A week of pets...kind of

This week I decided to try activities, snacks and experiences for Brecken centered around a theme.

I created a schedule for the week focusing on a different pet each day. Here was my initial (admittedly somewhat ambitious) plan:

The week started off according to plan.

Brecken enjoyed the "wash the dogs" sensory bin.

We ended up taking it outside! Mud inside....what was I thinking?

Day 2...still on track with a cat inspired breakfast and sensory bin filled with balls of yarn, Pom poms, feathers, bells, ribbons and little cats.

 

 

The hamster and fish/turtle days never materialized. Instead we enjoyed a repeat visit to the beach with friends where Brecken remembered the octopus hole.

And a trip to the vet to neuter a stray dog that was hanging around our yard.

The vets office has a parrot that fit in very nicely with my abandoned theme.

So....what I learnt from my planned week was:

- while Brecken appreciates the activities, thus far he (seemingly) doesn't notice the theme 

- life interrupts and can be better than the plan

- sometimes real life and the original plan mesh nicely 😜

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Fun

Brecken loves it when Grandma, Uncle Alan, Auntie Charlotte and Lorenzo come to visit.  We went on a nature walk at low tide.

Our best discovery was an octopus den! We followed the telltale shells to his hole.

Brecken had so much fun running and playing on the beach.

After dinner I recruited some helpers to make play-doh. The Melissa and Doug dough I bought was very stiff and not easily workable by little hands. 

The recipe was:

2 cups flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

2 Tbsp oil

Food coloring 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekend Explorations

I've been reading a lot of articles about Reggio Emilia education and Reggio-inspired play so I decided to set up a nature table and a few "provocations" for Brecken.  I created them while he was napping and let him discover them on his own.

The nature table was an instant hit.

 

 

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Next he noticed the insect-hunt inspired, bug collecting provocation. We followed this up with some real-time bug collecting in our backyard.

When he walked into his room he saw the tray I filled with play-doh, colorful rocks, markers, cards and a couple of snakes.

I really enjoyed watching Brecken discover the activities I had set up for him and I definitely plan to include Reggio-inspired play into our days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Friday

After spending so much time playing with his construction vehicles Brecken decided to scoop cookie crumbs into the excavator while having coffee with a friend at Starbucks

After our coffee date we headed to Ardastra gardens and zoo for a play date with a little friend. Brecken really enjoyed the new display at the front with snakes and spiders.

Then Brecken said "hello" to the Macaw

And finally fed the Lori parrots. Up until now he has happily eaten the apple provided for the birds 😆

 

Brecken really enjoyed spending time with someone his own size

After leaving the zoo we headed for our weekly homeschool get together at Charlotteville. A couple of older boys found a blind snake and Brecken was beside himself with excitement

He was getting a little rough so I returned the snake. We spent the next hour or two looking for another one under every rock Brecken could fine. We found spiders and other creepy crawlies but no more snakes. 

What a fun-filled full Friday!