Coming To Our Senses Part Two

Today, Lillie was off to visit one of her cousins for the day, so we didn't do any schoolwork. Yesterday however was one of those full days that leaves you feeling like to you've accomplished something. We started with the two basics, math and reading. Lillie Anna is working on reading the first stanza to Robert Louis Stevenson's "Autumn Fires". We are using the method of one word on a post it note and then she arranges them and I quiz her randomly on the words. This has worked wonders. Mostly this is sight reading, but we do some phonics as well. Then we moved onto some addition practice with our "counting jewels" which Lillie picked out last summer at WalMart when we were working on counting. They are really the glass smashed down marbles you buy at the craft department that you shove down in vases. But what Lillie doesn't know won't hurt her. I give her two cups. In the first cup she counts out the number that is the first in her addition problem. Say 2+2. She counts two into the first cup, two into the second (I make her count out loud) then she dumps (adds) them onto the table and counts them all together. She then reads me the problem back saying "2+2=4". We talked about how the skin is the organ responsible for our sense of touch. I read the story of "King Midas and the Golden Touch" to them. We talked a little about greed to incorporate some character study. Lillie Anna said she wished she had "The Chocolate Touch". I say "Right On, Sista!" Then we went on a nature walk around the house, picking up items and describing how they felt. I tried to engage the kids in a game of "King Midas Tag" where they would run around and try to "turn" each other to gold. They soon lost focus and just proceeded to run around like crazy.
Then we made some sand art pictures. You just draw a picture on the paper with glue and then throw some sand on it. Let it sit a minute and then shake the sand off. It makes a nice scratchy picture. It is , however, better done outside, as a bowl of sand is an irresistable temptation for children. It would be cruel not to let them dump it all out.
Well, told you we did alot. But it was great fun!