Live Nativity

Every year, the Spirit of the Hills Wildlife Sanctuary hosts a free live Nativity from 6pm to 9pm during the week before Christmas.  Although we enjoy seeing the Holy Family, the Three Wise Men, and the Shepherds big and small; the biggest attraction for my girls -- especially my 4-year-old -- are the animals.

So, for our science lesson this week, we studied a few of the animals that we knew we would see in a Nativity Scene: camels, oxen, sheep, and donkeys. (The Spirit of the Hills live Nativity also includes turkeys, doves, ducks, chickens, goats, bunnies, horses, llamas, cows, and pot-bellied pigs.)

Here are a few interesting facts we learned before going to the Spirit of the Hills Nativity scene to further observe these species:

• Arabian camels are born with one fatty hump that their bodies can convert to water and nutrients.  There are no more Arabian camels living in the wild. 
• Gnu, or Wildebeest in Afrikaans, (which we decided were more interesting than regular oxen) can go 5 days without water.
• Donkeys are very strong and sure-footed.  Female donkeys are pregnant for a full year before giving birth.
• Female bighorn sheep have horns, but they are smaller and straighter than the horns of the males. The rings on the horns of male bighorn sheep represent one year of life, just like the rings of a tree.

Mag-tastic

In addition to being an archaeologist, a musketeer, and professional royalty, my 6-year-old has decided that she will be an artist.  She spends every spare moment drawing -- and she is getting pretty good.  She is also a mini-fashionista and has dabbled in interior design.

So, for my 33 birthday, I asked Maggie to decorate for the party.  The finished product was stunning: multi-colored crepe paper hung at a 6-year-old's eye level, pink balloons scattered across the table and floor, and yellow post-it notes with names written in "cursive" stuck in the middle of each plate.  

The party was a huge success.  The decor was Mag-tastic.

Reading Fingers

My 6-year-old stubbornly refused to use her finger to follow along in her reading books.  She would half-heartedly brush the text with her finger as she lost her place and, eventually, lost interest, in what she was reading.

My 6-year-old is also especially attracted to things that glitter.  She accessorizes every outfit, raids my jewelry box daily, and has been known to wander off with some of Grandma's more expensive items.

So, it was only logical to give her something shiny and attractive to keep her focused on her reading assignments.  

Enter: The Reading Fingers.  

Now, both nails on Maggie's index fingers (and mine) are painted with chartreuse glitter polish.  Maggie thinks they are fabulous.  And reading has become a lot more interesting for us both.

ABC Yoga

I decided to capitalize on my girls' interest in yoga -- instead of bemoaning the fact that I become a Mommy Slide every morning when I do the Downward Facing Dog -- and borrowed a friend's copy of Gaiam's Yoga Kids ABCs.  My girls adored it.


I thought I would try it out as gross motor activity the kids at my mother's daycare could do when it is too cold to go outside.  They adored it.


The video teaches children simple movements and poses based on plants and animals.  It is structured on the alphabet, so it also reinforces letter names and phonics.  Definitely worth purchasing!

And more music...

I love this time of year.  There are concerts and recitals almost weekly in our town.  This Monday, my girls and I went to a performance by the Black Hills Concert Band.  During the performance, I very quietly pointed out each instrument as it was being played. We identified: trombones, french horns, clarinets, obos, a bassoon, trumpets, saxophones, xylophones, kettle drums, flutes (and even a piccolo -- which Maggie found enchanting).

There could not be a better music class in the world!