Town Mouse, Country Mouse

This week Holly read Town Mouse, Country Mouse to me. This is the first time she 'remembers' this story even though we have read this a few times through the years. She did a great job reading aloud, good voice and little help with words. I adore how her reading skills have just blossomed!

After reading the book she narrated it back to me and then she did a Venn diagram on the two mice. I didn't help her with it, didn't offer any suggestions other than use your book to refresh your mind as you think through the diagram. She did a beautiful job... she even attempted some cursive handwriting.

We also listened to a version of the story through storynory.com. Here is a link: Town Mouse, Country Mouse

When she was finished she colored some bookmarks that I laminated for her. She was in need of some new book marks and thought this might make for a useful craft connection this time around. Now that we did bookmarks... we might do this a bit more often! I found the printables for the book marks through Jan Brett's site: Jan Brett - Town Mouse, Country Mouse Activities There is a lot more you can do or use through this link.

Blueberries For Sal

We spent a second day on the book Blueberries for Sal. Holly started off with reading this book aloud to Hudson and I. After reading it we talked about a Story Map reviewing the theme of the book, the setting, the characters, the problem and the solution. Holly then completed a story map on Blueberries for Sal - all on her own. I am quiet impressed with how well she did too!! Holly also created a Venn Diagram comparing the two characters of Sal and Little Bear. She enjoys doing these -- I need to plan in some more that would work well while she masters this skill.

After she completed these two assignments we made blueberry muffins. We used a recipe I have used many time, so a keeper that is very simple and not over the top. Holly really enjoys cooking, this made for another great kitchen experience.

Here is the recipe we used: Easy Blueberry Muffins

Venn Diagram: Butterflies & Moths

We have moved onto butterflies in our insect studies, which is a lot of fun for Holly! We have studied butterflies numerous times so coming up with some new books and projects is proving to be a bit more challenging. One project I chose was to create a Venn diagram comparing butterflies and moths - she loved this!!!

I actually found the perfect book to complete this project with. It is called What's the Difference Between a Butterfly and a Moth? by Robin Koontz. This book has beautiful illustrations and is written on a nice, basic level. It offered Holly the perfect opportunity to read it, think on it and then pull out the similarities and differences between the two winged beauties.