeah! Then she went on and got M for mommy and D is for Daddy. She can also recognize O & P. So, the letter recognition list is up to A, E, X, D, M, N, O, P, Q. We are getting close to several other letters, but these are the ones that are consistent.
Emma loves books but still can't always sit still through an entire book when I'm reading to them. However, she frequently sits and 'reads' books on her own and always has a few books in bed with her.
We have also been saying nursery rhymes. Jack & Jill and Hey Diddle Diddle are two fairly new ones for us.

Thursday

Today Alex had PT, OT & ST. Emma had ST & PT. This evening we spent an hour laying in the floor reading books. Colors, making predictions, describing feelings, etc. We have also been working on the Pledge of Allegiance the last few days. Alex is catching on, Emma pays attention. We are also learning the days of the week. Singing lots of songs... The Caterpillar Song, 5 Little Speckled Frogs, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Row Row Row Your Boat, America the Beautiful, The Doxology, and so many more. We are also reading a lot of Nursery Rhymes.
Social skills. When we go out to eat the girls order their own drink. They always say hello, please & thank you. They love to play with their friends and talk about their friends when they aren't together.

Catch up

We've been doing school work, I just haven't been blogging on it. Lots of reading. Lots of ABC's. Lots of coloring. Today we made a color book. I pulled out 6 different colors of construction paper and we went through a magazine and cut out things of each color. The girls took turns finding, cutting and gluing. Cutting is next to impossible for Alex. She is so contracted and has very little coordination with scissors. We tried anyway. Then I asked the girls where they would like to hang them. "My room," was the answer. So we hung them on the closet door and looked over them. Alex does great with colors, I'm hoping all the repetition will help Emma.
We also spent some time with flash cards and using full sentences, not just one word answers. I'm also making an effort to get Alex to predict things. Even when there is no 'right' answer. "The dog is running." "Where do you think the dog is going?" Things like that. Then we come up with different scenarios.
Yesterday Alex has PT, ST & OT. Emma had ST & PT. Today Alex has PT and Emma had OT.
Emma has met a few of her speech goals and is moving on to a few new ones... like 's' blends.