Kites & Wind

Learning Goal: Wind is moving air. Both lightning and electricity produce light, heat and sound (called thunder).

• Reading= The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins, Where Do Balloons Go? by Jamie Lee Curtis, How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer and Curious George Flies a Kite by Margret & H.A. Rey (or The Big Red Kite by Stan & Jan Berenstain). Letter of the day: K is for kite and key.
  
• Art= Paint with kite string. Dip kite string pieces (2 ft. long) in different colors of paint. Arrange the first string on one side of a folded piece of paper to make a design. Fold paper in half and press down on the string. Pull out the string, moving it around the edges of the paper as you pull. Open the folded paper to reveal your string art image. What symmetry! Repeat with as many colors as you like.
  
• Science= Experiment with air, wind or electricity. 1) Capture air in a plastic bag, balloon or parachute. See what air can do by covering a glass half-full of water with a paper plate. Tip the cup upside down to show the water won’t spill. Air pushing against the paper plate holds it in place. 2) Use a paper fan or pinwheel to show moving air creates wind. Get a ping-pong ball to fly by balancing it above a blow dryer’s vertical stream of air. Make paper airplanes then measure how far they can fly. 3) Discuss Ben Franklin’s kite and key experiment. Identify things in your home that require electricity. Point out that both lightning and electricity produce light, heat and sound. Locate the outdoor electrical wires near your home and discuss electrical safety.
• Play= Fly a kite at the park, visit an airport to watch planes in flight, or experience a day without electricity. Cook dinner in a dutch oven then play games and read books by candlelight.

Fun fact: Friction creates electricity by removing electrons from one object and depositing them on another. The transfer of charged electrons creates an electrical current. Similarly, wind creates friction between the clouds, air and earth resulting in lightning. Ben Franklin's kite and key experiment proved that lightning is a form of electricity.

Eggs & Easter

Learning goal: Mammals give birth to live offspring; oviparous animals lay eggs.

• Reading= Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones by Ruth Heller, Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Janet Morgan Stoeke, Bounce by Doreen Cronin and It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler. Letter of the day= E is for Easter & egg.
• Art= Show Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. Adhere butcher paper to the underside of a table, and color or paint upside down just like Michelangelo. Draw your favorite creation or a scene from the Bible. Need inspiration? I recommend reading Adam, Adam, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson.
• Science= Talk about who lays eggs and who doesn’t. Compare and contrast mammals (e.g., bunnies) with egg-laying animals (e.g., birds, reptiles and fish). Build a nest with pillows and blankets. Or, make a raw egg float by pouring salt (one tablespoon at a time) into a tall glass of water. Explain that many fish lay their eggs in the salty ocean water. Alternatively, talk about who hops and who doesn’t then have a jumping contest. How far can you jump? What might help you jump farther? (My son chose to test his superhero cape, compare two different pairs of shoes, and see if running first helped. Good ideas!) Test your ideas and mark each jump with sidewalk chalk. Measure your farthest jump with a measuring tape. Compare your jumping distance with that of other bouncing animals. And don't forget to wear your bunny ears!
• Play= Visit your local pet store, play the game Bunny, Bunny, Rabbit (a variation of Duck, Duck, Goose), or hold some egg & spoon races. For example, carry an egg on a spoon or use a spoon to roll an egg across a finish line.
  

Rainbows & Potatoes (St. Patrick's Day)

Learning Goal: Light can be reflected, refracted (bent) or absorbed by an object. Rain bends and separates sunlight into colors of the rainbow.

• Reading= Green as a Bean by Karla Kuskin, Pigs Love Potatoes by Anika Denise and What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Schwartz (or A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman). Letter of the day= Sh is for shamrock.
• Science= Experiment with light, rainbows or color mixing. 1) Place a variety of long, narrow objects into a glass of water. Observe how the objects appear to bend at the surface of the water. (Light changes speeds as it passes through different mediums, making objects appear bent.) 2) Squirt water from spray bottles into the sunshine to make a rainbow (or use a prism). 3) Rainbow in a bag. Fill a sealable plastic bag with stripes of paint (blue, yellow and red) then squeeze and squish to mix the colors. 4) Use droppers to mix colored water. (Provide only blue, red and yellow.) How many different colors can you make? Tip: Fill a white ice cube tray with your unique mix of colors.
• Art= Use potato stamps to make shamrocks. Carve heart shapes into halved potatoes. Dip in green paint and stamp three times to create shamrocks in a variety of sizes. Add stems using your finger.
• Music= Play hot potato as you listen to Debussy’s Three Nocturnes, Clouds or your favorite bagpipe melodies. Tip: When the music stops, the child with the potato can remove a layer of foil from a baked potato. When the potato is finally unwrapped, break for lunch and enjoy!
• Play= Have a gunny sack race to Ireland, dress up Mr. Potato Head, or make shamrock pretzels (coated with green colored sugar and cinnamon).

Fun fact: St. Patrick was a Catholic missionary in Ireland who often used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the Trinity. St. Patrick's Day commemorates his death on March 17 in AD 461.

Dr. Seuss's Birthday

Learning Goal: Nutrition is essential to health. Recommendations for good nutrition include eating a variety of foods (fruits, vegetables, grains and protein).

• Reading= Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket and other favorite books by Dr. Seuss. Letter of the day: Y is for yes & yummy.
• Science= Present fruits and vegetables that represent all the colors of the rainbow. Let children predict whether each food will have seeds or not, then cut open several fruits and vegetables. Count the number of seeds in each food and record it on a chart. Explain that both fruits and vegetables come from plants, but fruits have seeds and vegetables do not.
• Food preparation= Help children make green eggs and ham by adding green food coloring to scrambled eggs. Explain that eggs, milk and ham come from animals and contain protein our body needs to maintain health. Add a breakfast muffin (grains), fruits and vegetables to make a well-balanced meal. Encourage kids to try new foods and eat a rainbow of colors every day.
• Art= Cut and paste a collage of food pictures onto a paper plate. Make sure you have a well-balanced meal, or try to find foods representing all the colors in a rainbow. Alternatively, decorate a placemat with Dr. Seuss theme stickers. Trace a plate, knife, fork, spoon and cup onto the placemat to help your child properly set the table.
• Play= Draw cat whiskers onto your cheeks and wear a striped hat. Kids can be Thing One and Thing Two! Then have an indoor treasure hunt to find party balloons or breakfast muffins topped with birthday candles. Create clues using rhymes from There’s a Wocket in My Pocket. For example: “The next clue is hiding behind something that rhymes with jurtain (or bofa, nupboard, ghairs, etc.).”

Fun fact: Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He wrote over 40 delightful books for children under the penname Dr. Seuss.