"Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality" -Beatrix Potter
I began homeschooling my daughter Chloe very early. Honestly, a little too early. I had no clue what homeschooling really looked like, but I didn't wait for directions. I dove right in. Believe it or not, I began with Squirrel Nutkin. We read the book over and over again for an entire month. Each day I focused on one page of the book or some small detail of it. I wish I could remember and share all of the crazy inspiration I got from that tiny little book. We worked our way through all of the Beatrix Potter books that year,--though Chloe barely remembers the lessons --I told you I started too soon. That's why I was so excited when I found Peter Rabbit on the FIAR reading list. By that time she was the right age and I was eager to revisit our old friend, Peter.
Here are some of the ways that we enjoyed The Tale of Peter Rabbit --along with some new goodies I've picked up since then:
Extend through Reading and Writing:
1. Read The Tale of Peter Rabbit and whatever Beatrix Potter books yu can get your hands on. Note the size of the books. She loved that they were tiny enough to fit in a little child's hands.
2. The Virtual Vine has great suggestions for creating a Peter Rabbit word wall. You'll find lots of other great ideas there too.
3. This is a recent find, and boy do I wish I had found it sooner! Homeschool Share has free, downloadable copywork pages by Dori Oakes. Copywork pages include Benjamin Bunny, Floppsy, Peter, and Timmy Tiptoes.
4. While reading this book I created a tot tool for my younger daughter who was just learning her alphabet. I made 26 rabbits with capital letters writen on them and 26 carrots with lower case letters written on them. Her task was to math them.
Extend through Math:
1. I created a seed counting mat by sticking stick back black felt onto a sheet of construction paper. Her task was to use the seeds I gave her to create a math problem for whatever sum I gave. We still use this today with bigger numbers.
2. Homeschool Share has added another amazing Petter Rabbit resource for multiplication. Find cards for multiplying by ones, twos, threes, and fours.
Extend through Science:
1. Many of the books by Burgess are living books that include Peter Rabbit. We are currently reading The Burgess Bird Book For Children to study birds. Peter Rabbit is the interviewing tool to teach us facts about birds through this wonderful science-packed living book.
2. Learn about the different types of rabbits.3. Nature journaling, nature walks . . .get outside!
Extend through Art:
1. find games and coloring pages at The World of Peter Rabbit site.
2. Admire a variety of watercolor paintings by Beatrix Potter here.
3. We cut a sponge in a triangle and sponge painted carrots.
4. We created a super cute picture of Peter in a watering can. I cut a watering can shape out of foil and the kids glued a peter rabbit into the can. Then they made water drops dripping out the spout with teir fingerprints in blue paint. I can't get a good photo of it due to the reflection of the foil, but It's adorable in person.
Extend through History/Geography
1. At this site you can check out photos of Beatrix Potter's Farm and the garden that inspired Beatix Potter's artwork. Get a glimpse into her world.
2. Study England's Lake District
3. If you are making a timeline, here are some wonderful pictures of Beatrix as a child. Remember to note that her childhood very much influenced her view of the world. Her observations in childhood about nature set her on a path of naturalism that defined her as an artist.
Have Fun!
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