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For our homeschooling letter W theme, I picked the seasonally appropriate word 'witch'. And what better book to celebrate Halloween and discuss the concept of witches than 'Room on the Broom'. This adorable picture book discusses the themes of kindness and friendship, as a witch is helped by a series of new pals, who she (in return) allows to join her and her cat on their adventures. But that is just the start of how these new friends help one another on a particularly stormy autumn evening! I'll not give spoiler, but I will provide you access to some of the awesome activities I developed (or in some cases, collected) just for this book! 

As you read the book, you can use this velcro activity to help children track what is happening in the story. Have your child pick out the appropriate pieces, removing them or adding them to the velcro board. The activity is a great, hands on, visual aid for comprehension. 

You can find this activity in my free subscriber's resource library.

My little one has been enjoying watching this cute Room on the Broom cartoon on YouTube. It pairs imagery with the classic book text, read out loud. (Please note, the following video became unavailable. I am searching for a new version, and will add that when I find one!)

VIDEO UNAVAILABLE TEMPORARILY 

A second fun version reads the book outloud as a song, with video graphics!

I'm making a few of these pages available for immediate download. The rest are available in my subscriber's only resource library. 

For immediate download:

And for those who have subscribed to the library, check out the newest addition to coloring pages! The letter W page is already uploaded there. 

Another subscriber's resource library exclusive, I added this activity to my busy book for independent play and learning. Simple laminate two copies, cut out the shapes from one copy, and add velcro to make your own. You can also have your child color the pages prior to laminating (for extra fun). 

What you'll need:

• 2 paper plates per hat, or two pieces of construction paper
• Markers, crayons and/or paint
• Glue
• Glitter, pom poms, or other decorative accents
• BONUS MATERIALS: If you decide to go with the paper plate option, get a hole punch and some twine, or grab some yardstick paper. Using these materials, you can make a real 'hat' that your little one can wear during playtime. 

This activity is super simple! Just cut out a witch's had shape (use the stencil below)- use one plate/piece of paper for the triangle shape, and one to make a flattened oval. Glue them into the shape of a hat, and then decorate! 

If you want to make a band, simple place the hat on your child's forehead, use the paper or twine and measure the circumference, and then tie or glue to the hat! Make sure to leave room for your child to pull the hat on and off, though.

Making magical mud is easy. It is just ooblek! If you've not made it before, the recipe is easy, and uses ingredients you probably already have in house:

• Water
• Cornstarch

That's it! You'll need a 2:1 ratio, so 1 cup of cornstarch for 1/2 cup of water (or whatever sized batch you'd like)

Want to make it extra 'muddy'? Just add food dye; you'll want to add all the colors to make a nice, gunky, brown color. 

Then, let your kids play! If you'd like, you can let them cover animals in the ooblek, too (just like the animals cover themselves in mud in the book). 

The great thing about ooblek is it really does seem magical. Defying the boundary between solids and liquids, this amazing activity is bound to get your kids thinking. 

This one isn't my activity, but head over to Tot School Resources for their Spooky Witch's Brew Science Experiment. It is a perfect complement to my Room on the Broom activities!

Disclosure: The post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. My participation in the Amazon Associate program comes at no additional cost to you, and commissions earned help support this blog. You can learn more here. 

Making the choice to pull my child from preschool this fall was difficult. I feel fortunate to have the resources to be able to stay home with my little one during this challenging time; I know it isn't an option for many families. I also feel quite lucky to have a background in teaching (including teaching preschool!). For critical social skills we are doing playdates with a small circle of cautious friends, at least until it is no longer a safe option in our area, or until the pandemic passes and we can go back to school. But what about all that time when we aren't occupied by playdates? 

That is where my background in teaching has really been an asset! But I know not every parent has a degree in education and formal teaching experience.

​Starting the Day: Calendar and Weather, Themed Story (Daily)

Circle time is a vital part of the preschool day. It helps children center and prepare for a day of learning, connect with their classmates and teacher(s), and, of course, learn. Sure, we are learning from home with no siblings, which means there are no other students to connect with. But that is no reason not to start the day by focusing on the learning ahead!

Each morning we start with our calendar; we discuss what month and year it is, count up to the current day, sing our days of the week song (see lyrics below) and review any special events or holidays happening that day. We then sing our weather song (see lyrics below) and then look outside to figure out what the weather is that day.

Once we have finished the calendar and weather, we read a story (or stories) related to our theme.

​Our theme for the month of September is 'The Alphabet'

Each day we cover a new theme related to a letter of the alphabet. Sometimes we cover the same letter a couple of days in a row, other times we only spend one day on a letter (the only reason for repetition is if I have a lot of content related to one particular theme and can't fit everything into one day). I cover each of this week's themes in detail below.

• Monday - Letter A, Alphabet
• Tuesday - Letter A, Apples
• Wednesday - Letter B, Books & Body
• Thursday - Low key day. Lots of story time and free play
• Friday - Social skills!!! (socially distant playdate)

Why no curriculum for Thursday and Friday? Part of our homeschool journey is accepting sometimes things come up that make it difficult to follow through. My goal is always to do the best I can, as a parent, and in all my affairs. While older children doing virtual learning may not have the luxury of taking time away from formal learning, preschool is different. We can be more flexible. If there is one parenting lesson I hope to impart on readers it is that parenting requires flexibility and being mindful that sometimes things don't go as planned.... And that is OKAY. I love routine, but trying to rigidly stick with plans stresses me out. After years of running on a hamster wheel with trying to be perfect, I've decided instead to work hard to go with the flow. Thursday I wasn't feeling well and Friday we had a playdate in the morning and got sidetracked in the afternoon. And that is absolutely okay! I originally planned to cover the letter C, but instead moved those activities to the following week.

Looking for a great lesson planning template for little ones? Here is the one that I've been using (please feel free to download it for your own use (conditions apply*!)

MONDAY

Circle Time Book (literacy): The Book of Shadow Boxes

This alphabet book takes the form of a poem, and is quite creative. It moves away from alphabet book stereotypes, and focuses heavily on promotion of phonemic awareness (focusing on the individual sounds each letter makes), as well as some phonics strategies. You can find it here (it is out of print, but you can find used editions), or check out some of our other favorite alphabet books!

Activities: Letter coloring/Tracing (Fine motor, writing), singing the alphabet with a visual aid (see below).

Stay tuned to my subscriber's library for access to these great (and free) printables!

TUESDAY

Circle Time Book (literacy): The Book of Shadow Boxes - Letter A poem only; How Do Apples Grow

Activities: Apple stamp painting (fine motor, sensory, STEM); Letter 'A' & apple matching (literacy). 

Stay tuned to my subscriber's library for access to these great (and free) printables!

Apple stamp painting is a great activity for toddlers and preschoolers. I paired it with "How Do Apples Grow", and we used the opportunity to cut open the apple, look at the different parts of the apple as shown in the book's diagram (including the seeds). We then removed the seeds for planting (we placed the seeds in a wet paper towel for safe keeping until they could be safely planted; I was out of potting soil!). By extending the painting activity to include talking about the apple as a plant, we in turn covered apples a science topic as well as art, literacy, and fine motor skills! 

WEDNESDAY

Circle Time Book (literacy): The Book of Shadow Boxes - Letter B poem only; my child's book of choice (we read All Are Welcome repeatedly!).

Activities: Letter 'B' coloring/tracing; Body tracing activity. (click for full description of activity)

We had so much fun with these homeschool activities during our first week of homeschooling preschool. We were also super grateful to be able to build on social skills as well (since social skill development is one of the most critical elements of early education). I can't wait to share our activities from week 2! 

*Access to this template (and all Mindfully Scientific Mama content) is for personal use only. Mindfully Scientific Mama content may not be shared for commercial use, or on another website, without explicit written permission of the content creator. 

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Summer 2020 isn't ruined by any stretch, but it certainly is going to be more difficult to keep our kids busy this year. Social distancing measures have meant the cancelation of many of summer camps in my local area (and perhaps yours as well), and I've seen first hand on local parents groups the stress this is causing my neighbors. What can you do to keep your kids occupied and engaged this summer if camps aren't running? While I am working on a roundup of some fun activities you can do with your child (stay tuned for more soon!), you probably aren't a teacher or childhood specialist. And let's be honest... you deserve a break after overseeing all that distance learning this spring, right?!

​Enter Camp Mave! 

I'm truly disappointed my child is too young for this educational summer experience, because it looks like loads of fun. I'm normally not one to pitch products I've not tested myself, but when Megan reached out to me and I started researching Camp Mave, I couldn't help but want to share about it. ​​ It is just that cool.

I was excited to see this distance learning camp option relies on certified teachers to implement small group projects each week. Even cooler, this camp offers a STEM based curriculum. By now most of us know that STEM curriculum teaches critical 21st century skills.  And as a scientist myself, I'm always passionate about finding ways to help children develop these skills. Camp Mave is designed to help your child develop these critical thinking skills while having fun. You can see the entire schedule below. I was also happy to hear that Camp Mave is donating 10% of proceeds to COVID-19 relief.

Camp Mave is targeted for children ages 11-14 and runs week by week through the month of August.

You can read more about this amazing experience below, on their website, or learn more by contacting them at info@campmave.com.

Did your child participate in Camp Mave? Be sure to contact me with your reviews! I'd love to get your feedback on the program!