Be Careful! It's A ZOO In Here!

     This week it has been all about zoo animals and their habitats. We have touched base on jungle animals, dessert animals, creatures of the oceans and many more. Zoo week is a fun one. Teaching respect for all of God's creatures big and small is a step in the direction of helping my child have respect and show kindness to all of humanity from the littlest ones to the oldest.
     This week has been a tad less active mainly because I learned I injured my sciatica nerve and perfictis muscle (in normal human words a muscle in my behind) and under doctors orders to rest as much as possible. Funny as a mom of a very active almost three year old. I scaled back on a lot of the activities I wanted to do, but stuff happens. We still had a good week of learning together.
      Also we learned about the Holy Spirit this week. I do not expect a kid this young to understand much of this concept of my family's faith, but it is still important to introduce these things to him.
     This week we have been focusing on the letter "Hh" and number 3.

Monday- Wetlands Animals and Habitat/Intro Uppercase "H"
Books:My h Soundbox by Jane Belk Moncure
Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo by John Lithgow
Over In the Wetlands by Caroline Starr Rose and Rob Dunlavey
My First Dictionary "Hh" words only

Songs: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Going to the Zoo by Raffi

Activities:
Intro to the letter "Hh." What uppercase H looks like and what sound it makes. Introduce the Hh words in the picture dictionary you are using.
Uppercase H coloring page
Use our real stethoscope to help hear whata real heart sounds like
Heart painting activity.
Fun with making handprints with the paint.
Play with our zoo play house with play animals.

Tuesday: Intro Dessert Animals and Habitat/Intro Number Three/Intro Holy Spirit
Books: When Sheep Cannot Sleep by Satoshi Kitamura
In The Dessert by David M. Schwartz
Journey Through the Dessert by Specs Art
The Story of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
My First Dictionary

Songs: Sally the Camel
The Gloria from the Catholic Mass parts. This song, for my non-Catholic readers, is a song that celebrates the Trinity. You are welcome to google it if you are curious what it is like.
Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli

Activities:
Review "Hh" picture vocab words.
Intro the number three. Practice sorting and counting to three with animal crackers.
Work on the number 3 coloring page.
Intro to the Holy Spirit. Explain how it is the third special name we use for God. Read the story of the decent of the holy spirit upon the apostles after Jesus died on the cross.
After reading talk about the three symbols that the Holy Spirit used to help the people in the upper room. There was a dove, fire, and wind. Show a picture of a dove, and lighta candle to help your child see a tongue of fire, and then turn on a fan and blow bubbles to help explain wind. After this I played the song Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli which was incredibly sweet to watch my kid completely relax with. After it finished he sat up and said to me "Do it again, Honey." He apparently felt something with that song just as I do everytime I hear it. We then sang the Gloria together.
Played in the sand together for the dessert type of habitat.

Wednesday: Intro to Forrest Animals and Habitats/ Intro Lowercase "h."

Books: Robert the Rose Horse by Joan Heilbroner

Journey Through the Forrest by Steve Cox

My First Dictionary "Hh" words only

Songs: Bumping Up and Down by Raffi

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

Activities:

Review "Hh" picture vocab words

Intro lowercase h and coloring page

Play tools and most specifically the hammer 

Dramatic play with all sorts of different hats 

Play with the flourist water deco beads for sensory play.

Thursday: Intro to Jungle Animals and Habitat/ Intro to Plains Animals and Habitat/Practice Lines and Scissor Skills

Books: Hello Hello by Miriam Schlein

Journey Through the Jungle by Steve Cox

My First Dictionary "Hh" words only

Songs: Hokey Pokey

5 Little Monkeys

Activities:

Review "Hh" picture vocab words

Use hair gel packets made from last week to practice writing straight lines with and build up the fine motor skills.

Practice scissor skills

Mr. Potato Head Play

Zoo animal and tools (hammer) puzzle work

Play with the sensory water beads

Park Day

Friday: Intro to Ocean Animals and Habitat/Intro to Arctic Animals and Habitat/"Hh" Vocab Review

Books: The Cat In the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Ocean Babies by Hiroe Nakat

Journey Through the Oceans by Steve Cox
Baby Animals In the Snow by Scholastic Books

My First Dictionary "Hh" words only

Songs: If You're Happy and You Know It

Octopus Garden by Raffi

Baby Baluga by Raffi

Activities

Review "Hh" vocab and vocab coloring page

Seashell painting

Play with sand and sensory water beads

Build a zoo out of blocks

Zoo day

                         (Hh is for hippo)

What activities do you have for turning your home into a week of zoo learning fun??? Or additional activites for the letter "Hh?" Let me know! One of my friends mentioned using a lightbox for the waterbeads to add even more scensory stinulation. I hope to figure that out the next time I use these.