Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Once Upon a Time I Lived

This week some of the kids and I are visiting our old home in MO.  We're going to pack up the house and get it ready for its new occupants--a family of three.  We hope they grow to love it and the street as much as we did in our short time there.  So this week and next is a look back at Where I Used to Live.

In the Land of the Wintering Bald Eagle


And their nests.


In the Land of Snow and The Mississsippi River





In the Land of Seasonal Flowers


In a place Where Wonderful Views were Mine


 In the Land of Beautiful Buildings



In a Place Where Stained Glass is as Common as Grass.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Continuation of Thames & Kosmos Physics Workshop

This is a continuation of the lesson plan that Utilizes Thames and Kosmos Physics Workshop for a complete year of middle school physics. This is a science course I put together using Thames and Kosmos Physics Workshop as our core.   I've added information to this science kit using the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, the Usborne Science Encyclopedia Internet Linked, and the Internet in order to make the kit a complete science course.   This course is written to work best for grades 6-8.   You can adjust the expectations to work with your student.  


Day 40--T&K p46
               Workshop XXV
               Have fun with your rubber band car
Day 41--T&K p46-47
               Workshop XXVII(keep this together for future experiments)
                Write law of conservation of energy in SN using KSE energy
Day 42--USE--p106-107---explore links 1,5,6
Day 43--T&K p48
              Experiment 24
              Write up Experiment 24 in SN
Day 44--USE p108-109---explore links 3,5
               USE p137---explore link 1
               Look up Power in KSE---define in SN
Day 45--T&K p48-49
              Experiment 25
              Write up Experiment in SN(windplant can be disassemblied and put away)
Day 46--Look up Momentum in KSE
              Write Defination in SN
              USE p123---explore link 4 and 5
Day 47--T&K p52
              Workshop XXVIII
              Experiment 26
              Write up experiment in NB
Day 48--T&K p53
              Workshop XXXIX
               Experiment 27
               Write up experiment in SN
Day 49--T&K p54
               Workshop XXX
               Enjoy seeing what you can smash
Day 50--T&K p54-55
              Workshop XXXI
              Experiment 28
              Write Experiment up in SN
Day 51--T&K p 55 -56
              Workshop XXXII
              Experiment 29
              Write up Experiment in SN
Day 52--T&K p57
              Workshop XXXIII
              Write paragragh about pendulum in SN
Day 53--T&K p56-57
               Experiment 30-31
              Pick one experiment to write up in SN
Day 54--USE p 128--129
               Check out links 5 and 6
               KSE look up Centrifugal Force
               Include info found in USE and KSE in SN
Day 55--T&K read p58
              Include bold words in SN
              Experiment 32--make sure adult is present for this experiment
Day 56--T&K  p59-60
              Workshop XXXIV
               Complete Experiment 33
              Write up Experiment in SN
Day 57--T&K p60-61
              Workshop XXXV
Day 58--T&K p61
               Complete Experiments 34-35
               Pick one Experiment to write up in SN
Day 59--T&K p62
              Workshop XXXVI
              Experiment 36 (on p61)
              Write up Experiment in SN
Day 60--T&K p63
               Workshop XXXVII
               Complete Experiment 37
               Include moment of inertia formula in SN
               Write a short paragraph explaining the moment of ienertia formula in SN
Day 61--Research and write a short essay on ggyroscopes and how they are used in airplanes
Day 62--T&K p64
               Workshop XXXVIII
               Have fun with your YOYO
Day 63--Retake quiz
               Do you understand a lot more about physics?

This is my work. Feel free to link, but please do not copy and paste this on another website.   This is for your personal use.  Please do not use within a classroom or co-op setting.   If you wish to do so, connect me to arrange details.  Feel free to let me know what worked and what didn't work in this lesson plan.


           

Tasty Tuesday May 25, 2010

Make your own chicken sandwiches with mango on the side.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Education Update For May!

It's been awhile since I've done an update.   We're still doing the normal school stuff--math, spelling, reading, ect.   So I'm just highlighting some of the more interesting stuff.

E-R has been reading Mary Pope Osborne's version of the Odyssey

And liking it in spite of herself.

I-E chose to go with Maricia Williams'version



of the Iliad and the Odyssey

Ethan slogged through The Children's Homer


My littles fell in love with Mind Benders.   I remember doing this with the older kids.  They loved it also.


We worked through one book last week and started on a new one.


We started economics by making little booklets which we will later put together into a lap book.

We covered scarity and its causes




Major Global Economic systems





US's Economic system of Mixed Market


and
Private Business Organizations and Entrepreneurship
(which we didn't do the booklets for yet)

Art

We covered pattern and made these cute little fish sculptures using a stamping technique


We then did a study in texture
Starting with rubbings




It was very interesting seeing everyone's personalities in their rubbings!


Then we learned about how different materials are used to show texture in two dimensional art
We used all different drawing tools and paints to create different texture looks


It was interesting to see the kids learn that the different art pencils really do produce different looks

We also learned about different ways to create texture in three dimensional art
We had created pots for history a few weeks ago using clay.  That has a texture all its own.



Next we learned about implied texture



We started Aristotle Leads the Way from Joy Hakim's The Story of Science.

Love it!  Can't Say Enough Good Stuff About It!
We compared Ancient Calendars in Babylon, China, and Egypt
All of them had problems--some big(such as an extra SEVEN months every nineteen years)
and some minor(such as an extra five days added as holidays)
Egypt was the only country at that time to use a solar calendar--much like ours today
We talked about how tides were used to make calendars on some ancient island cultures
We read about four Ionians( Thales, Anaximander, Anaximens, Anaxagoras)who were the earliest scientist/philosophers in Western Civilization.  I was very excited with how well this tied into our study of Ancient Greece.
We then compared and contrasted the number systems of the Sumerians, Arabs, and Romans.   After trying to multiply with Roman numerals, E-R said that she is very glad we use the Arabic number system.
Last we learned about Empedocles.  He lived in fifth-century-B.C. Greece and came up with the world's longest enduring theory in the history of science.   His theory of the four elements--wind, fire, air, and earth--endured for over 2,300 years!
All in all we are really enjoying this science.

We also enjoyed our astronomy study.  We learned about stars and our sun.   And were introduced to the solar system via this nifty  mobile which is hanging in the girls' bedroom so its glow in the dark paint can be enjoyed.


We worked on our timelines in not only history, but also science which is just how I want the timeline books to work!   Now I need to work on including lit. into our timelines.





.   A-M created a really neat brochure about color-blindness in her biology class.   I remember when I went to school--making a brochure involved  a lot of real life cutting and pasteing.




Not the case these days!


A-M is playing Lady Montague in her English class's Romeo and Juliet production
And is really looking forward to summer break!

N finished his college classes(Japanese II and Statisics) this last week.   His is working on one more history class to finish out the year.  He is also the one representive being sent to the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference.  We are very proud of him!   This coming week he will also be attending Camp Ramah, another leadership camp.  Now if he would just stop being found on rooftop--we'd think he was way chill!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Tasty Tuesday May 4, 2010


English Muffin with eggs, tomato, bacon, melted cheese---snap peas on the side.