This picture is from a few weeks ago- I think the fish was longer than Evan is tall.
Scripture: Genesis 1:20-23
Memory: "In the beginning, God created"
Prayer: "Thank you God for making the birds and fish"
Song: "The B-I-B-L-E"
Craft: drawing fish and birds
Activity: Fishing Pole Puzzle
Number: 5
Before I read today's passage, I reviewed what was created on the previous 4 days. Evan practiced counting and holding up the correct number of fingers while we reviewed. Then, I read through today's three verses and emphasized the words "birds" and "fish". I think I asked him what sound birds and fish make while reading the Bible as well (we do fish lips for the "sound" fish make). This is a great opportunity to teach animal sounds if your child is not already familiar with them- on Day 6 too.
I still have not settled on our next main song, so we stuck with "The B-I-B-L-E". I only went through it once today, because we spent a few minutes pretending to be birds and fish. To pretend to be a bird, we flapped our arms like wings, and flew around the house saying "chirp, chirp". Then we put our hands together to be the fish, and wiggled them in an "S" shape like a fish swimming and ran around the house. I love it when homeschool = workout for the day. Really, get that heart rate up!
One of Evan's Sunday School teachers drew a fish for him (like 6 months ago) and since then, any time we draw, color, or craft Evan always asks for me to draw a fish. So I knew that all I needed to do for a craft today was draw a fish and my little guy would be thrilled!
Supplies: I used a light blue piece of construction paper because water and sky are both blue already. Then I grabbed his favorite coloring tools: markers. I drew a brown line (land) across the middle of the page to separate the water and sky, and added a couple trees. What Evan means when he asks for a "fish" is the ichthus symbol. And who remembers that a "V" is perfectly acceptable as a drawing of a bird? I do.
You can see how I drew a few birds and fish and then let Evan "draw". I held his hand for a few so he could feel how they were made. I also tried to have him trace over my drawings, but he wasn't grasping what I meant. This is a skill I need to work on with him for future: tracing.
This past summer, one of our neighbors gave us several puzzles and books that her only grandson outgrew. One of the puzzles is a Fishing Pole Puzzle.
I cannot rave about this puzzle enough, both my 2 year old and 10 month old play with this (you can buy a similar version here). The puzzle has fish as the pieces and they have small magnets in the center of their bodies. The pole has a magnet on the end for your kid to "hook" a fish and move it on or off the puzzle board. Reese will play with one fish and the pole and can connect the ends sometimes (she also just likes to suck on it, but that's another matter). Evan is coordinated enough now that he can fish all of the pieces off the puzzle and then put them back on the puzzle. Granted, you have to use your hand to fit them in sometimes because they spin around too much. Here's a list of why I love this puzzle for my kids:
-teaches colors (have them name the color fish they hook, or tell them which fish to hook next)
-teaches counting (keep a running total of the fish caught)
-teaches critical thinking (finding the right place for each puzzle piece)
-teaches hand-eye coordination (they have to get the magnet on just the right spot on the fish)
-educational entertainment (my kids fight over this toy)
-is a game for kids too young for other board games (most board games are for 3 or 4 and up)
*Amazon did not pay me to link to them. I just wanted to help you get a resource my kids have really loved. After all, Christmas is coming up.
Have you found success with other educational toys or games for the 2 and younger crowd?
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