W is for Winter Recap and plan for week 2

Our First winter week went well (how's that for some awesome alliteration?) Anyway, the "new student" came and he and Benjamin had a GREAT time, although, I am not sure how much learning got done. But since we have it at my friend's house, I believe her little girl got quite a bit out of it (after all, she is quite used to her house and her toys) We will keep working.

Well, NONE of the books I requested from the library came in on time, but I did have
(I had gotten it quite some time ago and it was actually overdue, but I am so glad I had it) Sweet Pea (my friend's daughter - I know no one but 3 people read, but I shouldn't be broadcasting the names of other people's children) was really the only one who listened, but that is okay. Benjamin was having so much fun with the other little boy (I will find a nickname for him when I get to know him better) that he really couldn't be bothered.

I really wasn't in the mood for snack, so I just brought cheerios and chocolate chips.  But I realized if you took about 4 cheerios and 1 chocolate chip (for the hat) you could build a snowman and then eat the snowman (as he melts) all to the tune of once there was a snowman:

Once there was a snowman (put down a cheerio)
Snowman
Snowman  (put down a cheerio)
Once there was a snowman  (put down a cheerio)
Tall, tall, tall  (put down a chocolate chip - for the hat)
In the sun he melted (eat a cheerio) 
Melted
Melted (eat a cheerio)
In the sun he melted  (eat a cheerio)
Small small small (eat the chocolate chip)
I may have started with the chocolate chip - because, you know - it's chocolate, but however.

We must have done that 4 or 5 times - but hey, you can, since in the end it is like 20 cheerios and 5 chocolate chips.

I did do the snowman felt figures, but I did have to use just plain cardstock.  I just didn’t have time to buy felt. I did learn something, though. I used the tiny circles in my three-hole paper punch for the buttons, but I put the first button too high. Because when they would match the corresponding scarf, it would cover up the first button or two. I may remake them, but not now. However, all three really enjoyed working on that together.
I made a tracing sheet (as I have done with my last two units – C is for Christmas and J is for Jesus [because I actually found a S is for Santa tracing sheet] so I had to download a dotted font.) However, the W on the “dotline” font is rather strange – it actually looks like two v’s intersecting each other. I really want to look up another dot font.  But if I remember correctly, my options were quite limited.

I also printed up a block number 5 (basically because I randomly picked a number) and the intention was to glue exactly 5 foam snowflakes (from snowflake frames I ordered from oriental trading about 8 years ago – seriously that long ago, when Gabrielle was in girl scouts – I am so old) to the number. Well, it was obvious quite quickly that 5 was not enough for Sweet Pea, so I had her count out 5 and then let her glue on as many as she wanted (usually it is quite easy for me to stick to my mantra – “It is the process, not the product” but because this involved math and finite numbers and all, I had to continually remind myself of that.)
We did the matching with the kidzclub cards and Benjamin, to my surprise, is getting quite adept at this memory card thing. Waiting his turn, not so much. This also, will take time and some getting used to, but that is okay.

So next week, I plan on doing a balloon snowman where you freeze balloons filled with water {about the 5th entry down}(in bowls just about the same size as the balloons so that they keep their shape and somehow make a snowman – I will have to read the entry again.)
On the freezing front – Benjamin asked for “Punch Juice” (which I am used to hearing so I knew what he was talking about) “with picks” – which I was NOT used to hearing and for the life of me could not figure it out. He finally said something that made me realize he was talking about “toothpicks” (maybe he said “wood”, but I am not certain) so I got them out and thought he wanted to put a toothpick in his sandwich triangle that he was eating, but then he said he wanted the picks with juice…………………………picks with juice??????????.......................................OH!!!!!!!!!.......................................JUICE POPS (when you get the ice cube tray, fill with juice, cover with saran wrap and then stick tooth picks in the juice) Gotta love it.
I am praying one of the books I requested comes in – well, one that isn’t The Mitten, because I have decided to do a unit on The Mitten by itself.
We didn’t get to using the winter clothing cards with my bag of winter clothes, so that will happen next week.
I am also thinking of doing the number 6 – maybe I will cut out bigger paper snowflakes so that hopefully 6 of them will be enough to cover the area of the number and therefore be enough for Sweet Pea (PROCESS NOT PRODUCT, PROCESS NOT PRODUCT!!). So in that case, I will probably print the 6’s on paper that is NOT white (of which I am running out of – maybe I should ask my moms for a donation)
I will also find a cute snowman clip artor and then I will print up graduating sizes of said clip art(LOVE the melting snowman, but the one in the blue background is super cute and much easier to cut) so that they can order small – large.
Maybe I will bring back the foam snowflakes so that they can either order or pattern or both, but in the chaos that reigned last time, there was no chance of focusing on such small items. Try, try again.