tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20069111108625161782024-03-13T06:39:18.090-04:00Middle Beginnings:our homeschool adventureWendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-15044457512921428172014-09-08T10:00:00.000-04:002014-09-17T22:33:47.515-04:007th Grade Week 1: Creation and Celebrating the Sabbath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We eased into our first week, focusing on creation and celebrating the Sabbath as we begin our study of ancient history. Join our 7th grade homeschool adventure as we study Creation to the Greeks and Rome to the Reformation with Mystery of History added in. Here are the highlights from our first week -<br />
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We started where history begins, with creation. We studied the 7 days of creation and started a notebook journal with a page for creation.<br />
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<i>In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. </i>- Genesis 1:1<br />
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<li>Day 1: Light & Darkness / Night & Day</li>
<li>Day 2: The Firmament / Heaven</li>
<li>Day 3: Seas and Dry Land; Grass, Seed-bearing Herbs, & Fruit Trees</li>
<li>Day 4: The Sun, Moon, & Stars</li>
<li>Day 5: Sea Creatures & Birds</li>
<li>Day 6: Cattle, Creeping Things, Beasts, & Man (male & female)</li>
<li>Day 7: God Rested</li>
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We discovered it is best to only use the front side of the notebook pages. If you journal on the back it shows through the page. </div>
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Lindsey & I are both creating notebook journals. (It's fun!) We used colored pens to journal with. Lindsey's creation page is on top and mine is underneath.</div>
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We talked about how God created us in his image. That means we are also made to create things. Lindsey drew a self portrait using colored pencils and wrote "made in God's image" on it. </div>
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We also took time for school pictures. I brought an antique school desk up from my dad's basement and took it outside for some fun photos. We also walked down to my aunt and uncle's farm for some nice backgrounds. Here are some of Lindsey's 7th grade pictures -</div>
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God rested on the seventh day. We learned about the Sabbath and prepared for our own Sabbath celebration.</div>
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Celebrating The Sabbath</h4>
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We planned decorations and a menu for our Sabbath celebration using the suggestions in Celebrating Biblical Feasts by Martha Zimmerman. Our projects included a Challah cover, oil float stars, and a spice jar. </div>
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We bought a white bandana and fabric markers and Lindsey drew the symbols on the bandana for the Challah cover. We placed newspaper underneath to protect the table from the markers bleeding through. Once the markers are set, the cover is machine washable.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uKMOCAhrJjA/VBkIEtDiP7I/AAAAAAAABAk/0IUTMqckkQ8/s1600/ctg1_019e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uKMOCAhrJjA/VBkIEtDiP7I/AAAAAAAABAk/0IUTMqckkQ8/s1600/ctg1_019e.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a>I created a star out of cardstock, and we traced it onto a foil pan and cut out the stars. We traced a small juice glass for our circles, but we substituted craft foam for the cork called for in the instructions. The craft foam worked fine. I bought a pack of tea light candles from the dollar store and removed the wicks to use as the wicks for our stars. </div>
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We recycled an empty yeast jar for our spice jar. I cut a strip of paper to fit around the jar and a circle for the lid. Lindsey drew on them and then we glued them in place. We placed cinnamon, allspice, and cloves inside the jar.</div>
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<b><i>Friday Night Sabbath Dinner</i></b><br />
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Our menu for Friday night's Sabbath dinner included Challah bread, tossed salad, and homemade chicken soup. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PS7GQGkUgY/VBUWK425diI/AAAAAAAAA_I/XQ1rczyAtoU/s1600/ctg1_018e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PS7GQGkUgY/VBUWK425diI/AAAAAAAAA_I/XQ1rczyAtoU/s1600/ctg1_018e.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>Lindsey selected <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/the-best-bread-machine-challah-142387" target="_blank">this recipe for Challah bread</a> that we found on Pinterest and she followed the instructions and started the bread machine. When the dough was ready I helped her divide it into sections and we rolled them out. Then she braided them into two loaves. We covered them and let them rise, then she brushed them with egg and baked them in the oven. They turned out beautiful!</div>
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I cut up the chicken and the onion for the homemade chicken soup, and Lindsey did the rest. She cut up the celery and measured the <br />
frozen vegetables, and added everything to the pot. Then she added the seasonings and stirred it all together.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KRVcoJ90OQE/VBkBKu6y3EI/AAAAAAAABAM/gV8csxcJAik/s1600/ctg1_028e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KRVcoJ90OQE/VBkBKu6y3EI/AAAAAAAABAM/gV8csxcJAik/s1600/ctg1_028e.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>We followed the instructions in our book for our dinner, including the Bible reading, prayers, candle lighting, father's blessing, hand washing, breaking of bread, and sharing grape juice from the cup that overflowed. There's quite a bit to it, and my family asked a couple times "Can we eat yet?" Everyone especially enjoyed the bread, it was sooo good!<br />
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On Saturday we dined on pot roast that had been prepared on Friday, then cooked slowly in my crock pot on low. We also had blueberry pie for dessert. The blueberries were fresh from my aunt's garden.<br />
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Saturday was too overcast for us to find the first 3 stars in the sky at dusk. We followed the remaining instructions for saying farewell to the Sabbath. Lindsey liked extinguishing the candle in the spilled grape juice and the sweet aroma of the spice jar.<br />
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We had also planned to make candle stick salads for our dinner, but I forgot (oops), so Lindsey made them on Sunday for a snack instead. They were easy for her to make and looked great.<br />
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Art: Frustration</h4>
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We read about Joni Eareckson Tada and watched this video about her -<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qPi-1QRLPSs" width="480"></iframe><br />
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She is so amazing. Lindsey was fascinated and asked "how does she do that?". Then we tried it for ourselves. Holding a colored pencil in our teeth, we tried to draw a butterfly. They turned out better than I expected, but it is very difficult trying to draw with your mouth. (Yes, I tried it too.) We had fun trying it, and it was a great lesson in frustration and not giving up.<br />
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Books We Read -</h4>
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<br /><b>Creation</b> by Gerald McDermott</div>
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<b>Annie's Shabbat</b> by Sarah Marwil Lamstein<div>
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<b>The Illustrated Book of Myths</b> by Neil Philip</div>
Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-18891076094372060622014-07-23T20:13:00.000-04:002014-07-23T20:13:19.234-04:00Homeschool Planning: My Weekly Planner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3dCnvFGNs2c/U9BK-b7rHsI/AAAAAAAAA4w/aaMOmFS2isY/s1600/planner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3dCnvFGNs2c/U9BK-b7rHsI/AAAAAAAAA4w/aaMOmFS2isY/s1600/planner.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6u6J2Ww59-M/U9BMSM1xXUI/AAAAAAAAA5I/JcSW0RWoh-w/s1600/planner1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6u6J2Ww59-M/U9BMSM1xXUI/AAAAAAAAA5I/JcSW0RWoh-w/s1600/planner1.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a>I found myself using a lot of sticky notes last year during our study of ECC. I didn't want to write in the teachers manual and I like to be able to rearrange things to fit our needs. I like the general grid in the teachers manual, but it doesn't include all our subjects (and has some we don't use). I had seen pages on Pinterest designed for a weekly menu that used sticky notes, and I liked the idea. I decided to create my own planning pages for the upcoming school year.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4HYdHRYRb8I/U9BMTw2PrqI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/GVonrJspufc/s1600/planner_blank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4HYdHRYRb8I/U9BMTw2PrqI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/GVonrJspufc/s1600/planner_blank.jpg" height="237" width="400" /></a>I designed a 2 page layout with a planning grid on the first page and weekly/daily boxes for sticky notes on the second page. I included a 2014-2015 one page school year calendar at the front. I kept it black & white to keep printing costs down. I can always write with colored pens and highlighters to add color, and use colored sticky notes of coarse :) I labeled the grid pages by week for 36 weeks. I like the flexibility of undated pages and I can add dates when we complete lessons. I can write my plans on sticky notes and rearrange them as needed. When completed, I can remove the sticky note and write what we did on the page for my records.<br />
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If you like my weekly planner and want one for yourself, I've made it available for purchase as a PDF download at Teachers Pay Teachers for only $1.75 - here's the link - <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/36-Week-Planner-with-Sticky-Note-Pages-1343006">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/36-Week-Planner-with-Sticky-Note-Pages-1343006</a><br />
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The 2014-2015 One Page School Calendar is also available separately as a free download - here's the link - <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2014-2015-One-Page-School-Calendar-1342795">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2014-2015-One-Page-School-Calendar-1342795</a><br />
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Happy Planning!<br />
Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-38855634165266974892014-06-13T07:34:00.000-04:002014-07-12T07:43:46.774-04:00Weeks 31 & 32: Australia and MarsupialsG'day mates! Welcome to our study of Australia.<br />
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We enjoyed learning about the land down under. Our highlights include a trip to the Utica Zoo, a fun sewing project, and good food. We also enjoyed trying to hop like kangaroos :)</div>
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Fun Food -</h4>
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We ate kiwis from New Zealand by themselves and in a fruit salad. For lunch one day I surprised Lindsey with a tuna sandwich made to look like a koala with raisins for eyes and sliced kiwi in his hands for eucalyptus leaves.<br />
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We had a surf and turf dinner of steak and coconut fried shrimp with steak fries. My Dad grilled the steak on the "barbie". We made Lamingtons for dessert - yummy sponge cake squares covered with chocolate and sprinkled with coconut. We used the Lamington recipe in our Usborne Children's World Cookbook.<br />
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We studied marsupials of coarse! We learned all about kangaroos, wallabies, bettongs, potoroos, koalas, wombats, possums, Virginia opossums, sugar gliders, bilbies, bandicoots, marsupial moles, and Tasmanian devils.<br />
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We visited the Utica Zoo to see a wallaby, but the wallaby wasn't very active when we were there and we could only see it sitting in it's shelter from a distance. We did see emus up close and they were very vocal, the noises they made surprised us. Watching them feed the sea lions was our favorite part of our visit. We had read about both emus and sea lions in Top To Bottom Down Under by Ted and Betsy Lewin. She got a stuffed wallaby from the zoo gift shop, complete with a joey in it's pouch.<br />
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Lindsey created a pouch by cutting the pocket off an old pair of pants and sewing an apron like tie-on waistband to it. Then she sewed and stuffed a fun dot patterned kangaroo to go in the pouch. She drew a face on with a permanent marker. As a bonus, she has plans to use her pouch for holding Nerf darts (arrows) for her bow during archery adventures.<br />
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<b>Top To Bottom Down Under</b> by Ted and Betsy Lewin<br />
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<b>Australia </b>by Ann Weil<br />
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<b>Australia</b> by Sarah Tieck<br />
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<b>Global Cities Sydney</b> by Paul Mason<br />
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<b>Marsupials</b> by Nic Bishop<br />
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<b>Tasmanian Devils</b> by Ruth Bjorklund<br />
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<b>Koala</b> by Dee Phillips<br />
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<b>Pocket Babies and Other Amazing Marsupials</b> by Sneed B. Collard III<br />
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<b>One Night In The Coral Sea</b> by Sneed B. Collard III<br />
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<b>Everything Dolphins</b> by Elizabeth Carney<br />
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<b>New Zealand</b> by Ellen Frazel<br />
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<b>The Maori Of New Zealand</b> by Steve Theunissen<br />
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We also watched <b>Finding Nemo</b> and a few episodes of <b>Wild Kratts</b>.Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-23613511868775388522014-05-30T10:00:00.000-04:002014-07-12T07:56:33.767-04:00Weeks 18, 19, & 20: Africa - Kenya, Morocco, Ethiopia, Egypt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1cfosRvjnSY/U79G5Ec7cII/AAAAAAAAAuk/eUvwnzHVOF0/s1600/Africa_collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1cfosRvjnSY/U79G5Ec7cII/AAAAAAAAAuk/eUvwnzHVOF0/s1600/Africa_collage.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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We enjoyed a trip to the Binghamton Zoo between our studies of India and Africa. African animals we encountered at the zoo included Meerkats, Ringtailed Lemurs, Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs, Nigerian Dwarf Goats, Emperor Scorpion, Sulcata Tortoise, and African Penguins. In zoology we studied Ungulates and there were several ungulates at the zoo.<br />
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<h4>
Zoology -</h4>
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We studied Lesson 8: Ungulates & Lesson 9: Artiodactyls while learning about Africa. We learned so much about elephants, horses, zebras, rhinos, tapirs, hippos, giraffes, deer, pigs and more... The animal cut-outs with the slit in the back for facts in the notebook were fun and look great.<br />
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We especially enjoyed the giraffe blood pressure experiment. You can read Lindsey's post about it coming soon.<br />
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In her notebook, Lindsey created a quiz about Ungulates. There are 12 true/false questions (answers at the bottom of this post) -<br />
1. Some rhinos don't have horns at birth. True False<br />
2. All elephants have tusks. True False<br />
3. No two zebras have the same stripes. True False<br />
4. Mules are donkeys. True False<br />
5. Elephants use their tusks to dig. True False<br />
6. Ungulates are anything with toes. True False<br />
7. A pony is a horse 14.2 feet tall or less. True False<br />
8. The ungulates are sorted by odd or even toes. True False<br />
9. Hippos are odd-toed ungulates. True False<br />
10. Elephants use their proboscis to snorkel. True False<br />
11. Deer are even toed ungulates. True False<br />
12. My Little Ponies are ungulates. True False<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sP7xA7QgpCk/U8DHb3Eo1_I/AAAAAAAAAvk/xw9wtEKMaeE/s1600/grasslands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sP7xA7QgpCk/U8DHb3Eo1_I/AAAAAAAAAvk/xw9wtEKMaeE/s1600/grasslands.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a><br />
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Grasslands -</h4>
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We learned about grassland ecosystems and explored old pasture land and the creek nearby. Lindsey dug up some grass, photographed it, and drew a sketch of it. At the creek we could see exposed tree and grass roots along the banks and we compared them. We learned how different animals eat different grassland plants. We thought it was neat that zebras (and some other animals) eat the top part of the grass and the grass grows back.<br />
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Our African Dinner -</h4>
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We made meat on a stick (kabobs) and plantains from Cooking The East African Way by Bertha Vining Montgomery. We added tomatoes, onion, and peppers to our meat on a stick. The plantains actually taste a lot like potatoes, but were not a big hit. We split and grilled them skin side down and then pealed the skins off. I think they might be better sliced and fried...<br />
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We also made peanut bread found in our Usborne Children's World Cookbook. We shelled the peanuts and chopped them up to add to the bread. The bread was okay, but didn't have much flavor to it. I tried some the next day with some jam on it and liked it better that way.<br />
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Since most people in Africa don't eat dessert other than fresh fruit, Lindsey said she's glad she doesn't live in Africa.<br />
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<h4>
Art -</h4>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PzN8FKN_VYE/U8DG1OIbmGI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/ICqqQYrnphY/s1600/tie-dye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PzN8FKN_VYE/U8DG1OIbmGI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/ICqqQYrnphY/s1600/tie-dye.jpg" height="219" width="640" /></a>Lindsey chose to tie dye a t-shirt and it turned out fabulous! She used turquoise dye and used the large laundry sink in the basement for her workspace. She has plans to create some more tie dye clothing in the near future.<br />
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Gardening -</h4>
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We learned about farming and agriculture in Africa. The recommended activity was to plant sweet potatoes, but we decided to plant peas instead. Lindsey did a great job planting them and about a week later they began to sprout.<br />
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Books We Read -</h4>
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<b>Gorillas</b> by Patricia Miller-Schroeder<br />
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<b>Big Cats</b> by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent<br />
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<b>Madagascar</b> by Ettagale Blauer<br />
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<b>Elephants of Africa</b> by Gail Gibbons<br />
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<b>20 Fun Facts About Hippos</b> by Therese Shea<br />
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<b>Zarafa: The Giraffe Who Walked To The King</b> by Judith St. George<br />
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<b>Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales</b> by Nelson Mandela (editor)<br />
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<b>The Lion's Whiskers: An Ethiopian Folktale</b> by Nancy Raines Day<br />
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<b>Honey, Honey - - Lion!: A Story Of Africa</b> by Jan Brett<br />
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<b>We're From Egypt: Welcome To Egypt</b> by Victoria Parker<br />
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<b>Kenya</b> by Michael Dahl<br />
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<b>Uganda</b> by Robert Barlas<br />
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<b>Cooking The East African Way</b> by Bertha Vining Montgomery<br />
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<b>A Pride Of East African Tales</b> by Donna L. Washington <br />
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Ungulate Quiz Answers -</h4>
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1. False<br />
2. False<br />
3. True<br />
4. False<br />
5. True<br />
6. False<br />
7. True<br />
8. True<br />
9. False<br />
10. True<br />
11. True<br />
12. TrueWendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-43877544194732467932014-05-02T09:11:00.000-04:002014-07-10T09:38:21.623-04:00Weeks 23 & 24: India<br />
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Welcome to our study of India! Since we were moving, we condensed India into one week. It helped that my daughter had already studied Amy Carmichael when she was attending Christian school. We reviewed by reading about her in Hero Tales, but skipped reading the book.<br />
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Zoology -</h4>
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Between our studies of India and Africa, we visited The Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park. The tigers were one of the highlights of our visit. There were two tigers, one was sleeping but the other kept walking around and came right up to the glass where we could see him up close.<br />
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We also saw Snow Leopards, an Amur Leopard, and a Cougar. This was great for reviewing what we learned earlier in the year about big cats.<br />
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During this week we studied Lesson 6: Primarily Primates in our zoology book. We were able to see several primates at the zoo including Golden Lion Tamarins, Ringtail Lemurs, Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs, and Black Howler Monkeys.<br />
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Volcano Experiment -</h4>
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Lindsey created a model volcano using playdoh using a glass bottle underneath and some crumpled newspaper to help give it shape. After the model was complete, she but baking soda and red food coloring inside the glass bottle. We took it outside and then she added vinegar to make the volcano erupt with lava. What kid doesn't want to make a volcano erupt? This was a fun experiment!<br />
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Our Indian Dinner -</h4>
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We found some Jalfrezi Indian cooking sauce at our grocery store & decided to give it a try. We cooked some chicken tenders in a skillet; added frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots; stirred it all together with the sauce; then served it over rice. It was a little spicy, but not bad. Everyone liked it okay (even my Dad), but we probably wouldn't go out of our way to make it again. It was a good introduction to the tastes of India.<br />
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Books We Read -</h4>
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<b>
A Taste Of India</b> by Roz Denny<br />
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<b>India</b> by Erin Pembrey Swan<br />
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<b>Once A Mouse... : A Fable Cut In Wood</b> by Marcia Brown<br />
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<b>Living In India</b> by Anne Singh<br />
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Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-45930044170250095572014-04-18T19:12:00.000-04:002014-07-10T19:18:59.138-04:00Weeks 21 & 22: Saudi Arabia<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1uJr3JygJCo/U5zszogFePI/AAAAAAAAAmo/jutIAIPNNKk/s1600/SaudiArabia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1uJr3JygJCo/U5zszogFePI/AAAAAAAAAmo/jutIAIPNNKk/s1600/SaudiArabia.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a><br />
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Welcome to our study of Saudi Arabia! We were packing and getting ready to move, so I didn't take pictures as usual. The camel above is a photo from an earlier visit to Aloha Safari Zoo. We also condensed this study into a week (and a half) instead of two full weeks.<br />
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<h4>
Science -</h4>
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We learned about pollution, conservation, endangered species, and deserts. We learned about natural pollution vs. man-made pollution, acid rain, greenhouse effect, and ways to reduce pollution. We looked at why species become endangered and how they can be protected. We talked about why camels hooves are well suited for walking through desert sand. Then we experimented with pushing a pencil into sand vs. pushing a quarter into it. The larger flat foot doesn't sink into the sand.<br />
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In zoology we looked at Lesson 13: Arthropods of the Land. Scorpions and Spiders were not our favorite animals to study and with our crazy schedule we were happy to just focus on the highlights in the notebook review questions and crossword puzzles.<br />
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<h4>
Books We Read -</h4>
<b>The Arabian Horse</b> by Gail B. Stewart<br />
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<b>Camels</b> by Cherie Winner<br />
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<b>The Red Sea and Persian Gulf</b><br />
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<b>Aladdin And The Magic Lamp</b> by Deborah Hautzig<br />
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<b>Take A Trip To Saudi Arabia</b> by Keith Lye<br />
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<b>Saudi Arabia</b> by Ann Heinrichs<br />
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<b>Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves</b> by Ali Baba<br />
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<b>Sindbad : from the tales of the thousand and one nights</b> by Ludmila Zeman<br />
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<b>The Book Of Wonders</b> by Jasmine Richards<br />
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We also watched the Disney <b>Aladdin</b> movies for fun.<br />
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Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-11854440243163544842014-04-04T09:04:00.000-04:002014-06-16T22:40:32.613-04:00Weeks 27 & 28: Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d76q8W4FTRk/U39_5tfkCwI/AAAAAAAAAkU/CbHF47dzShQ/s1600/Japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d76q8W4FTRk/U39_5tfkCwI/AAAAAAAAAkU/CbHF47dzShQ/s1600/Japan.jpg" height="464" width="640" /></a></div>
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Konnichiwa! Welcome to our study of Japan.<br />
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We packed a lunch & some library books, and visited a Japanese garden. We enjoyed seeing the cherry blossoms and the koi pond as we walked through the garden. We sat in the pagoda to read our books and were surprised to find a sculpture in <b>Yoko's Paper Cranes</b> by Rosemary Wells, just like the one in front of us!<br />
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We decided to visit a Japanese restaurant for dinner. There were ceramic neko cats, red bamboo, and rice paper screens to greet us. We ordered teriyaki chicken with vegetables & rice and shrimp tempura. We even ate it using only chopsticks! Everything was delicious :)<br />
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Art -</h4>
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Lindsey really liked creating origami. She went through all the paper that came with our book, so we bought more at the craft store and checked out more origami books from the library. She made everything from animals, to paper cups (yes, you can drink from them), and even an origami piano for her piano teacher.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5HX4bnWNHcQ/U5VFQhZvzSI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/gXbjQm1AKZo/s1600/japanese_bookmark_dolls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5HX4bnWNHcQ/U5VFQhZvzSI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/gXbjQm1AKZo/s1600/japanese_bookmark_dolls.jpg" height="481" width="640" /></a></div>
We made Japanese bookmark dolls and Lindsey added toothpicks as chopsticks in her dolls hair. We followed instructions in this tutorial found at Ballpoint Bliss - <a href="http://ballpointbliss.blogspot.com/2011/04/tutorial-how-to-make-japanese-bookmark.html" target="_blank">http://ballpointbliss.blogspot.com/2011/04/tutorial-how-to-make-japanese-bookmark.html</a><br />
Lindsey also made the Kokeshi doll found at Activity Village -<br />
<a href="http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/japan-printables" target="_blank">http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/japan-printables</a><br />
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We painted cherry blossoms, blowing through straws to paint the branches, using instructions found at A Faithful Attempt - <a href="http://afaithfulattempt.blogspot.ca/2011/06/cherry-blossom-paintings.html" target="_blank">http://afaithfulattempt.blogspot.ca/2011/06/cherry-blossom-paintings.html</a><br />
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Then we created a zen garden using a candy box spray painted with black chalkboard paint for the container. We all took turns creating patterns in the sand and rearranging the stones. We found ideas for patterns to create online and fun creating our own.<br />
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<h4>
Home-Ec -</h4>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVJOXriEVII/U5-oXOo-L-I/AAAAAAAAAqE/nP1n4p9Abu4/s1600/kimono.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVJOXriEVII/U5-oXOo-L-I/AAAAAAAAAqE/nP1n4p9Abu4/s1600/kimono.jpg" height="320" width="188" /></a><br />
Lindsey sewed a kimono for her American Girl doll, Felicity. She recycled a pair of pajama pants that had a panda pattern on them for the fabric. For the obi, she used wide satin ribbon. It turned out super cute!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8gZ8bL8COsU/U5-ogVGa2CI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/zti2ajc0L1s/s1600/chopsticks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8gZ8bL8COsU/U5-ogVGa2CI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/zti2ajc0L1s/s1600/chopsticks.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a><br />
Of coarse, Felicity needed chopsticks too. She followed this tutorial at Doll It Up to make chopsticks - <a href="http://www.doll-it-up.com/easy-chopsticks-for-dolls-and-a-few-tips-for-setting-an-asian-themed-table/" target="_blank">http://www.doll-it-up.com/easy-chopsticks-for-dolls-and-a-few-tips-for-setting-an-asian-themed-table/</a><br />
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Instead of toothpicks, she used wooden skewers that she cut down to AG doll size. She wrapped panda print washi tape on the ends.<br />
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We read about Japanese tea ceremonies and watched a video about them. Then we had our own version of a Japanese tea ceremony with hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies. We created a kimono for Lindsey using my bathrobe with a silk scarf tied around the waist. Then she put her hair up with a flower clip to complete the look. We spread a square tablecloth on the floor and she served our "tea".<br />
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Science -</h4>
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We studied ocean ecosystems and since I had a field trip to the beach and aquarium planned we also moved up the study of coral reefs (We'll study marsupials with Australia instead). After learning about different types of coral, Lindsey used modeling clay to create a diorama of a coral reef and added origami fish.<br />
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At the aquarium she got to see everything we studied close up! We visited Ripley's Aquarium at Myrtle Beach, SC and then spent some time on the beach building a sand castle and decorating it with shells we collected, relaxing, drawing and flying a kite.<br />
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Lindsey really liked the touch tanks at the aquarium. She was able to touch doctor fish, bamboo sharks, horseshoe crabs, and stingrays! We also loved the tunnel where sharks, sea turtles, saw fish, and other fish swam overhead as we walked through. It was awesome to get such an up close look at them. Here are some photos that highlight our field trip -<br />
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Writing -</h4>
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We read several haiku poems and learned about their structure and history. Using our field trip as inspiration we wrote our own poems. Lindsey wrote a haiku about the doctor fish that she encountered in the touch tank at the aquarium. I wrote a tanka poem about Lindsey flying a kite at the beach. Hope you enjoy our poems:</div>
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Shiny, open-mouthed<br />
doctor fish swarm and tickle<br />
my wet submerged hand.<br />
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by Lindsey Tefft<br />
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Gentle waves roll in.<br />
She runs on sand, string in hand.<br />
Wind blows through her hair.<br />
Colors sail on the warm breeze<br />
while tails wave and dance behind.<br />
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by Wendy Tefft<br />
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Books We Read -</h4>
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<b>Origami, Plain and Simple</b> by Robert E. Neale<br />
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<b>Step-By-Step Origami</b> by Paul Jackson<br />
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<b>Black Swan/White Crow</b> by J. Patrick Lewis<br />
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<b>Cats Of Myth : Tales From Around The World</b> by Gerald Hausman<br />
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<b>More Cricket Songs. Japanese Haiku</b> by Harry Behn<br />
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<b>Cricket Never Does : A Collection Of Haiku And Tanka</b> by Myra Cohn Livingston<br />
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<b>Sam Samurai</b> by Jon Scieszka<br />
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<b>Dragon Of The Red Dawn</b> by Mary Pope Osborne<br />
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<b>Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes</b> by Eleanor Coerr<br />
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<b>If I Lived In Japan--</b> by Rosanne Knorr<br />
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<b>Men From The Village Deep In The Mountains</b> by Garrett, Molly<br />
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<b>A Taste Of Japan</b> by Jenny Ridgwell<br />
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<b>Sea Turtles : Ocean Nomads</b> by Mary M. Cerullo<br />
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<b>Coral Reef</b> by Kate Scarborough<br />
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<b>Awesome Ocean Science! : Investigating The Secrets Of The Underwater World</b> by Cindy A. Littlefield<br />
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<b>Japanese Celebrations : Cherry Blossoms, Lanterns And Stars!</b> by Betty Reynolds<br />
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<b>The Funny Little Woman</b> by Arlene Mosel<br />
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<b>Yoko's Paper Cranes</b> by Rosemary Wells<br />
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<b>If Not For The Calico Cat</b> by Mary Blount Christian<br />
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<b>Tea with milk</b> by Allen SayWendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-31881963543564413672014-03-17T00:00:00.000-04:002014-06-16T22:53:27.523-04:00Weeks 25 & 26: ChinaWelcome to our study on China!<br />
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We had fun playing Chinese Checkers while learning more about China. We also like Chinese food and ate it for lunch several days during our study. Aldi's had a good selection including sweet & sour chicken, mini egg rolls, different packages of rice and noodles, and even little cookies with pandas on them :) I also bought some frozen chinese vegetables and made stir fry for dinner one night. We got out the dragon Lindsey made for <a href="http://middlebeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/02/chinese-new-year-year-of-horse.html" target="_blank">Chinese New Year</a>, and our Chinese lanterns decorated the table.<br />
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Some of our library books had Chinese characters and their meanings, and we looked some up online. Lindsey practiced writing them and pronouncing them. Then we made Chinese lanterns from construction paper and used markers to decorate them with pictures and Chinese characters.<br />
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Science -</h4>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h3HB2ovRLqk/U50eXwwOqLI/AAAAAAAAAnU/aSJ3q_lheX4/s1600/eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h3HB2ovRLqk/U50eXwwOqLI/AAAAAAAAAnU/aSJ3q_lheX4/s1600/eggs.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a>We had fun with the salt water experiments. After learning about the Dead Sea, we took 2 bowls and filled one with fresh water and one with salt water. We placed an egg in each bowl to see if it would sink or float. The egg sunk to the bottom completely submerged in the fresh water. The egg in the salt water floated with part of it rising above the surface of the water due to the salt water being denser.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7xrokYuKjU/U50cMdYClQI/AAAAAAAAAnI/a5qzZeBTgvg/s1600/salt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c7xrokYuKjU/U50cMdYClQI/AAAAAAAAAnI/a5qzZeBTgvg/s1600/salt.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>We made salt crystals. We started by boiling water then adding salt until it wouldn't dissolve anymore. Then we poured it into a mason jar and hung a string weighted with a paper clip from a pencil across the top of the jar. We placed it in a sunny window and checked it each day. As the water evaporated cube shaped salt crystals formed.<br />
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Field Trip -</h4>
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Since bicycles are a popular form of transportation in China, I took Lindsey to the park with a trail she could ride her bike on. There was a lot of bamboo growing along the trail. To our good fortune, there was a Chinese family with twin babies at the park and we talked to them a little while we were resting in the shade. We also heard them speaking Chinese to each other.<br />
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Books We Read -</h4>
We read Gladys Aylward every night before bed, and this has been our favorite missionary book so far. Her determination to reach the people of china was incredible! Parts of the book held us in suspense and others made us laugh - a very good read.<br />
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We also found several great books at the library including a childhood favorite of mine,<br />
<b>The Story About Ping</b> by Marjorie Flack.<br />
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<b>Panda Rescue : changing the future for endangered wildlife</b> by Dan Bortolotti<br />
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<b>Chinese Fables : The Dragon Slayer and other timeless tales of wisdom </b>by Shiho S. Nunes<br />
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<b>The Seven Chinese Brothers</b> by Margaret Mahy</div>
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<b>Eyewitness China</b> by Poppy Sebag-Montefiore<br />
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<b>Dream-of-Jade : The Emperor's Cat</b> by Lloyd Alexander<br />
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<b>The Art Of China</b> by Shirley Glubok</div>
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<b>Tibet : Through The Red Box</b> by Peter Sis<br />
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<b>The Emperor And The Kite</b> by Jane Yolen<br />
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<b>Hong Kong</b> by Wendy B. Murphy<br />
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<b>Zen Ghosts</b> by Jon J. Muth<br />
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<b>Lin Yi's Lantern : A Moon Festival Tale</b> by Brenda Williams</div>
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<b>A Taste Of China</b> by Roz Denny<br />
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<b>Lon Po Po : A Red-Riding Hood Story From China</b> by Ed Young</div>
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<b>Traditional Crafts From China</b> by Florence Temko</div>
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<b>Daisy Comes Home</b> by Jan Brett<br />
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<b>Cloud Tea Monkeys</b> by Mal Peet<br />
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<b>Inside China</b> by Ian James</div>
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Other Media -</h4>
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<b>The Butterfly Lovers</b> [compact disc] ; Three Chinese violin pieces. by Zhanhao He<br />
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<b>5000 years of magnificent wonders. World wonders beyond time</b> [DVD]</div>
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<b>Wild China</b> (watched on Netflix)<br />
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<b>The Dragon Pearl</b><br />
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<b>Kung Fu Panda</b><br />
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We also watched Disney's <b>Mulan</b> and <b>Mulan 2.</b><br />
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We watched this <b>Geography of China</b> video on Youtube:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/J6IrkUvJxio" width="459"></iframe>Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-78734533644119779202014-03-14T21:00:00.000-04:002014-03-29T03:02:36.985-04:00Pi Day March 14th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pi Day is March 14th - We celebrated with a math day and peanut butter pie!</div>
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First Lindsey completed the graphic organizer. We read the book Sir Comference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander. Then we completed worksheets, a crossword puzzle, and played a game of archery using Lindsey's Nerf bow. The graphing and a game worksheet had instructions for dropping pennies, but we modified it and used the bow and a target we already had. After circles had been measured and worksheets completed, we made a peanut butter pie. Before we could eat it, Lindsey had to solve the circumference of the pie.</div>
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Resources we used:</h4>
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<a href="http://www.piday.org/">http://www.piday.org/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Dragons-and-Medicine-and-Pi-Oh-My-214950">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Dragons-and-Medicine-and-Pi-Oh-My-214950</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-Graphic-Organizer-Activity-Poster-Freebie-595161">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-Graphic-Organizer-Activity-Poster-Freebie-595161</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-Crossword-Puzzle-120842">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-Crossword-Puzzle-120842</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-FREEBIE-Graphing-and-a-Game-1107865">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-FREEBIE-Graphing-and-a-Game-1107865</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-Pie-Problems-FREEBIE-588108">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-Pie-Problems-FREEBIE-588108</a></div>
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Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-5847725539365304392014-02-28T09:00:00.000-05:002014-03-28T00:58:34.367-04:00Weeks 29 & 30: Russia & the Winter Olympics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_jwr-GtP3Uc/UxGHFeOPbRI/AAAAAAAAAgA/PMN4RQuoSlA/s1600/russia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_jwr-GtP3Uc/UxGHFeOPbRI/AAAAAAAAAgA/PMN4RQuoSlA/s1600/russia.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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We studied Russia out of turn so that we could include the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics during our study. It seemed to fit well after Germany anyway since Russia is partly in Europe and partly in Asia. We will continue with Asia and then go on to Africa. I love that we have the flexibility to mix things up :)<br />
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As if by design, we were even blessed with 7" of snow on the ground in our part of North Carolina during our study! God's timing is perfect.<br />
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Even though it wasn't Christmas, I got out our Russian nesting doll Santas... We also printed off some world flags and made a long banner to decorate with and help Lindsey learn the flags. Then we created our own Olympic Games: pom-pom curling, an archery biathlon, sock skating, and also included a Mario vs. Sonic Winter Olympic video game for the Wii that I bought used at Gamestop. I think I won a gold medal in the teacher/mommy category when I surprised my daughter with the video game and told her she had to play it for school. She was so excited! Not only was it fun for the whole family, it really helped her relate to the different events.<br />
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Science -</h4>
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We took a break from our zoology to study the science of the Olympics. We learned about friction, drag, angular momentum, torque, acceleration, gravity and mass. Lindsey wrote the definitions on index cards. We looked at science of figure skating, skiing aerials, and bobsledding. We watched the Olympic science videos at <a href="http://www.nbclearn.com/olympics">http://www.nbclearn.com/olympics</a> and did some of the activities listed with them. Who doesn't want to spin in an office chair to learn about science? <br />
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We created a model bobsled to learn about the acceleration of gravity on objects of differing mass. We used the longest pvc pipe that I could bring home in my car (not the recommended 10 ft.) for the track, and travel bottles from the dollar store filled with different things for the bobsleds. We filled the bobsleds with beans, water, metal, sand art, and left one empty. Lindsey named each of the "teams" and we ran each one on the coarse 5 times and recorded their speed. Stuffed animal mascots (hare, polar bear, and tiger) cheered at the finish line. We dropped the highest & lowest time for each team and averaged their scores to determine the winners. Even though they have different masses, the sand art and the metal tied for the gold. The beans took the silver and water won the bronze. We covered boxes in white paper to create a medals podium & used stickers for medals.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NTHAimozhBY/UzUAqHHaYqI/AAAAAAAAAik/EBD_bRjkFSw/s1600/bobsled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NTHAimozhBY/UzUAqHHaYqI/AAAAAAAAAik/EBD_bRjkFSw/s1600/bobsled.jpg" height="218" width="640" /></a></div>
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Music -</h4>
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We listened to some music by Peter Tchaikovsky and discussed Swan Lake & The Nutcracker. We have been to the ballet to see both of these and we also own the Barbie movies for both, so Lindsey was already familiar with them. She practiced some ballet positions too.<br />
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We borrowed the story of Peter and the Wolf from the library and listened to the music by Sergei Prokofiev. There is a leitmotif (melody associated with a person or place in the story) for each of the characters in Peter and the Wolf to help us understand them better. We discussed the music of the characters and compared them. We also watched the video for the Disney version below.<br />
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Art -</h4>
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We watched this Treasures Of The World video about Fabergé Eggs & The Hope Diamond<br />
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We used resources found here: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/index.html</a> and images on Google for further study. Then we created our own faux Fabergé Eggs using a ceramic egg from the Dollar Store and some plastic Easter Eggs we had on hand. We painted them & let them dry (2 coats) then embellished them with stick on "jewels", a gold paint pen, and stickers. The ceramic egg was easiest to paint, but the plastic eggs turned out nice too.<br />
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We read about Marc Chagall and discussed several of his paintings. We both agreed that “I and the Village” was our favorite. Chagall was from Belarus.<br />
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Lindsey also learned to draw different Olympic sports figures in action and included them on her bulletin board project. Maps of Russia and the Olympic village, mascots, and information about the games (including medal counts) were posted on the board also. We used the learn to draw printables from Activity Village found <a href="http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/learn-to-draw-winter-olympics" target="_blank">here</a>. The instructions were easy to follow. She learned to draw figure skaters, bobsleds, and different types of skiers.<br />
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Winter Olympics -</h4>
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We printed flags from <a href="http://www.mrprintables.com/printable-world-flags.html" target="_blank">http://www.mrprintables.com/printable-world-flags.html</a> and strung them on gold curling ribbon. The country names are on the fold over so you can study them and/or quiz your knowledge of the flags. We hung them alphabetically, but you could mix them up.<br />
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For our main study we used <a href="http://www.currclick.com/product/89352/2014-Winter-Olympics-Bundled-Set-BUNDLE" target="_blank">2014 Winter Olympics Bundled Set from Brandenburg Studies</a> that I purchased at CurrClick. I used other worksheets and resources in addition to the unit study. Many of the resources we used (and a few we didn't have time for) can be found on my 2014 Winter Olympics Pinterest board - <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/MiddleBeginning/2014-winter-olympics/" target="_blank">http://www.pinterest.com/MiddleBeginning/2014-winter-olympics/</a><br />
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Books We Read -</h4>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Giant Carrot</b> by Jan </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Peck</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Glory And The Games</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Keeping Quilt</b> by Patricia </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Polacco</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Blessing Cup</b> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">by Patricia </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Polacco</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: arial;">Babushka : An Old Russian Folktale </span></b>by Charles Mikolaycak<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Freeze Frame : A Photographic History Of The Winter Olympics</b> by Sue </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Macy</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Fool Of The World And The Flying Ship; A Russian Tale</b> by Arthur </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Ransome</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Peter And The Wolf : With Music By Sergei Prokofiev</b> by Janet </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Schulman</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Russian Girl : Life In An Old Russian Town</b> by Russ </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Kendall</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Silly Horse</b> by </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Vadim Aleksandrovich </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Levin</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Marc Chagall</b> by Jude </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Welton</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Letters From Rifka</b> by Karen </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Hesse</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Anastasia, The Last Grand Duchess</b> by </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Carolyn </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Meyer</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Russia</b> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">by O. Torchinski</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: arial;">The Majestic Wild</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> [DVD]</span><b style="font-family: arial;"> : Exploring The Exotic Far East</b><br />
<br />Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-36379945980581803882014-02-03T08:30:00.000-05:002014-03-28T03:51:33.491-04:00Week 16 & 17: Germany<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ylg9JBplqww/UzUDE48JcVI/AAAAAAAAAiw/0ZH4kZCcomg/s1600/Germany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ylg9JBplqww/UzUDE48JcVI/AAAAAAAAAiw/0ZH4kZCcomg/s1600/Germany.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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Welcome to our study of Germany!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EfLTm8FjbEE/UzUn7hY6OII/AAAAAAAAAjg/q2mNJMFpFBM/s1600/chocolate_bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EfLTm8FjbEE/UzUn7hY6OII/AAAAAAAAAjg/q2mNJMFpFBM/s1600/chocolate_bear.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
We also learned about Austria & Switzerland. We especially enjoyed the Passport To Europe DVD our librarian found for us. We watched a section each day during lunchtime. We also watched The Sound Of Music and Grimm's Snow White.<br />
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We made homemade soft pretzels (with the help of our bread machine) and they were delicious! Lindsey selected a recipe for apple custard cake from German Cooking Made Easy and it was wonderful served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We also discovered German Chocolate Bears at Aldi, we love trying chocolate from other countries for the sake of learning ;)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TxAf12RO8YY/UzUmZjBrf4I/AAAAAAAAAjY/Fy_MKtIWuQw/s1600/clips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TxAf12RO8YY/UzUmZjBrf4I/AAAAAAAAAjY/Fy_MKtIWuQw/s1600/clips.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Science -</h4>
<br />In ecosystems we studied lakes, ponds & rivers. The pond skaters and surface tension experiment was fun! It took some practice setting the paperclips on the surface of the water. Lindsey liked seeing how many she could float without breaking the tension.<br />
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Art - </h4>
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After reading about Gutenberg we used rubber stamps to print bookmarks. (I forgot to take a picture) We discussed how the printed image is reversed from the image on the stamp so letters are backwards on the stamps just like on Gutenberg's printing press. The letters and images on the rubber stamps are also raised like the letters used on the printing press. We also discussed how much time it would take to set each letter individually when preparing a page for print.<br />
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We skipped the beeswax & pressed flower projects. We didn't have the necessary supplies. We may try the pressed flowers in the spring.<br />
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Music -</h4>
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We learned about Beethoven and Mozart. We listened to music from both and compared them. Lindsey preferred the more cheerful music of Mozart, but liked both.<br />
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Books We Read -</h4>
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<b>Rumpelstiltskin</b> by Paul O. Zelinsky<br />
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<b>From The Good Mountain : How Gutenberg Changed The World</b> by James Rumford<br />
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<b>Ludwig Van Beethoven</b> by Noemi Vicini Marri</div>
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<b>Play To The Angel</b> by Maurine F. Dahlberg<br />
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<b>Knut : How One Little Polar Bear Captivated The World</b> by Isabella, Juliana, and Craig Hatkoff, & Gerald R. Uhlich ; with photographs by Zoo Berlin</div>
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<b>The National Geographic Traveler : Germany</b> by Michael Ivory<br />
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<b>The Juniper Tree, And Other Tales From Grimm</b><br />
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<b>If I Lived In Germany</b> by Rosanne Knorr<br />
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<b>Welcome To Germany</b> by Meredith Costain<br />
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<b>German Cooking Made Easy</b><br />
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<b>Passport To Europe</b> [DVD]<b> : Germany, Switzerland & Austria</b><br />
<br />Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-26404098172895992922014-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:002014-03-10T03:57:30.271-04:00Chinese New Year: Year of the Horse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SlTesC5_lLA/UxGE1BTqaFI/AAAAAAAAAf0/-LMXys890W0/s1600/CNY_2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SlTesC5_lLA/UxGE1BTqaFI/AAAAAAAAAf0/-LMXys890W0/s1600/CNY_2014.jpg" height="460" width="640" /></a></div>
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Happy Chinese New Year! - 2014 is the Year of the Horse<br />
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To celebrate Chinese New Year we went out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Chinese New Year is also known as Spring Festival. We also learned about Chinese New Year traditions and made a paper dragon puppet. You can find the paper dragon here: <a href="http://www.craftjr.com/dragon-paper-craft/" target="_blank">http://www.craftjr.com/dragon-paper-craft/</a><br />
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We watched this video about Chinese New Year traditions -<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/noiouIzjJZE" width="480"></iframe>
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We used worksheets from <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chinese-New-Year-Freebie-1058613" target="_blank">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Chinese-New-Year-Freebie-1058613</a> & watched a video about the legend of Nian -<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0uJbp8d_d9c" width="459"></iframe>
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Other resources we used include:<br />
<a href="http://www.treksntrails.info/chinese-new-year.html" target="_blank">http://www.treksntrails.info/chinese-new-year.html</a><br />
<a href="http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/year-of-the-horse-colouring-page" target="_blank">http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/year-of-the-horse-colouring-page</a><br />
<a href="http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/year-of-the-horse-maze-3" target="_blank">http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/year-of-the-horse-maze-3</a><br />
<a href="http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/how-many-words-year-of-the-horse" target="_blank">http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/how-many-words-year-of-the-horse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/" target="_blank">http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/</a><br />
<br />Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-76900508352996979682014-01-17T02:15:00.000-05:002014-03-27T04:04:05.156-04:00Weeks 14 & 15: France<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2yLDGu4ySuM/UwL9Gc_IxaI/AAAAAAAAAfk/NUHmIi6BHxY/s1600/France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2yLDGu4ySuM/UwL9Gc_IxaI/AAAAAAAAAfk/NUHmIi6BHxY/s1600/France.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bonjour! Welcome to our study of France!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_zMNSbRDZik/UzPUiTH1VeI/AAAAAAAAAiE/3zYmhj4pumE/s1600/pink_tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_zMNSbRDZik/UzPUiTH1VeI/AAAAAAAAAiE/3zYmhj4pumE/s1600/pink_tower.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
Lindsey has been learning French this year using Duolingo & was excited to finally study France. We especially enjoyed the food :)<br />
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We made French hot chocolate (a few times), grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, Eiffel Towers built with sugar wafers, and cream puffs. We used the recipes in Another Trip Around The World for the hot chocolate and sandwiches. The idea for the sugar wafer Eiffel Towers came from Pinterest.<br />
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This is the recipe we used for our cream puffs - <a href="http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/02/cream-puffs/" target="_blank">http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/02/cream-puffs/</a> <br />
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For the sugar wafer Eiffel Towers, we used the same icing that we used for our gingerbread house. It's just confectioner sugar and water mixed to a glue consistency. Building the towers was challenging, but fun.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n-nmrudtju8/UzPT1KNNrRI/AAAAAAAAAh0/MO2QAmIs4T4/s1600/paper_paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n-nmrudtju8/UzPT1KNNrRI/AAAAAAAAAh0/MO2QAmIs4T4/s1600/paper_paris.jpg" height="197" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-43j4ZIeg0N0/UzPQdZTYNlI/AAAAAAAAAhE/Sb_01Y0aBRM/s1600/lego_paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-43j4ZIeg0N0/UzPQdZTYNlI/AAAAAAAAAhE/Sb_01Y0aBRM/s1600/lego_paris.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a><br />
I printed a mini version of Paris from Made by Joel on cardstock and Lindsey arranged the buildings and colored the people. You can find the printable paper Paris at <a href="http://lapetitepeach.com/paris-paper-city-from-made-by-joel/" target="_blank">http://lapetitepeach.com/paris-paper-city-from-made-by-joel/</a>.<br />
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Then Lindsey decided to build a LEGO Eiffel Tower and create Paris for her LEGO Friends. She even added a French flag on top of the Eiffel Tower. She placed a fountain in front and had her friends ride bicycles, picnic, and shop. An apple tree, ice cream cart, chocolate and flower stand are included. A salon and a pet shop (not pictured) are on the next level of her LEGO world.<br />
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<h4>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qDjEebNdGNc/UzPTDp6lLUI/AAAAAAAAAhU/qG12V6Mrjtg/s1600/DSC_8091e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qDjEebNdGNc/UzPTDp6lLUI/AAAAAAAAAhU/qG12V6Mrjtg/s1600/DSC_8091e.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qDjEebNdGNc/UzPTDp6lLUI/AAAAAAAAAhU/qG12V6Mrjtg/s1600/DSC_8091e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qDjEebNdGNc/UzPTDp6lLUI/AAAAAAAAAhU/qG12V6Mrjtg/s1600/DSC_8091e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></h4>
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Art -</h4>
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We learned about Claude Monet and impressionism. We have a jigsaw puzzle of his water-lily pond painting, but when we tried putting it together our cat kept stealing the puzzle pieces. Silly cat! We read Linnea in Monet's Garden by Christina Björk, Monet by Mike Venezia, and What Makes A Monet a Monet? by Richard Muhlberger. Then Lindsey created her own masterpiece with watercolors and a crayon resist of the Eiffel Tower. I love how it turned out!<br />
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<b>Music -</b><br />
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Lindsey started piano lessons!<br />
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Books We Read -</h4>
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<br /><b>A Taste Of France</b> by Roz Denny<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><b>Long Ago In A Castle</b> by Marie Farre<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><b>France</b> by Donna L. Knoell<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><b>Welcome To France</b> by Meredith Costain<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><b>France</b> by Don Nardo<div>
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<b>Linnea in Monet's Garden</b> by Christina Björk<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><b>What Makes A Monet a Monet?</b> by Richard Muhlberger<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><b>Monet</b> by Mike Venezia<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><b>Hero Tales From Many Lands</b> by Alice I. Hazeltine</div>
Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-37209610623063408102014-01-07T10:00:00.000-05:002014-06-08T21:31:28.405-04:00Christmas Around the World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ymRpSUwtS7o/Uxl4fdlfx7I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/b0Ni7LAP8ZE/s1600/Dec_unitstudy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ymRpSUwtS7o/Uxl4fdlfx7I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/b0Ni7LAP8ZE/s1600/Dec_unitstudy.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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We decided to study Christmas Around the World during December. We gained insights into the history of some of our Christmas traditions and tried some new ones while learning about other countries.<br />
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We decorated our tree and added a pickle ornament to it this year, hiding it like the German tradition. We set up our lighted Christmas village and our nativity. Our advent calendar counted the days until Christmas with candy and small gifts. We also used this online advent calendar to learn more about celebrations in other countries - <a href="http://projectbritain.com/Xmas/calendar/index.html#calendar">http://projectbritain.com/Xmas/calendar/index.html#calendar</a><br />
We made cookies, fudge, & peanut brittle. We went caroling at a senior center with our church. Our elf Holly visited. We read several Christmas books, watched Christmas movies, and listened to Christmas music.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HraI0ATy5qw/UxmLGxkNO4I/AAAAAAAAAgg/MPrAULCc26I/s1600/christmas_unit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HraI0ATy5qw/UxmLGxkNO4I/AAAAAAAAAgg/MPrAULCc26I/s1600/christmas_unit.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
Lindsey filled out several worksheets where she researched traditions in different countries. She learned how they say Merry Christmas in their language, how and when they celebrate, what foods they eat, etc... We also used some Christmas worksheets for math and writing that were fun. After learning about the legend of the Christmas Cat in Iceland who eats anyone not wearing a new outfit Christmas Eve, Lindsey drew a picture with colored pencils designing what she would wear to avoid being eaten.<br />
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These are some of the resources we used:<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Around-the-World-Math-Literacy-Worksheet-Packet-171345">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Around-the-World-Math-Literacy-Worksheet-Packet-171345</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Holidays-Christmas-Around-the-World-Scrapbook-Freebie-885381">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Holidays-Christmas-Around-the-World-Scrapbook-Freebie-885381</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2012/10/christmas-around-world.html">http://www.123homeschool4me.com/2012/10/christmas-around-world.html</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Inferencing-Problem-Solving-Vocab-Comprehension-Christmas-Around-the-World-451676">http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Inferencing-Problem-Solving-Vocab-Comprehension-Christmas-Around-the-World-451676</a>Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-80497919150188360692013-12-09T09:00:00.000-05:002014-03-07T16:01:46.370-05:00Flat Lindsey Visits Canada<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WjHRKNjFSaQ/UvxyYKqOoXI/AAAAAAAAAes/KjcsNAkFcwc/s1600/flatlindsey_canada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WjHRKNjFSaQ/UvxyYKqOoXI/AAAAAAAAAes/KjcsNAkFcwc/s1600/flatlindsey_canada.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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Flat Lindsey visited her new friends Iorek and Gaïanne in Canada. Their mom wrote to us about her visit -<br />
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First we made her a winter jacket, but since it was 9 degrees celsius (48 in fahrenheit) she didn't need her tuque. In Canada we use the International system for temperature, measurements, distances etc..<br />
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We brought Flat Lindsey to the West Edmonton Mall. It is the biggest mall in all North America and it's the 13th biggest mall in the world. In the pictures, you can see mini Lindsey in the mall, at the sea lions show, at the indoor water park, the indoor amusement park, and we also show you one of the Oldest company in the world, that have a big significance in the history of Canada (fur trading), The Hudson Bay Company.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fowj0lqqYTA/Uvx-CWPKUdI/AAAAAAAAAfI/vaA0aW2CoY8/s1600/mall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fowj0lqqYTA/Uvx-CWPKUdI/AAAAAAAAAfI/vaA0aW2CoY8/s1600/mall.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then we went to the Royal Alberta Museum which is beside the government house (historical building) where we took photos of Lindsey with the flags of all the provinces of Canada, and then with Canada and Alberta flags. In the Museum we first start with the Alberta Native History Gallery where she saw how the first nation used to live before the arrival of the Europeans and how the French Canadians did the fur trading and then founded the first colony of Metis (pronounced May-tee) (meaning mixed blood). Then we went to the Nature and Wild Life of Alberta gallery Where we showed her our trees and wild life. At the very end we took a little walk to take some picture of the scenery downtown around the museum.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RZUZptLMhLY/Uvx6ie9H-II/AAAAAAAAAe8/CHnjA0dB6kc/s1600/royal_museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RZUZptLMhLY/Uvx6ie9H-II/AAAAAAAAAe8/CHnjA0dB6kc/s1600/royal_museum.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a>We brought Mini Lindsey to Iorek's fencing friendly competition. We had our first real snow storm of the year, so Flat Lindsey had a chance to wear her tuque :-) Flat Lindsey enjoyed Iorek and Gaïanne playing in the snow in the back yard. She also went along with us to our meeting with our homeschool group at the local library. We also share a meal, vegetable omelette, with mini Lindsey.<br />
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We attended a Souvenir/Remembrance Day Parade. You can see the poppy flower we made for flat Lindsey to bring her to the parade. You can find all the information concerning Remembrance Day at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day</a> . The bright yellow building is the Universiade Pavilion, better known as the Butterdome <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universiade_Pavilion">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universiade_Pavilion</a> . This is where the biggest Remembrance Day parade of the province is held every year. The Prime Minister of Alberta, Allison Redford was present at the ceremony. We like this very location for the parade because it's held inside, and as you can imagine, it is usually cold outside at that time of the year here in Alberta. My husband, the corporal Simard, was in the rank for the parade. <br />
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Here is the wiki page about the West Edmonton Mall <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Edmonton_Mall">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Edmonton_Mall</a> , the official page of the museum <a href="http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/">http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/</a> , the wiki of the museum and the government house <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Alberta_Museum">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Alberta_Museum</a> .<br />
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General info about Alberta here <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta</a> . Concerning the Flat Stanley book, we got curious and search if there was an équivalent in french and found one. It is «Clément Aplati» <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/CL%C3%89MENT-APLATI-JEFF-BROWN/dp/2070537188">http://www.amazon.ca/CL%C3%89MENT-APLATI-JEFF-BROWN/dp/2070537188</a> . <br />
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Flat Lindsey had so much fun on her Canadian adventure!</div>
Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-84016577233220880652013-12-07T01:46:00.001-05:002013-12-08T02:36:54.350-05:00Weeks 12 & 13: Norway & ScandinaviaSorry to be so late posting & to have missed a week! Lindsey was a bit under the weather for week 12, so most of our activities were during week 13. Here are the highlights -<br />
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Piano</h4>
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Week 12 started with a piano being delivered for Lindsey! She has been wanting to take piano lessons since 2nd grade but we couldn't afford a piano. A family from our church had an old piano in their barn and they gave it to Lindsey. She is so excited! A group of boy scouts delivered it to our house and Lindsey learned to play Hot Cross Buns that afternoon. I found some free online lessons to get her started. She has also taught herself to play part of the keyboard cat song. Praise God for providing her with the piano she has wanted for so long.<br />
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Denmark & LEGO</h4>
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Lindsey loves to build with LEGO blocks and they were invented in Denmark. I found a <a href="http://www.walkingbytheway.com/blog/lego-unit-lapbook/" target="_blank">LEGO lapbook</a> that included their history, how they are made, and math. <br />
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One of the activities was to build the flag of Denmark using LEGOS. Other Scandinavian flags are based on Denmark's flag as well. Norway used Denmark's flag as their own until they later added blue to it. <br />
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Since we have been working on percents in math, I had Lindsey figure out what percent of her LEGO flag was white and what percent was red. We really enjoyed this lapbook.<br />
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Sweden & IKEA</h4>
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We have been needing desks for our classroom, so we decided to take a field trip to IKEA in Charlotte. It's a 2 hour drive for us & this was our first trip there. It was definitely worth the drive. We brought some of our library books with us in the car so Lindsey could read about Sweden on the way there. I had her write some interesting facts she found on a notebooking page. (She did the same for Norway.) <br />
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When we arrived we signed up for the IKEA family discount card. We shopped around the huge store and ate lunch in their restaurant. Lindsey got the kids meal with moose shaped pasta, yogurt, applesauce, and lingonberry juice. I ordered the Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberries of coarse. I shared some of my meatballs with Lindsey. Yum!<br />
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We bought the cutest woodland animal cookie cutters, a gingerbread house, a yule goat, magazine holders, and two laiva desks. The desks were only $18 each and they are a good size for our classroom. I love IKEA! I have a long wishlist and we will be making plans for future trips :)<br />
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Lindsey helped me put the first desk together and said "Mom! The instructions are just like the ones for Legos! Do you think that's because they are both from Scandinavian countries? The desk is from Sweden & Legos are from Denmark." I'm so thankful we made the decision to homeschool. I love to see her make connections like that about places we are studying. Thankful for Legos too. Lindsey practically put the second desk together by herself, building with Legos has trained her well.<br />
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Zoology: Dissecting An Owl Pellet</h4>
We studied Lesson 9: Rodentia and the Rest and Lindsey dissected an owl pellet for her lab. Given her aversion to bones & skeletons, this was not an easy lab for her. She had to stop a few times for a breath of fresh air, but she got through it and did a great job. She was able to find a fairly complete rodent skeleton. The skull even had some teeth.<br />
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I ordered the owl pellet kit from <a href="http://www.hometrainingtools.com/owl-pellet-dissection-kit/p/PM-OWLKIT/" target="_blank">Home Science Tools</a>. It came with the owl pellet, tweezers, a wooden probe, instructions and a bone sorting chart. We did have to soak the pellet in water to loosen it because it was to dry/compact to work with easily.<br />
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Woodland Animal Sugar Cookies</h4>
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We used our new woodland animal cookie cutters from IKEA to make some sugar cookies. They were delicious & almost too cute to eat. <br />
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We made a thin cookie icing and dipped and/or painted the cookies to ice them. The icing dries hard so the cookies can be stacked. We used gel food colors to tint the icing, except for brown. For brown bears, hedgehogs, and moose, we added a bit of cocoa powder to the icing instead of food color. <br />
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The hedgehogs were the favorite. After dipping them in icing, we used chocolate sprinkles for their spines, a sprinkle for the nose, and a mini chocolate chip for the eye. <br />
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The moose were too large to dip, so we painted the bodies brown & the antlers yellow (like Bullwinkle). We also painted the icing on the snails. <br />
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For the foxes we used a chocolate sprinkle for the eye and a mini chocolate chip for the nose. We also added red sugar crystal sprinkles to the foxes. <br />
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Lindsey wanted the squirrels to be blue. We used a sprinkle for the nose & a mini chocolate chip for the eye. On some she also added a mini chocolate chip to their paw as an acorn.<br />
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Gingerbread House</h4>
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We bought our gingerbread house at IKEA, it's called Pepparkaka Hus. <br />
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We used the same icing we made for the cookies on our gingerbread house and added more confectioner sugar for the icing to glue the pieces together. We decorated the pieces with icing before assembling the house. We used candy canes, red and green Skittles, gumdrop fruit slices, and a couple lollipops to decorate our house.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8Ah566uyOU/UqKpq6AXK9I/AAAAAAAAAdE/gmvC7cxg4t4/s1600/gingerbread_house2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8Ah566uyOU/UqKpq6AXK9I/AAAAAAAAAdE/gmvC7cxg4t4/s400/gingerbread_house2.jpg" width="400" /></a>We used coconut for snow and added a few marshmallows for snowmen. We used candy canes broken to length in each corner of the house and along the roof. The hook part of the candy canes we used along with fruit slices to create a fence in the back yard. Fruit slices were also used as shrubs around the house. We made paths with the Skittles, one to the backyard and one to the front door. Lollipops became smoke for the chimney. We spread coconut out for snow, but left the aluminum foil showing in one section for a skating pond.<br />
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This was a fun project. Sadly our gingerbread house didn't survive until Christmas. Most of our candy had been eaten by Thanksgiving, and the house began to disappear after the woodland animal cookies were gone. It was yummy though :)<br />
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Music</h4>
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My daughter pointed out to me that the popular song "What Does The Fox Say?" by Ylvis is from Norway. So I double checked and yes, Ylvis is a Norwegian group. Just in case you aren't familiar with it, here's their video -<br />
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We made cute braided paper heart ornaments to hang on our tree. They are called Flätade Hjärtan<span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">. </span>They are little baskets that can be filled with candy or treats. We used red & white cardstock and followed instructions I found at <a href="http://craftandcreativity.com/blog/2011/12/08/flatadehjarta/" target="_blank">craftandcreativity.com</a><br />
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We also learned about rosemaling. We watched some instructional videos, then practiced on cardstock. <br />
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It takes some practice to learn the strokes. Lindsey struggled a little with the circle strokes, and found the S strokes to be the easiest. After practicing, she painted a design on a small cardboard box. <br />
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The rosemaling videos we watched are below.<br />
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<br />Reading</h4>
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Of coarse I have to include Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett. The needlepoint illustrations are wonderful and the story includes a Tomten. It's a great story to read while studying Scandinavia. <br />
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We found some other great books with the help of our librarian: The Race of the Birkebeiners by Lise Lunge-Larsen, Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren, & Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Norway. I also got books on Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. <br />
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Movies / Videos / Websites</h4>
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We watched Heidi and How To Train Your Dragon. At first Lindsey didn't want to watch Heidi, but after a while she liked it. It was a long movie, it's in two parts so we watched it over two days. How To Train Your Dragon includes vikings and their boats. These were good to watch while Lindsey wasn't feeling well.<br />
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There are several photos and videos on Norway along with information at <a href="http://www.visitnorway.com/us/" target="_blank">http://www.visitnorway.com/us/</a> - The videos of the northern lights are especially beautiful. We also liked this video on YouTube: <a href="http://youtu.be/WofAIPO9OVQ" target="_blank">Visit Norway in 7 min.</a> For Finland visit <a href="http://www.visitfinland.com/" target="_blank">http://www.visitfinland.com/</a>, for Denmark <a href="http://denmark.dk/">http://denmark.dk/</a>, and for Sweden <a href="http://sweden.se/p2/" target="_blank">http://sweden.se/p2/</a>. We also learned about the Yule Goat tradition at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_Goat" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_Goat</a> - we bought a small one at IKEA and plan to make some felt Yule Goat ornaments while we look at Christmas around the world.<br />
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We ended our Scandinavian adventure at the theater with the new Disney movie Frozen. The movie takes place in Norway. We noticed rosemaling, northern lights, fjords, the architecture, etc... Also at the beginning of the movie it showed them cutting ice from the frozen harbor. We enjoyed the movie, it was fun!<br />
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Hope you enjoyed our study of Norway and Scandinavia! We'd love to here your comments below.Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-58143994317059014872013-11-15T13:34:00.002-05:002013-11-16T01:25:43.547-05:00Week 11: Last Week of South AmericaWe wrapped up our study of South America this week and here are some of the highlights:<br />
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Egg Experiment</h4>
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We spent some time learning about all some of the amazing birds that live in South America. Then we took a look at eggs with this fun experiment. We cracked the small end of 4 eggs and evened up the remaining eggshells to make them the same height. Then we placed them on the table spread out in a rectangle and slowly added books on top of them one at a time to see how much weight they could hold.<br />
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Our eggshells held 13 pounds of books before collapsing under the weight of one more book. Then Lindsey examined the crushed eggshells that remained. They were smashed. Question: how could something as fragile as eggshells hold so much weight? Answer: their arched dome shape provides strength. An arch is one of the strongest shapes in architecture.<br />
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Feathers</h4>
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We examined some real feathers and pulled the barbs apart and zipped them back together again. Then we traced one of our feathers onto two colors of construction paper and cut them out. We used orange and blue. We coated the orange feather with olive oil and left the blue one uncoated. We put both paper feathers on a plate and Lindsey sprinkled water on them.<br />
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The blue feather absorbed the water, but the water beaded up on the orange feather and didn't soak through. We let them sit for a few minutes and checked them again. The water had soaked in spreading on the blue feather. On the orange feather the water was still beaded up. This was a good demonstration of how oil protects a bird's feathers making them waterproof.<br />
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Nate Saint</h4>
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I must admit that our book got misplaced so we didn't end up reading it. Naughty teacher mommy! We did still learn about Nate Saint. We read the reading found in the teacher's manual and discussed it. Then we assembled the MAF plane from the student sheets. It turned out pretty good and we flew it across the living room a few times to test it out.<br />
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Lindsey also read Bruchko, not an easy book.<br />
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Oil Pastel Toucans</h4>
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For our final South American art project, we used oil pastels to draw toucans. We researched toucans online and looked at several photos of them. I didn't realize there are so many different types of toucans!<br />
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Next we lightly sketched our toucans with pencil. We selected our colors and filled in the main areas of the bird. We added a simple background. Then we added details and outlines. Last but not least we completed the composition by adding a few rain forest plants. What do you think of our finished artwork?<br />
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Brigaderiros</h4>
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We made these yummy soft chocolate treats as our recipe for Brazil. They were a bit messy, but worth it. Make sure to keep your hands buttered when rolling them into balls.<br />
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Traditionally they are rolled in chocolate sprinkles. When we ran out of sprinkles, we improvised and used confectioner sugar for the rest. Both tasted good!<br />
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Hope you enjoyed our South American adventures! We'd love to hear your comments below. Stop back next week as we begin studying Europe starting with Norway.Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-54581310886496495922013-11-10T14:46:00.000-05:002014-06-08T21:32:19.452-04:00Flat Lindsey Visits Honduras Flat Lindsey was mailed to Lindsey's former kindergarten teacher and her family in Honduras. They are missionaries to El Progreso, Honduras and Hope Children's Home Honduras/Esperanza de Honduras. You can follow their blog at <a href="http://www.journeytohonduras.blogspot.com/">http://www.journeytohonduras.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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Flat Lindsey arrived in the number one most dangerous city in all of the world to visit Mrs. Coats, her family, and Esperanza de Honduras. Mrs. Coats writes, "We are in need of prayer for protection everyday as we try to protect children as well as share the gospel with the people of Honduras." Please pray for them. </div>
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Flat Lindsey was able to see many crops that grow in Honduras....such as bananas, coconuts, papaya, mango, leche fruit, African palms, plantains, and oranges, and almonds. They also produce a ton of cashews as well. <br />
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Flat Lindsey found a banana tree and wanted a snack :)<br />
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Please pray that God will send supporters and donors as they try and care for these children and receive no government aids or assistance. They are 100% funded by individuals and churches. <br />
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If anyone would like to sponsor a child or learn more they can email <a href="mailto:amy@teamhonduras.com" target="_blank">amy@teamhonduras.com</a> </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qcqXjqPRQH4/Un_gO2_fUXI/AAAAAAAAAaM/eYQldb6jJnY/s1600/honduras9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qcqXjqPRQH4/Un_gO2_fUXI/AAAAAAAAAaM/eYQldb6jJnY/s400/honduras9.jpg" height="257" width="400" /></a>Flat Lindsey brought home some candy and a mango drink mix that is a favorite of her new friends in Honduras for Lindsey to try. <br />
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They also sent a Lempira (their money) back with Flat Lindsey. It takes almost 20 Lempira to make $1.<br />
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Flat Lindsey enjoyed her visit to Honduras. Thank you Mrs. Coats and family for hosting her!<br />
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Please pray for their family and the Hope Children's Home Honduras / Esperanza de Honduras. You can follow them on Facebook here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/esperanzadehonduras" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/esperanzadehonduras</a> </div>
Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-19849846109133483592013-11-08T16:00:00.000-05:002013-11-10T01:40:33.307-05:00Week 10: Brazil & Rain Forests<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are continuing to learn about Brazil, South America, and tropical rain forests. Lindsey loves learning about all the unique animals who call the rain forest home.</div>
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Science</h4>
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We finished our study of feliforms in zoology with the cougar eats the deer experiment. We quickly ran out of paper deer! I wish more were included in the notebook. We cut squares of white paper to represent the extra deer we needed. Lindsey had fun throwing the cougar into the square we had marked off on our kitchen floor and seeing how many deer he would eat. By the end of the experiment though she was glad it was finally over - twenty generations took a long time. She did learn how the population of the deer must increase for the population of the cougars to increase. Then as the cougar population grew the deer started to decrease and then the cougars decreased too. I think she understands how they keep each other balanced. With twenty generations she was able to see the whole cycle.<br />
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To learn more about rain forests and the animals that live there we looked some up at San Diego Zoo <a href="http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/habitats/tropical-rain-forest" target="_blank">http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/habitats/tropical-rain-forest</a> and National Geographic Kids <a href="http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/" target="_blank">http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/</a> At National Geographic Kids you can also search for info by country and there are some great games on their site. My daughter loves to play Animal Jam, she learned about birds of paradise while playing it this week. We also looked up the difference between anteaters and aardvarks.<br />
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Geography</h4>
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After the first week of studying South America, Lindsey had memorized all the countries and the geography game became easy for her. In order to make the game more challenging I found some flag cards to add to the game. They only cost a dollar. They also included capitols for each country. I purchased the ones for North America too, and we'll add North America back to the game next week.<br />
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The cards are in a PDF file with several options. I used the ones that fold in half and used a glue stick to glue them after folding. The front of the card has the flag of the country. The back of the card has a small flag image next to the name of the country and lists the capitol. I used a colored pencil to color in the flag to match the continent color of the original game cards.<br />
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To start I showed her the flag card and gave her the name of the country and the capitol so she could get familiar with them. Next I showed her the flag and if she needed a hint I told her what letter the country (or capitol) started with. She is doing well learning the flags and capitols, and she loves to play the game.<br />
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Adding Flags to the Geography Game - these are the flag cards I bought -<br />
<a href="http://pinayhomeschooler.blogspot.com/2013/04/continent-study-flags-by-continent.html" target="_blank">http://pinayhomeschooler.blogspot.com/2013/04/continent-study-flags-by-continent.html</a><br />
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Continent Box</h4>
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I found a nice box on clearance at Michael's and decided to use it for a continent box. I added some animal and plant flashcards I found plus a few other things we had for South America. I plan to change the contents and use the same box for each continent.<br />
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South America Flash Cards for Animals & Plants -<br />
<a href="http://pinayhomeschooler.blogspot.com/2013/03/free-printables.html" target="_blank">http://pinayhomeschooler.blogspot.com/2013/03/free-printables.html</a><br />
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Art Projects</h4>
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We continued using "Crafts for Kids Who Are Wild About Rainforests" by Kathy Ross for our art projects this week. We love this book! Lindsey chose to make the Macaw and the Anteater this week. <br />
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We made the Macaw first. I helped her trace her hands on different colors of construction paper for the Macaw's wings and tail. She traced her shoe for the body. Then she glued them together with a glue stick and added feet, a beak, and eyes. When it was finished I ran some fishing line through some of the feathers on the back and hung it in our window.<br />
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For the Anteater, we used a paper grocery bag for his body. Lindsey drew him, then cut through two layers so the front and back would line up. We stapled him together then added the tongue complete with a velcro sticky dot for picking up felt ants. She drew the face and claws. The straw allows you to control his tongue and pick up the ants - very cute!<br />
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Reading</h4>
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As I've mentioned before I love Jan Brett, this week we read The Umbrella. The illustrations are wonderful. I also printed bookmarks from her website to use during our study, and one for Lindsey to give our librarian who has been so helpful. You can find them here: <a href="http://janbrett.com/bookmarks/bookmarks_umbrella.htm" target="_blank">http://janbrett.com/bookmarks/bookmarks_umbrella.htm</a> There are several other nice printables on her site too.<br />
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Lindsey is also reading Bruchko. She reads two chapters a night then narrates them to me. It's not her favorite book, but she likes it okay. Parts of it are pretty gross, but she is learning what some missionaries go through and how different some other cultures are. After she reads her two required chapters she gets to read for fun, this week she is reading Hunger Games.<br />
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We are suppose to be reading Nate Saint as well, but I can't find where our book disappeared to... At least next week I can read her the story from the teacher's manual. That will have to be enough for now.<br />
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Math</h4>
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We are using some worksheets on percents from Math Mammoth this week and Lindsey likes them a lot. She needed a break from Khan Academy. I'll see how she does with them, I may purchase more and add them to our curriculum for some more variety.<br />
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We have one more week studying South America... We'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment below and let us know about your homeschool adventures.</div>
Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-64550588692583731902013-11-02T05:46:00.001-04:002013-11-02T05:46:54.380-04:00Week 9: South AmericaWe arrived in South America this week in our studies. We are especially enjoying studying the rain forests. We also took a field trip to the North Carolina State Fair on Thursday. It's been an exciting week!<br />
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Terrarium</h4>
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As part of our rain forest study, we made a terrarium. We used a plastic aquarium type box that we had previously used to study a baby turtle. I bought stones and moss from the dollar tree and we went in search of plants. Our Lowes didn't have much selection, but we did manage to find an African Violet & another unknown tropical plant on the distressed plants rack. Then we dug some two types of moss and a small fern from our back yard. It was the best we could do & turned out better than I expected.<br />
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While in the yard working on the terrarium, Lindsey spotted a green anole and made up her mind to catch it and add it to the terrarium :) It was neat observing him, especially when he would change colors. Lindsey went to check on her lizard friend before bed and couldn't find him. I thought "Oh, no! A lizard loose in the house?" I grabbed a flashlight and searched the box carefully. Whew... He was still there. He had dug under the moss and was all tucked in like it was a blanket. All we could see was his eye, he was very well camouflaged.<br />
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Our cat also liked to observe the lizard sunning himself on the plants during the day. On day three we heard a CRASH! The cat had knocked the terrarium off the table and it landed upside down on the floor. We took the terrarium outside to re-build it. At this point I was able to convince Lindsey that the green anole would be safer and happier living back outside in our yard, so we let him go free :) We re-created the terrarium without the lizard, and so far the cat is leaving it alone.<br />
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Beta Fish<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">It was a week for pets - Lindsey used some of her birthday money to buy a Beta Fish. She got a starter set with a small tank, water conditioner, an artificial plant, and fish food. She found a background image online and printed it out then taped it to the back of the tank.</span></h4>
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Fruit Bat</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Our librarian found us a great book called "Crafts for Kids Who Are Wild About Rainforests" by Kathy Ross. Lindsey selected the fruit bat for our first project and it seemed seasonally appropriate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The framework for the wings calls for a wire coat hanger and chenille stems. I was out of chenille stems, so we used black yarn to form the wing segments instead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">After the frame is prepared, we stretched a leg of pantyhose over it and knotted both ends. We used the foot of a brown sock for the body and stuffed it with fiberfill. The eyes, nose, and ears are made using brown construction paper. We glued the eyes and nose in place and sewed the ears on so they would be at the top. Then Lindsey pinned the body to the wings using safety pins, and hung him from the kitchen light.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">We also watched Wild Kratts: A Bat in the Brownies to learn more about bats. </span>Wild Kratts have several episodes featuring other animals available. We watch them on Netflix and Hulu.<br />
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State Fair</h4>
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On Thursday we took a field trip (not south america related, but still educational) to the NC State Fair. We enjoyed watching several craftsmen in the Village of Yesteryear. Lindsey painted a cat necklace. We visited the garden displays, the farm animals, the prize winning vegetables including giant pumpkins, and the art displays. There was a STEM bus where Lindsey spent some time learning about molecules, acids, & bases. We watched a blacksmith at work and toured a working mill (with hush-puppy samples of coarse). Lindsey rode a pony and learned how to milk a cow. We learned about agricultural products of North Carolina. We had some delicious pumpkin spice ice cream and bought some fudge to take home. After our adventures at the fair we had the chance to visit with some friends too. It was a fun day! </div>
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<br />Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-89754315414328497092013-11-01T21:56:00.000-04:002014-06-08T21:59:55.805-04:00Our Schedule for Apologia Zoology 3 and My Father's World ECCBy request I have created a document with the schedule we are using for Apologia Zoology 3 in conjunction with MFW ECC and you can find it on the sidebar or by clicking here: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qrAXZkwf39sc6mfvhLsof6CeZ1XB-a2z5OexhC2t6BM" target="_blank">Zoology 3 / MFW ECC Schedule</a>Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-16556812699313123992013-10-28T21:54:00.000-04:002013-10-28T22:01:01.825-04:00Review Week: 6th Grade Study of North AmericaWe took Columbus Day off, so this was a short week for us. I decided to review what we have learned so far while studying North America before moving on to Week 9: South America. We also included some home-ec and planning skills this week as we prepared for my daughter's birthday which included a safari theme and a trip to Aloha Safari Zoo.<br />
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Geography</h4>
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We used our <a href="http://middlebeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/09/week-4-united-states.html" target="_blank">50 states flashcards</a> and <a href="http://middlebeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/10/week-8-canada-building-igloo.html" target="_blank">Canadian flashcards</a> with our guessing game to help review. My daughter loves these! We also played the MFW geography game for North America. Games work well for us :) I also let her review with the online games we used before. She also had a couple pages to complete for North America in Exploring World Geography, so we finished those up as well.<br />
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Science</h4>
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For ecosystems, I used the questions at the end of the chapters in Properties of Ecosystems (POE) to review the chapters we have covered so far. For zoology, Lindsey has been completing the notebook pages for each unit we study so I didn't feel it was necessary to review these. <br />
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We did see many animals we have learned about when we visited the zoo for her birthday. We took one of her friends with us and both girls had a great time. The Aloha Safari Zoo was wonderful! Lindsey identified the grizzly bear before seeing his sign because he had a hump on his back. She could tell me about the ungulates, skunks, porcupines, and other animals too. We fed carrots to a giraffe. We also fed bread to camels and other animals on the safari tour.<br />
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Grammar</h4>
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We worked on capitalization in grammar this week. Grammar is probably Lindsey's least favorite subject. I started giving her a sticker for each sentence she completes correctly instead of just one for the page, and things went much smoother this week. Time for me to stock up on stickers! <br />
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Safari Birthday</h4>
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She helped plan the menu and decorations for her birthday party. We made cake and cupcakes, Jello Jigglers shaped like alligators, and she turned a cheese-ball into a lion. I made homemade pizza for our main coarse. We also had animal crackers of coarse, popcorn, and pretzel sticks (twigs). We used some animal print balloons, green streamers, animal plates and cups, flamingo straws, a zebra striped tablecloth, and several of Lindsey's stuffed animals to decorate with. We hung stuffed monkeys from the chandelier, and put a small stuffed parrot on top. Here are some photos from her party:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NRk9w91zzrE/UmycfAiCBBI/AAAAAAAAAV4/yDLxC3ixW7U/s1600/party_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NRk9w91zzrE/UmycfAiCBBI/AAAAAAAAAV4/yDLxC3ixW7U/s640/party_4.jpg" width="640" /></a>Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-54702845399407487712013-10-18T03:51:00.000-04:002013-10-18T04:30:11.773-04:00Week 8: Canada | Building an Igloo<h4>
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Bonjour et bienvenu! (Hello & welcome!) We continued learning about Canada this week. Some of our highlights for week 8 are below.</div>
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Celery Experiment</h4>
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In order to see how xylem tubes carry water up to the leaves of a plant we did an experiment. </div>
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Using two stalks of celery, we removed the xylem tubes from one stalk of celery and placed the stalks in water to observe the results. We added blue food coloring to the water. It was a little tricky to remove all the xylem. After a little while in the colored water it was easier to see the xylem we had missed, so we removed the rest.<br />
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After a couple days the stalk with the xylem intact was still straight and crisp, but the stalk with the xylem removed had wilted. This experiment worked well for us.</div>
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To help us learn the provinces of Canada, I printed flash cards from <a href="http://www.currclick.com/product/29052/Discovering-the-Continents-Animals-Of-North-America?manufacturers_id=249&it=1" target="_blank">Discovering the Continents: Animals Of North America by Koumi Books</a> that I found at CurrClick just as I did when we studied the US states and we played our guessing game. <a href="http://middlebeginnings.blogspot.com/2013/09/week-4-united-states.html" target="_blank">You can read about the game in my week 4 post here.</a></div>
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We also used online games from Sheppard Software to help us learn Canadian geography - <a href="http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Canadian_Geography.htm" target="_blank">http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Canadian_Geography.htm</a></div>
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<br /> Visitor Guides</h4>
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We learned more about Canada and what it would be like to visit there by looking at visitor guides - <a href="http://www.nnsl.com/visitorguides/" target="_blank">http://www.nnsl.com/visitorguides/</a> - We especially liked the ones for Inuvik and Iqaluit, they have some great images and include info on the Inuit. We also looked photos and video of Quebec at <a href="http://www.quebecregion.com/en/photos-and-videos" target="_blank">http://www.quebecregion.com/en/photos-and-videos</a> and learned more about Prince Edward Island at <a href="http://www.tourismpei.com/index.php3" target="_blank">http://www.tourismpei.com/index.php3</a> </div>
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<br /> French</h4>
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Lindsey is continuing to learn French using Duolingo (and I'm brushing up on mine). She is doing quite well with it. I think studying a French speaking country has encouraged her too. I will note that when learning the phrases for food, beer and wine are included. I didn't think it was a big deal considering she already knows the words in English. One of the practice phrases asks something like "Would you like some wine?" - after translating it my daughter answered the computer with "Non, merci." Good practice should we ever visit our dream destination of France. This was also a good moment to reinforce what we have taught her about the dangers of alcohol and how to say no even if pressured by her peers. Now she can say no in two languages ;) </div>
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<br /> Canadian Dinner</h4>
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For our Canadian dinner, Lindsey made chocolate chip pancakes and of coarse we ate them with butter and real maple syrup. Yum! (I forgot to take a picture) Then for dessert we had vanilla ice cream with maple syrup on it. We didn't make the blueberry dessert in A Trip Around The World, but might try it another day.<br />
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Igloos</h4>
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Imagine sleeping in the ice and snow! We learned about igloos and they are not always made of ice. Then we looked at Hotel de Glace (Quebec's Ice Hotel) - <a href="http://www.hoteldeglace-canada.com/index.php" target="_blank">http://www.hoteldeglace-canada.com/index.php</a> - and watched some videos about the hotel on YouTube. Virtual Tours are available on their website under images. This video below includes the building of the ice hotel which is seasonal (Jan - Mar) and rebuilt new each year. There are several videos showing the ice hotel in different years, you may want to preview them before showing them.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/loudNL0xtAk" width="459"></iframe><br />
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This is another video we watched that gives a tour of the hotel. The details are amazing!<br />
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Igloo Building</h4>
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After learning about these wonderful ice structures, it was our turn to try building a simple model of one. Our Trip Around The World book suggests building an igloo from sugar cubes, but that's not something I keep on hand... Lindsey decided to build one using marshmallows and toothpicks instead, and another one using Legos.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wBVklwMkUK4/Ul-A68pcZTI/AAAAAAAAATw/cEk-MddiIvQ/s1600/igloo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wBVklwMkUK4/Ul-A68pcZTI/AAAAAAAAATw/cEk-MddiIvQ/s640/igloo.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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It's harder than it looks to build with marshmallow, but also lots of fun! When building the initial arch, she built up each side evenly and I held them in place as she added marshmallows across the top. We built it on a paper plate to help us get a round shape. Once it was completed I was able to carefully move it off of the plate. I think it would be fun to include one on top of a winter themed cake ;) If you don't have toothpicks, you can use dry spaghetti noodles instead (just break them to the lengths you need). If you try building with marshmallows, let us know how it turns out.<br />
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<br />Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-89911884967162082772013-10-12T06:05:00.000-04:002013-10-12T06:25:14.732-04:00Week 7: Canada | Food chains, Inuit, and bears - Oh, my!Bonjour! This week we entered Canada.<br />
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Zoology</h4>
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We are studying bears this week. I learned 2 things that surprised me; polar bears have black skin and bears don't actually hibernate (they enter a state of dormancy). Lindsey enjoyed learning that polar bears and grizzly bears sometimes mate to create pizzly bears. She thought pizzly bears sounded funny and kept giggling at their name. In the zoology notebook Lindsey created a fun cartoon poster showing what to do and what not to do if you meet a bear in the wild.<br />
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Ecosystems<br /><div style="text-align: start;">
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We learned about food chains & food webs.<br />
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There is a great episode of the Wild Kratts - Episode 130: The Food Chain Game - that fits perfectly with our lessons. After watching it, Lindsey decided to create a food web using her stuffed animals :) <br />
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We didn't have any stuffed plants, so we started with what ate the plants. She used our cat's toy for a fish. First she created some food chains, then combined them into a food web. There are several animals that eat insects (represented by the ladybug) and fish (represented by the cat toy). <br />
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When we weren't sure who ate what we looked them up. We weren't sure who ate the smelly skunk, but discovered both bears and owls eat them. It was a fun way to look at the food web.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KE3Fjku7Hcc/Ule-hmIgwaI/AAAAAAAAASw/O59dUblJt9Q/s1600/Build_food_chain.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KE3Fjku7Hcc/Ule-hmIgwaI/AAAAAAAAASw/O59dUblJt9Q/s320/Build_food_chain.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot from EcoKids</td></tr>
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She drew a picture of an arctic food chain - including seaweed, fish, a seal and polar bears.<br />
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Lindsey created several food chains and food webs online. The online resources we used are listed below. <br />
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<b><i><br /></i></b><b><i><br />Great online resources for food chains:</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>Build a food chain game at EcoKids:<br />
<a href="http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/" target="_blank">http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/</a><br />
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Build a food web at Scholastic:<br />
<a href="http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorer/ecosystems/be_an_explorer/map/line_experiment14.swf" target="_blank">http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorer/ecosystems/be_an_explorer/map/line_experiment14.swf</a><br />
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Build a food web for desert, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, or tropical rainforest:<br />
<a href="http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm#create" target="_blank">http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm#create</a><br />
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Information on arctic ecosystems including a really nice food web graphic:<br />
<a href="http://pogo.lakesideschool.org/usscience/s100e/arctic-ecosystem/" target="_blank">http://pogo.lakesideschool.org/usscience/s100e/arctic-ecosystem/</a><br />
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Inuit<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We learned about the Inuit in Windows on the World and then we found an Inuit version of Goldilocks by Jan Brett called The Three Snow Bears at our library. I always love the illustrations in Jan Brett's books. This story was delightful. Lindsey enjoyed reading it to me and then read it again later to her dad.</span></h4>
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The Inuit are known for carving soapstone. For art this week Lindsey tried her hand at soap carving and carved a nice little polar bear cub from a bar of Ivory soap. She even gave it texture for the fur.<br />
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It turned out awesome!<br />
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She liked carving it and plans to carve some more animals out of soap. An owl to match her bathroom shower curtain is next on her list.<br />
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Several really nice examples of Inuit carvings can be found here:<br />
<a href="http://www.visualillusion.com/inuitcarvings/www/default.htm">http://www.visualillusion.com/inuitcarvings/www/default.htm</a><br />
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Maple Trees</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I have a maple leaf shape for my cookie press, so we made spritz cookies. Yum! Lindsey learned about the Canadian flag, the maple leaf as a symbol of Canada, and colored a Canadian flag picture. We also read Maple Syrup Season by Ann Purmell. It's a very good book that explains the process and all the terms used for making maple syrup. It brought back childhood memories of maple syrup being made at my grandma's house. My cousins and I would scoop snow into bowls and when the syrup reached the right stage my grandma would pour some onto the snow just like in the book. <br /><br />Next week, pancakes with maple syrup are on our menu...</span><br />
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Movie Night</h4>
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Our librarian recommended a Disney movie to us called Iron Will. It's about a young boy who enters a dog sled race to try to win money to help his mother and pay for college. It takes place in 1917 and they race across Canada from Winnipeg to Saint Paul, Minnesota. We watched it Friday and it was good. It's rated PG. If you have younger kids it might not work for you, but it was a neat look at dog sledding for us. (I was also glad the animals don't talk.)<br />
<br />Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2006911110862516178.post-30633899073050482492013-10-06T02:16:00.000-04:002013-10-06T02:16:13.542-04:00Week 6: Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean | Our FiestaHola amigos! As we continued our study of Mexico this week, we prepared a Fiesta.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K8V0Af2NYLg/Uk_pghKHXrI/AAAAAAAAARI/oCJsCXoFDuU/s1600/fiesta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K8V0Af2NYLg/Uk_pghKHXrI/AAAAAAAAARI/oCJsCXoFDuU/s640/fiesta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We created woven place-mats with drawings in the squares to decorate our table. We made miniature burro pinatas - so cute! We cut designs out of tissue paper to create Mexican papel picado banners and used fishing line to hang them. We decorated the sombrero pinata we started last week.<br />
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Here's a closer look at our fiesta mats. You can find the lesson plan for them free at Crayola - <a href="http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/fiesta-mats-lesson-plan/">http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/fiesta-mats-lesson-plan/</a> - we used colored pencils instead of crayons. If I had a laminator, I would laminate them. (It's on my wishlist)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_ZlSD-hqxs/UlDXn8B0QeI/AAAAAAAAARY/NACLWz5t78E/s1600/placemats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_ZlSD-hqxs/UlDXn8B0QeI/AAAAAAAAARY/NACLWz5t78E/s640/placemats.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The super cute mini pinata instructions, including a printable template, can be found at Alpha Mom - <a href="http://alphamom.com/family-fun/holidays/diy-mini-pinatas-for-cinco-de-mayo/" target="_blank">http://alphamom.com/family-fun/holidays/diy-mini-pinatas-for-cinco-de-mayo/</a> - instructions for mini sombrero pinatas are also included. We used the elastic string option that allows the pinata to be pulled open without breaking it. We saved them and will use them again for future occasions (like cinco de mayo). Instead of tissue paper, we used paper streamers that I had on hand and folded it to create double rows of fringe. For the candy inside, if you choose light weight candy they stand up easier. We used small boxes of milk duds inside our mini burros.</div>
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Our traditional pinata would have resembled a sombrero better if we had a skinnier, more pointed top and a wider brim. However it probably held more candy this way, and we used what we had on hand to create it. We had fun breaking it open :)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-umg1z0SCpv8/UlDmXhza_ZI/AAAAAAAAAR8/9eJEeRQLG1Y/s1600/cinnamon_crisps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-umg1z0SCpv8/UlDmXhza_ZI/AAAAAAAAAR8/9eJEeRQLG1Y/s320/cinnamon_crisps.jpg" width="275" /></a>We prepared a lot of food! <br /><br />Lindsey made cinnamon crisps (pictured right) for our fiesta dessert and they were really good. This is the cinnamon crisps recipe she used from Taste Of Home - <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Fruit-Salsa-with-Cinnamon-Chips" target="_blank">http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Fruit-Salsa-with-Cinnamon-Chips</a> - there is also a recipe for fruit salsa. We didn't make the fruit salsa this time but might try it in the future. <br /><br />We created a Mexican buffet so everyone could create their own taco, burrito, or fajita. Options included flour tortillas, corn tortilla chips, beans, taco beef, chicken fajita filling, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, etc... We also included taco salad, cheese quesadillas, chips and salsa, and lemonade for our drink.<br /><br />YUM!!!</div>
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We also wore our sombreros and danced around the living room singing our songs from weeks 5-6. Then we watched the Disney movie "The Three Caballeros". We enjoyed our fiesta celebration and had fun learning about Mexico.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-viu1bjWUpHY/UlDugDoo9vI/AAAAAAAAASI/EUXCLOWoPX8/s1600/turtle_lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-viu1bjWUpHY/UlDugDoo9vI/AAAAAAAAASI/EUXCLOWoPX8/s320/turtle_lake.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<h4>
<br />Zoology</h4>
<br />We finished our study on turtles and tortoises this week and returned Speedster the baby turtle to his home at the lake. Lindsey did a great job taking care of the baby turtle. She even read to him. She wrote about taking care of him in her zoology notebook pages. <br /><br />She was sad to say goodbye to Speedster and will miss him, but she knows he will be much happier with his turtle friends and family at the lake. I took this picture of her holding Speedster just before she released him back into his home. Now when we visit the lake, we will look for turtles swimming near where Speedster was released and maybe she will see him again someday as he grows into a bigger turtle.<br /><br /><br /><br /><h4>
Math</h4>
<br />We are still using Khan Academy for math and it is working pretty well for us. So far she has mostly been reviewing skills. She has also been working with negative numbers and adding negative numbers which she was only briefly introduced to last year.<br />
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<h4>
Ecosystems</h4>
<br />We've been studying the desert, oases, and learning about transpiration. We learned that most desert animals are nocturnal. We also learned how some animals, like the desert tortoise, estivate in summer. We did an experiment to observe transpiration, placing leaves in a plastic bag in the sun for an hour and observing the condensation. This experiment worked well for us.<br />
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We love to hear from you, please comment below.</div>
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Next week we head north to study Canada! </div>
Wendy Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494880377119295178noreply@blogger.com0