Let's Go to the Circus!

Okay, so we didn't actually get to go to the circus, which was really a bummer, because there were too many events already scheduled in for the weekends that it would've been possible for us to go.  However, we did have a fun two weeks of a circus themed unit.  We'll get to the real thing eventually.

Reading:
Hayden's main book to read was It's Circus Time, Dear Dragon by Margaret Hillert.  For the second week, he read Circus Fun, also by Margaret Hillert.  Sawyer did a good job putting a couple more BOB books under his belt.  I love it when he cooperates and performs well in school.  It's always hit-or-miss with that guy!  Anyway, his books were Jig and Mag and Muff and Ruff.  I think he's memorizing the books and not actually reading them, but hey.  It's a good start.  This just means that over this school year, he has managed to memorize 11 books.  That's freaking awesome!

Other books we read these two weeks were:
Moris and Boris at the Circus by B. Wiseman
The Circus Baby by Maud and Miska Petersham
Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
If I Ran the Circus by Dr. Seuss
Circus! by Peter Spier

Most of the pictures from our reading are going to be of Sawyer.  I found a fun circus preschool pack from Homeschool Creations that Sawyer really enjoyed.  Hayden's lessons were more oral these two weeks, and we used his books to find verbs, nouns, adjectives, and made up circus similes (i.e. "The elephant was as big as a house.").

Making a mini book of colors with cotton candy.

Circling the one that is different

Finding the beginning letter sound of each picture

Hooked on Phonics

Finding sight words in the story and circling them

Making our names out of tickets

Popcorn Word Families

Matching numbered tickets to the number word

Magazine ABC book that used to be Hayden's and now is shared by Sawyer.
He picks out a magazine picture and finds the page it should go on.  Then he
glues it on and I write the word under the picture.

Writing:
I'm trying to work with Sawyer more on strengthening his pencil grip.  He just does not want to hold his pencil or crayons the right way because it's too hard.  I can't remember when this switch happened with Hayden.  With Sawyer, I'm trying not to force it on him, but I don't want him to develop a bad habit by me letting him use an incorrect grip?  So, I'm in the process of finding some fun activities to help him develop stronger hand muscles.

Hayden did some journal writing, spelling word activities, and copy work that were circus related.

Moving pompoms from one box to another using tongs.

Journal writing

Making steps with his spelling words

Writing an acrostic poem.

Tracing a clown face (maybe I should make him use tiny broken crayons?)

Drawing butterflies and the letter B

Math:

Sawyer's math was circus themed.  Most came from the same preschool pack mentioned earlier.  Hayden worked on telling time more, and we touched on money some as well.

Cutting out pictures to sort

Matching digital time to clock faces

Time Memory

Learning Five Minutes on the Clock

Circus puzzle by number

Timed Addition Facts

Animal Cracker Sorting

Adding Dimes, Nickels, and Pennies

Popcorn Addition (a favorite for sure!)

Other:

We did a few other circus related fun activities - some science, art, snacks, etc.  The boys really had a lot of fun with this theme.  

Our science was blowing up a balloon using vinegar and baking soda.  The boys got a big kick out of that.  It was almost as cool as making your own volcano.

The materials

And for the fun stuff:

Walking a "tight rope".

Salted pretzel snacks!