Week Two -- Telling Time, The Number Line, and Things That Rhyme

This kid is a whiz with the digital clock. Don't ever tell him "Just a minute!" because exactly 60 seconds later you'll be reminded of your promise. The analog clock on the other hand is a bit trickier.
We started off making our own paper clock to use as we talked about the hour hand and minute hand. Then we played the computer game Stop the Clock (which he LOVED) for a bit, focusing only on hours and half hours. Finally, we added some sticker numbers (only at 15, 30, 45, and o'clock for now) to a cheap wall clock so he can practice throughout the day.

Poetry might be his least favorite thing each day. Some poems are super short. Some are quite long.While I gently prod him into thinking about what the poem is dealing with, we also somehow ended up talking about stanzas, rhythm, and rhyming words. He might not be a fan of poetry, but he adores music. So like a good momma, I pulled out the iTouch and played his favorite Blue October song Jump Rope and we tapped our feet to the rhythm and clapped for everyone word that rhymed. Then we listened to it four more times in a row because life is far too boring without the occasional impromptu dance party. (No there are no pictures of this.)

You know what's hard? Teaching your kids why it's important to be obedient without beating them down in the process. And since a lot of it boils down to trust,  I pulled a sorority hazing 101 and blindfolded my kiddo in hopes that if he let me lead him around the house without running him into walls, he'd see that mom and dad would never lead ask or tell him to do something not in his best interest. There was a much bigger and more eloquently worded discussion than this little summary, I swear ;)

Our artist for the Term is John Singleton Copley. I had Cole reproduce a painting of his choice and, naturally, he chose Young Lady with a Bird and Dog because there was a dog and the dog somewhat resembled a dalmatian (only in colors lol) In his recreation he decided to add himself and his own dog ;)

We had some fun with our Legos, Plants vs. Zombies, and our Months of the Year cards.

  We used our trains and one of the train sheds with our math lesson as we learned about the number line.

We made some awesome sea glass candy that you can read more about here.

And we started a new book--a classic that he's absolutely loving! 

He traded in his five star stickers for good behavior on a happy meal and an ice cream sundae ;)