Finishing up Very Last First Time

Yesterday we finished up Very Last First Time.  It has been a really good study for us using Five In A Row for our lesson plans and then tying in items of interest that popped up along the way.   In my post a couple of days ago, My Symphony, there’s that line I love, “…await occasions, hurry never.”  I have been amazed again this week at how many appropriate occasions offer themselves to us when we are “rowing” a book. 

I was very pleased to see that Monday’s Reading Rainbow would be Dive to the Coral Reefs.  This rich 30-minute episode prompted us to compare what lives in warm tropical waters as compared to the icy waters around Ungava Bay.

Princess of the Universe painted a picture that includes coral reef, a dragonfish, a squid and a blue parrotfish.   She wrote in her nature journal about the parrotfish nibbling on coral and then excreting a trail of sand onto the ocean floor.  Is that what we end up building sand castles with?  Pretty cool. 

You know a FIAR book would not be complete to me unless we had a little reminder in the way of a doll house accessory!  I used a little matchbox to recreate Eva’s box that she pulls across the ice.  I looked through some of the little boxes on my sewing/craft desk and found a couple of little card charms that resemble picks or shovels.  A bottle cap makes a great mussel pan. 

I was so thrilled when Princess of the Universe wanted to make her own little sled-box out of paper and tape.  Her box is deeper, which I commented is more like what Eva had.  And Michaela even tore up little pieces of black paper to make mussels for her pan. 

Do you know it just made my heart sing when she said, “Mommy, I love my doll house.” 

As occasion would have it, our little girl doll looks like she could pass for Eva. 

We have enjoyed this book immensely!

Lynn