Chinese New Year Fun
Yesterday we went for a swim test at the Y in the morning, picked up some Disney music cd's and then headed to the house to get ready for our friends to arrive for our Chinese New Year celebration. The family arrived bringing friends who are 8, 7, 6 and 4, along with the baby, who is Natalie's age. We enjoyed a carry out Chinese lunch to kick things off and then sent the little balls of energy out to the trampoline for 30 minutes to get rid of their wiggles...well, most of them :-) When then came back in we did a coloring page of two Chinese children, did a mapping exercise on China from www.enchantedlearning.com and then read a book on Chinese New Year traditions. We made a zodiac wheel and talked about which animal each of the children were and then talked about it being the Year of the Snake before making paper chain snakes with googly eyes and party blower tongues. Big Hit!! We opened fortune cookies and read our fortunes and then played with tanagram pieces, another huge hit. Then we turned them loose again on the trampoline for still more energy depletion!
It's really fun for Dakota and I to have another family to homeschool with every few weeks. Celebrations are just not as much fun without friends and it sure is nice for me to have another adult to talk to and bounce things off of. Next week we are going to do Dr. Seuss and then Women's History month and then St. Patrick's Day. I'm hoping to do another treasure hunt for Dakota this year and I am sure they would enjoy it as well.
This morning, after doing a good cleaning of his room, Dakota is finishing up his Chinese New Year worksheets with ABC order and number writing, using a thin paintbrush to copy the Chinese symbol for his zodiac sign, the monkey and reading The Five Chinese Brothers in addition to his other morning work. Teaching him to begin his day on his own frees up so much time for me to be able to get my own morning work done, print out papers for our homeschool day, get Natalie down for a nap and do the laundry or whatever chores need to be done. I am thinking we are going to be working alot from our recliners again today. It feels good in them and we are both relaxed. These are the homeschooling days he will remember.
It's really fun for Dakota and I to have another family to homeschool with every few weeks. Celebrations are just not as much fun without friends and it sure is nice for me to have another adult to talk to and bounce things off of. Next week we are going to do Dr. Seuss and then Women's History month and then St. Patrick's Day. I'm hoping to do another treasure hunt for Dakota this year and I am sure they would enjoy it as well.
This morning, after doing a good cleaning of his room, Dakota is finishing up his Chinese New Year worksheets with ABC order and number writing, using a thin paintbrush to copy the Chinese symbol for his zodiac sign, the monkey and reading The Five Chinese Brothers in addition to his other morning work. Teaching him to begin his day on his own frees up so much time for me to be able to get my own morning work done, print out papers for our homeschool day, get Natalie down for a nap and do the laundry or whatever chores need to be done. I am thinking we are going to be working alot from our recliners again today. It feels good in them and we are both relaxed. These are the homeschooling days he will remember.
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