So I am reading the book Home Grown Kids and in the section for 5-6YR (my oldest just turned 6) it talks about making music.

My children have always been around music. I sang to them in the womb. I sing to them throughout the day. Often, when we are on vacation and I need them to goto sleep in the hotel room I will sing hymns to them. I also play a variety of music for them (classical, hymns, children's worship, Scripture, etc.).

My 4YR and 6YR frequently make up their own songs about anything and everything. I think they got that from their Daddy. He would make up the silliest songs about how much he loved them and about what he was doing (like bath time or getting dressed).

So the book talks about playing a "rhythm" game. Clap, clap, rest. Clap, clap, rest. Can you do what Momma just did?

So while we were cleaning yesterday, I thought I would try it with my oldest (as the other two were running around and not really cleaning). I was in the kitchen cleaning and she was in the living room cleaning.

Me: Hey 6YR. Wanna play a game while we are cleaning?
6YR: (excitedly) YES!
Me: I am going to do something musically and ou are going to try to repeat it. So if I go (with mouth) DO-BE-DO (pause/rest) DO-BE-DO (pause/rest) You would do ???
6YR: DO-BE-DO DO-BE-DO (no pause/rest)
Me: Very close. Listen again. DO-BE-DO (pause/rest) DO-BE-DO (pause/rest)
6YR: DO-BE-DO (pause/rest) DO-BE-DO (pause/rest)
Me: EXCELLENT! Do you wanna try another one?
6YR: OH YES!

This went on and on for quite some time! I tried to "tease" her that I was going to "get" her and think of a rythm she could not get. But she got all of them. Sometimes there was a slight varieance in her reply and I would encourage her to listen closely and try again. She always got it the second time. It was too much fun! And the cleaning was done before we knew it!

Oh, I forgot to mention that the 4YR heard so much giggleing that she came over and tried to play too. Nope - you HAVE to be cleaning to be able to play. So off she went to get some toys to help clean the living room! And she did really well with the game too. Of course she either repeated after sister repeated (if it was a difficult one) OR she got to go first for an easier one.

On a side note, I have also started doing this with simple addition for the 6YR. I also come up with critical thinking questions like "What is big, and brown with green and grows?" They answer "a tree." Does anyone know where I can get some FREE critical thinking questions that are good for 2YR, 4YR and 6YR?? As you can see from the above example, mine are NOT the best. LOL!!

• Tell-A-Story Game (by Ravensburg/Discovery Toys)
• reading time (they look at a book and read it aloud)
• chalk driveway zoo - they turned the whole driveway into a zoo! Drew lions and monkeys in cages (we talked about WHY you can't put them in the same cage)

• Has picked up on sister retelling the story, and has started looking through books and "reading" the story aloud to herself
• How To Read in 100 Easy Lessons

• Math Cards - created her own math cards! She was FASCINATED that adding was MATH. She is fascinated with space and wants to be an astronaut. Daddy told her she had to learn math to be an astronaut. So the other day when she said that there were 4 girls and two boys in our family (counting her unborn baby brother) and that made six total, I told her that was math. She is now obsesed with math.
• resturant - took order and drew food I ordered - practicing hospitality
• reading - she is amazing me at how many words she can read!
• writing - she loves to look at words and re-write them. I am not sure what good this does, but she is having fun, so she writes and writes and ....

• Made edible playdough - work on creativity and imagination
• Listened to Peter and The Wolf - talked about musical instruments and different feelings they evoked. The 6 and 4 yr olds actually learned what instruments represented what characters.
• Read Alouds - worked on listening skills
• Listened to classical music
• Keeping Home - by doing their chores, they are learning to keep home (Titus2)
• Singing - replaced word in song with another word. For example, the Itsy Bitsy Spider became the Itsy Bitsy Mommy, The Itsy Bitsy Orange, etc.
• Momma Time - they all have baby dolls and frequently practice being a mommy
• Watched March of the Penguins and acted like penguins on their march

• Alone Read Aloud Time
• First Words book - I would point out pictures and she would tell me what they were. She really REALLY likes this. She would also point out things she already knew (like shapes I had no idea she knew!).
• coloring on blank paper

• Worked on How To Read in 100 Easy Lessons - she is really wanting to learn to read and really likes 100EL
• Puzzles

• Alone Read Aloud chapter books - I have a feeling this is how she will learn to read. She does not like 100EL so we don't do that.
• Drawing - she LOVES to draw pictures that tell stories
• Word Bag - she likes to take words out of her word bag and make sentances
• Retells read alouds to Daddy (she does this on her own just to share with Daddy!)
• learned about baby growing inside mommy - read more