Teachers across the country are putting in countless hours creating, compiling and sharing eLearning plans with their students. Many are learning too as they quickly navigate new digital tools. I want to thank the teachers, especially my daughter’s preschool teacher (Mrs. Stanglein), who arranged for us to pick up materials for a class project and began leading her class in a virtual daily circle time. Seeing her teacher and friends everyday, even if it’s not face to face, is helping my daughter feel connected to her classroom community. 
Bear Hunt– Our neighborhood held a “Bear Hunt” today, actually, it was yesterday but I thought it was today…Epic Mom Fail! We enjoyed putting stuffed bears out for our neighbors to hunt.
Bear Books– Before we set out for a bear hunt through our neighborhood (a few bears were still out) we completed the Scholastic Learn At Home module on bears. Still my favorite online resource we read Bear Snores On for our fiction selection and then read and a non-fiction book about bears. We watched a video of a mother bear teaching her cubs how to fish for Salomon in Alaska and learned how to be safe from bears while camping. Other bear books we enjoyed were: Goldilocks and the Three Bears (which we acted out with stuffed animals), Going on a Bear Hunt and Berlioz the Bear. My daughter enjoyed making a bear den out of a blanket and chairs and that captivated her creative play for hours. 
Color Songs– When I was a kindergarten teacher I loved singing the Color Songs by Frog Street Press with my class. These catchy songs have captivated my daughter as well. I just discovered individuals have posted the original songs on YouTube and added animation. Back in the day, before Smart Boards and YouTube, I wrote the lyrics on chart paper so the children could follow along while we sang. I discovered that Kindergarten Works has compiled all of the videos and color word resources in one place. Click Here for this valuable resource and happy singing!
Big Universe– Exciting news! McGraw Hill’s partner Big Universe is offering FREE access to more than 17,000 eBooks!! BigU is a digital platform of K-12 books! An ever-growing library of over 17K authentic texts. Searchable by grade, topic, language, and reading level. GO TO: www.biguniverse.com to register. Enjoy my friends!
This is a photo from our weekend. Taken right before sunset it epitomizes the innocence of childhood, a care free little girl simply experiencing joy in her journey. The photo was taken as we walked (she ran) around the pond in our backyard. Earlier our neighborhood rang with dogs barking, children laughing and lawn mowers humming with the sounds of spring. In this scene people had retreated inside to start their evening routines and our soundtrack came from song birds proudly singing a tune and allowing us to listen in. The grass we walked upon, once dull and brown in color, had awoken to a luscious green. The smell of pollen from flowering trees was in the air giving us another reminder of rebirth. Spring is not in quarantine and neither is God. He created this beautiful day and He is with us on good days and in trying times. Love embraced me as I gazed at our house (shown here in the distance), knowing we would return home to a nutritious meal prepared lovingly by my husband. The wind began to blow indicating a spring storm was on the horizon. But when I looked up at the sky there was hope among the darkness. God was sending a visual reminder as rays of sunlight were peeking through a mass of clouds, reassuring me that we will all get through this.
Holes in the Jelly Beans?– We cut out our jelly bean shapes and punched holes in the jelly beans by using a hole punch to punch the correct number of holes on each jelly bean. Then we strung them together and made a necklace. My daughter needs to work on hand strength and this activity suggested by her teacher really challenged her. 
Backyard Animal Discovery– My daughter’s teacher shared the brilliant idea of watching for animals (in our backyard and on our daily walks) and graphing how many of each animal we found. We watched for ducks, cardinals, sparrows, robins, rabbits and squirrels and after printing out pictures of each animal my daughter helped me create a chart that we hung on the wall. We enjoyed looking out the window to see if another duck took a swim in the pond or if we could spot a robin on our daily walks around the neighborhood. My daughter loved adding tally marks on our graph and sharing the final count with her teacher. The activity was such a hit we are going to do it again next week!
Chapel With Gary the Puppet– Our senior pastor and Gary the Puppet occasionally lead chapel at my daughter’s school. They recorded a special message and the huge smile on my daughter’s face was proof that their efforts were a huge success. 
Letters to Loved Ones- Like her momma my little one loves to write. We have been writing letters everyday. Today she chose to write a letter to her teacher and to my parents. Through the letter writing she is learning how to address a letter, add a stamp and put the letter in the mailbox for the mail carrier to pick up. 
Building With Daddy- My husband and daughter created structures out of toothpicks and marshmallows. Daddy taught her how to build a strong foundation and they enjoyed building together. 
Hop Scotch– Daily physical activity along with “brain breaks” are imperative for learning and growing. My daughter got this Melissa and Doug hopscotch set for her birthday and we have been using it as an option for our daily movement.
Today was a peak weather day. With the sun and warm temperatures we took advantage of this gift and played outside enjoying the SONshine!
Recyclable Art– My daughter asked if she could use this paper tube to make a butterfly for our neighborhood art walk. Without any direction from me she planned and created this work of art completely on her own! It was a reminder that sometimes the unplanned activities, led by our children, are the most successful! I encourage you and your family to make works of art out of recyclable materials you have lying around the house. 
Signs of Spring– After completing the 
Spreading SONshine Project- A few days ago I began the Spreading SONshine Project where I encouraged others to share the love of Jesus by drawing a sun with a cross and or sharing a bible verse on social media with #spreadingSONshineproject The movement hasn’t caught on but my dad, who is an artist, began drawing daily SONshine crosses. If you are interested in seeing more please follow Spreading SONahine Project on Facebook or Instagram.
Connecting Virtually- We connected with my daughter’s teacher, Mrs. Stanglein, this morning via a FaceTime chat and after dinner had a Talley family meeting on Zoom. My daughter enjoyed seeing Maw Maw and Paw Paw Talley (who live nearby) along with my sister in law and her family who live in Georgia. As virtual meet ups become our norm, seeing familiar faces brings comfort.
We also watched our church’s weekly Lenten service. Participating in our normal religious practices brought joy into our home. My daughter even fetched her church busy bag before we gathered around the TV for worship. Our music director, who is the best organist I know, played an amazing prelude and postlude. His playing inspired our daughter to pull out her cat keyboard and play along! Do we have a future organist among us? 
As the news indicates that isolation will be extended through April 24, I pray you and your family create some special memories together. Make a personal or a family goal to try something new. While practicing social distancing, reach out to friends and family you haven’t talked to in months or even years. And in the darkest of days, remember the SONshine.
Crazy Hair Day– My daughter’s school is having a virtual spirit week and today was Crazy Hair Day! We read the books 
Friend, Friends, Friends– My daughter misses her friends terribly so I set up a 
We began day 4 with a bow and a smile! Today was supposed to be spirit day at school and a group of moms suggested we have a virtual school spirit day by dressing in school colors and sharing pictures online. Seeing familiar faces brought some normalcy to our day. 
Story Time– Technology continues to connect us to others. We enjoyed story time with Lillian’s teacher and with Santa Claus. Search for Santa Frank (our favorite local Santa) on Facebook and enjoy his daily story time. 
Moon Dot to Dot, Cutting Practice and Drawing– Dot to dots are so good for preschoolers and I found a moon one. I also found lines to trace to help strengthen fine motor skills and a picture of the moon that Lillian drew a face on. 
Phases of the Moon– We made a phases of the moon mini book and then made the phases of the moon with Oreo cookies. We didn’t have any chocolate Oreos in the house so we used vanilla and it worked just as well. Visit 
Finger Training Activity- My daughter struggles with holding a pencil properly so I am always on the lookout for new activities to strengthen these skills. Her teacher sent home this fun activity. 
Muddy Puddles– In our effort to get outside everyday we took a walk around the neighborhood and jumped in muddy puddles! 
Noteworthy Mommy 