Two Cowgirls Preschool - Letter H

We have officially wrapped up the Harvest Time session of the Wee Folk Art preschool curriculum.  It was so amazing, I can't possibly give it enough praise.  Be sure to check it out!!  Now that Winter is here, we're starting up the Winter Wonderland session.  Here's what we did this week:

Day 1:

Today we started working on the letter H, using Jan Brett alphabet printables.  We also read the book Snowballs by Lois Ehlert.  The book is really simple, but the pictures are fantastic, and we spend a lot of time talking about what we found on each page.  When we were done with our "book work", Elise started a science project.  Since we're learning about snow, we decided to make "snow crystals".  Here's how:



First, gather supplies.  You'll need:
 - 2 small jars (the ones I used are about a cup each)
 - Yarn about the length of your arm
 - 2 paper clips
 - Cups (enough to fill up both jars)
 - About 6 tablespoons of baking soda
 - Plate
Once you have everything, heat up the water in the microwave until it's boiling.  Of course, you'll do this part, and make sure your tot doesn't touch the hot water ;)  Once it's good and hot, pour it into the 2 jars.  Spoon in about 3 tablespoons into each jar and mix it up.  Tie a paperclip onto each end of the yarn and place one end into each jar.  Place the plate between the jars.  Droop the yarn so it's not touching the plate.  When I set this up, I rubbed the yarn with some of the water from the jar to get it started.  Leave it for a few days, and see what happens!

Day 2:

Today we read The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson, Ph.D.  This book was great, and Elise actually talked about what she learned about in the book, later in the week.  I love when she demonstrates what she learns!  After that, we took a look at our snow crystals, both with our naked eye and under the microscope.  It was pretty cool!  Both girls really enjoyed this experiment.  When that was done, we painted with water colors, then sprinkled salt over the wet paint.  I don't think it did what it was supposed to do, but we had a great time, anyways :)

What else did we do this week?

Elise did great on the ice in her new ice skates at skating lessons.  We went to the Minnesota Childrens Museum to do some art.  Elise played with clay, then played with the sensory bin.  When the kids were done there, they went and listened to a talk about rats.  On Thursday evening, we went out to the University of Minnesota physics and astronomy lab, and listened to a talk about space, then had an opportunity to look at Jupiter and its two moons through a HUGE 120 year old telescope.  It was really impressive!!  Lastly, the girls made salt dough ornaments for the relatives for Christmas.  Fun times :)

Oh, and just for fun, here's our family enjoying the first big snow of the season!!  (Actually, it's the first big snow in 2 years).