6/30/14

26.52

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2014."


Logan: the sweetest little yogi. 




Linking up here.

6/27/14

summer || dreaming, loving, wanting

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

^ there is something about a beautiful bike-- i lovee this one.
^ floating in a still pool-- reflecting on internal and external balance,
^ beach days: gorgeous ones with an oversized hat, a god book, and a cold drink.
^ reading more-- have this, this, and this. I hope to finish all three by september.




I love being inspired by beautiful images.
What inspires you?

6/23/14

summer || bucket list



- Teach Logan to swim
- A day at Sesame Place 
- Beach vacation

- Run through a sprinkler
- Go camping
- Weekly bike rides
- Feed the ducks

- A trip to the Fair
- Catch fireflies
- Pick berries
- Make popsicles

- Swim at night
- A trip to the Zoo
- Sign Lo up for camp 
- Pizza on the grill
- Sparklers
- Date night
- Roast corn on the grill

- Play miniature golf
- Be more mindful
- Have a girls night
- Read more books! 
- After dinner nature walks
- Weekly yoga + tennis
- Pick vegetables

What's on yours??










photo source 

25.52

"A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2014."

Logan:  tending to her doll's house in the afternoon light.

Linking up here.

22. 23. 24.52

Logan: a name bracelet on the boardwalk brought you the same happiness it did me when I was your age.
Logan: you are the best sunday morning shopper I know. 
+10 points for helping Mama stick to her Target list for the first time EVER.
Logan: my forever collector.

Catching up with Project 52: "A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2014."

preschool homeschool | | week 26

I planned a lesson strictly on emotions and expressions-- and how we can often tell someone's emotions by their expressions. It's good for young children to be able to identify and name their emotions for better communication. Often while driving in the car with my visor down where Logan can see my face from her seat in the back, she questions my mood. If i'm bored in traffic, squinting at the sun, focused on my thoughts, mindlessly driving, or driving determined in inclement weather she always questions what I'm thinking or feeling. If my face changes, she's curious. I decided to explore emotions further with her, hoping it would be fun and interesting-- it was. Having not really prepared an actual lesson and just kind of winging it, I didn't expect too much from it. I just kind of figured, something would be better than nothing. Looking back now, there are so many things we could have done, so much more we could have explored. Next school year, we'll revisit and explore further.
We paged through comic books for faces. Comic book characters have the greatest facial expressions-- and so many different ones too. I had Logan glue each face down while explaining to me what the person was probably thinking or feeling. 

I emphasized probably because sometimes someone can appear happy, and be sad on the inside. We discussed that. I think of the Sigmund Freud quote: "Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways." 

I think knowing how to express yourself is one of life's most valuable tools. We talked about how it's always best to express your feelings and not hide them. I let her know that Mommy and Daddy are always here to listen and comfort her. It's never too early to start working on healthy communication habits.

After Logan finished gluing, we then imitated the faces our selves. We both may have had too much fun with this. :)

I didn't have any strictly emotional or feelings specific themed books, and having no time to visit our local library, I decided to used some of the books we had and just discussed the feelings and emotions of the characters. Kids books always have some sort of drama going on. There is always a lesson to be learned from some sort of conflict or dilemma. 

Some of the common messages were: 
"It's okay to be mad, but it's not okay to call someone a name."
"It's okay to be angry, but it's not okay to hit."
"It's okay to be bummed you didn't win, but it's not okay to be a poor sport."
"It's okay to want something that isn't yours, but you don't take things that don't belong to you."

We explored all of these messages a little more in depth. For example: we talked about being a good sport and being happy for those who succeed, and we discussed what to do when you want something someone else has. We tied in sharing here, also, going to Mom and/or Dad for wants and needs.

Related YouTube Videos:
Sesame Street Video-- Dave Matthews and Grover sing about Feelings

We actually covered a lot more than I had anticipated, but there is still so much to explore. I can't wait to plan out this lesson more in depth for our next preschool homeschool year beginning in September.


More related to this lesson?
Activity/Craft: Discussing Emotions with Pasta Faces
Reference: Emotions Face Chart
Inspiring/Real World: 35 Incredibly Powerful Hugs



*We've been focusing on more simplistic lessons, and spending more time on them. I personally have been focusing more on being in-the-moment lately, hence the lack of pictures.

6/8/14

philadelphia zoo

For us, the zoo never gets old. Every time we go we learn something new. This time we learned about the zoo's history and about big cats spots and how to differentiate one kind from another. Very interesting! We've been so spoiled lately-- the animals always seem to greet us. They keep us entertained. Sometimes I think they are entertained by us, too. Either way, they keep us coming back. We are loving our season passes, and so happy and thankful for our LeeLee for getting them.

that first trophy

Right now, this is everything.