Butterflies and Symmetry

Our homeschool group took a field trip to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.  The girls loved it!  We will definitely be going back.  These are the books we read over the previous week.  We also covered symmetry because it fit in so nicely with the butterflies. 

Detective C's First Mystery: Surprise Sunflowers

A handful of sunflowers have popped up in my grandparents' backyard.  I was discussing with C how Grandma said she hadn't planted them.  I asked C if she could figure out how they got there.  It was so neat to see C's logic and thinking skills in action.  After she figured it out, she wanted me to record her answer to the Surprise Sunflower Mystery.  =)

Backyard Nature Study

We found a different type of mushroom growing in the backyard's mulched area.  They were a tad dried up by the time we found them.  C wanted to see if watering them would help, so we did that.  It also rained later in the day, so we'll check in a few days to see if they revived at all or if any new ones sprouted up.  It was neat, because this was her first self prompted science experiment.  I love that these nature studies are encouraging that type of thinking.  We also happened upon some tiny spiders.  C was amazed that within a few square feet of us at one point, were about half a dozen spider webs that we could see.  We also noticed quite a few dragonflies flitting around as well.

Green Gilled Mushroom

These popped up in our front yard after a lot of rain from the previous week or so.  I took the girls out in the heat to do a quick nature study.  We talked about the parts of the mushroom and the environment's conditions that were favorable for it's growth.  We identified it as a Green Gill Mushroom, which apparently is extremely poisonous, but we discussed why we should never eat wild mushrooms.  I had C sketch this as her very first entry in her nature journal.  I'll have to scan it in later.

Tiny Creatures

While working on the front yard, Daddy found four cicada shells for C.  She was fascinated by them and immediately wanted to look them up online. This was her favorite video:


Later while helping Daddy, we also found a small common toad in the bushes.  She loved looking at it for a while, and finding it in our wildlife book.

Duck Pond & Aquarium

Hubby found a great little business park that was really a nice nature spot in the middle of the city, so we took the girls one morning.  They enjoyed being able to freely explore.  C was enamored by the ducks.  She kept wanting to get up close, but since she didn't have bread, they were not interested.  D loved tailing behind her big sister.  We also saw a lot of dragonflies, and even a huge group of caterpillars all on one tree branch.  We did a bit of bird watching as well.  The girls truly enjoyed themselves.  Too bad it was insanely hot, or we would have stayed longer.  We also had a trip to the aquarium planned.

Nature Walk and Leaves

Last week we enjoyed a walk around the neighborhood collecting fallen leaves.  We tried to find as many different ones as we could.  Today, we used the book, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees to identify which leaves we had found.  We made a poster board and labeled them.  I'll try to take a picture of the final project once the glue is dry.  =)

Learned About: Identification, Observation, Trees, Fall,
10/8/09

What can you learn from a Tea Party?

Water stages - liquid and steam.  Heat transfer.  Boiling water.  Temperature.  Manners.  Carefulness.  Patience.  Sharing.
=)
9/30/09

What Makes a Magnet?

A few weeks ago we studied magnets. We used the book, What Makes a Magnet? C really enjoyed the little magnet experiment in the book and had fun "fishing" with her own magnet.

Ignore the messy homeschooling room... it wasn't near finished then.  We've made progress.  =)  Can't wait to have it done.

A is for Ants

Today was the last day to study A, tomorrow we begin working on B. So after homeschooling this morning, we decided to go find some ants to observe. I asked C a lot of questions to encourage scientific thinking. (Science is Simple is a great book to help with this!) I asked things like: Where did she think they were going? What did she think they were doing? How were they working together? etc. She concluded that they were getting food. I asked her to look at them with her magnifying glass and draw what she saw. She counted their body parts, and noticed their color on her own. Later, while looking at an anthill on the sidewalk, she got to watch an ant carrying something bigger than its head. She was very amused with that.

Observing:
What she saw:
Recording:

This is what she drew (although smaller, the scanner didn't keep the original size.)
C really enjoyed this science activity today, and I enjoyed guiding her through it. I'm really enjoying the Letter of the Day Prep Curriculum, because it's really not too demanding. We finish up in literally an hour, and we can move on to more relaxed "unschooling" that we both enjoy. I think this is how we're going to end up homeschooling throughout the girls' education. Spending some time doing structured learning, but then spending the rest (or majority) of the time learning by doing and living. I think it's a good balance for us.

Germs

This morning, C woke up with a sore throat, cough, and fever. This child, however, is never completely taken out by any sickness (as of yet anyway!) I've pretty much had to force her to lay on the couch under a blanket with a cool cloth on her head. We've read, colored, drank lots of juice and water, and are finally watching Finding Nemo.

While in the mood to read, I asked her if she wanted to learn about germs that make you sick. Of course she said yes. So, we read The Magic School Bus Fights Germs for the first time. It really clicked for her, since she's sick. She learned about red and white blood cells, and how the white blood cells are the ones that fight off the germs. She learned that fever helps the white blood cells work better. (I didn't even know that!) I'm so glad that the author included a page about how washing your hands numerous times helps keep germs away, and another that talked about how rest helps you get well. I think that may have convinced her to stay put. =)

Hopefully, she'll fight off this bug soon, and we can get back to learning! oh wait... we never stopped. =D

A trip to the Vet

Today, we had an appointment to get the cats vaccinated. At first, C and I were going to wait in the waiting area, and then I thought, "Wait a minute! What am I doing!? I'm a homeschooler! This is a prime learning opportunity!" So, we followed Daddy and the cats into the room.

C watched and observed the Vet tech examining the cats' ears, eyes, and teeth. She watched them get their temperature taken, and receive their shots. She noticed how the vet was gentle and caring with the cats. The vet tech was great and answered all of C's questions.

C really enjoyed being able to experience and learn from this. I wish I had thought to take my camera so I could take a picture of her with the vet. She would have loved that. =)

Mount Etna

Today, we drove up to Mount Etna to play in the snow! Carlee's warm winter clothes came in handy. At first, she had fun playing, sledding with Daddy, and making a snowman (like in the books she's been reading.) Then a few ominous clouds crept in and the wind picked up. The wind was so strong that it scared her, so she was pretty much done. We enjoyed Italian hot chocolate on the way down.

She mentioned a few interesting things:

"Mommy," she said, "the clouds are white. Snow is white, too. So maybe the clouds make the snow!"

Obviously, you and I know the reason clouds make snow is different than hers, but I loved the hypothesis she came up with on her own. She also observed the clouds moving very quickly and hypothesized that the wind was moving them. She impressed me with her unprompted scientific thinking. I love how her little mind works!

Hopefully I will have a few pictures to add soon. =)

Freezing Experiment

Today, Carlee decided she wanted to make Orange Juice Pops. So we did. =) What a fun way to learn about how liquid freezes. We had to use a mini muffin tray, since we don't have an ice cube tray, but it worked. We talked about how the juice looked and felt before we put it in the freezer, and then checked on it throughout the afternoon studying its properties and progression. Finally, the pops were frozen! We then talked about what the juice looked and felt like when it was frozen. Carlee noted that it was very cold and hard. I asked her what she thought would happen to rain if it got really really cold. She said it would get really cold and freeze. =) She then enjoyed the orange juice pops for snack time. This was such a fun science lesson and she didn't even know that that's what it was!

Dino Dig!

This month, we're working on dinosaurs! Carlee is loving it! Yesterday, we had a preschool type co-op event for MOMS Club. We read a few books about dinosaurs, played "Dino Match" game, played with dinosaur toys, colored pictures, and did a dinosaur dig. The kids could not wait for the dig! They had a lot of fun.

I made the "Dino Match" game out of Juicy Juice lids and dinosaur stickers. I used 2 of each kind stuck to the bottom of the lid. Then printed out a pattern of "DINO MATCH" repeated over and over to cut out into circles and attach to the top to make it more official I guess. =)

For the Dino Dig, I had wanted to make bones out of salt dough for the kids to find. I didn't have time to do that for the event, so I used two packages of small plastic dinosaur toys. They loved it anyway. This week, I think Carlee and I will make salt dough bones, and make impressions into the clay to talk about fossils.
Sorry for the weird crop. Don't know if Carlee's friend's mom wants his picture on my blog. =)

Preschool Co-Op #2: Our Five Senses

This month it was our turn to host the preschool co-op. We worked on learning about our five senses. I had three "stations" somewhat set up. Our first activity was to read My Five Senses by Aliki. This book is too cute, and really simplifies the concept of our five senses for little ones. Then we practiced our sense of smell. I had about 6 film canisters, each with a different scent inside of it. For example, one had coffee, one had a cotton ball soaked in vanilla, another had a cotton ball soaked in vinegar, one had shaved candle pieces in it that smelled like rose, one had garlic powder, etc. The kids found that interesting. You could definitely tell which smells the kids enjoyed and which ones they didn't like at all. haha.

The next activity was about our sense of hearing. I read a book about a boy who heard a mouse in the house. It had a lot of sound words in it. Then we did an activity where I had a few plastic eggs set up with various objects inside that would make different sounds. Lined up on the table were small paper cups that held duplicates of the objects. The kids had to listen to each egg being shook, and guess which material was inside. The objects were: a bell, marbles, rice, and cotton. They guessed each and every one right! They really enjoyed this activity and did really well. Afterwards, I brought out more of the little bells and they each got one to shake and listen to.

Then we moved to the sense of touch. We did a craft activity where we traced the kids' hands and then they glued different precut textures onto the fingertips of their hands. There was cotton, plastic, sandpaper, fuzzy fabric, and a piece of sponge. They seemed to like this activity as well.

Our next activity was for our sense of taste. I brought out paper cups with different items for the kids to taste. One was a lemon (sour), one had sugar (sweet), one had premade and cooled coffee (bitter), and the last was a chip (salty.) They got to taste each one and again, you could definitely tell which tastes the kids preferred. =)

Then we all had lunch and free play. The kids really seemed to enjoy everything, and I'm surprised that their attention held for so long. The reason I had preplanned so many activities was in case they got bored with one activity, then we could just move on to the next, but surprisingly they finished each and every one of them.

Since I was running all the activities, I didn't get to take any pictures. These I borrowed and cropped from another mom.

Rain, Rain, Feel Free to Stay

This is how I want my daughter to learn:
By living, by doing, by experiencing first-hand the world around her. This is why I love homeschooling.

First Preschool Co-Op

Today Carlee and I attended her first ever Preschool Co-Op. She loved it. I was a little worried about her meeting new kids and wondered how she would do... Needless to say, I worried for no reason. She is definitely a little social butterfly.

The first meeting was set up as a water play day for the kids to meet and get to know eachother. They played in a little pool, had a water table to practice pouring with, a few buckets of soapy water, and then one of the kid's older sister brought out this activity for the little ones to do:

They loved this! Carlee was fascinated with being able to produce that many bubbles! She had a blast socializing with new kids her age, and learning of course. I love this preschool co-op group already!