Hanna's Cold Winter - Co-op

This was a December co-op, but I haven't posted about it yet.  We had another great day at co-op.  I just love being a part of this co-op and it is such a blessing to all of us!  I'm thankful to God for bringing us together to share our talents, interests and creativity with this group of children and moms.

We started with reading the story.



Next, the children learned about mammals.  They discussed the various traits of mammals first and then played a game. 



Each child was given a field journal.  In the front was a pocket with a picture of an animal.  Inside were spaces for drawing as they tried to figure out clues to determine which animal each of the other children had.



Each child had a turn where the others tried to figure out what type of animal he or she had.  The animal pictures also had facts on the back of the card.  The children took turns asking questions.  After asking a question, then they could try to guess what the animal could be.  There was a list of questions such as "What do you eat?", "What are your special characteristics?"  "Are you a mammal?"  "What are your predators?"



After a correct guess, the children would record in their journals what the name of the animal was and then could either draw the animal or it's special characteristic.





All of the animals ended up being ones from Africa that were also mammals.  It was a fun way to learn about animals that we were familiar with and some we had never heard of before!  They then tried to figure out where their animal lived - grasslands, rainforest or desert.  They then went outside to play a little in these areas.  (She had labelled and defined some areas in the backyard and I unfortunately have no photos of this.)

Next, it was time to play a game to learn more about Hungary.



Did you want a closer look at the game?  This is an incredible hand-made game!  There are pictures on the spaces of various sites in Hungary. 



Each child had an animal piece that they could move around the board.  They drew cards to learn facts and to find out what they were to do on each turn. 



They also learned about Hungarian money.  My boys all loved that they were able to bring some home!  They each wanted one that was a large denomination. 



The last activity of the day was an art activity.  The children learned about what was going on in the world of art at the time of the story and how the war affected artists. 



They learned that many of the artists painted "dark" things during this time as a reflection of the mood of the country. 



While the big kids were learning at co-op, Rebecca kept the younger ones entertained.  She had brought crafts for them to make an ornament and paints for another activity.  Have I mentioned how wonderful she is with children?!  If you are local and need a babysitter, she is great!



No co-op day would be complete without Daniel having time to hang out with his buddy, Ms Lynn.



Thank you friends for another amazing day!  I look forward to our next one!

Love
Leslie