Harvest Time Week One – Tops and Bottoms

By:
On:
In: Arts & Crafts, Harvest Time
Tagged: , , , , , ,

Harvest Time Week One – Tops and Bottoms

Our Week with Tops and Bottoms

Here are some highlights from our week with Tops and Bottoms. It has been hot and hardly fall-like this past week but everyone was excited to get started. Pixie was thrilled to have her own school work and the older kiddos were very enthusiastic about the books and projects they remember so fondly. I was actually surprised how into it Bug got… he was the one insistent about completing the salt dough project, we couldn’t get to it fast enough.

And then while picking raspberries we had one of those precious moments that reaffirms that this is right where my family belongs right now. At our favorite U-Pick farm we had the raspberry fields to ourselves. The weather must have scared off most and the few other brave souls there were picking the early apples. In the berry patch, the children had spread out and where happily filling their buckets, Pixie in manner that couldn’t help but bring to mind Blueberries for Sal, Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! Although it was hot a lovely breeze was keeping us comfortable and Bug looks up at me from a few yards down the row, with his container half full, and says, “It is so peaceful out here. This is the best day.” Yes it is sweetie.

If you have been working on Tops and Bottoms and would like to share your adventures with us, remember to add you blog links in the comments below (if you have blogged about this week more than once you are welcome to add multiple links).

 

 

Harvest Time Week One – Tops and Bottoms

 

This week we are starting our Harvest Time unit. I will be posting a weekly introduction every Monday to give everyone a space to chat about the program. If you would like more information about the program you can learn more and download the free homeschooling curriculum on our Harvest Time page. All of the directions for the art projects, recipes and activities are included in the curriculum guide. If your family is participating in the Harvest Time curriculum either for homeschooling or after school enrichment we would love to hear about it! Please leave a comment in this post in regards to your experiences with Harvest Time’s Week One activities. You are welcome, and highly encouraged to leave links to your Harvest Time’s Week One blog posts or pictures in the comment section of this post.

Harvest Time Week One
Primary Book: Tops & Bottoms,
Enrichment Book: The Vegetables We Eat,
Activities: Salt Dough Veggies,
Field Trip Idea: Grocery Store Produce,
Art: Bull Vaulting,
Poem: Little Boy Blue,
Flower Fairies: Bugle Fairy & Coloring Page

Links from Our first time completing the Unit…
Salt Dough Veggies
Farmer’s Market Field Trip

 

Basic Salt Dough Recipe
1 Cup Salt
2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Room Temp Water
1 TBSP Vegtable Oil.
Bake at 200 F for several hours until dried through. Paint when dry. .

For a realistic touch, we used small twigs for stems. We also used toothpicks for adding details. I was surprised how well the Salt Dough retained its modeled shape. .

Note: Both puppies and almost 2 year olds like to eat the finished veggies! Keep a close eye on the little ones if you have ’em.

 

25 Comments

  1. We will be starting today as well! I’ll be sure and post updates on my blog as we go along. I am so excited to have found your site and even more excited to take this ride along with my sweet girls! Thanks 🙂

    1. I’d really love to follow some other families on their Harvest Time journey. Would you mind sharing your blog address?

      1. Hey Nicole … I finally got the blog updated with our Harvest time stuff … I added my address into the info. I hope that works for you!

  2. We’re planning to do Harvest Time…when it gets cooler. It’s still in the 90s so it doesn’t quite seem like Fall yet 😉

    1. Yeah – it is back in the 90s atm here too. I’m ready for the cooler weather. We have had some lovely almost fall like days though… so hopefully soon. Whenever you do get started… feel free to come back and post links here. Also… you may need to switch things up a bit if you want your holiday weeks to hit at the right times.

      1. We’re going to be doing this this fall as well, my 4yo is SO excited. Me too.

        It’s 90+ here too this week, and I need to get older sister’s school ready as well as 1st grade for older brother. So I’m thinking it’ll be probabyl 2 weeks, but we’ll get there.

        Can’t wait to see everyone’s comments and suggestions!

  3. We are starting this too!! I am so excited to start this with my 3 year old. Not sure if he is ready but I figured we would give it a try and see how it goes. I got the tops and bottom book at the library but had to compromise on the vegetable book. Thanks again for creating this wonderful curriculum 🙂

  4. I am homeschooling my two 1/2 year old, and caring for two other littles as well. As we fill our days together, I’ve been wanting to emphasize the changing seasons. I followed your link from “Shivaya Naturals.” Your site has given me such wonderful ideas, and I feel unbelievably blessed to have found you today. I’ll be starting the curriculum, while making some minor modifications since my babe isn’t in the 4-6 age group yet. There’s still many ideas in your lessons he’ll jump right into, as he’s already used to making salt dough sculptures and painting with leaves, and he loves to build things with farm themes. Thank you so very much for sharing all of this.

  5. What a pleasant surprise! We’re starting Harvest time next Monday. When I first arrived I was a bit disappointed to be a week behind you, but then realized that I’ll get all the benefits of having read about your and other families week before heading into ours. I never leave this site without a heaping of inspiration. I’m sure the next few weeks will be much of the same!

    Thank you for being so generous with your time, inspiration and hearts!

  6. We started on Monday also!!! I am super excited to begin our journey with you. It is supposed to be 107* later this week, but I have yet to let this desert bring me down! We start decorating for autumn on September first, hot weather be damned.
    I posted about our first day here….
    http://ava-like-a-bird.blogspot.com/

    Thank you so much!

    1. I added pictures of our pumpkins today.

      1. Lovely… just a warning tho if you have dogs… they find them yummy!

        1. Thanks for the tip! We have cats. Cats in general care mostly about the needle felted pumpkins. It is their sole purpose to destroy all needle felted items.

          How does your salt dough look so smooth and nice? I don’t think mine has ever come out like that…

  7. We started on Monday also! We started with a big snuggle in bed on Monday morning, just me and my 4 year old, reading Tops and Bottoms and Vegetables and How They Grow. Today we made the salt dough veggies and helped our friends dig potatoes. Tomorrow we will paint our veggies and take a field trip to the Farmers’ Market. We’re having SO MUCH FUN with this. I can’t thank you enough. I am excited to check out everyone’s blogs! I blogged a bit today and will add to it tomorrow.

  8. I love how you describe your family’s day of berry picking! Those will be such sweet memories as your children grow!

    Thanks for linking to the pinecone pattern on Facebook!

  9. Looks like you had a great week. Makes me wish my crew was young enough to appreciate this unit. (The baby is now 9!) Have fun everyone. We’ll be enjoying your adventures.

  10. Wanted to let you know that we are featuring a link back to you on Monday. Your salt dough vegetables are adorable. I am looking forward to doing some of the Harvest Curriculum with my son and want to thank you for the great download.

    1. I've been out of the loop for the past couple weeks since I was out of town with the new grandbaby. Michelle has soldiered on with reading but has saved the crafting projects for me to do with the kids… YAY! We just finished our salt dough veggies and made some super yummy vegetable soup. I love autumn and this whole unit is such a lovely way to share the sites and sounds with wee ones. Hope you continue to enjoy the activities 🙂

  13. Hi! I am a mother of 4. My 2 oldest children have attended public school their whole lives. My 5 year old (turned 5 in September) has been in a k4 program for 8 weeks and still screams and cries every day. She hates it. I am thinking of bringing her home and home schooling her. I have been a school teacher for the past 11 years and this is my first year being home and not teaching because I am pursuing my PhD. There are so many options out there that it is overwhelming but I love the sound of what you are doing. I DO want her to continue learning the letters and writing that she has been learning at school.
    My main question is – if we start now – as in Monday of next week – where would I “be” in your curriculum? I’d like to see if she can pick up where you are or if we need to back pedal or advance. I’m just not sure what the time frame of your 3 sections is. Could you point me towards the current spot?
    Also – any tips would be greatly appreciated!
    Thanks so much, and best of look to you and your family!
    Marie Mallory

  14. Hello! I’m so glad these pages are still available.

    I first found you in 2011-2012 school year when my 2nd DD was starting Preschool at home. We were a bit hit-or-miss due to a new baby; though we did do the Winter Wonderland assignments thoroughly.

    So here we are with that 3rd DD starting Preschool at home. We’ve read the books, made salt dough veggies and visited the produce department. Even the big ones want in on it!

    I love now, as I did when I first found you, the gentle learning you bring to your curriculum. Thank you.

    1. Welcome back! If you haven’t been around for a while you don’t know about some big changes. First off, although we will continue to offer this curriculum guide, we have created update versions of each which can be purchased as a downloadable pdf or you can actually buy a hard copy of the individual Simple Seasons Guides so you can hold a copy in your hands. The hard copy also comes with the pdf downloadable version. https://weefolkart.com/homeschool-companion-guides/

      Probably the most exciting thing, tho, is there is now a wonderful family group that has started on Facebook. It is a closed group reserved for families using the program… either purchased or free… and you have to be invited, so bop over if you are interested and join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1042634892415362/ There are so many wonderful families joining the group, asking questions and supporting one another. You will want to be a part of it I am sure.

      Again, welcome back. I hope your family has a wonderful year.

      ((hugs))

      ~Kimara~

  15. We started Harvest Time Last week. It was amazing. We are doing the flower fairies in ABC order because my pre-schooler kept telling me I was doing it wrong. A comes first. LOL He has sensory issues so the salt dough made his hands hurt and icky, but we did make some out of playdough. He loves all the books (which we were able to get from our library!) and wants to read them several times a day. He loves going to the library to find that special books are there just for him.

    The suggested math book, “Math Games”, was a little too hard for him just yet. I found “Math Play! 80 ways to count & Learn” by Diane McGowan and Mark Schrooten that is great for him. I wanted to put it here in case anyone else had a preschooler that was not ready for “Math Games.”

    I can not wait to start week 2! We are ALL very excited!

    1. Author

      So glad you had such a fun first week. I totally understand your son. I have sensitive skin and when it is irritated, the salt can burn my hands, too. Thanks for sharing the new math resource. It’s so nice when families can share other options. Hoping week 2 is as much fun! ~Kimara~

Comments are closed.