Lesson Theme: Pets

It has been far too long without a post!  However, family and homeschool are my first calling, and lately they have been holding more claim over my time.  :)  By the way - did I mention we have a new puppy - enough said.  ;)

Miss A has been wanting a pet, and our beetle wasn't cutting it.  After MUCH thought and discussion, we decided to surprise her with a puppy.  But before we told her, I decided to capitalize on the opportunity and do a short unit on pets.  Here are some glimpses from that theme!

We had a brainstorming session to help us figure out what we should know about owning a pet.  We drew a collar around our ideas and "leashed" them to our title.

I wrote some animal names on small cards and dropped them in a clear pocket attached to the front of the "Pet Store".  The kids could choose an animal, draw a picture of it on the card, and add it to our Venn diagram.  Miss A also had to explain why she thought a pet belonged in a certain area on the chart.

BTW - you know you have an ant problem when your child pulls an anteater card out, places it in the "maybe" section of the diagram, and explains how it would help with the ants.  Sigh.

Owning a pet means keeping an eye on them and being responsible!  I let Miss A choose a pet she might like to have, found a picture online for her to color, and told her to keep track of it or it would end up in our "pound" (a clear plastic protector with bars drawn on it with permanent marker).   Yes, I know you don't often see horses at the pound - okay, maybe never - but this was just for fun and to emphasize the idea of watching out for your pet.

To free her pet again, she had to perform some task or chore, etc.  Can you say "extra piano practice"?  ;)

We also made aquariums by creating pictures with beans for sand, some fingerprint fish, and slipping them into our "tanks" - more clear plastic protectors.  

I then made fish food for the kids to feed their fish.   They had to answer the equation, tell me the letter on the fish food card, etc. in order to earn a piece and feed their fish by dropping the food into the tank.

This activity was where I let the kids design a pet (could be real or make believe) and then asked them to write a story (not shown) or a brochure about it... 

Here is one of Miss A's creations.  I give you, the world's first "googl floopr".   You saw it here first, folks!

Miss A made a brochure about her pet in order to inform others about it and to try to convince them to buy it.  I ask you - how could anyone say no to such an interesting creature - and at that price, it's a steal!

Love the eyes and ability to play peek-a-boo!  Too cute!  :)

This was another fish craft we completed.  The "glass" of the aquarium part is a clear plastic plate glued to the paper.  We added beans to the fish and included some tissue paper plants for more of a three dimensional effect as well.

We also enjoyed a bunch of activities from this cute packet.  (This picture shows just a few of the MANY items available in the packet).

Of course, the crowning point of this unit was when we gave the kids an envelope with a message inside letting them know they would be getting a puppy!  :)  I'm SO glad we had our video camera.  :)

And now you know a bit of why I have been MIA lately, and why I might be more so over the next few weeks.  Hey, it isn't easy potty training a child and a puppy at the same time!  ;)