Monday, March 15, 2010

Live Animal Cams

Because we can't seem to get enough of these live animal cams, I have another link to share with you today.

Phoebe Allens Live Hummingbird WebCam

And while I'm at it, I have more live web cam links.  Wild Earth TV offers a variety of channels so you can see many different animals around the world in their natural habitats.  Very cool!

Updated to add ~  Live Owl Nest Box Cam

The discovery of these links coincides nicely with our new science unit on animals.  If you know of any more, please leave a comment and let me know what it is.  I don't think we could have too many!  :-)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

The Franklin Institute Hawk Nest

Someone sent a link to the K5Science Yahoo Group letting us know about The Franklin Institute Hawk Nest.  The momma has an egg in her nest.  This should be as much fun as watching Lily the Black Bear

Enjoy!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Earth and Space Science Plans

Next year we will be studying Earth & Space.  Our primary curriculum is R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey, but we'll be adding in plenty of activities from other sources.  One wonderful thing about R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey is the Try Before You Buy feature.  Click here --> RSO Earth & Space Level 1 (.pdf) to go directly to the try before you buy to see it for yourself. 

I'm working on my plans right now and will post them as soon as I am able.  I was going to post them right in the blog post, but quickly realized that I need more space than the column allows!  I'm working on a Word document that I will upload to Scribd as soon as I get it completed. 

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Ko's Journey

I just came across the coolest game!  If you read my last post about math you know I'm on a search for something to make our math lessons more exciting and enjoyable.  Unfortunately the game is for 5th to 8th grade students.  Maybe I could buy it for myself?!   

Put out by Imagine Education, Ko's Journey looks absolutely amazing and exciting, as well as highly educational. If anyone gets a chance to play it, please let me know how you like it!

Update ~ The game has been released!  I haven't bought it yet, but I'm still tempted.  Ordering and pricing can be found on this page and is $39/year for one student, or $59/year for 3 students. 

Earthquakes & Volcanoes

Although we'll be studying earth science next year, the recent quakes in Haiti and Chile have sparked conversations in our household that can't be ignored.  In my research (because living in the snow belt of NY I have zero experience with severe weather of any kind other than blizzards) I came across some really great resources that I wanted to share.  Not all of these will be appropriate for the early elementary years, so please preview.

Easy Fun School - Unit Study on Volcanoes and Earthquakes 
Earthquake ABC
Weather Wiz Kids - Earthquakes
Weather Wiz Kids - Volcanoes
Mrs. Thonus's Third Grade Stars - Volcanoes & Earthquakes
Teacher Planet - Earthquake Resource Page
The NASA Sci Files - Just How DO Those Plates Move? Experiment
USGS - Earthquakes for Kids
             (quizzes, coloring pages, animations....awesome site!)
USGS - Learning Links & Earthquake Activities
USGS - Latest Earthquakes in the World 
USGS - Latest Earthquakes in the USA
NOVA - Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius Classroom Activity
              (Website)  (Video not required)
NOVA - Volcano Above the Clouds (Kilimanjaro) Classroom Activity
              (Website)   (Video)
PBS - Savage Earth
Exploratorium - Fault Line: Seismic Science at the Epicenter
Juicy Geography - Shaker Maker Earthquake Simulator Project
Lesson Plans for Dragonwings by Laurence Yep
                    (set during 1906 San Francisco earthquake)

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Making Math Fun

I think I've screwed up when it comes to math.  My oldest is not a math-loving-kid.  He is doing great with the MEP and Math Mammoth that we have been using, but he says he hates it.  He spends his days drawing, reading, and immersing himself in imaginative pretend play.  Numbers don't excite him.  So I'm back-pedaling and trying to come up with something to make him like math, or even love math.  I think story-based math is what I need.  I thought I might have found it with Noble Knights of Knowledge, but it appears that the company is no longer selling?  (ETA~I finally found a used copy of this and Nik loves it!)  I found a few lovely lessons called Gnomes and Numbers (and can't find the link now that I'm sitting here tying to post about it, of course!) They were on a Waldorf blog.  Hmmmmm.

Oh, I found it.......sort of!  The person who had the lessons on her blog is now selling her Waldorf curriculum.  It's A Little Garden Flower's A Journey Waldorf Math Book and I bought the e-book.  I can't wait for it to arrive in my inbox so I can try something new.  Nik loves stories, so maybe this approach will get him excited about math.

Does anyone have any other recommendations for story-based math, besides Living Math which we are already incorporating?

While I'm on the subject, I found a really cool site with some fun math things.  I particularly like this math worksheet (pdf) Name the Math Term.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Learning Centers

A post on The Well Trained Mind forums prompted me to take a couple of pictures of some of the learning centers that we have set up.

Geography Center 
 Maps, LeapFrog Explorer Smart Globe, a basket full of maps, and geography books, puzzle maps

Math Center
 
Right next to the geography center are our drawers full of math manipulatives and activities, 
math games, living math books, math puzzles, calendar, and meter stick.

Science Center


Science encyclopedias, books, planet model, human body poster, a basket full of field guides and parrot feathers, the top of the cabinet holds experiment kits, the top of the filing cabinet holds a rock kit and human body puzzle and shells, a plant to the left of the filing cabinet for them to observe and care for.  
The Martian Matter isn't supposed to be there on top of the animal encyclopedia! lol

Thursday, February 25, 2010

"Books For Children Concerning Diseases, Disorders, and Learning Differences"

The Monroe County Public Library of Indiana has a wonderful list of books on their site "Concerning Diseases, Disorders, and Learning Differences."  What a wonderful resource! 

Monday, February 15, 2010

With Pencil and Pen: Language Lessons for Primary Schools by Sarah Louise Arnold

With Pencil and Pen: Language Lessons for Primary Schools by Sarah Louise Arnold

What a lovely book this one is!  Medieval Mom posted the link on the Well Trained Mind forums and curious me had to take a peek.  I am so glad that I did!  I wonder if it would be way too much to work these into next year's lessons?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

My Apologies

So much for that New Year's Resolution, huh?!  I've been so busy with things that I've barely had time to finish two chapters of the book I'm reading, much less get to the blog once this week.  Three times is not likely to happen!  :-)

I'm trying to get the Grammar Land Worksheets completed, and I'm also working on formatting The Burgess Bird Book for Children for printing and finding coloring pages to go with it.  And while doing those things I'm trying to keep up with the school work as well as preparing my house for some remodeling/painting that will be starting next week.  Add in two birthday parties to attend this weekend and I'm beyond busy.  In fact, I forgot to eat breakfast this morning and it's now almost lunch time!  

If I don't get things up that you're expecting to see (like the Grammar Land Worksheets by mid-February) a gentle reminder would be appreciated!  If I can't remember to feed myself, I can't be relied on to get to these things when you expect me to, can I?  lol 

Monday, January 25, 2010

A Child's Introduction to the Orchestra

I'm always on the look-out for free audio books and educational songs to listen to in the car.  Today's little gem is from Arts Reformation: Children's Vinyl Record Series and is titled A Child's Introduction to the Orchestra.  You can find it under the second section (Golden Records) and can download the MP3 (it's a zip file) right to your computer. 




Enjoy!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

2010/2011 Planning

I'm trying to plan for next year and it really does help to see it all written out in a list form.  Am I doing too much?  Not enough? 

Math
MEP
Math Mammoth

Reading
books of his choice
Explode the Code to help cement some of the phonics rules

Copywork/Grammar/Spelling
Classical Writing Primer
All About Spelling Level 1

Literature
Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
Among the Forest People by Clara Dillingham Pierson
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield
The Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney
The Pied Piper of Hamlin by Robert Browning
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
The Olive Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin
The Burgess Animal Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess
     (begin w/Mice with Pockets, and Others)

Poetry
Walter De La Mare
Eugene Field
James Whitcombe Riley
Christina Rossetti

History
SOTW 2 + Activity Book
Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle
Good Queen Bess by Diane Stanley
Men of Iron by Howard Pyle
Unknown to History: The Story of the Captivity of Mary of Scotland by Charlotte Mary Yonge
Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin
     beginning with The Barmecide Feast and ending with The Ungrateful Soldier 
     see the chronological order list here for details  
The Little Duke by Charlotte Mary Yonge (c. 943) study notes
Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley (1412-1431)


Science
R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey: Earth & Space
Nature study from Classical Writing Primer

Music/Composer Study
Classical Music Composer Study 2010/2011 using Classics for Kids

Artist/Picture Study
As outlined on my blog: We Don't Need No Education
And we may be working on a foreign language by then.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Geography Lessons

Links to all of the blog posts on lessons that we're using with our first grader.

Lesson # 1 ~ Better Than Breadcrumbs : Maps and Symbols (maps)
Lesson # 2 ~ National Geographic Xpeditions: Getting Lost  (cardinal directions)
Lesson # 3 ~ Houghton Mifflin: Using Grids (maps)
Lesson # 4 ~ Create a map including your home and a familiar destination.  Include a key and an index.  Write directions from your home to the destination.
Lesson # 5 ~ National Geographic Xpeditions: Introduction to Latitude and Longitude (plus p.88 of The Earth: Geography of our World)
Lesson # 6 ~ hemispheres, poles, & the equator
Lesson # 7 ~ prime meridian and international date line/time zones
Lesson # 8 ~ continents and oceans overview
Lesson #  ~ Asia
Lesson #  ~ Africa
Lesson #  ~ North America
Lesson #  ~ South America
Lesson #  ~ Antarctica
Lesson #  ~  Europe
Lesson #  ~ Australia

Geography Lesson #1

Today's geography lesson was adapted from the Better Than Breadcrumbs : Maps and Symbols lesson plan found at eduref.org.

Materials Needed:
your favorite re-telling of Hansel and Gretel
breadcrumbs, or a group of items to represent breadcrumbs
a map of the room for each student
How to Draw Maps and Charts by Pam Beasant and Alastair Smith (or another book about maps)
a physical map, a political map, and a road map

1 ~ Read your favorite re-telling of Hansel and Gretel to your student(s).  

2~ Have the student(s) act out the story using bread crumbs, then discuss why Hansel and Gretel used flint stones and breadcrumbs in the story.

3 ~ Have the student(s) navigate from one location in the room to another.  Have them use different colored markers/crayons on their room map to show each path taken.  Examples:

     From the couch to the school desk. (orange)
     From the bookcase to the doorway. (blue)
     From the white board to the easel. (green)

4 ~ Discuss how a map can be used to let people know how to find their way from one location to another.

5 ~ Read the portions of How to Draw Maps and Charts that apply. ( pages 2, 4-11, 26 in the 1993 version we own)

Friday, January 22, 2010

Lily the Bear

We have been having so much fun watching Lily the black bear as she prepared, and then gave birth!  Visit the Black Bear Den Cam to see for yourself.  (Be patient if it isn't loading and try again.  There were over 20,000 viewers when I was watching earlier!)  Or check out the videos on YouTube:
Lily the Black Bear Starts Labor
The Birth of Lily's Cub

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Geography Revisited

We've done some re-thinking when it comes to geography lately.  Daddy wants to help teach the boys, and geography is one subject he would like to take over.  So far we've mainly done geography as it applies to our ancient history studies.

So now I have to come up with plans for geography as a separate subject.  I'm thinking lots of living books!  I'm also thinking we should start with some lessons in map and globe skills, directional compasses, and we definitely need to start geo-caching or letterboxing!  We need to cover the continents and oceans, land formations.  Hmm, what else?

I'm going to post each lesson that we complete.  You can find the list of links to all lessons in this post.

Geography Books List
* indicates a book that we have already read 
A Life Like Mine by DK Publishing
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (world)
B is For Brazil (World Alphabets) by Maria de Fatimo Campos (Brazil, South America)
The Brendan Voyage by Tim Severin (Atlantic ocean)
Brendan the Navigator by Jean Fritz (Atlantic ocean)
The Cay by Theodore Taylor (islands)
Far Beyond the Garden Gate: Alexandra David-Neel's Journey to Lhasa by Don Brown (Asia, Tibet)
Homesick by Jean Fritz (China)
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman (world)
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (islands)
Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C. Holling (rivers)
* Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling (rivers)
The Penguin Family Book by Lauritz Somme (Antarctica)
Secret Water by Arthur Ransome (islands)
Somewhere in the World Right Now by Stacey Schuett (timezones)
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack (Asia)
* The Story of Anansi (Africa)
A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf by John Muir (the American south)
Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling (the American west)
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (oceans)
Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa by Don Brown (Africa)
West From Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1915 by Laura Ingalls Wilder (the American west)
Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker (Australia)

Other Links of Interest
Wee Sing Around the World
Geology Coloring Book
kidsgeo.com
National Geographic Kids
Sparklebox: Geography

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

I Gave In and Bought SOTW!

I finally broke down and bought Story of the World Volume 1: Ancient Times and the activity book to go along with it.  After spending my morning pulling all of the pages out of the activity book to make for easier copying we spent the afternoon reading the first five chapters of the book and doing a few of the activities to go along with it.  We've already covered this material, but I wanted to hear the history from the SOTW perspective, and review never hurts!  We enjoyed the first five chapters, and my only regret is not buying it sooner!

We pulled out our Crayola Air-Dry Clay and made some small clay tablets to write on, as the ancient Sumerians did with cuneiform.  We decided to stick holes in the corners so we can attach some ribbon and use them for Christmas ornaments next year.  It seemed silly to make them only to throw them away in a couple of months.

The top one says "Alexander the Great" and was done by Nik, age 6. 
The bottom is, well.....I don't know what it is!.....and was done by Nate, age 4.


Not a bad day, all in all.  Now we need to catch up on the next twelve chapters so we can move on to new material.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Planning Next Year

Next year Nik will most likely be reported as a second grader.  It's time to start finalizing plans and getting my shopping lists in order so I can spend my spring and summer in the garden instead of sitting inside and planning!

Most of my shopping will be done at Amazon and Rainbow Resource.  I'll update with links later.  Right now I need to get to the post office!

Math 
MEP (free, but requires paper and ink/toner for printing)
Singapore Math (Standards Edition)
     Textbook 2A ($11.95)
     Workbook 2A ($11.25)
     Home Instructor's Guide 2A ($16.80)

Reading
books of his choice
Explode the Code 4, 5, 6 ($6.75 each


Copywork/Grammar/Spelling
Classical Writing Primer
Cursive First (I'm still trying to decide whether to use this or not.)

Literature
selections from Ambleside Online’s Year 1 and 2 lists

History
SOTW 2 + Activity Book


Science
R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey: Earth & Space
Nature study from Classical Writing Primer

Music/Composer Study 

Visual Arts/Picture Study

Sunday, January 10, 2010

The Mastery Club


This is a club for students who are interested in achieving "above and beyond" the normal classroom expectations.  All you have to do is learn all about the topic, and then come tell Mrs. Renz the answers during your recess or lunch break, or before or after school.  You can become a 1 star member, all the way up to an 86 star member!   Learning never ends - thank goodness!

Now doesn't that sound cool?!  There are 84 challenges, from the categories "Social Studies", "Science", "Language Arts & Linguistics", "Math", and "Miscellaneous."  I'm thinking about taking the challenge myself!  This is definitely something we are going to work towards.