Creation Unit Study Days 1-2

One thing I have found to be EXTREMELY helpful with having a 4 and 5 year old is having structure! I can notice the days that I have not been as rigid and they pay for it and so do I! I in no way have our entire day planned from clock in to clock out. I once worked for someone who couldn't, not have something planned and I am just not like that. When I have my own kids I hope to be far more relaxed when it comes to my days with kids! For now, having structure helps!

One of the things I have started with them is out "special" school time! They love getting their notebooks and papers and writing letters, counting objects, drawing pictures, etc. I started with a creation unit study using some parts of My Father's World curriculum. I only used parts and pieced together what I wanted because I didn't think the way it was set up all together would have been beneficial for them!

For 2 weeks we dove into each day of creation. I told them about each day and they would repeat it back. This week we began taking each day and doing some fun activities to go along with each day of creation!

For day 1 we talked about how God spoke light into place. That we can't say something and have it made. Only God can make things by using His mouth. We headed to the kitchen to make light and dark cookies!

I used this sugar cookies recipe.

Easy Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F  

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. 

Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. 

Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. 

When it came time to the make the "dark" part, I separated the dough and mixed a tablespoon or so of cocoa powder into it. I was concerned that it would have changed the make up or taste but it worked perfectly!

I had them take chunks of "dark" and chunks of "light" and roll them together! 

The "R" and "A" cookies at the bottom are for the clouds God made on Day 2! Quick cover up for Lala didn't make enough chocolate dough and doesn't care to make more! It worked well with the rest of the day anyway! 

After lunch we headed outside to play in water buckets because on Day 2 God made the waters above and the waters below! 

 I gave them small bowls, cups, spoons, ladles, paintbrushes, and clean sponges. They poured and splashed and painted! Super fun for them, super easy for me.

We talked about how God had made the clouds and all about the water cycle! We talked about the kinds of clouds, and their color and what that meant!

Special School time has been so much fun for me to do with them! Being on this side of school and doing the things I used to enjoy have brought back great memories! 

Stay tuned for day 3 and 4! 

From where?

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

 

 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

 

The Lord will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

 

Psalm 121

What works!

Lately my job has taken on a slightly different look! After loosing monkey last summer, I had maintained 3 kids with the help of Monkey's cousin Boogie, and my princesses. Way long story cut way short, I found myself at the beginning of this summer with just Boogie. Day in and day out he and I did what we liked to do. We soaked up as much vitamin D as we could, kept our fingers like grapes because of being in water, and spent mornings napping, and the afternoons exploring all over my hometown! Yesterday my job transformed yet again and now Monkey has returned along with his sister! 

So, now with a 5, 4, and 1 year olds, I am remaining on my toes and there is a never a down moment! Learning curve to say the least! I am having to rewire what it means to have a 4 year old in the house again! It's been a long time since Bean was there and none from my job were ever there! 

One of the ways I have tried to make being a nanny to older children work is having my rules clearly outlined. I am having to remember that outside of these walls and my care rules may be a tad different. To do so, I sat down with the 2 of them and told them 3 simple rules.

#1 - We have to use kind words to Lala (me) and each other.

#2 - We obey the first time.

#3 - We are not allowed to whine.

I tried to keep it very simple so they knew what was expected. At the same time I had to keep it broad so I wouldn't create any loop holes to be found later. After that, they knew what was expected. So I set up the Potato Head. I stood each of them on his shoes and packed in their each back hair, eyes, 2 ears, nose, mouth, 2 arms, and glasses. I wanted as many possibilities for filling up as I could fit!

 Every time I noticed a behavior that merited a part of Mr. Head being filled I asked them to choose a piece out of his back and put it on their potato. On the flip side, if behavior was breaking the rules they had to remove a piece and put it back in his back.

 At the end of the day we evaluated the fullness of Mr. Potato and if the majority of the pieces were on him and he looked more like a man and less like a potato then a sticker was placed on that day in a very homemade chart. 

I wanted the chart to be simple and not overwhelming. I have one for each of them with their names at the top. Beside their names I wrote out Philippians 4:13 to encourage them. I want to reiterate that through Christ they are able to love one another, obey the rules, and get along with everyone around them. Below that I sketched a basic grid. In the far right row I have the week's dates, 8/13-8/17. In the remaining columns they will put a sticker under the day that it coincides with. Sorry for the bad pictures! Phone Camera! 

Monkey got a sticker Monday because behavior was phenomenal and he deserved it! Tuesday started out well and went south at lunch time. After the episode at lunch all the pieces, sadly, had to be removed. By the end of the day he only had 1 piece in the head and he did not look like a man. I think the message was clear enough! 

If they have at least 4 stickers by Friday they will choose a special activity (baking cookies, choosing some books to borrow from the library, getting extra time on the wii or computer, or getting to choose the movie to watch at rest time) or a special prize (dollar toys from walmart, target, and the dollar store. Nothing fancy or big!)! 

So, there you have it! My wild brained and so far successful idea! Who knew Mr. Potato could help with behavior!