The Letter Bb

After being on vacation for a week, Evan was ready and eager to start back to school.  He didn't mention school once while we were on vacation, but Sunday afternoon when we got home, he asked if we could play school.  He asked several times yesterday, and I kept telling him that we were going to start back again today.  So this morning when he woke up, he was asking to play school before we even got downstairs!  I LOVE his enthusiasm! 

As soon as we got into the schoolroom, it was if we had never taken a break.  He jumped right up and changed the day magnets and we said the Pledge of Allegiance.  Then he put dinosaur stamps all over his legs!  I guess that has made its way into our routine now!  We did a quick review of the Letter Aa (to make sure he still remembered!) and the Number 1. 

Today's Bible Lesson talked about the Holy Spirit.  We talked about how God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all worked together in making our world.  We talked about how the Holy Spirit helps people who believe in Jesus to love Jesus and to obey Him.  I taught him a couple rhymes/songs about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  He really liked one little song called, "Three in One".  You sing it to the tune of "Three Blind Mice".  It goes:  'Three in one.  Three in one.  See how they work.  See how they work.  They all are working together to make, Our world which is so neat and great.  Three in one.  Three in one.'

Since we were already talking about '3 in 1', it made for an easy transition into triangles.  We got out Timmy the Triangle (a triangle made of craft sticks) and played with him for awhile.  Evan paraphrases the Timmy Triangle rhyme well.  If it has a stick on it, Evan thinks it is a puppet, and he loves it!  Since Timmy has 3 sticks, he thinks it is really special! 

Timmy Triangle:  I'm a triangle.  Timmy's my name.  I have three sides.  I play a little game.  I pretend to stand upon my head.  I lay on my side.  I lay on my bed.  Some people don't see the difference in me.  They just see three sides; one, two, and three.

I'm a triangle, Timmy's my name.

Evan did a triangle worksheet.  I had given him instructions on what to do and then stepped out of the room for a second.  When I came back in, he had followed my instructions, and had also drawn a face in the triangle.  He said, "Look, Mommy, it's Timmy!"

Look Mommy, it's Timmy!

Today, we started to learn the Letter Bb.  I showed Evan the Bb card, and asked him if he knew what letter we were going to talk about today.  I didn't even have to tell him and he said B!  He practiced writing it.

Evan writing Bb.

The front side of the Bb card has a bumblebee on it.  I also put the "I'm bringing home my baby bumblebee" song in the Bb Lapbook.  I had made a bumblebee puppet for him, but something was missing.  Our bumblebee needed wings.  I traced Evan's hand on wax paper and we put wings on the bumblebee.  We skipped around the house singing, "I'm bringing home/squishing up/wiping off my baby bumblebee".  I think he may have a new favorite song!

I'm bringing home my baby bumblebee...

We did some work on the Bb Lapbook.  The cover has Baa Baa Black Sheep on it.  So we sang that several times and Evan colored the sheep black. 

Bb is for Baa Baa Black Sheep.

We then worked on making a Baa Baa Black Sheep puppet.  Evan painted the sheep black, and then painted a bunch of cottonballs black.  Once it was all dry, he glued them on and had a Black Sheep to play with.

Painting the sheep black.

Painting the cottonballs.

Baa Baa Black Sheep, Have you any wool?

While we were waiting for the sheep to dry, I introduced him to Bobby B.  We read a mini book on the Letter Bb.  I had the pieces for Bobby ready to go, and Evan put them all together.  He loves these Alphabuddies!  Once we had Bobby all put together, he asked for Angie A, and Al the alligator and the Amazing Apple.  We put on puppet show after puppet show!  He is getting a lot better with his puppet shows.  He is so cute to watch.  We just go back and forth.

Piecing together Bobby B.

Proud of Bobby!

Putting on a puppet show with Bobby and Angie.

I was using the alligator in one of my puppet shows, and I asked Evan who named the alligator.  Without hesitation, he answered, "Adam."  I then asked him what Bible verse tells us that Adam named the animals, and he quoted Genesis 2:19 - And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.  I was SOOOO proud of him!  He quoted this verse several more times throughout the day and even said it for Daddy to hear.  My heart was just overflowing with joy!

To complement our study of the Letter Bb, we are reading "Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?" by Nancy White Carlstrom.  I had 3 bear cutouts in the 'Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear' Lapbook.  Evan painted three different outfits (one for each bear) and after they dried, I put magnets on them and made the bears into puppets for Evan.  He had so much fun dressing his bears.  He even asked if he could sleep with them during his nap!  More puppets, meant more puppet shows.  The more puppets we add to the collection, the more interesting the story lines become!  I was so impressed with him.  During one of his plays, he started to recite parts of the book and we have only read it a few times.  Normally he just imitates what I do in my plays, but he did this all on his own.  I am so proud of him and just thrilled to be able to share these moments with him. 

Painting clothes for Jesse Bear.

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?

Proud of his bear puppets.

Putting on a puppet show with Jesse Bear.