Winter and Nature

On Tuesdays, the girls and I have "Tuesday School."  We are involved in a local co-op with other homeschoolers once a week.  Sarah has been enjoying her Simple Machines and Art class.  I "teach" the preschoolers/kindergarteners.  Rachel has had a grand time going to school with her friends and always looks forward to Tuesdays! 

I have the preK and K kids alone for the first hour, and we have been focusing on reading literacy and art.  Basically, we read really really cool books, play games, and create!  Last week we marbled, using paint, glass ball ornaments and read two Christmas books.  This week we made a bird feeder out of a pinecone.  I had two very neat books about nature and winter set aside to bring, and then forgot to put them in the car!  The other kids missed out on those, but in the evening, Rachel and I sat down and read them.  The first one was calledStranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick.  This is a sweet story of how two children dress up a snowman with food for the forest animals.  The animals have been alerted there is a stranger in the woods, and the buck and cardinal go to find this stranger.

The second book we read was Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seuling and illustrated by Greg Newbold.  The pictures in this book are just gorgeous.  This is a story about what happens to the animals around us when the season changes from fall to winter.  Where do they go?

It was fun to share these books with Rachel and celebrate the changing of the seasons.  Life is still among us, although it is cold outside and many parts of the natural world are "sleeping" for the winter.  

The next day, Sarah took Rachel out to hang up her birdfeeder.  Now it is hanging outside our kitchen window and we are wondering if any birds will stop by for a snack!