Weekly Report #24 ~ Third Year

Math, Logic & Problem Solving

• Sweetie Singapore 3B lessons #8-9
• Buddy Singapore 1A lessons #53-61 and Review #6; he also worked with tangrams
  

Science, Geography & Nature Study

• Read aloud: Watching the Weather: Clouds, Rain, Dew & Frost, Fog & Mist all by Elizabeth Miles, Clouds by Anne Rockwell, Shapes in the Sky by Josepha Sherman, Why is it Raining? by Judith Williams
  
• Tried 2 different experiments to make a cloud in a jar ... neither were particularly good, in my opinion
• Sweetie worked through a few worksheets about clouds and reading weather information from a chart
  
• Enjoyed a post about Antarctica at White Mountain Photography
• Sweetie completed workbook pages 270-274 in Maps & Geography Grades 3-6
• Began the Mystery Class with Journey North
  

Language Arts

• Sweetie wrote a letter to her penpal in China
• Buddy worked on flashcards throughout the week as well as completing several worksheets on vowel sounds
• Shakespeare :: Watched the Twelfth Night animation
  
• Memorywork :: "If music be the food of love, then play on. Give me an excess of it..."
  

Foreign Language

• Mandarin w/ Tinsel 1x
  

Culture, Heritage & History

• Read aloud: The Technology of Ancient Japan by Meg Greene (picture captions), Life in Ancient Japan by Hazel Richardson, The Crane Wife retold by Sumiko Yagawa
  

Sports & Extracurricular

• Taekwondo 2x
• Swimming 1x w/friends
• Snowshoe hike 1x
  
• Sledding 1x
  

Art, Handcrafts & Music

• Read aloud: Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers: Peter Tchaikovsky by Mike Venezia
• Sweetie worked on making origami cranes
  
• Piano lesson w/ Janellybean 1x (30 min each)
  

Adult Skills, Current Events & Service Learning

• Attended Lunch & Learn COOL activity whereby a teen shared with us how to make 'green smoothies' - the kids have since been enjoying making their own smoothies using Kale and a variety of other fruits and veggies
• Sons of Norway business meeting
  

Burning Sugar Lab :: Wordless Wednesday

If you are interested in doing this lab yourself,
click here for the free lab sheet, Burning Sugar.

Apple Trees :: Winter Nature Study

I'm always amazed at how easily I can integrate mini-lessons while hunting for hidden letterboxes (for more information about letterboxing, see my post at Curriculum Choice entitled Creativity & Nature Study. On a recent excursion to the valley, we did a little letterboxing and it was no surprise that we were presented with multiple opportunities to incorporate science, nature study, agriculture and geography into our outing.

We talked about the differences in climate comparing the high desert region where we live to the valley. We talked about how the differences in rainfall and temperature (the valley having a more temperate, wet climate) enable mushrooms and agriculture to flourish. We also observed a variety of trees that do not grow on the east side of the Cascade mountains.

The topic that most intrigued us were the apple trees we observed at Bauman Farms. Parallel to their entry drive were a number of apple tree species along with a a sign encouraging visitors to watch the trees over the seasons and observe the differences. We needed no encouragement... what a great display! I wish we lived closer so that we could make more regular observations - perhaps I'll give them a call each season to see if they can't take a few photographs for us ??

Unfortunately, I only had my camera phone, so these aren't the greatest - but you can see some differences. We photographed the apples that we most enjoy eating. The picture above shows Honeycrisp (my absolute favorite) and Arkansas Black (pictured by chance - don't know that I've ever tasted an Arkansas Black).

Pictured here are Granny Smith and Fuji (another favorite).

Lastly, Red Gravenstein and Johnathan.

We have a Crab Apple in our front yard. It has always bloomed so dynamically in the spring. We trimmed it quite a bit in '08 so it wasn't quite as impressive in '09, however. I am interested in seeing if will turn around this coming spring.


Administrative Note :: The kids are working on sketches in the nature journal - I'll update/edit this post when they have finished.

Alien Invaders :: A New Online Course

Most of you are aware that I am a licensed teacher in Oregon. My teaching certification expires every 5 years and if I am not in the classroom I am required to take college courses to keep my license current. A year ago, just prior to renewing my certification, I took an online course through The Heritage Institute.

The Heritage Institute offers continuing education for teachers through workshops, field courses, global travel studies and distance courses. I was very impressed with the diversity of courses available as well as the professional manner in which the courses were delivered.

A few months after completing the course, I put together a course syllabus and submitted it to The Heritage Institute for consideration. To my delight, they accepted my proposal! Alien Invaders: All About Invasive Species is now listed as one of their newest course available.

If you need to renew your teaching license or are simply interested in learning more about invasive species in your area, please consider this course.

Weekly Report #23 ~ Third Year

Math, Logic & Problem Solving

• Sweetie :: Singapore 3B #5-8
• Buddy :: Singapore 1A #R4 and half of R5 as well as #50-52.
• Plants vs Zombies video game
• Impromptu lesson at the Oregon Garden ... Adorning the restroom walls were white ceramic tiles most of which were approx. 6" square. Randomly, one square tile was actually a 9x9 grid of smaller colored glass tiles. I asked to the kids to first estimate how many individual tiles there were in this grid. They counted and Sweetie said there were 82 (Buddy gave up after he reached 20). I then asked them to count one row and one column. Sweetie did so and remembering the shortcut said, "9 and 9 again. Oh, then there are 81!"
  

Science, Geography & Nature Study

• Video :: Eyewitness - Weather
• Read aloud How Do Insects Survive the Winter? Built in antifreeze gives bugs an edge an article from the local newspaper and thereafter narrated a summary.
• Read aloud Haitian Quake: Increased risk in a seismic trouble spot? another article from the local newspaper and thereafter we located Haiti on the globe and found additional images on the internet to show the earth's tectonic plates. Later that day, Buddy illustrated the plates and narrated a summary to the childcare providers at the pool. He has been asking lots of questions about earthquakes and volcanoes lately ... his illustrated narration proves that that children learn best when interested in a topic.
• Nature walk in Silverton - observing mushrooms and a more up-close study of cattails.
  

Language Arts

• Skills :: Sweetie completed pages 34-37 (vowel teams) of Master Skills Series Grade 2. She also completed week #22 of Daily Oral Language Level 1. Buddy practiced his skills on Starfall and began to use flashcards to build his reading skills.
  
• Reading :: Sweetie finished reading One Day in the Woods by Jean Craighead George.
• Read aloud :: Finished Odd & the Frost Giants.
• Writers Workshop 2x :: Sweetie typed up her Mei Mei story / Buddy illustrated his Jelly Beings story.
  

Foreign Language

• Mandarin lesson w/ Tinsel 1x
• Daily practice 2x :: characters, My First Chinese Words, Better Chinese games online, etc. She has finished the online activities for books 1-12.
  

Culture, Heritage & History

• Read aloud: Land of Morning Calm: Korean Culture Then and Now by John Stickler, The East West House: Noguchi's Childhood in Japan by Christy Hale, and An Illustrated History of Japan by Shigeo Nishimura
  

Sports & Extracurricular

• Taekwondo 2x
• Swimming 1x
• Ice Skating 1x
  

Art, Handcrafts & Music

• Daily piano practice
• American Girl Club at Barnes & Noble - began to stitch a doll skirt
• Visited a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright at the Oregon Gardens... it was not presently open but we observed it from outside and looked at pictures of the interior. We discussed potentially studying him for our next artist study.
  

Adult Skills, Current Events & Service Learning

Cattails Part 2 :: Winter Nature Study

While on a mini-getaway to the valley last week, the kiddos and I did a little letterboxing at the Oregon Garden. While we were not successful finding the letterbox, we did come across accessible cattails. We collected a few to investigate more intimately.We pulled off the seeds to observe closely and recalled how Native Americans would use the fluff in their cradle boards as well as a variety of medicinal and nutritional uses.

After reading about an experiment another family [Delightful Learning] had tried with a cattail, my kiddos were anxious to give it a go as well. We thereby brought one home to use as a torch!

Admin Note :: This is a follow-up post to an earlier Nature Study lesson on Cattails. Click here for Cattails Part 1.

Babies :: Wordless Wednesday