Horn Homeschool: Week 24

Toast in the shape of 100 for breakfast.

During week 24 of our homeschool venture, we had a split theme.  On Monday we commemorated our 100th day of school!  Yay!

Felt good to reach this typical kindergarten milestone.  And as is also typical, we did lots of activities centered around the number 100. 

Of course there was lots of counting to 100 involved in our day.  We did 100 jumping jacks (that was hard!), counted and ate 100 pieces of popcorn, make posters using 100 items (paperclips and pennies), and weighed five different groups of 100 things.  The weighing activity was especially engaging because we made a prediction chart before weighing the articles.  We weighed a box of 100 paperclips, 100 pennies, 100 cottonballs, 100 popsicle sticks and 100 stickers.

The rest of our week was devoted to one of my all-time favorite children's authors.  Theodore Geisel's birthday falls on March 2.  He is otherwise known as the legendary Dr. Seuss or by his other pen-name Theo LeSieg ("Geisel" spelled backwards).

To commemorate the special day, we read MANY books by the birthday author beginning appropriately with Happy Birthday to You.  We also had a special Seussical birthday party dinner with chicken in the shape and style of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.  One of the absolutely invaluable aspects of homeschooling is getting your children actively involved and excited about learning.  Chloe hopped right into the Seuss party preparations and concocted her own "Pink Ink" drink for dinner inspired by a Seuss book.  She also had the idea to dress up as characters from The Cat in the Hat.  She and Clive became Things 1 and 2 and we crafted a cat-like hat for Matt to wear at dinner.

We never watch tv during the day simply because our television is in a bad spot to pick up digital reception.  For our Seuss marathon however, I pulled the tv out and rigged it up so the kids could watch a few episodes "The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That" on pbs.  What a fabulous show!

And because I'm ridiculous I verbalized an idea about making a Cat-in-the-Hat cake.  Chloe got even MORE excited and promised she'd help me make and decorate the cake.  So, we concocted a cat shaped cake.  That part was fairly simple.  It was the frosting and decorating that proved to be the most time consuming.  Thankfully, a kind neighbor friend of mine gave me some black decorator's icing and I did the best I could with my very limited artistic abilities. 

Dr. Seuss' books are so out of this world fun to read!  Though I gave up on the tongue twister book about 1/3 of the way through. That one is crazy!  Conversely, I also dig how many of his books are so easy for beginning readers to read for themselves.  His reader books aren't the contrived no-plot type of books that you find on the library's "emerging readers" shelves.  His books maintain a silly whimsicality while still using simple beginner words.

Happy happy birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Counting 100 pieces of popcorn for her and Clive to eat as a snack.  100 pieces of popcorn is surprisingly small!

100 posters in which the kids glued 100 paperclips and pennies.

Thing 2 was a very helpful cake froster!

The cat cake.

Close-up of my attempt at the cat's mischeivous face.

Thing 2 patiently waiting in her red "box" (a pack-n-play covered with red towels and blankets).

Thing 2 waits to jump out and surprise Matt.

Even Solomon joined in on the Dr. Seuss fun by wearing his special bib!

"Pink Ink" for dinner. 

Our "one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" were actually homemade chicken nuggets.