A Charlotte Mason Bible Study Lesson

June 15, 2018February 4, 2019 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

A CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE STUDY LESSON

“But let the imaginations of children be stored with the pictures, their minds nourished upon the words, of the gradually unfolding stories of the scriptures, and they will come to look out upon a wide horizon within which persons and events take shape in their due place and in due proportion.” (Mason, vol 1)

First, I explain why I’m focusing subject by subject. I also include Charlotte Mason quotes because I find her original lectures on education to be inspiring and helpful.

Next, please keep reading to see the break down of implementing lessons, the schedule, and resources I’m using that fit our family. Finally, I share the wealth of quality Charlotte Mason resources I have found helpful, from those mothers who have gone before me.

PREPARING THE FEAST

“Our aim in education is to give a full life. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests.” (Mason, vol. 3)

There are MANY subjects included in a Charlotte Mason education because she believed in spreading a wide feast. Sometimes, it feels a bit daunting for a new homeschooling mama. Therefore, I’m attempting to learn, digest, and absorb how I’m going to be teaching each subject. I have decided to compose a blog post on each subject for Form 1B. This will help me prepare to teach my oldest son in the Fall.

SPREADING THE FEAST IS GOOD

“As a matter of fact, it is the man who has read and thought on many subjects who is, with the necessary training, the most capable.” (Mason, vol. 6)

Ms. Mason suggests spreading a wide feast in education, in order to nourish a child’s mind. A Charlotte Mason curriculum aims to be wide and varied. This gives the child a chance to develop many interests and become well rounded. A Charlotte Mason education certainly intends to be rich, varied, and life giving, and this is partly why I choose to focus on her philosophy of education.

“He requires much knowledge, for the mind needs sufficient food as much as does the body.” (Mason, vol. 6)

I became interested in healthy eating almost 12 years ago as a yoga instructor. Once my children were born, I became more focused on nutrition. Thankfully, I was able to breastfeed both children, as babies, because it was a wonderful nutrition option for them.

When I became a Health Coach last year, I focused even more on nutrient dense foods to nourish my family. I aim to give them a great start in their little lives.

“The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Presently, I continue to to give them a varied and nourishing feast. This carries over to their education. I take it as my job to give a nourishing feast for their minds and body.

Ms. Charlotte Mason also says,

“But, believing that the normal child has powers of mind that fit him to deal with all knowledge proper to him, we must give him a full and generous curriculum…” (Mason, vol. 1)

A CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE STUDY

WHAT

“Children between the ages of six and nine should get a considerable knowledge of the Bible text.” (Mason, vol. 1)

First, Charlotte Mason says a standard Bible should be used. The Bible lesson should not come from a children’s Bible or devotional. Instead, the child should hear the actual text of the Bible since the stories of the Bible are so rich. Therefore, children are worthy of the very best, and rise to the occupation of listening to the Bible in its whole form.

Personally, I choose a beautiful and journaling Bible because I thought I would really enjoy it. So, I’m using a King James Version. Its called Praise: A Creative Journaling Bible.

In Parents and Children, Ms. Mason says the child, “should not be able to recall a time before the sweet stories of old filled his imagination.” (Mason, vol. 2)

If you have preschoolers, this is my FAVORITE Children’s Bible…though the true Bible should also be read to them from a young age.

Finally, THIS is my dream Bible set! Look how beautiful! But, clearly, for a special occasion, because its a little expensive!

WHEN

Charlotte Mason called the Bible lesson, the “chief lesson.” Its upheld as the most important subject, since it teaches a child right from wrong. Therefore, she urges the Bible lesson to be the first lesson of the day. The lesson should be about 15 minutes long. A Charlotte Mason Plenary has linked to the Parent’s Union school Form 1 schedule, which shows “in all cases the Bible text must be read and narrated first.”

Finally, a Bible lesson should occur once a day, five days a week.

Additionally, Sunday readings were recommended from: Parables from Nature.

WHY

“And perhaps it is not too beautiful a thing in this redeemed world, that, as the babe turns to his mother though he has no power to say her name, as the flowers turn to the sun, so the hearts of the children turn to their Savior and God with unconscious delight and trust.” (Mason, vol. 1)

I love this quote because it shows we should model humility, and faith for our children so they may come to have a relationship with God. Perhaps most importantly, the child learns to have a heart for God, and to develop a personal relationship with God.

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? And He called a little child, and set him in the mist. Here is the divine estimate of the child’s estate.” (Matthew 18: 1-2 King James Version, and Mason, vol. 1)

Then, the Bible goes onto say that those who enter Heaven must be like the child. Since children are so precious to Jesus, we should respect them as persons and nurture them in this endeavor.

“…their Bible lessons should help them to realize in early days that the knowledge of God is the principle knowledge, and therefore, that heir Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Also:

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name…” (Psalms 92: 1 King James Version)

The purpose of the Bible lessons is to lead the child to the knowledge of God.

HOW

“Read your Bible story to the child bit by bit; get him to tell you in his own words (keeping as close as he can to the Bible words) what you have read, and, then, if you like, talk about it; but not much.” (Mason, vol. 2)

For Form 1B, in other words, first grade, the Bible lesson encompasses most of Genesis from the Old Testament. Also, it is suggested to cover the appropriate portions of Matthew from the New Testament. A Delectable Education recommends to alternate Old Testament and New Testament daily for lessons because it may hold a child’s attention better. Each Bible lesson should cover about 10-20 verses per day.

Additionally, Charlotte Mason says the parent should continue to read aloud the Bible passage, even after a child can read it on his own.

NARRATION

First, read the Bible passage to the child once.
Then, ask the child to tell back what he heard, using as close to the words he heard as possible. This is narration.
Finally, Mama and child can discuss what was read.
As an option, Charlotte Mason Poetry notes suggest on how to begin the lesson: ‘Tell the story to the child, only giving the necessary explanations.’

RESOURCES FOR MAMA

Here are some suggested readings for Mothers to prep Bible lessons and discuss with their children following their narration.

“But it is well to let the pictures tell their own tale. The children should study a subject quietly for a few minutes; and then, the picture being removed, say what they have seen.” (Mason, vol. 1)

PICTURES

Moreover, you can choose to share pictures to compliment the Bible stories following the narration or Bible lesson.

RECITATION

“The learning by heart of Bible passages should begin while the children are quite young, six or seven.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Finally, you can have young children learn by heart parables and stories from the Bible. For recitation purposes, the Homeschool Mama should read aloud the passage a few times. Then, the child can narrate back only when they feel they know the words.

FAVORITE RESOURCES

Finally, I have come across some outstanding resources in learning about a Charlotte Mason education. I’m so happy to share them with you! Some of these are sources I return to daily because I’m preparing to teach my children. Also, some of these listed below are specific to a Charlotte Mason Bible lesson study.

GENERAL CHARLOTTE MASON RESOURCES

A Charlotte Mason Soiree Educator Courses (free and amazing!)
A Charlotte Mason Soiree Facebook Support/Discussion Group
Volume 1 Charlotte Mason’s Home Education
Volume 2 Charlotte Mason’s Parents and Children
Volume 3 Charlotte Mason’s School Education
A Delectable Education Scheduling Cards
A Delectable Education Curriculum Templates
Morning Tide to Even Tide Homeschool Planner

CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE LESSON RESOURCES

A Delectable Education podcast on the Bible subject
Also another A Delectable Education podcast on a simulated Bible lesson
My Current Bible I plan to use for lessons (Praise: A Creative Journaling Bible, King James Version)
Charlotte Mason Poetry – Presentation on Mason’s Program for Bible Lessons
Penny Gardener Children’s Bible Scripture Suggestions
Suggested Bible Artwork Resource
Another Bible Artwork Space Online
Homeschooling Printing Company to Print out Bible Pictures
King James Version of the Bible
Parent’s Union School Form 1 Schedule
Dream Bible Set
Volume 1 Charlotte Mason’s Home Education (pg. 247-253)

OUR PICKS

Finally, if you are interested in additional Charlotte Mason information, feel free to check out these previous blog posts:

Thank you so much for checking in! Please stay tuned for the next A Charlotte Mason Subject Lesson post.

Homeschool Preschool Supplies List

All of the quotes mentioned in this blog post, come from Home Education by Charlotte Mason. The Living Press published my favorite version of her books. I TRULY recommend any parent read Charlotte Mason’s books since I have gained so much from them! They are truly treasured words I believe I will be reading and re-reading for many years to come.

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Letter L Preschool Unit

February 28, 2018March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter L. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors (HINT: If you click this link, make sure you click “Preview” at the top right corner!)
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

We currently follow the Peaceful Preschool curriculum by Jennifer Pepito and we love it! The content is full of rich literature, therefore it is a perfect fit for my book-loving family. We read through many rich, classic stories. We also complete playful projects to go with the literature theme or letter. Download Unit A for free to try it out with your littles to see if you like it.

The community she has created is such a beautiful resource and I’m grateful to be a part of it. Jennifer has included a wonderful preschool e-book which helps you prepare to guide your child in early learning. We have found her curriculum perfect for our homeschool preschool. The curriculum is comprised of Read Aloud, Phonics, Counting Skills, Fine Motor Skills, Large Motor Skills, Practical Life Skills, and Art Skills. Also, here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. Feel free to explore all of our letter units!

LETTER L REVIEW

The focus books for letter L are The Grouchy Ladybug and the Corinthians Love Chapter from the Bible. Our favorite children’s Bible is the Jesus Storybook Bible. I also added Ten Little Ladybugs since my youngest really loves this story and its great for counting. Then, we read the Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney, which is a beautiful, imaginative picture book and a great fable. Finally, we read through Locomotive, by Brian Floca and The Little Tree.

First, we created glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. My children are always excited to make a new glitter glue letter.

L IS FOR LADYBUG

We read The Grouchy Ladybug many times. It is a beautiful book which is part of the Peaceful Preschool curriculum. We used this small wooden clock to introduce the principles of telling time since the book highlights the different times of the day as the grouchy ladybug moves from one animal to the next. This book was a regular during our introduction of Letter L.

Then, we revisited Ten Little Ladybugs. There are 3D ladybugs which the boys love to run their fingers over as I’m reading the pages. The beautiful rhyming words are simple. The boys loved foreshadowing the next number. In the story, the ladybugs are counted down from ten to none (and are returned to home).

We used Simply Learning Kids resources for Letter L and found the letters with a cute ladybug free printable.

L IS FOR LOVE

We were lucky that our Letter L unit fell around the same time as Valentine’s Day for us. We made some simple homemade cards for the boy’s Daddy and traced the word “Love” with our sandpaper letters.

Since it was Valentine’s Day, my older son signed Valentine’s cards and we made homemade chocolate candies to share with our friends.

Finally, we read 1 Corinthians 13 which is the Love Chapter from the Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible.

L IS FOR LEMON

I asked my children to make their glitter glue Letter L’s and we looked up a recipe for homemade limonada in Nature Anatomy. I just love these Montessori moveable letters too! We bring them out for every letter unit.

We squeezed fresh lemon juice, honey, water, ice and fresh mint for a refreshing drink.

We also made these lemon pomanders, which is just pressing whole cloves into lemons. My boys were having a difficult time so we ended up using toothpicks to make the holes first, and then sticking the cloves inside the fruit. We also really love these sandpaper letters and they are very affordable!

ABC BOOK

This sweet ABC book, Adventures with Barefoot Creatures, also introduces the concept of the seasons and a calendar. I just love the whimsical illustrations too!

L IS FOR LIBRARY

We normally visit our local small town library, but we decided to venture to the big city to visit the newest library. It was absolutely beautiful, filled with natural light, and we curled up to a couple of good books, and of course played with some toys as well!

ALPHABAET HANDWRITING PRACTICE

We practiced tracing the letters in the word “love” on our handwriting board.

I love this alphabet board since it has both upper and lower case letters.

L IS FOR LION

The Lion and the Mouse is a great version of one of Aesop’s most beloved fables. I love how it teaches children about kindness and the value of helping one another.

L IS FOR LITTLE BEAR

I had this childhood book saved so we read Little Bear for Letter L! My boys love this story since its made up of several stories that build on one another.

L IS FOR LITTLE TREE

Finally, we read Little Tree by Loren Long. I just love her illustrations and the story is very sweet. We have read this many times through over the past year because its such a lovely book.

SUPPLIES

Locomotive
Little Tree
The Grouchy Ladybug
Sandpaper Letters
Montessori Moveable Alphabet
Glitter Glue

OUR PICKS

Here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter I Preschool Unit

December 21, 2017March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter I. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER I REVIEW

We began the letter I unit and had so much fun with it! The focus books for letter I are Ice Cream Summer, Inch by Inch, and a story from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Also, we read The Little Island, and listened to the audio version of this one before we purchased it.

Then, we created glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

We used some spare loose parts to create ice cream cones and also read through Ice Cream Summer.

I IS FOR ICE CREAM

I love gaining inspiration for our homeschool on Pinterest. This simple idea came from Pinterest to cut out ice cream templates using colorful construction paper we already had on hand. The boys took turn adding scoops to correspond with the number on the ice cream cone.

SENSORY WRITING PRACTICE

Next, we added old sprinkles to a tray so the boys could practice writing the letter I.

I love providing these tactile, sensory experiences for them. Of course, the boys take the opportunity to sneak a few sprinkles into their mouths!

ICE CREAM PLAY

The boys worked together to “earn” this special Melissa and Doug Ice Cream Shop about six months ago. We brought it out to go along with our ice cream theme since it worked perfectly!

We also played with these felt ice cream shapes and glitter. I wouldn’t recommend it however, because it was time consuming for Mama to make and one of those activities that the boys were not engaged in for very long.

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

Last summer, we purchased our first homemade ice cream maker and made our own strawberry mint sorbet. I counted this as “ice cream.” The boys loved helping me make this recipe and it was super simple. Feel free to read the post which includes this recipe here.

ICE CREAM – LICK HONEST ICE CREAM VISIT

Finally, we visited our favorite ice cream spot: Lick Honest Ice Cream. I love going here for an occasional treat because they offer delicious vegan ice cream made with coconut milk.

Then, for their dairy versions, they source milk from local dairy farms who feed their cows primarily grass. We try for whole milk, grass fed dairy options we can! Another sneaky trick about this place is they offer a hot pink ice cream which my boys love and the flavor is Beet Mint! I love how adventurous my little eaters are.

COUNTING PRACTICE

We reviewed our numbers with these beautiful wooden trays from Jennifer. One side is a great fine motor and counting activity using these little wooden beads.

And the other side has numbers for tracing and writing practice.

We reviewed numbers 0-10 with these fun tactile sandpaper numbers that come with a really nice storage box.

Finally, we created more glitter glue numbers and reviewed them. These are such sweet cards that come with the curriculum.

BALANCE BEAM – LARGE MOTOR SKILLS

Then, we found an old board lying around and some left over brick when our house was built. The boys helped me create a balance beam and then took turns using it!

We took out our measuring tape to measure how long and wide the board was.

I IS FOR INCH WORM

Have you read Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni before? It is a quick read and I love the illustrations and focus on nature. It is a sweet story of a clever inch worm who is requested to measure different birds. After reading the story, we collected some of the boys toys and measured how long they were.

ALPHABET PRACTICE

I love these beautiful sandpaper alphabet cards and they are pretty inexpensive. Its really nice to have the boys trace these with their fingers to practice pre writing skills. My youngest especially loves to practice writing this way! We also used play dough to form letters. I think my oldest made A, B, and C before moving onto another activity.

I IS FOR ICING

Finally, during this time of letter I study, we celebrated my oldest’s fifth birthday. I made homemade sweets for his little party. We made a healthy cocoa sweet potato icing since it was delicious, nutritious and easy! If you are interested in learning more about clean eating, check out my wellness mamas post here.

SUPPLIES

Montessori Moveable Alphabet
Sandpaper Alphabet Cards
Ice Cream Summer
Inch by Inch
Jesus Storybook Bible
Construction Paper
Sprinkles
Cusinart Ice Cream Maker
Montessori Sandpaper Numbers
Glitter Glue
Natural Play Dough
Melissa and Doug Wooden Ice Cream Shop

OUR PICKS

Finally, here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Fall Nature Activities for Preschoolers

November 2, 2017February 21, 2019 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

Fall Nature Activities for Preschoolers

I’m so grateful to have found Exploring Nature with Children, ENWC, to use for the past year with my preschoolers because it has been perfect. Included are forty-eight weeks of nature study; four weeks for each month of the year, organized by season. I have loved using ENWC for Fall Nature Activities for my Preschoolers because we have gained so much from this program.

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our Exploring Nature curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explore nature during the Fall! Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

Exploring Nature Curriculum with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors (HINT: If you click on this link, make sure you click “Preview” to check out the preschool curriculum! Exploring Nature With Children is a complete, year-long curriculum designed to guide you, step by step, through an entire calendar year of nature study.
Charlotte Mason’s Philosophy – Early Years – Volume 1 Home Education

SEED STUDY

First, we gathered seeds from the yard. Then, we read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. My oldest son LOVES art! He used watercolors to paint in the flower I drew from the story. We use these watercolors almost daily and LOVE them! They have lasted a long time, and the boys really enjoy using them.

MAKING SEED BOMBS

We created seed bombs at home and with our sweet preschool co-op group. I found an easy tutorial on Pinterest on how to make the seed bombs. We used seed packets, water, potting soil, and air-dry clay.

This activity was so simple. We love to get our hands dirty. I can’t wait for Spring to see the flowers pop up!

COLLECTING NATURE TREASURES

Next, we discussed seed dispersal and used leftover egg cartons to house our nature treasures. My boys use egg cartons frequently now to store their findings!

We also read A Seed is Sleepy by Diana Aston. The books in this series are all absolutely stunning because they provide beautiful imagery. The boys had fun using a magnifying glass for the first time to observe their treasures up close!

Finally, we read through From Seed to Plant. Although this was an informative book, my boys were not attentive to this book. Perhaps as they get a little older, they will be more interested in it!

APPLE STUDY

Since it was Fall, we also explored apples. My boys practiced kitchen skills by slicing the apples, and removing and counting the seeds. Then, we painted an apple template using the sliced apple and tempera paints.

APPLE BOOKS

We read through the following books and these were all EXCELLENT:

I think our favorite book was the Apple Tree’s Discovery because it has such a neat story!

Since I’m a lover of sweets, we then made this simple vegan apple crisp recipe. This recipe is simple, pretty clean, and my family loves it, so we have made it several times!

I just love to see the attention to detail my older son has when he is painting!

BEE STUDY

Next, we explored and learned about honey bees. This was a fun lesson! I highly recommend Are You a Bee? I also highly recommend making homemade beeswax candles! To this day, my boys still get excited to light a candle that they helped create!

Of course, since my boys seem to love being creative with art, they colored in the honey bees I drew from them in their nature journals. We also made a bee card from cardstock, used our Nature Anatomy book to draw a bee, and read the Honeybee Man many times throughout the week!

FARM VISIT

In October, we visited Johnson’s Backyard Gardens for an open house event. When we first arrived, we took a tractor tour of the farm! Next, we completed a nature scavenger hunt searching for leaves, spider webs, birds, mini beasts and signs of bugs.

They were pretty excited to ride the tractor trailer!

We had a pretty view of the farm from the tractor ride.

LEAF STUDY

I try to begin and end the month reading a short and sweet poem from a beautiful book called Be Blest. I highly recommend this book. It is very inexpensive too! This is something extra I have tried to add to our exploring nature curriculum study.

First, we used Nature Anatomy to study leaf characteristics. This book has been such a huge resource to us, I highly recommend you check it out! We collected as many leaves as we could (there is not much variety on our property which mostly consists of cedar and oak trees). My boys had fun painting the leaves and making art with them.

We tried to identify leaves based on their shapes.

LEAF PAINTING

We read through many stories, and really enjoyed We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt. We have also read his other cute story We’re going on a Bear Hunt and it is one of my three year old son’s favorite books.

PUMPKIN STUDY

Perhaps our favorite Fall study was exploring Pumpkins! Since it is so useful, we used our Nature Anatomy book again to draw and paint pumpkins and squash. We read through Pumpkin Town more times than I can count over the week.

Next, my children painted mini pumpkins. Then, we made clean pumpkin energy balls with just a few ingredients. Prior to making the balls, we carved a pumpkin together, explored the seeds and pulp, and cooked the pumpkins to make homemade pumpkin puree, which was used to make the pumpkin energy balls.

It is so nice when your kiddos start an activity organically, which is exactly what happened with the mini pumpkin painting!

Here are my children scooping out the seeds! Its a messy job, but so fun!

Here they are painting pumpkins at a sweet co-op activity.

Finally, we also watched Too Many Pumpkins on a You Tube read aloud since my library didn’t carry it!

TREE STUDY

We finished our Fall studies with Tree exploring. Nature Anatomy once again was a great resource and we also used our Smokey the Bear Tree Poster to identify some trees.

For this study, we next collected seeds and leaves from the yard.

Then, we read the Giving Tree and attempted to make some leaf rubbings using crayons and cardstock.

We are lucky since we found SO MANY wonderful Tree books. Our favorites books we have read through several times are: Little Tree, Sequoia, and A Log’s Life.

I hope this helps inspire you with some Fall related Preschool activities! I sure love this precious time spent at home with my kiddos. Finally, here is our Before and After homeschool space.

SUPPLIES

Nature Anatomy Series
Watercolors
Chalk Pastels
Nature Journal
Paint brushes

Also, here is a link to purchase Exploring Nature with Children. It has been so much fun, so I think you will enjoy it!

Exploring Nature With Children Curriculum

OUR PICKS

Finally, you can check out 20 Nature Field Trip Ideas here.

Letter H Preschool Curriculum

October 5, 2017March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our preschool curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter H. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors (HINT: If you click on this link, make sure to click the “Preview” button!)
Ambleside Online – In my extensive Charlotte Mason research, I have decided ultimately to draw upon Ambleside Online as our basis homeschool preschool curriculum.

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER H REVIEW

We began the letter H unit and had so much fun with it! The focus books for letter H are The Little House, The Little Red Hen, and Harold and the Purple Crayon. Also, we read through B is for Bear, a beautiful nature alphabet book, however, any alphabet book would be perfect to review your letters.

H IS FOR THE LITTLE HOUSE

One of my favorite childhood books was The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. I’m so thankful to be able to share this beautiful story with my children. For those who haven’t read it yet, its a sweet story about a house in the country who is filled generation after generation. Eventually, a city grows around the little house, there are no more inhabitants, and the house is abandoned. Its such a great book so I hope you check it out!

LETTER H HOUSE

Both boys created a letter H house and I love seeing their unique creativity blossom through art projects. We also found an additional house book called The Old House at the library.

I love how my oldest son attempts to draw exactly what he sees in the picture. He made sure to include the little house eyes, shingles and apple trees!

LITTLE HOUSE CRAFT

We used these house shape templates to create houses. This book is a favorite around here!

My three years old ended up making more of a tent house and I loved it!

LITTLE HOUSE DRAWINGS

My children no longer take naps so I LOVE to do a quiet activity such as art after lunchtime. Their creativity really shines and Mama can get some work done around the house.

These chalk pastels have been a favorite of ours. They make beautiful pictures and are so fun to use. My youngest son picks this art medium to use most frequently because its so sensory. He usually ends the art project by rubbing his fingers all over the painting to spread the color around.

My oldest son chose watercolors to create a little house. He usually asks me to draw an outline so he can paint or color it in. By far, these are our favorite watercolors to use, and they are affordable too! I’m so thankful for this wonderful opportunity to observe my children’s first learning.

LINCOLN LOG LITTLE HOUSE

Finally, my children constructed a log cabin out of Lincoln logs. They added a horse barn and created lots of rooms inside for play. This story has sparked several discussions about moving our house from the country to the city. I hope you read the story with a beautiful ending.

NATURE FINDS

Next, since we use Exploring Nature with Children, we gathered nature treasures from our yard. In the hill country of Texas, we mostly have cedar trees so we were able to see the colorful change happening to the leaves that had fallen off the trees. We sorted our nature finds and counted them.

I love to read a seasonal poem for the change of the months. Be Blest: A Celebration of Seasons is a beautiful story with a poem and lovely illustrations for each month. We typically begin and end the month reading from this book.

Then, we read the Little Red Hen from my childhood and also this version from Paul Galdone. I have heard my children act out the Little Red Hen story numerous times over the last couple of weeks. I found some felt at Michael’s for a few dollars and they helped me cut out the characters and use them to tell the story back to me.

H IS FOR HEN

Keeping with the hen theme for letter H, I found several hen books at the library. Henny Penny is another great classic story about a hen who thinks the sky is falling. Hedgie’s Surprise is a cute story about a hen who wants to be a mother hen and a hedgehog named Hedgie who helps her. Finally, Hattie and the Fox is a simple barnyard story that my children love to retell to me.

LETTER H REVIEW

We stamped our letter H template from Simply Learning with our alphabet stamps. We are super excited to try the lowercase ones too!

I often leave this beautiful alphabet board out in our homeschool space for the boys to find, since it is so beautiful. They practice drawing the letters on it and its another great quiet activity.

H IS FOR HONEY

We read through Are You a Bee? I loved this book so much that I can easily see purchasing more by the same author and illustrator.

We made bee cards on white card stock using our Nature Anatomy book as a template for the bee. Finally, we made homemade beeswax candles which were a great purchase. This was my children’s first experience with candles. I think it was also one of their favorite crafts we have made together.

Next, we read the Honeybee Man and drew an outline of a bee. My children are three and four, so normally I draw an outline for them, and they color it in. I love to provide choices of different art options and witnessing which ones they choose. These oil pastels are a great favorite of ours!

H IS FOR HORSE

Then, we read through The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. Another story I read growing up, it was great to read it to my children. We used a q tip to watercolor our horse templates from Simply Learning.

This was one of the more engaged times for my youngest son, at three years old. I love how he used several colors and mixed them together to paint his horse.

H IS FOR HAROLD

Finally, we read through Harold and the Purple Crayon. This book really brought me back to my childhood favorites. My boys also love Harold and the Purple crayon and we read it often before bed!

They choose different drawings which was fun!

H IS FOR HARVEST MOON

Finally, we did a moon craft of the Harvest Moon.

We used white paint mixed together with flour to make a paste. Then we painted in the moon which was drawn on black construction paper. This was super fun because of the textures!

SUPPLIES

Nature Anatomy
The Little House
The Little Red Hen
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
B is for Bear
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Watercolors
Cardstock
Felt Fabric Squares
Chalk Pastels
Crayons
Candlemaking Kit

OUR PICKS

Interested in more preschool curriculum? Here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter F Preschool Unit

September 6, 2017March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter F. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER F REVIEW

We began with the letter F unit and had so much fun with it! The focus books for letter F are Fish Out of Water, Jonah and the Whale story from a Children’s Bible, and Ten Little Fish. I purchased one book from Amazon and we reviewed the other books through a Read Aloud video online.

F IS FOR FISH

We added these adorable, affordable fish and flower posters to our homeschool area.

We loved the fish theme focus for the letter F. I found these adorable fish cookie cutters and my oldest son immediately got creative with them. My boys use play dough almost daily. I love the creativity they come up with while they are playing. Hands on learning is excellent for pre-writing skills.

We used organic goldfish crackers to practice simple counting. This delicious snack didn’t last too long in this house!

SENSORY WATER PLAY

Then, we pulled our fish bowl out and created some fun water play! My boys enjoyed putting their hands in the water. We read the Rainbow Fish, which I happily purchased for $7 at Barnes N Nobles. Sometimes, they include an additional children’s book for $7 with the purchase of any other children’s book. If you haven’t read this story, its about a beautiful, unique fish who doesn’t play with his friends because his pride gets the better of him. Once he starts sharing his unique beauty with others, he finds joy and many friends to play with.

SENSORY BEAD PLAY

We used our sensory blue glass vase beads to fill in our rainbow fish template. We also painted in the template with watercolors, and used glue, salt and a tiny amount of watercolors to create a salt color fish. The results were beautiful and I’m thankful my boys had so much fun.

Here was the beginning of their salt watercolor fish.

WATERCOLORING A FAMOUS PAINTING

Finally, we wrapped up the fish study by painting a famous painting “The Long Leg” by Edward Hopper. I drew an outline and my oldest son painted in the painting. My husband and I were pretty amazed at how well he painted! It is such a joy to witness our children’s skills blossoming.

RECIPE

We tried a new recipe – Fish En Papillote – and it was so delicious, nourishing and simple that we have it on regular rotation now. My boys love to help with this recipe because its so colorful. Simply add salmon or fish of your choice on a piece of parchment paper. Then, top it with lemon slices, asparagus slices, and corn. Next, bake it in the parchment paper, add fresh tomatoes and herbs when the fish is cooked.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES AND BOOKS

FERDINAND AND HIS FLOWERS

I was blessed to grow up with many classic books in my childhood. I reintroduced one of these stories, Ferdinand with my children. If you haven’t read this story, I highly recommend it! Its is a beautiful story about a strong bull who chooses to be calm and peaceful and loves flowers and to relax under his cork tree.

There are many versions of this story, but I adore this one since the story is simple, and the illustrations are lovely.

Next, we gathered wildflowers from our yard and added them in for some color.

We also used vegetables drawings from Farm Anatomy to add into our journals in order to gather ideas of what we will be planting in our garden soon.

FLOWER ICE CUBES

I found a tutorial on making flower ice cubes with edible flowers. We had so much fun with the activity! My children helped add edible flower petals to the ice cube trays. Then, we filled them with water and froze them. It was a good lesson to be patient and wait for the finished product.

We added the ice cubes to water and had a refreshing and unique drink. They turned out beautifully! They would be really beautiful for a party.

We also matched edible flowers with the ice cubes when they were finished. Finally, we read A Reason for A Flower.

SEED BOMBS

We also created seed bombs with wildflowers. This project was simple, messy and fun. We read A Seed is Sleepy before starting the project.

All that is needed to make the seed bombs, are air dry clay, water, potting soil, and flower seeds. We are looking forward to throwing these out before a good rain!

F IS FOR FARM

We read through an adorable story Anywhere Farm, which is recommended by The Abundant Gardener curriculum we follow. We also read through a childhood book of mine, the Animals of Farmer Jones. Thankfully, my parents saved tons of my Little Golden Books. Finally, we read our Usbourne Look Inside a Farm, which is so informative and has tons of fun flaps to lift.

FIELD TRIPS

The Peaceful Preschool recommends a field trip day each week. Since our boys are at home for preschool, we have the luxury of taking many trips! We visited the Austin Aquarium and learned about fish. This was so fun because we were able to touch sting rays, sharks, birds, and iguanas!

Finally, we visited the Arnosky Flower Farm which was beautiful.

We are looking forward to returning in the Fall because their fields will be full with wildflowers.

SUPPLIES

A Reason for a Flower
A Seed is Sleepy Ferdinand
Farm Anatomy
The Rainbow Fish
Watercolors
Tactile Letters
Montessori Letters
Crayons
Flower Seeds

Here is how we enjoyed the letter G unit. We had so much fun with letter G and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

20 Nature Field Trip Ideas

August 22, 2017February 18, 2019 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

FIELD TRIPS

Our first official year of preschool at home begins soon. Learning at home is a great fit for us because it affords us unique and natural learning opportunities. One benefit of homeschooling is the chance to take field trips together. Field trips provide many educational benefits to children such as real-life experience, tactile learning, and community service opportunities.

BENEFITS OF NATURE

Charlotte Mason was a homeschooling pioneer who believed learning in nature was extremely important. She wrote, “We are all meant to be naturalists, each in his own degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.”

According to Nature Play WA, children who regularly play in nature:

Get sick less often
Are calmer and less stressed
Are stimulated through imagination, creativity, and acquire advanced language skills

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

Charlotte Mason Preschool – This guide encourages overwhelmed homeschooling mamas of preschoolers by providing lifestyle tips on how to implement a Charlotte Mason education.
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors. Please make sure to click “Preview” on the upper right corner to view the handbook before purchasing.
Midsummer: Celebrating the Seasons -Celebrating The Seasons With Children is a series of handbooks written to guide you, step by step, in creating meaningful and authentic celebrations for your own family. If you are interested, make sure to click “Preview” on the upper right corner to view the handbook.

TWENTY NATURE FIELD TRIP IDEAS

While you can attend these places in your local area, many of them are located just outside of Austin, TX. I have also included links to the specific places we have been to in our area in case you are nearby!

1. Farm

It’s wonderful to allow your children to taste fresh produce from a farm since it often tastes better. There are more nutrients preserved in the foods because the food is fresh. We have enjoyed wonderful visits to Sweet Berry Farms, Blue Butterfly Farms, and Homestead Farms since they are close.

blue butterfly farm

2. Aquarium

These are great because children will have a chance to see fish and marine life up close. I can’t wait to take them to the Austin Aquarium. Their website states children can feed the fish, hold a snake and feed lizards and iguanas.

3. Nature Center

We are lucky to have many beautiful nature preserves and spots close to our home so we visit them often. Hamilton Pool Preserve and Westcave Preserve are a few minutes from our house. We have visited them both but since we are so close, we will be visiting more frequently. These two spots offer breathtaking beauty and a great opportunity to learn respect for nature.

4. Pumpkin Patch

Barton Hill Farms was wonderful when we attended last Fall. We look forward to returning this year because there are so many wonderful activities for children. Children can pick out and paint their own pumpkins, ride hayrides, climb tractors, pet farm animals and eat some delicious farm foods.

5. Garden Nursery

We attend the Natural Gardener because of its a great resource for gardening, edible plants, plants, trees, and flowers. My children love to visit because there are farm animals for them to view, mazes for them to walk through, a butterfly garden, and many things to touch!

6. Library

We read to our children probably an hour or more per day so books are abundant in our home! We attempt to find as many of the books in the curriculums at the library first before trying Half Price books. Then, we use Amazon if we need to. My boys love our local library because there is a play area designed for children. They also love finding their own books to bring to me for a read aloud.

7. Farmer’s Market

Every Sunday, we go to the Lonestar Bee Cave Farmer’s Market to collect our CSA share and purchase a few more items. Learn more about why we love Farmer’s Markets here.

counting carrots with letter c unit

8. Zoo

In our first year here, we were members of the Austin Sanctuary Zoo. The zoo is unique because they have mainly animals that that were given from people that no longer could care for them or animals that were rescued. My boys love to ride the zoo train too! Our favorite animals to see are the tigers, bears, and wolves.

9. River

My lovely neighbor introduced me to a beautiful place at Camp Ben Mcculloch. We love how peaceful it is. We also live very close to Reimer’s Ranch Park. Pedernales Falls has also been another favorite watering spot.

Camp Ben Mcculloch

10. Bakery

I used to own a cupcake shop so we spent a great deal of time seeking out bakeries and cupcake shops in our past. It has been a while since we have visited one so I’m thinking of attending one of these soon: Wildwood Bakehouse or The Steeping Room.

carrot cake cupcakes

11. Nature Hike

We are lucky since we have 10 acres. My husband and his Dad cut a walking path in the back of the property and we try to take a hike in the back once or twice a week.

then, Boys Nature Hike

12. Bird Sanctuary

I’m excited to check out Travis Audobon with our boys soon!

13. Book Store

We frequent Half Price Books probably too much, however, we love books! They are such a great learning tool.

14. Picnic

Pack your lunch and head outside for a treat! We utilize eating outdoors often while we are traveling and love heading to a local playground with a picnic.

Helping hands in kitchen. Fresh vegetables. Helping hands in the kitchen. Fresh vegetables.

15. Beach

We recently went to Galveston Island State Park and it was beautiful. Going to the beach is such a sensory experience. Children can easily make use of their senses at the sea: hearing the ocean waves, tasting the salty air, feeling the sand and sea, watching the waves come in.

then, beach time

16. Feed Store

I’m looking forward to taking our children to the feed store. When I was a child, I remembered looking forward to going to the feed store with my parents. I loved touching and seeing the baby animals for sale!

17. Pick Wildflowers

We loved Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center so much that we became members. The boys are exposed to a wide variety of wildflowers, trees, plants, grasses for this area. There is so much beauty there.

next, nourished children wildflowers

18. Bee Farm

We visited Bee Friendly Austin with a Wild and Free group. We learned so much, got up close to a hive, and ended our trip with honey sampling!

19. Fire Station

One of our favorite co-op visits was to the local Dripping Springs Fire Station. We climbed on a firetruck, learned about how firemen prepare for their job, touched heavy equipment and listened to the loud sirens.

20. Botanical Gardens

Visiting the Austin Botanical Gardens was amazing. It was a beautiful place with tranquil paths, waterfalls, native plants and wildlife. We are looking forward to another visit.

Finally, b is for bluebonnet

I’m finishing up my homeschool preschool organization, planning and ordering a few more supplies. Find a great supply list here.

Finally, what are your favorite nature field trip ideas?

OUR PICKS FOR EXPLORING NATURE

Letter A Preschool Unit

August 16, 2017September 23, 2018 nourishedchildren 2 Comments

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter A. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER A REVIEW

We began with the letter A unit and had so much fun with it! The focus books for letter A are How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World and Ten Apples Up On Top. I found the books at a local library and we also reviewed the books later in the week while watching a Read Aloud video online. Then, we created glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

A IS FOR APPLE

My boys enjoyed exploring the map in How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World because they are interested in maps! I pointed out all of the locations the main character visits in the story. If you haven’t read the story, she travels all over the world to gather ingredients to make apple pie.

VEGAN APPLE CRISP

Next, we baked an apple crisp together! I love cooking and baking with my children in the kitchen. They are learning so many practical life skills along with gathering an interest in the food they are making and eating! My oldest son peeled all of the apples for this dish. Then, both children helped stir and pour the ingredients. Here is a helpful resource on cooking with your kiddos in the kitchen.

Here is the link on Pinterest to the vegan apple pie crisp we made. We have made it many times because it is simple, healthy and delicious.

APPLE ART

Next, my children used toothpicks to remove the seeds from the core. They counted and sorted the seeds. Finally, we recycled the cores of the apples, dipped them in tempera paints and made fun apple art!

Then, we cut an apple together, removed the seeds, counted them, and moved onto apple art. We also had so much painting a large apple template together. It was fun to see how the colors from the painted apple hit the paper to make a beautiful picture.

ADDITIONAL APPLE BOOKS

We love the library because we have access to books we otherwise may never have the chance to read! These books came recommended by a Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum and our favorite from these was certainly The Apple Tree’s Discovery. Its a cute story about an apple tree who begs God for some stars like he sees in the night sky, and its about his patience in the process. I highly recommend it because it was a neat story! Arnold’s Apple Tree was a cute story by children enjoyed, and Johnny Appleseed was a sweet poem with beautiful illustrations.

Applesauce Season, Apple, and The Apple Pie Tree are some of my children’s favorite stories about apples. We loved studying apples this time of the year since its Fall.

ADDITIONAL BOOKS

One of my favorite books from childhood was the Giving Tree by Shell Silverstein. I read this story to them while they played with play dough and made apples. When a child plays and uses their imagination, so much valuable learning is taking place. We also read Johnny Appleseed and my boys asked for this story to be read many times! Now, they want to plant apple seeds everywhere! Next, we read The Apple Pie Tree and my youngest son really loved this book.

the giving tree and apples — the giving tree and play dough apples

APPLE LIFE CYCLE

My oldest son completed an apple tree life cycle, which you can find on Pinterest. He cut out the cards, and then glued them on the correct order. Last, he discussed with me how the bare tree with branches could be at the end after the apples, since trees lose all of their leaves in the winter.

We used our Farm Anatomy book to outline and water paint how an apple blossom turns into an apple. First, I outlined the drawing for my son, and he did the rest.

APPLE WATERCOLOR ART

Next, we filled in our apple template. I love how this activity promotes focus, attention and fine motor skills because they use their hands and fill in the space.

My youngest son wanted to use the pencil to color in the apple stem and I thought it turned out beautifully.

Finally, we used watercolors to paint an apple tree. We used The Apple Pie Tree as a template for a tree since it is basic. My four year old painted the drawing on the right and below, my three year old son painted a free style painting.

FORMING LETTERS

I purchased some modeling clay for them, which is similar to play dough. They used their hands to create letters out of them and apples. They also made stick figures for fun. Side note: we love these travel chalkboard sets! I usually give these to them in the car and they are so convenient because they come in their own carrying pouch. Also, they are small enough to fit in my purse too!

clay letters for fine motor skills — clay letters because they promote fine motor skills

ROOTED CHILDHOOD

Also, we made apple snacks with homemade caramel sauce (using dates, salt, almond milk, and vanilla extract). It was a hit! I highly recommend Rooted Childhood for handicrafts, recipes, and adorable projects to do together as a family. If you decide to check it out, use “nourishedchildren10” code for a discount!

SUPPLIES

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
The Giving Tree
The Apple Pie Tree
Johnny Appleseed
The Apple Tree’s Discovery
Glitter Glue
Montessori Moveable Letters
Watercolors
Construction Paper
Travel Chalkboards
Handmade Play Dough
Modeling Clay

OUR PICKS

Here is how we enjoyed the letter B unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter B Preschool Unit

August 5, 2017August 11, 2018 nourishedchildren 3 Comments

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter A. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER B REVIEW

The letter B unit was fun! First, we read through Blueberries for Sal. I love this story because it is so beautiful. My children bring this to me over and over to read aloud. They especially love to hear me read the “kerplink, kerplunk” sounds in the story. We also created letter B glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

B IS FOR BLUEBERRY

We counted a variety of berries and also sorted them (and of course ate them along the way).

Did you know blueberries are a wonderful superfood? According to an article on healthline.com, “blueberries are among the most nutrient dense berries.” They contain a level of antioxidants which may help reduce cancer risk. My children love blueberries and as a result, we usually have berries around to eat and enjoy!

sorting and counting berries — then, we sorted and counted berries

ACTIVITIES

My children created process art with a watercolor of the ocean and we also read the Runaway Bunny. I loved this story as a child! We made letter B bunny art with cotton balls.

HOMEMADE PALEO CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES

Then, we made homemade paleo carrot cake cupcakes. You can find the recipe here. For the frosting, I tried a new mascarpone whipped frosting and it was light and perfect. My children helped gather the ingredients, wash and peel the carrots, stir the ingredients, and lick the bowl when we were finished!

FIELD TRIPS

The Peaceful Preschool recommends a field trip day each week. Since our boys are at home for preschool, we have the luxury of taking many trips! We visited Blue Butterfly Farms and learned about farm animals and gardening and we also took a beautiful hike with friends from a Wild and Free group.

We picked fresh strawberries at Sweet Berry Farms. Since we had so many berries, we came home and made homemade strawberry jam.

We smelled bluebonnets at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. We visit it often because it is one of my favorite places.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Simplylearningkids offers free extension activities for the curriculum. We made symmetry butterfly art from simplylearningkids which turned out more beautiful than I expected. The boys painted on one side. Next, we folded the paper in half. Then, we opened it to discover a beautiful butterfly.

ADDITIONAL BOOKS

Finally, I read the Biggest Bear, Be Blest and The Three Bears to my children because these are beautiful stories. The Biggest Bear is a loving story about a boy and his bear and it was great to find another beautiful bear book to add. Be Blest is a great resource because it goes through the seasons and has beautiful illustrations. The Three Bears is a wonderful and classic children’s story and it is a great delight to include it again. In the Jesus Storybook Bible, we read the creation story. We try to read a chapter most mornings from this beautiful book. I LOVE this Bible version because the illustrations hold my kiddos attention.

SUPPLIES

Blueberries for Sal
The Runaway Bunny
The Jesus Storybook Bible
Cotton Balls
Alphabet Tactile Letters
Unbleached Cupcake Liners
Watercolors
Glitter Glue
Watercolor Collection of Bees

Here is how we enjoyed the letter C unit. We had so much fun with letter B and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter C Preschool Unit

July 30, 2017September 1, 2017 nourishedchildren 2 Comments

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter A. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER C REVIEW

The letter C unit was fun! There was so much to explore. We began by creating our glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, textured alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

EXPLORING NATURE

We went outside and gathered wildflowers since our yard is full of them. This time of year, the wildflowers begin to fade, so we were lucky! We sorted the flowers, and counted them with our number cards. Finally, we filled up our letter C template with petals.

LETTER C INSPIRED FOOD

Included in the curriculum, is a homemade whipping cream recipe. It was simple and easy to make. We mixed three ingredients in a small, mason jar. When it was complete, my boys topped homemade gluten-free pancakes with it.

My boys also worked with their daddy in the kitchen. They sorted, counted, and peeled heirloom carrots. We are members of a local CSA and these carrots were from Johnson’s Backyard Garden.

BOOKS

We read through Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. This one surprised me because at first glance, I thought it was too babyish. It is a wonderful alphabet book and my children love it! They have brought this book to me countless times to read aloud. Corduroy was the next book to read. This was nostalgic for me since I also read this story as a child. To include an activity, we counted and sorted buttons.

We also began a simple button sewing craft on burlap to enhance fine motor skills. I gained the idea from the Peaceful Preschool community Facebook page and I’m so grateful to have this as a resource.

ADDITIONAL BOOK AND ACTIVITY

I also included the Carrot Seed book. We purchased it at Half Price books for a few dollars. My children, especially my youngest, love the story. We created a sensory bin for them to plant carrots. I found a similar idea on Pinterest. Dried chickpeas became the rocky soil. My older son and I made carrots out of natural scented play dough. He also added brown play dough for dirt soil and planted a chickpea seed.

In conclusion, we cut out and differentiated between Living and Non Living characters and parts from the story. I’m so thankful for the Peaceful Preschool curriculum because it provides the boys with many skills they need. Most of all, we are having fun while we are learning.

SUPPLIES

Glitter Pens
Vanilla
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Corduroy
Colorful Buttons
Burlap
Plastic Needle
The Carrot Seed
Natural Play Dough
Wooden Trays

Also, here is how we enjoyed the letter D unit. I can’t wait to share what we are learning next!

A CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE STUDY LESSON

PREPARING THE FEAST

SPREADING THE FEAST IS GOOD

A CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE STUDY

WHAT

WHEN

WHY

HOW

NARRATION

RESOURCES FOR MAMA

PICTURES

RECITATION

FAVORITE RESOURCES

GENERAL CHARLOTTE MASON RESOURCES

CHARLOTTE MASON BIBLE LESSON RESOURCES

OUR PICKS

Fall Nature Activities for Preschoolers

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

SEED STUDY

MAKING SEED BOMBS

COLLECTING NATURE TREASURES

APPLE STUDY

APPLE BOOKS

BEE STUDY

FARM VISIT

LEAF STUDY

LEAF PAINTING

PUMPKIN STUDY

TREE STUDY

SUPPLIES

FIELD TRIPS

BENEFITS OF NATURE

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

TWENTY NATURE FIELD TRIP IDEAS

1. Farm

2. Aquarium

3. Nature Center

4. Pumpkin Patch

5. Garden Nursery

6. Library

7. Farmer’s Market

8. Zoo

9. River

10. Bakery

11. Nature Hike

12. Bird Sanctuary

13. Book Store

14. Picnic

15. Beach

16. Feed Store

17. Pick Wildflowers

18. Bee Farm

19. Fire Station

20. Botanical Gardens

OUR PICKS FOR EXPLORING NATURE

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER A REVIEW

A IS FOR APPLE

VEGAN APPLE CRISP

APPLE ART

ADDITIONAL APPLE BOOKS

ADDITIONAL BOOKS

APPLE LIFE CYCLE

APPLE WATERCOLOR ART

FORMING LETTERS

ROOTED CHILDHOOD

SUPPLIES

OUR PICKS

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