Vultures

On our way to church the family spotted a huge bird with an unbelievable wing span. It had just left a carcass in the road and retreated to a nearby tree. Ken slowed the car, and we were able to get a good look at a giant buzzard.

Name That Bird Day

Today was impromptu test day, where Grace was tested on sight recognition and the names of some birds we have studied (and some we have not). Mom was very impressed! 40+ Bird cards were laid out before her, with over half of them being filler and decoy since we have not reviewed these as of yet. Grace successfully pegged and named 15 of the the 18 birds we have gone over heavily. This was good for mom, as now that we are in mid-trimester we can focus on the ones we haven't gone over, knowing Grace feels confident with naming the ones she sees in her backyard every day.

A New Find

Grace is delighted to inform Mom that she has spotted a mourning dove in the back yard.

The Game Is On

Degas Memory has become a household word. :) To make the teaching work, every time a wood card is flipped over I say the name of the painting, so Grace associates it with the painting on the card. Degas' thankfully is very simple in the naming of his paintings so this is an easy task.

The Dawn Of A New Game

I've been searching for a way to nonchalantly introduce Grace to the paintings and the titles of Degas' work using a Montessori angle. Today, I figured it out. A hearty game of Degas' Memory. Using 2 sets of Degas stickers I purchased from Dover Publications and pressing them onto 2in x 3in. wooden rectangles I purchased from WoodWorks Etc. I instantly had what I wanted. There are 16 pairs of paintings.

Going into this I knew my 5 year old was a worthy opponent. All parents know that the one game their kids can fairly beat them in is usually a decent game of memory.Once it was ready, (takes minutes to put together), Grace and I were off in a heated challenge. She took to it like bread on butter and fairly beat me in a 3 game match. After which she was rewarded with what we affectionately call a "tickle hug".