Book: The Red Carpet

1. Book: The Red Carpet

This book has been out of print, we had to search the last few copies left for sale.

This is  a fun book, so we re-enacted the scene with whatever we have at home.

2. The Story

Add words to your child's vocabulary, and know about means of communication before telephone or cellphone was invented.

As they roll the red carpet, it rolled out of the hotel

..and continued to roll

Chaos at the street

Street peddler selling pretzel got out of sorts

        Street peddler selling pretzel got out of sorts

Pets chasing after the red carpet

Road block did not stop the carpet from rolling

Police are on the chase.

Chaos as the red carpet rolled around town, police trying to put it on a halt

Carpet reached the ferry and the Duke arrived

Police escort to town hotel

3. Further discussion

-Know about jobs in the hospitality industry.

-Talk about people in authority and how they uphold the law.

-Know more about street food and the origin of pretzel.

Enjoy a pretzel with your child.

-Talk about pets having their walk, how do they behave in unusual environment.

-Discuss means of travel, one is thru a ferry.

-Discuss special events and what a red carpet treatment means.

3. Field Trip

Go to a Hotel or places where red carpet is laid.

Bundle your books with activities and they'll always keep the story in their hearts.

Book: The Big Green Pocketbook

We are almost done in our Before Five in a Row Curriculum (a Literature based home school guide).

We are about to start Five in a Row (this is the continuation wherein age group is 4 years old up). We intend to continue doing this even combined with formal schooling. Why? Because it is so much fun and we learn a lot.

1. Book: Big Green Pocketbook
A mother and daughter day out.

2. Field Trip: Go to the Actual Places
We rode a Jeepney.

art by Robert Alejandro

We went to a Bank, Laundry and a Bookstore.

3. Arts 
Drawing, cutting, pasting, we are making the stores they visited.

Doing the Bookstore

4. Typing and Writing her name
Same with the story, since we do not have a typewriter, we are improvising with a tablet.

5.Craft
Cutting, Punching and Lacing activity, Make your own green pocketbook

6. Make Believe
Bus riding , to shop visits and souvenirs, we were the characters in the book

7. Memory Game
Arrange in sequence the places they went in the story

8. Materials and Texture
Being an architect, we always discuss different building materials and finishes, now it's a great opportunity to discuss with my daughter.

 Marble top, Wood Floor, Leather seats, Furniture


We ended the week with an ice cream! :)
Go out and have fun. 

ABC Bunny Activities

1. Book:ABC Bunny

We have been reading this Five days in a Row.

2. Writing

Practice one letter a day in a pad paper, to make it fun. We did a letter tree just like in the book.

3. Science: Weather

4. Music

We sang the book, notes are included in the book. (Music played and  available in Youtube)

We identified quarter notes.

5. Pre-reading skills

Play games with letter sounds.

6. Art: Charcoal Drawing

7. Art: The Starry Night by Van Gogh

Similar strokes to Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting, we have attempted to do, crayon as our medium.

Book: Katy No Pocket

We are using Before Five in a Row (bFiar) as our curriculum, we read the book five days in a row, do some activities with it and read some books related to it.

1. Book: Katy No Pocket

2. Science: Animals
We played pretend and called her my joey for several days and hopped around. I showed her my picture with kangaroos.
There are more than twenty animals in the story, we identified and discussed what makes them unique.
Some animals that had special interest for my daughter, we talked more about it.

3. Geography: Australia
We located the home of the kangaroo.

4. Math: Counting animals

5. Craft: Sock kangaroo

5. Experiencing it: Riding in a carrier 

6. Character Development
We discussed about generosity and read some bible verse about it.

Hapy hopping everyone.

Book: My Blue Boat

We were excited to have this book. Why? Because it has been out of print, republished with a 20th Anniversary edition.

We are lucky to be one of the first 100 to have this and got an art cover with it.

Sailed 2 months to get here in the Philippines, now it is sailing in our evening readings.

Activities for it:

1. Art: Watercolor, style and technique

2. Play: Captain and the Pirate Sailing

3. Language, Drawing and Words: Water Vehicle Types

4. Vocabulary building: chanel, swell, harbor, fleet, beacon, lighthouse

5. Science: Animals - Whale and Dolphins

6. Go Along Books

Happy sailing to 2015! 

Book:The Carrot Seed

With few words, this book has a lot to say.

It talks about hope.

It talks about perseverance.

It talks about planting.

Daughter plants, waters, removes weeds

It highlights color. (See how the carrot is highlighted at the end of the book).

My daughter and her dad made their own representation of the carrot.

Carrots in watercolor 2014.11.20

We incorporated singing of the chinese song Ba Luo Bo.

A song we often sing - Pulling Carrots

A read along book with this.

One of our favorites

Bible go along story: Parable of the Sower.


Few words can mean a thousand more to every reader.

Book: If Jesus Came to My House

1. Reading

A part of Before Five in a Row Book, Jesus may come in many forms, as this child wishes the He visits him like a child, discussing fun, hospitality and his fear as he holds on to Him for strength. 

a great way for a child to see Jesus

2. Science & Art

- Shadow Play

Use interesting shapes, materials or hand puppets in the wall

- Shadow Colors 

Use colored cellophane

- Shadow Art

Project a light & create shadow, trace your
partner's silhouette cut and make paper art

- Silhouette

with Play of light and we have a Silhouette

3. Literature: Poetry 

My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson

That Shadow My Likeness by Walt Whitman

4. Word Activities

- First Letter Identification

Daughter identifies the first letter as i exaggerate picture reading 

- Story Making, Counting apples and Path tracing

As my daughter puts the sticker, she made her own version of the story which she adapted from the book

5. Religion & Fear

"Doing it to the least of these" , show kindness to everyone, for Jesus might be represented in the most unexpected ways

Perspective and rendering taken from our design files

Visiting a church and talking to God for fear never escapes us, it is how we face it and conquer it.

6. Go along book

Nicely answered verses to a curious child's queries