Animal Teeth and Tales

Now that the holidays are over, we are beginning to get into a new routine for school. Ben is much more interested in "doing preschool" recently, so I have been doing almost as much with him as I have with Hannah. We have had a fun couple of days.

Yesterday, we read One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey. In the book, Sal wakes up one morning with a lose tooth. At first, she worries, but she grows excited when her mother tells her that it means she is growing up. She wonders about different animals' teeth, and she plans out the wish she will make when the tooth finally comes out. The book paints a lovely picture of a family living on the coast of Maine, while also exploring an important milestone in a little girl's life.

At Hannah's last trip to the dentist, the dentist told her that she would likely begin losing her teeth within the next year, and she is very excited about the idea, so she enjoyed this story quite a bit. Several months ago, I saved a portion of a My Big Backyard magazine about animal teeth, so I used those pages to talk about different kinds of teeth and what uses they have. The kids enjoyed figuring out which types of teeth different animals have. Additionally, we located Maine on a map and talked about animals that don't have any teeth at all.

Today, we reread the book Little Beaver and the Echo by Amy MacDonald. This is a beautifully illustrated and adorable tale about a lonely little beaver who hears his echo and goes looking for a friend. Though he never finds the voice he is seeking, he finds three new friends along the way.

We used this book, combined with another My Big Backyard to learn about beavers, which fit very well with the teeth lesson from yesterday. I jokingly told Ben that next year, instead of bringing a saw with us, he can chew down our Christmas tree instead. I chmped my teeth dramatically in the direction of our tree (and yes, we still have not taken down our tree...). The kids laughed and laughed, but I think they will always remember what a beaver uses his teeth for!

We also discussed echoes and how they work. We took turns yelling and pretending to hear our echoes, which the kids loved! Ben tells me now that an echo is when you say, "Hello!" or "Who's there?" and your voice bounces off of something hard and comes back to you, and you hear, "Hello! Who's there?" I think they've got it!

We're also moving bit by bit through Sing, Spell, Read and Write and a few other workbooks. Ben can read short-vowel words fairly easily now, and he really enjoys practicing his new skill. Hannah is moving a little more slowly through her book, now that it consists of more writing and less coloring and other fun activities. We do a smaller amount each day, and I supplement with more engaging reading comprehension and phonics worksheets from a second grade workbook I purchased.

So, we are back to work and getting into a routine. Though have a lot I want to accomplish before the end of the year, my biggest desire is that the kids will love learning! I think we are finding a good balance...