READY TO ROW:
This was the second time we studied Night of the Moonjellies
I set the table with little Beach Sticker Activity Book (Dover Little Activity Books Stickers)
Cover Page:
It’s become customary for the kids to create a cover page based on the artwork in each FIAR story.
The kids used their new crayons to create their cover pages. They were beautiful!
BIBLE:
Bible Verse:
I created a Bible verse pack to go along with Night of the Moonjellies.
After breakfast the kids worked on tracing their Bible verses.
The kids took turns working on the Bible verse puzzle throughout our time rowing this book.
God’s Love:
We read The Boy and the Ocean
Helping Out:
Mark helped his grandma at MarGras and we talked about incorporating chores into our daily routine.
We read Helpful Hal’s Treasury of Christian Virtues (Building Christian Character Series)
Helpful Hal’s Treasury of Christian Virtues (Building Christian Character Series)
Parker helped wash dishes and everyone is pitching in with the laundry!
Kindness:
Grandma set up a special night on the Periwinkle for Mark. We talked about being kind and doing special things for each other.
We read Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids (Bucketfilling Books)
Everyone was touched to read the “little” things they did that encouraged someone else.
We read The Story of the Good Samaritan
We also read The Big Picnic (Bible for Kids app) about the boy who shared his lunch.
Special Jobs:
We talked about some of Mark’s jobs like refilling the condiments and straws. We read about various Bible characters with special jobs.
The Brave and Beautiful Queen: Esther chosen by God to be queen so she could save her people. Wherever You Go: Ruth helped her mother-in-law and continued the line of David, chosen by God to be part of the lineage of Jesus.
Breakfast with Jesus:
I read Breakfast with Jesus (Happy Day)
S.S.& HISTORY:
New England States:
I decided to tackle the New England states by reading about a different state every day.
I created a New England states box with little cups of items representing each state, landform cards (The Helpful Garden), and a Northeast map.
We started with Main. We read Little%20Maine (Little State)
We read Travelin’ the Northeast (Travels With Charlie)
“Al, we need some popcorn!”….we popped some buttered popcorn and used these adorable containers (Thanks Jean!). The kids happily munched while lapbooking more of Maine.
We ventured outside to explore trees after reading about the pine tree state. They used their My Tree Book (Kickin’ It in Kindergarten) as they gathered samples of bark, branches, and leaves.
We tackled the state of Massachusetts next. We read M Is For Mayflower: A Massachusetts Alphabet (Discover America State by State)
We read the Massachusetts page from Travelin’ the Northeast (Travels With Charlie)
We continued to work on our New England Books (Homeschool Share).
The next day, we read Vermont%20(Rookie Read-About Geography)
We continued our pattern of learning by reading New%20Hampshire (Rookie Read-About Geography)
The last day of our New England States learning was presented with a special island-themed breakfast of porridge (tinted blue), a pancake “island”, and fruit (cause it’s healthy).
We read Rhode Island (Rookie Read-About Geography)
Living Near the Ocean:
We read Living%20Near the Sea (Rookie Read-About Geography)
The kids created their own ocean page and we added the “living by the sea” pictures from our FIAR Fold & Learn packet.
MATH:
Restaurants – Eating Out:
We read some really cute restaurant themed books.
The kids’ aunt sent them I Have a Restaurant
Creating a Menu:
I decided to have a group math activity. I challenged the kids to create a menu for their own restaurant.
The kids colored the Menu and we assigned prices.
Taking Orders:
Now that we had a menu, we needed customers! The kids created a video survey that we sent to co-op homeschoolers, family, and friends.
The kids copied the menu items and prices onto a menu printable I found.
The kids started to take down the orders as they came in.
I asked the older kids to total their orders. They used the cash register to check the totals they did by hand.
Money:
We read several books about money and finished with a fun read-aloud of The%20Berenstain Bears Piggy Bank Blessings (I Can Read!/Living Lights)
I set out a roll, count, and color money game (The Measured Mom).
Everyone had a different version based on their personal math level.
Parker read Money Counts (Little World Math Concepts)
I added a coin recognition page for the kids to work on.
I created several Beach Stars Skip Counting packs for the boys to work on. You can purchase your copy here at our TPT Store.
I used them in several ways with the boys. I wrote multiplication equations on the pails and had Jordan match with the sea star answer cards. Parker worked on the the skip counting mat on our Learning Lane.
SCIENCE:
We combined science and language arts during this row. Using our Ocean Animal Riddles booklets (Homeschool Share), we read about each sea creature and did a different writing activity (e.g. Jellyfish Jingles, Lobster Limericks, etc.).
Ocean Zones:
I created an Ocean Zone Craftivity I created a few years ago.
I printed the labels and prepared the construction paper flip charts.
The kids glued their labels on to the charts.
You can’t learn about the zones without listening to Mr. Ray’s Zone Song (Finding Nemo). Of course we added this to our Night of the Moonjellies playlist.
I prepared various colored water beads the night before. Each color represented an ocean zone layer.
I started with the clear water beads (Surface Waters) and Jordan added the green water beads (Sunlit Zone).
Parker added the blue water beads (Twilight Zone)…it’s starting to look OCEANish!
Last, Haley added the beautiful purple water beads (Midnight zone) which made the sensory bin POP with color!
The kids LOVED the sensory bin so much they played with it on their FREE time while watching our Night of the Moonjellies playlist.
Shoreline:
Our ocean zone adventure began by getting our feet wet on the beach (Intertidal zone).
We read so many beautiful picture books about the beaches and tide pools.
I read Clam-I-Am!:%20All About the Beach (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)
We brought out our sea glass for the kids to inspect.
They added their beach creatures to their ocean zone charts.
I set out a “Make a Shoreline Sensory Bin” with enough objects to create tide pools too!
I brought out our sea shell match activity and left it on our Learning Lane.
Sand Dollar Cookies:
We read The Legend of the Sand Dollarand made simple sand dollar cookies with sugar cookie dough, sliced almonds, and cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top.
The kids gobbled them up. This wrapped up our visit to the shoreline.
Into the Blue:
Before taking the plunge into the big blue ocean, we took a moment to map out our oceans around the world.
The kids color-coded the oceans around the world using a world map (Miss Martin) I found online.
Coral Reef:
We added Octonaut toys to our ocean sensory bin and brought out coral reef books so we could sail out into the blue seas.
The kids immediately started sketching sea creatures from the coral reef and surface waters.
We read Jump%20Into Science: Coral Reefs
Using our world map, we colored in the various coral reefs around the world.
I created a label the Coral Polyp booklet for the kids to work on.
The booklet will be available in our Coral Science pack, but you can download the Label the Coral Polyp Worksheet here at our TPT Store.
Filter Feeder Experiment:
I set out an invitation to conduct a filter feeder experiment in the kitchen.
Everyone had a tray with a sponge, 2 jars (one 1/2 full of clean water), and fresh mint leaves (we have an OVER abundance in our garden).
The kids cut/ripped the mint leaves and added them to the water. The mint represents the waste, dirt, and impurities that exist in our oceans.
Next, they set their sponge over the mouth of the empty jar and poured their “contaminated/dirty” water onto the sponge.
The sponge became a filter by taking the “contaminants/dirt” and leaving clean, usable water in the jar. This is much like our ocean filter feeders. God created them with the purpose of helping clean our water.
Mister Seahorse Art Project:
I set up a Mister%20Seahorse: board book (World of Eric Carle)
First the kids added chalk pastel details to Mister Seahorse.
They used their watercolors to paint Mr. Seahorse.
We set them aside to dry. Aren’t they beautiful?
We used a spatula and Kool-ade watercolors to make our ocean and seaweed details.
They glued Mister Seahorse and their seaweed and added some glittery finishes. They turned out SO beautiful!
Sea Turtles:
The surface waters are teeming with life! I added several sea turtle books to our collection on our Epic app.
The kids read a sea turtle book on their own and did their creative writing assignment.
I brought out some turtle lifecycle cards (Montessori Motivation) and a sea turtle lifecycle printable (The K-2 Guru) for the kids to add to their lapbooks. They also colored in the sea turtle locations on their world map.
We concluded our sea turtle exploration by making little clay sea turtles. The kids LOVED this!
Jellyfish:
I bought jelly fish definition cards from Montessori Print Shop. I printed and laminated them to review with the kids.
I created a Label the Jelly Fish Worksheet. You can download it here for free from our TPT Store.
We read Fancy%20Nancy: Peanut Butter and Jellyfish (I Can Read Level 1)
The kids chose their own jellyfish book and wrote a jellyfish jingle!
The kids ate a fun jellyfish lunch, practiced drawing jellyfish, and added them to their ocean zone charts.
On our way to the deep waters, we took a pause to appreciate whales. Haley readClassic%20Starts®: Moby-Dick (Classic Starts® Series)
The Deep:
Haley LOVES the darkest parts of the ocean. She loves the strange and bizarre creatures that lurk below, but we never seem to have enough time exploring there.
We read Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)
End of Year Bash:
Last Day of School Breakfast:
Today was the last day of school and we were both sad and excited, but I planned a bash full of fun festivities!
We watched The Beginner’s Bible Jonah’s story from our playlist. This seemed fitting since we planned to sink to the bottom to wrap up our ocean zones!
I read Life in the Shadows from our Ocean book and the kids worked on an ocean zone coloring pages (Natural Beach Living).
The kids colored their ocean zones and really had fun choosing all the shades of blue and brown for the different zones!
We made a grilled cheese sail boat over an ocean of blueberries, grapes and avocados! This was a nod to our My Blue Boat row last year!
Play-doh Zones:
We brought out our Ocean Zone Labels (Natural Beach Living), several colored containers of Play-doh, and our Toob ocean creatures.
The kids used the play-doh to layer their ocean zone page and use the appropriate sea creatures at each level. This was a GREAT wrap up!
Afterwards, the kids relaxed, cuddled some of their ocean creatures, and watched our Night of the Moonjellies playlist.
Moonjelly Bath:
While they were downstairs watching ocean clips, I went upstairs to prepare a Night of the Moonjellies bath.
I brought them up for a surprise end of the school year bath….they lined up with excitement. They are TOO cute for words!
They went CRAZY when they saw all the lighted jellies! Last time we rowed this book we did the Glow sticks in the sink, but this time I wanted it to be EXTRA special.
Celebration Sushi Dinner:
My husband ordered us a special sushi dinner to celebrate our last day of school!
What a great way to end our school year! The kids worked so hard and I had all the love, support, and prayers from family and friends! We learned about ocean creatures and now we’re eating them (sorry, but YUMMY)!
ART, CRAFTS, & MORE:
Baked Onion Rings:
We’re always trying to come up with healthier versions of comfort food, so this time we found a baked onion ring recipe from The Food Network.
The boys took the lead on this cooking adventure and big sister was MORE than happy to taste the end product….she gave them a thumbs up!
This was our official Night of the Moonjellies dinner with meatloaf sliders, baked onion rings, fresh fruit and vegetables, orange soda AND milk (in case the orange soda was a bust)! The kids DEVOURED the meal…..SO good!
Under the Sea Adventure:
It’s become tradition to do an ocean unit EVERY year. Every year Haley picks a day to decorate the school room with ALL her adorable stuffed sea creatures.
Eating Out:
The littlest was at his grandparents, so Haley, Jordan, and I went out for burgers, fries, and shakes (Diet Coke for Mommy).
Okay, so it’s not MarGras, but we’re easy! Our family LOVES In & Out Burger!
Festive & Fun Food:
We had so much fun with our under the sea adventure.
I made jellyfish pancakes on one of the many pancake Saturdays!
We found these yummy Scuba Snacks endorsed by the Kratt Brothers (the kids LOVE their show)!
Helpful Links:
Pinterest Board:
Most of our activities were inspired by so many wonderful homeschoolers out there. You can find most of the ideas, printables, and activities pinned on our Night of the Moonjellies Pinterest Board.
Playlist:
I created an ocean themed Night of the Moonjellies playlist filled with New England, ocean, beach, and MarGras inspired food clips.
That’s it for this school year. We’ll see you next year (Lord willing)!
I love your “rows” we are rowing for the first time this year and i am curious to know how long do you spread the books? Do you do all these activities in 5 days?
Hi Fernanda! I’m so glad you visit our blog. Early on, we realized one or even two weeks wasn’t long enough for us to explore various topics. We generally row each book, including this one, for about three weeks. I hope this information helps you. Please come back and visit us again!