Roasted Chickpeas

For our cooking project this week we roasted chickpeas for a healthy snack. We made two batches. One was seasoned with cumin and the other was seasoned with cinnamon. When I opened the cans of chickpeas, Samah immediately recognized them as chana, the Indian word for them. Here are the results of our taste test:

Tabrezia liked both flavors equally.

Katie liked the cinnamon flavored ones.

Samah liked the cinnamon flavored ones as well.

Here is the lilnk to the recipe if you would like to make it at home: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spicy-Chickpeas-354591

Have a great Thanksgiving!

We Are Thankful For...

Here at Polka Dot Academy we are thankful for many things-family, friends, and good healthy, just to name a few. The children also wanted to share what they are thankful for this year.

Samah: I am thankful for my house, my mom. I'm thankful for my baby brother. I'm thankful for my clothes.

Katie: I'm thankful for my mom and dad and my house. I'm thankful for my tree, 'cuz I love my tree.

Tabrezia: All my toys, all my friends, and all of my family. I'm thankful for the zoo because there's lot of animals. I'm thankful for all of the cars because they can take us to places.

A Full Moon and Angels

Wow! So much has happened since the last post!

September 28th was a school holiday, so we were able to have fun the whole day! We went to the pool and splash park, had a picnic, and then went to the aquarium! It was such a fun and exciting day!

We celebrated the Mid-autumn Festival by learning about the holiday and making moon cakes filled with red bean paste. The kids are becoming such good little chefs!

The MCAS Air Show was happened and the Blue Angels were in town. Upon arrival we got settled on a big blanket with a big bag of kettle corn and some lemonade. Then the show started and they were amazing! The planes looped, swooped, twisted, and turned! The show was truly breathtaking! After the show we were able to go into one of the big airplanes and take a look around. It was all very exciting!

There was more dancing and ballet going on.

Now that October is here we have a whole bunch of Halloween inspired crafts and cooking projects to look forward to!

Farmer's Market Again

We had a great time at the Farmer's Market this afternoon! We bought some lumpia (little Filipino spring rolls) and decided that they were delicious! The girls also had the chance to sample some cake (the world's best according to the baker), guacamole, fresh fruit juices, taco meat (we had the choice of chicken or beef), and honey with bee pollen on a cracker. There was even a nice lady who gave the girls some pirate treasure!

Once again, we visited the lady who was selling the sea urchins for uni. This time we got the chance to watch her prepare one for samples. Nobody worked up the courage to try any.

What was your favorite part of the Farmer's Market?

Samah: When we tried the cupcake.

Tabrezia: We got to see the girl cut the live sea urchin in half.

Katie: We got to drink the juice. (It was fresh cherry-pomegranate juice.)

If you're ever in the mood for a snack, just stop by the Mira Mesa Farmer's Market. They have lots of yummy food vendors!

A New Student!

Welcome to Keanu!

Keanu brings an abundant amount of energy to the morning and his laugh is infectious! We have lots of fun reading stories, playing games, and watching Sesame Street! Oh yeah, he also enjoys riding the peanut ball.

We are happy you're here!

A Busy Week!

Wow, is it Friday already? We have had so much fun and learning this week!


Chinese
We started our Mandarin Chinese lessons with the book Almond Cookies and Dragon Well Tea. Then we continued with a short section of the Muzzy DVDs. Our words this week are po po for grandmother and gong gong for grandfather, ni hao for hello. Later in the week we made almond cookies from scratch and I heard they were very, very good!


Science
On Monday we started our plant journals. I asked the girls to observe what they saw and draw a picture that looked as real as possible. We will revisit the plant each Monday to observe the changes. Hopefully, we will soon be able to tell what kind of plant it is!

Katie and Tabrezia working on their plant journals.

We went to the farmer's market on Tuesday and had a lot of fun. There was a lady selling live sea urchins for uni. None of the girls wanted a free sample. Then we got to sample some dates and coconut pancakes. A man was selling fresh mango fruit cups and we had to get one because they looked so yummy! After spending some time listening to two men play the blues, we bought a very small watermelon and headed home.

Our week ended with a trip the the Birch Aquarium. We saw a lot of different types of fish, sharks, jellyfish and sea stars. There were even scientists feeding the giant lobster in the tide pool!

Music and Movement
Wednesday was ballet and jazz. The girls were excited and really had a blast! During the rest of the week I played songs for them on the piano as they sang along and danced. Due to the cooler weather, we were able to spend more time outdoors. The kids got to ride bikes and a scooter. I worked with them on their bounce passes and we practiced catching the ball as well. In October we will be starting our piano lessons!

Math and Science
We made almond cookies this week for cooking and math. The girls helped me count out 32 tablespoons of flour, divide the dough, roll each piece into a ball, and practiced one-to-one correspondence by placing an almond on each one. We also talked about hot and cold while drinking our dragon well tea from China, liquids and solids, and sweet versus salty tastes.

Samah brushing egg on the tops of her almond cookies.

Katie, Tabrezia, and Samah waiting patiently for the cookies to bake.

Language Arts
One of the best ways for children to build a good vocabulary and improve their grammar is to use language. When they hear good examples of it and have words introduced to them in a way they can relate to, it is more readily absorbed. Two of the best ways of doing this is through dramatic play and listening to stories. Well, at Polka Dot Academy we read a lot of stories! The children also get ample time for dramatic play. This week's play scenarios included riding in an airplane and going for a stay in a hotel. New words were also introduced during cooking and while at the aquarium. The more often they hear new words, the more likely they will become part of their working vocabulary.

This concludes another exciting week! Have a great weekend! I can't wait to see what next week will bring!

Veggie Pizza

Today we made veggie pizzas on whole-wheat mini bagels. We used pizza sauce, low-fat mozzarella cheese, and veggies. At the grocery store the girls each picked out a veggie for their pizza. Katie picked broccoli, Samah chose white corn kernels, and Tabrezia went with celery. The girls assembled their own pizzas using all of the ingredients. After waiting patiently for fifteen minutes while they cooked in the oven, the girls devoured their pizzas, veggies and all!

Samah: It was fun making it then eating it.

Tabrezia: It was fun making it.

Katie: It was good.

I just wanted to let you know that the cooking projects focus on healthy eating habits and are under 150 calories and 5 grams of fat. The girls do as much of the assembly as possible to build a sense of accomplishment, work on their fine-motor skills, and practice following instructions.

Ballet and Jazz

Yesterday was the first day of ballet and jazz! The girls really had a fun time with their new dance teacher, Shocka. (I will be posting pictures as soon as I can get them out of the internal memory of my camera.)

After dance the girls came back and had a snack and then we went outside and played two new games, Motorcycle and Ghost in the Park. I was another fun day!

Peanut Butter Hot Dogs

Today we made peanut butter hot dogs for our afternoon cooking project.

Here is the recipe (In their own words):

1. Break the [hot dog] bun apart. (Tabrezia)

2. Put the jelly on it. (Katie)


3. Then you put peanut butter on it. (Samah)



4. Close it, then eat it. (Katie)


5. And then you have a yummy snack. (Tabrezia)

The First Week Was a Success

Good job everyone! The first week of Polka Dot Academy was a success! On Friday we had a snack and finished our homework. Then we watched Cars and ate popcorn. Yum! After that the girls worked on a 100 piece Hello Kitty puzzle. Thanks to Katie's dad for helping!


Coming up next week:

Wednesday - The first day of ballet and jazz. Please make sure you have all of the dance stuff labeled with your child's name and in a separate bag or tote.

Friday - If weather permits we will go to the Birch Aquarium.

Welcome!

The first week at Polka Dot Academy is on its way and things are great! We have worked on math skills at the grocery store, talked about liquids and solids as we made lemonade Popsicles, and developed a love for reading at the library. The girls have also gone "camping" in a tent in the living room, let out their American Idols with the karaoke machine, and unleashed their inner Picassos with sidewalk chalk.


Next Wednesday is the first day of ballet and jazz. Yea! The girls are very excited!

What is the most fun you have had this week?

Katie: Riding the peanut!

Samah: Making Popscicles!

Tabrezia: Making Popscicles!