Cinco de Mayo

As I was doing the research for a South American culture day in preschool, I came to the fun realization that since we were just eleven short days past Cinco de Mayo I might as well use that as a starting theme for the day. If nothing else, it made the research and fun ideas much easier to come by!

So we started off with a complete blast from my past...tissue paper flowers! I remember making them several times in my childhood and with the bright, fun colors of Mexico they were perfect. The kids had a little trouble with the back and forth fan folding that it required, but they were enthusiastic enough about it that they actually were quite patient as I made my way around the table to help them.

Then they got to try on their ponchos (made from my scrap fabric) and practice some Spanish words while they put together their little flashcard books. I was probably teaching them the Spanish words with a French accent, but I'm hopeful that I didn't ruin anyone's future missionary work with incorrect pronunciations at this age. They really enjoyed learning the new words and trying to roll their "R"s as they went. They caught on quite quickly and actually remembered several of them when I "quizzed" them later.


After their tissue paper flowers were complete, I started a little hair salon where I got to attach all of the flowers to the girls' hair. With the beautiful new hair-dos and the ponchos they were all decked out to do a little impromptu dance to some Spanish music.

I can't believe this year is coming to a close so quickly. It's been wonderful in every way and I'm grateful to all of you for making it so!

Frying Pan Park

After a week learning all about farms and hard work, including the kids grinding their own wheat to make bread, we thought a trip to a real farm would be fun for everyone!

We saw cows, pigs, horses, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and even a peacock! But here, Eden E. is entranced by a ladybug that has come to say, "Hello!"

It's always a tradition to finish up our day at the farm with a ride on the tractor! They took us all around the farm so we could have one more look at all the animals. The kids were particularly interested in the horse stables and the equine jumping courses.

It was a fun day for everyone, but after being out in the hot sun for a few hours, getting back into our cool, air conditioned cars was a welcome respite!