Dear Grandchildren,

Are you ready for school today? Let's start by singing a fun song about a kitten. Did you know that cats and kittens like to keep clean? Do you think they take baths in tubs or showers in bathrooms? Whoever saw a cat taking a bath in a tub? They don't use soap or washcloths or towels, either. Do you know how they keep clean? They wash themselves all over with their tongues! Would you like to clean yourself all over with your tongue? Yuck!

Mama cats wash their babies all over with their tongues, but soon the babies learn to do it for themselves. They can't wash their own heads and faces with their tongues. Try to touch your ear with your tongue, and find out that it doesn't reach. So how do cats and kittens wash their faces? They lick a front foot until it is very wet, and then they rub their faces with the wet foot, just like we would use a washcloth. They keep getting the foot wet over and over and rubbing all around their faces, and even behind their ears until they are all clean. Isn't that a funny way to wash a face? Listen to our fun song about a little white kitten what washes it's face with it's feet, and then sing it with me.

Have you ever seen a turtle? There are many kinds of turtles, but I think they all have hard shells on their backs and under their tummies. Not many animals can catch and eat them, because they are hard all over, except when they stick out their heads and feet and tail. Some are very small that you can hold in your hand, and some are so big you can ride on them. Some like to swim in water and some don't. I once had a little green turtle I bought at a pet store. I kept him in a plastic bowl with water with a rock in the middle so he could climb out and rest. He had a red and a yellow stripe from his eyes down to his shell.

Here is a little poem about a turtle that liked to eat bugs and little fish. The bugs were a mosquito and a flea, and the little fish was called a minnow.

Have you ever eaten turtles for breakfast? I have! We used to make pancakes that looked like turtles and then we would eat them with butter and syrup. We would snap at the turtle and eat him! Maybe you would like to eat turtles for breakfast! Ask Mom or Dad if they would make them for you.

Now that you can make zeroes and ones, it is time to learn how to make twos. Twos are a lot of fun! Print out the page of twos made from dotted lines. Always, always start your numbers at the top. Pretend your pencil or crayon is a little train going down a railroad track and say, "Around and back on the railroad track. Two, two. Two!" When I was little, trains would make a funny sound. They would say, "Choo, choo, choo!" We used to call them choo-choo trains. Now they have different motors and don't make that fun sound. But you can pretend you are an old train and when you say the "Two, two, two", you can make it sound almost like "Choo, choo, choo!"

Now get out your counting box and counters and make sure there is a two in the bottom of the next space. Your mom can put all the numbers up to twelve in ahead of time if she wants. Ok, now take out a few counters. Remember what to do about zero, and how many to put in the one space. Now today can you guess how many to put in the two space? It will be really fun when we get to count bigger numbers, won't it? Just be patient!

I have a picture of the kind of turtle I used to have for you to color. He was green except for a red stripe and a yellow stripe from his eyes to his hard shell. His shell was hard like your finger nail or your toenail, but even thicker. He was only about two or three inches long, and I could hold him in my hand for a few minutes.

There is also an upside down cat washing it's face for you to color. There wasn't room for her to sit up the right way. Make her tongue pink, and then you can color her any way you want. Maybe she will have spots. Don't forget to say "Thank you" to Mom or your helper for helping you.

G-pa and I love you very much. Be good and kind and sweet and dear. Be a happy Sunbeam! See you later!

With love and squishie hugs,

Grandma

Click on an image then click again to print it.