In the Garden: Seeds, Plants & Underground

Great timing for our garden unit! Darren is working in the garden every weekend and most evenings. The kids love helping out or just observing and lots of just playing while Daddy does the work. I added a study of underground animals to this unit from last year, which really added some depth. We have a beloved groundhog living under our shed, so the kids were interested in learning more about groundhogs and their burrows. We also reviewed the parts of plants and photosynthesis. There were also a few fun food crafts, too. 

The kids made cinnamon roll snails, which were super-easy and the kids gobbled them right up. I just used a Little Debbie Pecan Spinwheel added a smear of icing (or as Kyrie likes to call it "food glue") and a halved strawberry for a head. Whenever possible, I like to have little treats for the kids that tie in with our thematic units. I just think it make it all a little more fun. 

Degen working on a math mat.

The unit folders were underground garden scenes. Degen's folder is above and includes worms and his favorite garden plant: strawberries! Kyrie's folder is below and includes a fox in an underground den and a new sprout. 

So, we decided that Kyrie needed some more math practice. She is now setting weekly goals for basic math facts and taking timed tests daily (great on correct, and still working on time). I have also started to create math activities using our counters. I had been mostly using the counters with Degen, but wanted something that would keep Kyrie thinking mathematically while maintaining an element of fun. For each unit, I go through our collected counters and select an appropriate grouping. For our garden unit, there were rabbits and squirrels and birds and bats, etcetera. Then I have her group, count, add, subtract, multiply, divide and make fractions. So far it has gone great, and she loves these activities! 

One of Kyrie's journal entries for our garden unit. She loved making the period into a little blueberry.

I did not get any photos of the process, but the kids did help me make a carrot-applesauce cake. They love to help in the kitchen, and I hope to include more cooking opportunities as they get older. They loved grating up the carrots in the food processor and gobbled up the finished cake! Yum!

The kids also made easy dirt cakes using the above ingredients. This was a simple food craft that we did after lunch and before running off to one of our activities (why yes, the kids are still in their PJs!).