learning time: water

for the most part, i have tried to align our learning time topics with the Biblical lesson we are integrating.  this may change some around the holidays, but that is ok.  i chose to begin with water because, well, part of the creation story is God separating the waters in the sea and the sky and creating land to come up from the water.

i think this was the perfect first lesson for both of us.  anything water-related is fun and interactive, but each of the daily activities also gave me the chance to see how he would do with various projects and crafts...and which ones worked better before or after naptime (a crucial component when dealing with a two-year-old).

here is our order of activities...

day 1:  intro story and water table fun

• after breakfast, we read the creation story from the Jesus Storybook Bible through day 3.  we read through the JSB every night (we are probably on our 3rd or 4th round of reading through it since brendan received it for his first Christmas) so the story certainly was not brand new but hopefully reading it again in this way helped reinforce the story more
• after naptime, water table fun began.  our actual water table did not make the trip from houston so i improvised with what we had around the house and set it up while B was snoozing.  he really enjoyed the different options and even shared with his friends later that afternoon






• the only new parts i added to the water table were some lovely dollar store purchases in the form of a spray bottle (biggest hit of the entire setup), a set of funnels, and 4 plastic containers that i had originally purchased a couple of weeks prior as part of the decor for his party
• we discussed that water helps plants grow, keeps us clean, and is healthy for us to drink.

day 2:  adding clouds to the water discussion

• brendan discovered the fun of cotton balls during craft time.  we made a picture showing the separation of the water into the sea and sky.



• all i did to prep was cut out and glue the darker blue water part to the paper.
• brendan used a glue stick for the first time and really liked it.  then, he placed the cotton balls on where the glue was (and sometimes where the glue was not).  he seemed really proud of his picture 
• we discussed that clouds are in the sky and rain can come from the clouds
• we also read the first of two library books i checked out for water week:  splash, joshua, splash by malachy doyle.  i had never heard of this book but found it at the library and thought it looked cute.  brendan was a fan of how many times he could say "splash" while reading.

day 3:  life skills with water

• (now that i think back on it, this would be great to include as one day during each week, but that was not my original intention)
• brendan helped wash dishes for the first time.  he was very excited to stand at the sink and wash dishes with mommy.  in fact, he climbed into the chair...a feat i did not know he could do!

 
 
• we filled the sink with water and soap.  brendan enjoyed the bubbles most of all, but then we added his plate and milk cup from breakfast.  he did a great job of rinsing everything, but we had to be careful not to have the water be poured out onto the floor instead of the sink.
• we also read the JSB story again as a reminder of how God made water.

day 4:  alphabet fishing

• this is my own rendition of a great idea i found on the internet.  we did not have anything that would serve as a fishing pole so brendan's alphabet fishing was just with his hands
• i filled a bucket (ok, it is actually one of the deep drawers from his toy setup in the living room) with water and gathered all of his bathtub letters.  i liked using these because they float, and i only put enough in at a time that would just cover the surface.
• i asked him to find each letter and, for the most part, he found them!  then we lined them up on the table in order (i could not find the P at the time)
• my favorite part of this activity was when brendan went through and started naming off the letters on his own in his own order.  so proud of that kid!
• we read a second library book today following the water theme:  the three little fish and the big bad shark by ken geist and julia gorton.  
• without making it too scary as the shark ate up two of the three fish houses, i tried to play on parts i knew brendan would like:  "knocking" as we read about the shark knocking, silly voices for the fish, and cheering at the end when (*spolier alert*) all the shark's teeth fell out and the fish we safe.

day 5:  the aquarium!

• our fabulous library (and others in the bay area) have the wonderful feature of free museum passes for members.  all you have to do is sign up online and print off your pass on the day you need it.







• brendan especially loved the starfish and the otters, but he seemed pretty fascinated by it all.
• i wish he could have experienced the touch pool with the rays, but we will just have to go back when his arms are a little longer and his hands are a little less splashy.

and that brings us to the end of week one!  i would love to hear ideas from others who have done or found water activities because i hope to build on these learning times next year when he is ready for even more activities.