We're in the final week of school now. We'll do a review week in July, but this is the last week I really have to go upstairs and do anything with the kids. It's also their last 'interest week,' where they get to pick a topic and study it on their own. Both kids have some grammar to finish, and I'm asking them both to keep working on math right up to the last day because that's something they'll lose if they don't use it, but they're just about done with everything else.
Except their play. I really can't wait to see their play. I'll take a video of that and post it after they perform it for us on Friday.
Anyway, because there's so little left to do, I have very little to do with them. We went to the library today to pick up books and videos on their chosen topics - turtles/tortoises for Boo and venom/poison for Doodlebug - but once they finish grammar in a day or two, they'll be working entirely independently. For the last two days of school, I will be utterly superfluous. Right now, for instance, both kids are parked on the loveseat with Tom the Bearded Dragon, and they're watching a video on venom. Boo is all curled up and totally disturbed, and Doodlebug and Tom are both watching with mouths agape. Boo came to me a few minutes before the video started to tell me she's learned the difference between turtles and tortoises already. They learn quickly.
I suppose, in many ways, it's a good thing that they can work so independently, that they don't need me. I've said before that it's bugging me how quickly I've become so useless to them. They only need me now to coordinate events with other parents, take them to and from things, and occasionally (OK, ALL THE FREAKING TIME) remind them to do this, that or the other. Still, it's going to be an odd summer since I will be, more or less, superfluous. I'll take them to the pool. I'll set up sleepovers, and we'll go see friends. We'll do things. But I won't really be necessary. OK, OK, I know that I really am necessary. They can't organize things themselves quite yet, and they certainly can't drive. But they can figure out things to do on their own. They fix their own meals and have finally learned to write things on the shopping list if we need them. They can do laundry and dishes, clean anything they can reach… if they could learn to do these things without being reminded, I really would be unnecessary around here.
It feels so odd to be ending this particular phase in my life. I've taught Doodlebug for five years and Boo for two. And I feel so completely and utterly lost now. Before, even though I haven't had any personal goals, that was okay because my goals had to be on hold while I made the kids' education my priority. Now, even though their education is still a priority, I'm handing over the reins and I'll have a few hours of peace and quiet each day.
This final week is messing with my head. Even though I have three more months before I really have to worry about what to do with myself, I'm already mulling possibilities. Instead of making early lesson plans, I have nothing. Instead of setting up a potential schedule, I'm wondering when the 2014-2015 school calendar will be out. It's a whole different life. And I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet.
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Monday, May 5, 2014
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Newspaper Articles
Once upon a time, long long ago and a couple miles away, I was a newspaper reporter. I was the lifestyles reporter, which meant I didn't often cover hard news (elections were about as close as I got, with rare exceptions), but some of the lessons I learned stuck with me. When I was making lesson plans for the year, I thought, "Wouldn't it be neat to have the kids write a newspaper article?"
They thought so, too. When I started talking about the idea last week, I asked them to decide who they would want to interview, suspecting that they would want to interview Oz's family about living in Australia/emigrating to the U.S. or calling my mom to ask her about growing up in the '60s or even just interrogating me or Oz about some topic or other.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Doodlebug elected to interview a neighbor of ours who happens to be a state representative, and Boo wanted to talk to her violin teacher about being a professional musician and teacher. I was surprised, but I called and e-mailed and got them both set up with interviews.
Before their interviews we discussed the importance of getting accurate quotes, how newspaper articles differ from creative writing ('said' vs. any other synonym, for example, and using full/last names, and all the paragraphs). Today we sat down with their notes and talked about finding the most important facts, leads (make the reader ask a question), headlines (action verbs!), and adding background information. Then I worked with the kids to write their articles. If you've ever looked into Brave Writer, this would definitely have fallen under the 'Partnership Writing' category, particularly given the number of questions I answered during the process.
Anyway, they kids finished their articles.
Here are the results:
State representative finds job satisfying
by Doodlebug
Mark McCullough is a hardworking figure in Oklahoma politics.
McCullough is a state representative from Sapulpa. He is in his fourth term as representative. He enjoys helping solve complex problems and helping constituents solve their problems.
"It is a great honor to serve the community in which I grew up," he said.
He is very content as a representative. He studies policy, makes laws, and helps constituents on a daily basis.
"It is very satisfying, personally satisfying," he said.
To become a representative, candidates have to file for office. To get elected they normally have to go on a campaign. They have to win the primary election, maybe a runoff election, and the general election to finally become a representative.
-----
Professional violinist shares love of instrument
by Boo
Why would anybody want to spend hours every day just practicing with an instrument?
Sue Loomis is a professional violinist who likes to teach people to play the violin to share its sweet sound. She also likes to see new people learn new things.
Loomis took up the violin when she was 10. When she heard another violinist play, she wanted to do it as well. In college she earned a bachelor's degree in math but continued to get a master's degree in music and violin performance.
"At every step I had something to do," she said.
Loomis is very busy all the time. She works at the youth symphony and teaches people of all ages.
"I wouldn't change anything that I've done," she said.
They thought so, too. When I started talking about the idea last week, I asked them to decide who they would want to interview, suspecting that they would want to interview Oz's family about living in Australia/emigrating to the U.S. or calling my mom to ask her about growing up in the '60s or even just interrogating me or Oz about some topic or other.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Doodlebug elected to interview a neighbor of ours who happens to be a state representative, and Boo wanted to talk to her violin teacher about being a professional musician and teacher. I was surprised, but I called and e-mailed and got them both set up with interviews.
Before their interviews we discussed the importance of getting accurate quotes, how newspaper articles differ from creative writing ('said' vs. any other synonym, for example, and using full/last names, and all the paragraphs). Today we sat down with their notes and talked about finding the most important facts, leads (make the reader ask a question), headlines (action verbs!), and adding background information. Then I worked with the kids to write their articles. If you've ever looked into Brave Writer, this would definitely have fallen under the 'Partnership Writing' category, particularly given the number of questions I answered during the process.
Anyway, they kids finished their articles.
Here are the results:
State representative finds job satisfying
by Doodlebug
Mark McCullough is a hardworking figure in Oklahoma politics.
McCullough is a state representative from Sapulpa. He is in his fourth term as representative. He enjoys helping solve complex problems and helping constituents solve their problems.
"It is a great honor to serve the community in which I grew up," he said.
He is very content as a representative. He studies policy, makes laws, and helps constituents on a daily basis.
"It is very satisfying, personally satisfying," he said.
To become a representative, candidates have to file for office. To get elected they normally have to go on a campaign. They have to win the primary election, maybe a runoff election, and the general election to finally become a representative.
-----
Professional violinist shares love of instrument
by Boo
Why would anybody want to spend hours every day just practicing with an instrument?
Sue Loomis is a professional violinist who likes to teach people to play the violin to share its sweet sound. She also likes to see new people learn new things.
Loomis took up the violin when she was 10. When she heard another violinist play, she wanted to do it as well. In college she earned a bachelor's degree in math but continued to get a master's degree in music and violin performance.
"At every step I had something to do," she said.
Loomis is very busy all the time. She works at the youth symphony and teaches people of all ages.
"I wouldn't change anything that I've done," she said.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
2013 in Review
2013. Some people say Twenty-Thirteen; others say Two-Thousand-Thirteen. However you say it, though, it's nearly over. It has been a year of… I guess I could almost say stagnation. I had the best of intentions with regards to writing a novel and/or working through my list of 100 classics and must-read books and/or learning German, but those ideas all seemed to get shoved to the side somehow or other. I planted a few things in the garden, but nothing really grew very well. I have educated the kids, but there has been little passion on either side. We didn't take any family vacations. I took my one-woman road trip in early November, but that was the extent of travel this year. The kids are more or less burned out on local museums, so I think we only visited the zoo three or four times and the aquarium once, and other museums not at all. I took a photography class. We bought a new-to-us car. We put in a fire pit. I painted the school room and the kids' bathroom. Those were the biggies.
Like I said, stagnation.
Still, even with stagnation, it can be nice to look back. Something I've done throughout the year is step out the back door (nearly) each morning and take a snapshot of the back yard. I've put all the photos - all 258 of them - into a slideshow. It's amazing how quickly time can slip by. This is a year, compressed into a little more than six minutes. It doesn't seem like much has happened, but that's my fault. Things have happened around me this year; I haven't made anything happen at all. I think 2014 will be very different, a trip to Australia and kids going to public school notwithstanding. And that's a good thing. It's time to step back and take charge of my life.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Like I said, stagnation.
Still, even with stagnation, it can be nice to look back. Something I've done throughout the year is step out the back door (nearly) each morning and take a snapshot of the back yard. I've put all the photos - all 258 of them - into a slideshow. It's amazing how quickly time can slip by. This is a year, compressed into a little more than six minutes. It doesn't seem like much has happened, but that's my fault. Things have happened around me this year; I haven't made anything happen at all. I think 2014 will be very different, a trip to Australia and kids going to public school notwithstanding. And that's a good thing. It's time to step back and take charge of my life.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Monday Musings
I don't usually do this, and I don't think it'll be a typical 'thing' that I do, but I read other blogs whose authors do this, and I'm rather inspired this week. So…
Outside My Window:
It's sunny and cool today. It was really quite warm this weekend and very windy for a cookout on Saturday night, but the weather today is more seasonally appropriate. I'm keeping a close eye on the weather for Thanksgiving, though. I'd love snow, but I don't want people driving in it for the holiday. Catch-22.
In My Yard:
The trees are nearly naked. I dug up my giant rosemary plant and tucked it into the garage before the hard freeze last weekend, and I'm glad I did. It's actually too big for my biggest pot, but I made it fit for now. If I can manage to make it live through the winter and can replant it in the yard next spring, I'll probably just try to cover it next winter and see what happens.
In My Home:
Thanksgiving decorations are out, and the cats are extremely hopped up on nip at the moment. A year or so ago, when we went to Kansas City, I picked up a catnip-stuffed mouse for the cats from a store called Gatos. The cats loved it. One of my cats loves this mouse so much she hauls it around all the time and will sit for hours with it between her paws. Ergo, this mouse is called "Boyfriend Mouse." Boyfriend Mouse, however, has been looking kind of sad lately, so I got on the Interwebz and hunted down more. This time, I ordered three. They arrived today. That's a lot of happy cat lolling around my living room right now.
The kids are upstairs. Doodlebug is finishing up school, and Boo is bugging him so he can't focus. She just requested a sinus rinse because she couldn't breathe. How they can tolerate those things, I'll never know, but they swear they help. The drowned-rat feeling deters me.
In My Kitchen:
Turkey pot pie is on the menu tonight. Over the weekend the kids and I made sticky buns, and because I can't read a recipe, I made two pans instead of three… but with the same amount of dough. Because of that, they're obscenely gooey… and I had to put some of the dough in individual pie tins just because there wasn't room. Next time I'll know better. Later this week I'm going to try some new recipes like beer brat chili and jalapeño cream cheese Philly cheesesteak sliders. (If you can't see those recipes, I apologize… some of them may be exclusive to Taste of Home magazine subscribers. I would be happy to e-mail them to you if you're interested, though!)
Crafty Stuff:
I've started a new, giant project. It's a cross-stitch project for Doodlebug's room. He wants to redecorate, and now that he's stopped demolishing furniture and scratching tic-tac-toe symbols into the walls, I'm considering it. He wants a gray/black color scheme - black Ikea furniture, gray walls - and wants this to hang on his wall. I'm taking bets on when I'll be finished with it. I've had people suggest time frames everywhere from February (uh… no) to "about the time [Doodlebug's] finished with high school." That's probably a closer approximation. I've finished two colors and have started on the third… not that that means much. I think it'll probably take me till summer to complete, depending on how often I actually sit down and work on it.
In Our Homeschool:
We're about halfway done with our school year. We'll take next week off for Thanksgiving, and the week we come back will be our second interest week. Boo has decided she wants to study food; Doodlebug hasn't chosen a topic yet. We're studying worms in science this week, the New Kingdom of Egypt (i.e. King Tut) in history, and I uploaded Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) onto the computer today. That turned out to be an epic journey. I already had Rosetta Stone German on the computer, so I just added the Spanish to it… but when I went to register the curriculum, it didn't give me the option to add the homeschool code. It just asked me for an 'upgrade' code and then wouldn't accept the homeschool code that I had. I wound up calling and talking to a very patient (and fairly clear-spoken) tech support guy from India. It took him a bit before he worked out that the version of Rosetta Stone I already had on the computer (Totale, or version 4) was too advanced for the homeschool curriculum that they still sell (version 3). So now I have two versions of Rosetta Stone. *shrug* Technology. Not really my gig.
In Our Lives:
The kids are fighting now. I swear that's all they do. They can't even pour bowls of breakfast cereal without sniping at one another. We're still using the respect jar - actually just went out last night for their reward for filling it - but it hasn't helped Doodlebug one bit. One of my friends said today that her boys have been doing the same thing - sort of a male lion domination thing that her her dad calls "testosterone flashes" - and it's driving me crazy. He has to be right EVERY time, and if he's not, he'll bully his sister or run his mouth to me and/or Oz until he gets himself in trouble. That appointment with the counselor can't come quickly enough. *insert virtual pause here* I just broke up the second fight between them. Doodlebug wanted to play Monopoly and Boo agreed if she could be banker, which Doodlebug initially agreed to and then decided he thought it would be too hard for Boo. He thought he was being nice; she was angry that he took the job away from her. Had to side with her on this one and tell him that he needed to let her try and decide for herself whether it would be too hard or not. She's perfectly capable of doing the math; she'll just be slower than he wants to deal with. I'm sure that's where the rub comes in. Ugh. Time to bury myself in something else - cross-stitching or dinner.
How are things in your neck of the woods?
Outside My Window:
It's sunny and cool today. It was really quite warm this weekend and very windy for a cookout on Saturday night, but the weather today is more seasonally appropriate. I'm keeping a close eye on the weather for Thanksgiving, though. I'd love snow, but I don't want people driving in it for the holiday. Catch-22.
In My Yard:
The trees are nearly naked. I dug up my giant rosemary plant and tucked it into the garage before the hard freeze last weekend, and I'm glad I did. It's actually too big for my biggest pot, but I made it fit for now. If I can manage to make it live through the winter and can replant it in the yard next spring, I'll probably just try to cover it next winter and see what happens.
In My Home:
Thanksgiving decorations are out, and the cats are extremely hopped up on nip at the moment. A year or so ago, when we went to Kansas City, I picked up a catnip-stuffed mouse for the cats from a store called Gatos. The cats loved it. One of my cats loves this mouse so much she hauls it around all the time and will sit for hours with it between her paws. Ergo, this mouse is called "Boyfriend Mouse." Boyfriend Mouse, however, has been looking kind of sad lately, so I got on the Interwebz and hunted down more. This time, I ordered three. They arrived today. That's a lot of happy cat lolling around my living room right now.
The kids are upstairs. Doodlebug is finishing up school, and Boo is bugging him so he can't focus. She just requested a sinus rinse because she couldn't breathe. How they can tolerate those things, I'll never know, but they swear they help. The drowned-rat feeling deters me.
In My Kitchen:
Turkey pot pie is on the menu tonight. Over the weekend the kids and I made sticky buns, and because I can't read a recipe, I made two pans instead of three… but with the same amount of dough. Because of that, they're obscenely gooey… and I had to put some of the dough in individual pie tins just because there wasn't room. Next time I'll know better. Later this week I'm going to try some new recipes like beer brat chili and jalapeño cream cheese Philly cheesesteak sliders. (If you can't see those recipes, I apologize… some of them may be exclusive to Taste of Home magazine subscribers. I would be happy to e-mail them to you if you're interested, though!)
Crafty Stuff:
I've started a new, giant project. It's a cross-stitch project for Doodlebug's room. He wants to redecorate, and now that he's stopped demolishing furniture and scratching tic-tac-toe symbols into the walls, I'm considering it. He wants a gray/black color scheme - black Ikea furniture, gray walls - and wants this to hang on his wall. I'm taking bets on when I'll be finished with it. I've had people suggest time frames everywhere from February (uh… no) to "about the time [Doodlebug's] finished with high school." That's probably a closer approximation. I've finished two colors and have started on the third… not that that means much. I think it'll probably take me till summer to complete, depending on how often I actually sit down and work on it.
In Our Homeschool:
We're about halfway done with our school year. We'll take next week off for Thanksgiving, and the week we come back will be our second interest week. Boo has decided she wants to study food; Doodlebug hasn't chosen a topic yet. We're studying worms in science this week, the New Kingdom of Egypt (i.e. King Tut) in history, and I uploaded Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) onto the computer today. That turned out to be an epic journey. I already had Rosetta Stone German on the computer, so I just added the Spanish to it… but when I went to register the curriculum, it didn't give me the option to add the homeschool code. It just asked me for an 'upgrade' code and then wouldn't accept the homeschool code that I had. I wound up calling and talking to a very patient (and fairly clear-spoken) tech support guy from India. It took him a bit before he worked out that the version of Rosetta Stone I already had on the computer (Totale, or version 4) was too advanced for the homeschool curriculum that they still sell (version 3). So now I have two versions of Rosetta Stone. *shrug* Technology. Not really my gig.
In Our Lives:
The kids are fighting now. I swear that's all they do. They can't even pour bowls of breakfast cereal without sniping at one another. We're still using the respect jar - actually just went out last night for their reward for filling it - but it hasn't helped Doodlebug one bit. One of my friends said today that her boys have been doing the same thing - sort of a male lion domination thing that her her dad calls "testosterone flashes" - and it's driving me crazy. He has to be right EVERY time, and if he's not, he'll bully his sister or run his mouth to me and/or Oz until he gets himself in trouble. That appointment with the counselor can't come quickly enough. *insert virtual pause here* I just broke up the second fight between them. Doodlebug wanted to play Monopoly and Boo agreed if she could be banker, which Doodlebug initially agreed to and then decided he thought it would be too hard for Boo. He thought he was being nice; she was angry that he took the job away from her. Had to side with her on this one and tell him that he needed to let her try and decide for herself whether it would be too hard or not. She's perfectly capable of doing the math; she'll just be slower than he wants to deal with. I'm sure that's where the rub comes in. Ugh. Time to bury myself in something else - cross-stitching or dinner.
How are things in your neck of the woods?
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
A Fairy Tale (With a Moral Twist), by Boo
All People Are Equal
by Boo
Once upon a time there lived a group of dryads. They lived in houses made in trees. The trees were magically designed so that there was living space inside. The dryads wore leaf dresses that were strung together with vines. They used magic to keep the leaves green. All the dryads loved to dance with all their hearts. Their music was made of hazelnut castanets and swaying trees. There were only girls in this tribe. They also loved to play tag because there were lots of trees to run around. Of course climbing was fun, too. The children liked to play hide-and-seek, and so did the grown-ups.
The queen of the tribe was named Flouresta. Flouresta had two assistants. One of them was named Rose and the other Daisy. The cook was named Maple. The dryads ate a small variety of things like acorn soup, hazelnut soup, and very, very rarely berry cream. The cream came from the cow that would escape from the farm next door.
The tribe was very happy until, very unexpectedly, a farm boy wandered into the woods. Nobody noticed that he was coming into their space because they were all playing a good game of tag. The farm boy didn't know what tag was, nor did he know why the grown-ups were doing whatever they were doing. Suddenly Flouresta noticed the farm boy and stopped, which caused everybody else to slowly stop, too
She started questioning the boy. "What is your name?" she asked.
"Steve," he replied.
"Are you a boy?" she asked.
"Yes, of course," he responded.
Flouresta felt awkward. She knew that boys weren't allowed, but she didn't quite know how to get him out of her woods nicely.
"Get out please. I don't want to have to use magic to force you out," she said stoutly.
"What is magic?" Steve asked.
"You don't want to find out," Flouresta answered.
Just then Maple stepped up. "There is no need for magic, because we can push him out!" she said.
Flouresta contemplated this idea, then said, "Rose, Daisy, take this boy to the dungeon. Then we can decide what's to be done with him!"
On the way to the dungeon Steve escaped. "GET HIM!!!" every body yelled.
"Rose, Daisy, Maple - it's magic time," Flouresta hollered. "First we fly, then we use tree magic."
They all shot off the ground. First they made the tree in front of Steve bend down.
"Bet you can't catch me," Steve jeered. "I don't get to sleep in the house at night, so I come in here and find my way around."
Flouresta thought that Steve would be too busy talking to them and would trip and fall over the tree that they had just bent down. He didn't, though, he just jumped over it as if it were a crayon. Steve turned a sharp corner and ran inside a tree and stopped. When the tribe came in, he said, "All people are equal. If you are so peaceful all the time, why do you fight to get me out?"
"We used to only let girls into our wood, but you have shown us that all people are equal, even boys," Flouresta replied.
From that day forth the tribe always let boys in. They taught Steve all their games. They even offered to let Steve lived with them, but Steve said that his home was on the farm.
The End
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
A Halloween Story, by Doodlebug
This started as a free writing exercise when I suggested the children write a scary or fairy story. Enjoy!
It was an old house. It had an old iron furnace that used coal. The main floor had been used as a funeral home. There were many works of taxidermy. There was at least one crack in every ceiling, and there was water damage everywhere. From the outside the house was dilapidated. Upstairs was the children's bedroom. In the bedroom Billy woke up, his heart thumping. He called out to his brother, Chris, and there was no answer. He lay back down with his teddy bear, Furry Ferocious. Then he noticed the exceptional silence.
He didn't hear his brother's breathing, he didn't hear the bats in the attic, and it was colder than usual. He got up and looked over, but his brother was gone.
He yelled, "Mom!!" but there was no answer. Billy resolved that he and Furry Ferocious would wait for Chris to come back. He waited, tossed, and waited some more, but Chris didn't come back. After that he got up, looked down the hall and gulped.
He walked to his parents' room. His mind was racing. He thought that any moment now zombies would lumber out and eat his brains. He reached his parents' room, but they were gone. He went downstairs. It seemed to be empty. Then he felt it. The cold and silence were alive. Something was coming up the basement stairs.
He wondered, "Did it catch my family?" Then he fled upstairs.
He felt the silence come up the stairs toward him. Suddenly his bear was pulled away, and he was completely surrounded by the cold and silence. Next thing he knew light was streaming through the window.
At breakfast Billy asked Chris where he had been during the night. Chris replied, "In bed of course."
Billy's family said that it was a dream. After that night, though, Billy's bear was never seen again.
It was an old house. It had an old iron furnace that used coal. The main floor had been used as a funeral home. There were many works of taxidermy. There was at least one crack in every ceiling, and there was water damage everywhere. From the outside the house was dilapidated. Upstairs was the children's bedroom. In the bedroom Billy woke up, his heart thumping. He called out to his brother, Chris, and there was no answer. He lay back down with his teddy bear, Furry Ferocious. Then he noticed the exceptional silence.
He didn't hear his brother's breathing, he didn't hear the bats in the attic, and it was colder than usual. He got up and looked over, but his brother was gone.
He yelled, "Mom!!" but there was no answer. Billy resolved that he and Furry Ferocious would wait for Chris to come back. He waited, tossed, and waited some more, but Chris didn't come back. After that he got up, looked down the hall and gulped.
He walked to his parents' room. His mind was racing. He thought that any moment now zombies would lumber out and eat his brains. He reached his parents' room, but they were gone. He went downstairs. It seemed to be empty. Then he felt it. The cold and silence were alive. Something was coming up the basement stairs.
He wondered, "Did it catch my family?" Then he fled upstairs.
He felt the silence come up the stairs toward him. Suddenly his bear was pulled away, and he was completely surrounded by the cold and silence. Next thing he knew light was streaming through the window.
At breakfast Billy asked Chris where he had been during the night. Chris replied, "In bed of course."
Billy's family said that it was a dream. After that night, though, Billy's bear was never seen again.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Suddenly, Manual Labor!
Just when you find yourself wondering where on earth you can find manual labor for your child to do, The Awesome Husband will take that opportunity to dig, line, and otherwise build a fire pit, and there's plenty of manual labor for a child to do during that project! Hauling logs, backfilling holes and hauling away extra sand, fetching tools and putting them away - all are jobs that will get morose, electronics-driven boys moving if there's a promise of fire at the end.
As for me, I got to sit down by the fire after it was built and warm my bare tootsies.
I am one happy mama.
As for me, I got to sit down by the fire after it was built and warm my bare tootsies.
I am one happy mama.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Striving for Serenity
The main rule in our house always has been and always will be The Golden Rule. Every other rule we have branches from that. When the kids are being rude to one another, the first question I always ask is, "Are you treating him/her the way you want to be treated?" When someone is mean to me, I say, "Excuse me, but is there a reason you're being mean to me?" I'm all for letting kids feel anger, don't get me wrong. I just think that anger can be expressed in civil ways. I have one child who is emotionally deficient (I think he's somewhere around 7 emotionally. He still sees a lot of things in black/white that most 10.9-year-olds would see in various shades of gray and certainly can't handle emotions appropriately) and one child who is emotionally mature but who is still 8 and likes to pick on her brother now and then.
Naturally, this leads to name-calling and put-downs. Boo's favorite put-down is 'stupid.' If she doesn't like it/you, it/you will be 'stupid.' Doodlebug is more inventive, but his favorite word is 'butt.' As in, "Stop being a butt!" There are definitely worse terms they could use - I've heard them use them - but I don't like it when they make other people feel bad, especially when it's their sibling. SO... as of yesterday, we have implemented the Put-Up Plan. I, too, will be participating, though it means something slightly different for Mama. The idea is that if you put someone down or make them feel bad, you have to come back and say three nice things about them to make up for it. Will it work? Oh, I don't know. It's as good idea as any I've ever had. But they tried it. They were starting to fight and Boo called Doodlebug stupid, and then she realized that she had to put him UP instead of DOWN. After she got done telling him he was kind, creative, and funny, they both started giggling. Fight averted. Apparently Doodlebug then turned around and said three nice things about Boo just because he could. So it's a good start.
This is my other attempt at regaining some sort of control over the downward spiral. This is the Respect Jar. It's nothing fancy... Pinterest isn't going to go nuts over this one. But the idea is solid. When someone does something respectful, you catch them at it by putting a poker chip in the jar. Last night the first four poker chips went in - Boo stacked up Doodlebug's library books and took them to him rather than yelling at him to come get his books off the table; Doodlebug voluntarily wiped down the toilet seat AND FLUSHED; I didn't have to get up and separate the kids during shower time; and Doodlebug caught a wasp that was flying around Boo's room and took it outside for her. Little things. Poker chips. My hope is that this will help with anger management (just like the Put-Up Plan) as well as some of the respect issues.
Will these be life-changing activities? I doubt it. Will they help the kids return to a calmer frame of mind? I bloody hope so.
Naturally, this leads to name-calling and put-downs. Boo's favorite put-down is 'stupid.' If she doesn't like it/you, it/you will be 'stupid.' Doodlebug is more inventive, but his favorite word is 'butt.' As in, "Stop being a butt!" There are definitely worse terms they could use - I've heard them use them - but I don't like it when they make other people feel bad, especially when it's their sibling. SO... as of yesterday, we have implemented the Put-Up Plan. I, too, will be participating, though it means something slightly different for Mama. The idea is that if you put someone down or make them feel bad, you have to come back and say three nice things about them to make up for it. Will it work? Oh, I don't know. It's as good idea as any I've ever had. But they tried it. They were starting to fight and Boo called Doodlebug stupid, and then she realized that she had to put him UP instead of DOWN. After she got done telling him he was kind, creative, and funny, they both started giggling. Fight averted. Apparently Doodlebug then turned around and said three nice things about Boo just because he could. So it's a good start.
This is my other attempt at regaining some sort of control over the downward spiral. This is the Respect Jar. It's nothing fancy... Pinterest isn't going to go nuts over this one. But the idea is solid. When someone does something respectful, you catch them at it by putting a poker chip in the jar. Last night the first four poker chips went in - Boo stacked up Doodlebug's library books and took them to him rather than yelling at him to come get his books off the table; Doodlebug voluntarily wiped down the toilet seat AND FLUSHED; I didn't have to get up and separate the kids during shower time; and Doodlebug caught a wasp that was flying around Boo's room and took it outside for her. Little things. Poker chips. My hope is that this will help with anger management (just like the Put-Up Plan) as well as some of the respect issues.
Will these be life-changing activities? I doubt it. Will they help the kids return to a calmer frame of mind? I bloody hope so.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Homemade History, Week 10
No pictures today; they simply didn't happen this week. Not that we did a lot of things that were photogenic. This will also be short. My back is spasming, and sitting hurts.
Week 10 Topic: Crete - Minoans and Mycenaeans
Monday: Reading, notes, timeline. Our timeline died the ugly death this week after the whiteboard jumped off the wall and attempted to maul Doodlebug, so I broke down and simply ordered a book of completed timelines from Amazon rather than trying to redo our own. So from now on, we'll simply be finding the people we're studying on the timeline vs. creating our own. I'm okay with that. Reading options were: Story of the World Ch. 18 and the first half of Ch. 19, Usborne World History Encyclopedia pp. 126-127, Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World pp. 64-67, and Kingfisher History Encyclopedia pp. 16-17.
Tuesday: Map Trek map of early Greece (the kids recently finished reading various versions of the Iliad and were delighted to learn where Troy was, and I pointed out Ithaca for good measure since they'll be reading simplified versions of the Odyssey soon) and they picked topics for their next history papers. Doodlebug chose Cretan crafting and architecture; Boo chose Japanese mythology.
Wednesday: I let the kids make a book of the ancient Greek gods. It was one of the projects in the Ancient Greece book that I have an e-copy of. They enjoyed that. We also watched some videos, specifically this one on Knossos and this one on the Mycenaeans. We also watched several bull jumping videos; their favorite was this one.
Thursday: Definitions (from History Pockets - agora, chiton, column, and myth) and critical thinking questions - 1) Would you have preferred to live with the Minoans or the Mycenaeans? Why? 2) Would you have wanted to be a bull jumper?
Friday: For their project, I asked them to make a labyrinth. I gave them the choice of using Legos and other 'real' materials or just drawing a maze, and they both opted to just use graph paper and draw their mazes. It was a good challenge for both of them, and they enjoyed it. I was surprised how much they got out of it; the amount of time they spent on it gave them an appreciation for how long it would have taken for Daedalus (or whoever) to design a labyrinth, let alone construct one.
Next week: Bronze Age Europe - henges, palisades, farming methods
Week 10 Topic: Crete - Minoans and Mycenaeans
Monday: Reading, notes, timeline. Our timeline died the ugly death this week after the whiteboard jumped off the wall and attempted to maul Doodlebug, so I broke down and simply ordered a book of completed timelines from Amazon rather than trying to redo our own. So from now on, we'll simply be finding the people we're studying on the timeline vs. creating our own. I'm okay with that. Reading options were: Story of the World Ch. 18 and the first half of Ch. 19, Usborne World History Encyclopedia pp. 126-127, Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World pp. 64-67, and Kingfisher History Encyclopedia pp. 16-17.
Tuesday: Map Trek map of early Greece (the kids recently finished reading various versions of the Iliad and were delighted to learn where Troy was, and I pointed out Ithaca for good measure since they'll be reading simplified versions of the Odyssey soon) and they picked topics for their next history papers. Doodlebug chose Cretan crafting and architecture; Boo chose Japanese mythology.
Wednesday: I let the kids make a book of the ancient Greek gods. It was one of the projects in the Ancient Greece book that I have an e-copy of. They enjoyed that. We also watched some videos, specifically this one on Knossos and this one on the Mycenaeans. We also watched several bull jumping videos; their favorite was this one.
Thursday: Definitions (from History Pockets - agora, chiton, column, and myth) and critical thinking questions - 1) Would you have preferred to live with the Minoans or the Mycenaeans? Why? 2) Would you have wanted to be a bull jumper?
Friday: For their project, I asked them to make a labyrinth. I gave them the choice of using Legos and other 'real' materials or just drawing a maze, and they both opted to just use graph paper and draw their mazes. It was a good challenge for both of them, and they enjoyed it. I was surprised how much they got out of it; the amount of time they spent on it gave them an appreciation for how long it would have taken for Daedalus (or whoever) to design a labyrinth, let alone construct one.
Next week: Bronze Age Europe - henges, palisades, farming methods
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Homemade History, Week 9
History was sort of History Lite this week because of the other projects we had going, but the kids requested and therefore we still did a sort of history study. I'll put in all the stuff that could be used in case you want to do a full week, but we didn't do it all. No way, Jose.
Week 9 Topic: Indus Valley Civilizations, Hindu
Monday: Reading, summary, timeline - Story of the World (Chs. 9 and 30), Life in the Ancient Indus River Valley (pp. 1-15), Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World (pp. 52-57), Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (pp. 14-15, 33), and Usborne World History Encyclopedia (pp. 118-119, 174) were all given options. The kids poked through some of the choices, and I requested a book from the library on Hinduism for each of them.
Tuesday: Map Trek map of ancient India and discussion of Hindu gods. We didn't get around to the discussion, but we did the map. Score one for geography.
Wednesday: Definitions (plateau, plain, citadel, caste) and critical thinking questions: What do you think happened to the people who lived in Mohenjo-Daro? What do you think of a caste system? Can you think of anything that's good about it? Anything bad? (Doodlebug couldn't think of a single good thing about it unless you were in the upper castes. He was quite indignant. We just answered these orally this week.)
Thursday: We didn't do anything on Thursday since we were out of the house for most of the day, but the plan had been to watch some videos on the ancient Indus Valley peoples like this one on an ancient Aryan settlement or a Crash Course video on the Indus Valley civilizations (note: no mention of scoodily-pooping in this one). Or maybe let them poke around on the BBC site about Hinduism or a similar BBC Kids site on the Indus Valley.
Friday: I had planned to let the kids make rangoli again - giant rangoli on giant pieces of concrete in the driveway and/or on giant pieces of paper that we could save and hang up for Diwali, but the weather didn't cooperate. Hard to make sand art on wet concrete. The kids, however, decided that they weren't to be denied, so they chose to make candles. They initially wanted to make their own little terra-cotta pinch pots and fill those, but when Boo started poking around in her craft supplies, she realized she had a soy candle-making kit and they decided that would probably be safer and easier. I agreed.
They want to place these out on Diwali (November 3) and maybe make some rangoli between now and then as an art project. I'm not about to argue.
Next week (well, OK, this week... I'm behind, I know): Crete - Minoans, Mycenaeans.
Week 9 Topic: Indus Valley Civilizations, Hindu
Monday: Reading, summary, timeline - Story of the World (Chs. 9 and 30), Life in the Ancient Indus River Valley (pp. 1-15), Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World (pp. 52-57), Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (pp. 14-15, 33), and Usborne World History Encyclopedia (pp. 118-119, 174) were all given options. The kids poked through some of the choices, and I requested a book from the library on Hinduism for each of them.
Tuesday: Map Trek map of ancient India and discussion of Hindu gods. We didn't get around to the discussion, but we did the map. Score one for geography.
Wednesday: Definitions (plateau, plain, citadel, caste) and critical thinking questions: What do you think happened to the people who lived in Mohenjo-Daro? What do you think of a caste system? Can you think of anything that's good about it? Anything bad? (Doodlebug couldn't think of a single good thing about it unless you were in the upper castes. He was quite indignant. We just answered these orally this week.)
Thursday: We didn't do anything on Thursday since we were out of the house for most of the day, but the plan had been to watch some videos on the ancient Indus Valley peoples like this one on an ancient Aryan settlement or a Crash Course video on the Indus Valley civilizations (note: no mention of scoodily-pooping in this one). Or maybe let them poke around on the BBC site about Hinduism or a similar BBC Kids site on the Indus Valley.
Friday: I had planned to let the kids make rangoli again - giant rangoli on giant pieces of concrete in the driveway and/or on giant pieces of paper that we could save and hang up for Diwali, but the weather didn't cooperate. Hard to make sand art on wet concrete. The kids, however, decided that they weren't to be denied, so they chose to make candles. They initially wanted to make their own little terra-cotta pinch pots and fill those, but when Boo started poking around in her craft supplies, she realized she had a soy candle-making kit and they decided that would probably be safer and easier. I agreed.
They want to place these out on Diwali (November 3) and maybe make some rangoli between now and then as an art project. I'm not about to argue.
Next week (well, OK, this week... I'm behind, I know): Crete - Minoans, Mycenaeans.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Interest-Led Week No. 1
We completed our first interest-led week ever of the year yesterday. The kids rocked it. I told them they could study any topic of their choosing as long as they had something to show for it by Friday - a report, a poster, a meal, a project, absolutely anything.
Doodlebug chose DNA for his topic; Boo chose jellyfish. On Monday we went to the library and picked up some books I'd requested for each kid on his/her chosen topic, and we hung around for a while so the kids could read, take notes, use the library computers for further research, etc. That was the only day I gave them any guidance. After that, they were on their own.
Both of them loved their topics. Both of them learned a ton.
Doodlebug was initially frustrated because he didn't understand how DNA, RNA, and amino acids worked, but once I insisted he read his library books before he continued, he got the picture. He put together the K'Nex DNA replication/transcription set and pored through the booklet of information that accompanied it.
Boo set up shop in the school room and started work on a papier-mache jellyfish. I had to blow up the balloon to exact specifications in order to make her happy. I had no idea why at the time. I learned later that she was making a life-size replica of a sea nettle. Those things have LONG tentacles!!
On Wednesday Doodlebug pulled out the Zometools Biochemistry set and started making base pairs and sugars. He was fascinated by the process, and I, in turn, learned why people say we're carbon-based life forms. I never knew before! He requested permission to use my camera and took pictures of each protein along with the card that held its name.
Boo started making fact sheets on red pieces of paper and added a second layer to her papier-mache jellyfish.
By Friday, I had done very little to guide them. They had asked me if they needed something - Doodlebug asked me to take his base protein images and turn them into a slide show and Boo had asked me to print off images of four specific species of jellyfish - but other than that, they'd been working independently, and they were ready to show off their work.
Doodlebug went first and explained base pairs, DNA, RNA, the replication process,
and how they all work/fit together. He loved being able to use technology to bring his presentation to life.
He was understandably proud of himself.
Boo enjoyed showing off her work, too.
Girl got her lecture on almost as well as her brother, which is saying something since he's been lecturing people semi-professionally since he was 5.
She even walked around the room to make sure everyone participated.
Between them, I think their presentations ran an average of 10 minutes, and I couldn't be more proud of them. They did amazing work, and they can't wait till our next interest-led week, which should be sometime around Christmas!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Weekend Recap, Writing, and Interest-Led Learning
Doodlebug spent the weekend with my mom. He had a good time, though he now understands why I used to come home exhausted whenever I'd visit my grandmother before she moved - he spent a fair bit of time in the kitchen cooking, doing laundry (she took him thrift store shopping and he bought some clothes for next summer), etc.
Boo spend the weekend recovering from her bike wreck. She enjoyed not having anywhere to go, though she was - and is - still devastated that I had to reschedule a sleepover that was originally planned for Friday night. She's not looking forward to answering all the questions everyone will inevitably ask all week.
I got my hair done and made applesauce and apple butter (note to others who have never made it - use the crock pot! The recipe in my Ball Blue Book didn't mention it takes 8-9 hours to simmer a batch down to the right consistency. That would have been handy to know before I started cooking it at 3:30 p.m.).
The kids asked today if I had posted their reports. I said I hadn't, and they wanted to know if I would. So, without further fuss, here they are. I'll post Doodlebug's first, then Boo's. Age order. Next time it'll be ladies first.
Boo spend the weekend recovering from her bike wreck. She enjoyed not having anywhere to go, though she was - and is - still devastated that I had to reschedule a sleepover that was originally planned for Friday night. She's not looking forward to answering all the questions everyone will inevitably ask all week.
I got my hair done and made applesauce and apple butter (note to others who have never made it - use the crock pot! The recipe in my Ball Blue Book didn't mention it takes 8-9 hours to simmer a batch down to the right consistency. That would have been handy to know before I started cooking it at 3:30 p.m.).
----------
The kids asked today if I had posted their reports. I said I hadn't, and they wanted to know if I would. So, without further fuss, here they are. I'll post Doodlebug's first, then Boo's. Age order. Next time it'll be ladies first.
Imagine
that you are a carver in Olmec times. When you get up you have breakfast of
maize tortillas and catfish. Then you go to the temple decorated with beautiful
pottery to make a giant stone head in honor of a late ruler or ballplayer.
Think
back to breakfast. Those maize tortillas that you had were made from maize that
was roasted and then ground into a paste and cooked.The catfish was caught in
the local river. You might have clams or turtles for lunch. If you are very
lucky you might be able to afford some crocodile for dinner, but that is mostly
for the rich. The rich also drink an expensive drink called cacao, which is a
bitter drink made from the cacao plant.
Do
you remember the pottery? If you looked closely, you would see that the pieces
have holes in the back. You are not a potter so you don’t know much about
making clay pots, but you know that the hole in the back means that the piece
is hollow and the potter did not want the piece exploding during firing. Most
of the pottery is human-shaped. Another common figure is a were-jaguar.
Now
you reach the head you are carving. It is called a Colossal Head, and it is
made from the porous stone basalt imported to your city. It stands for a late
ruler or ballplayer. You don’t know which; you’re just carving the stone head
that the priests told you to build. Little do you know that about 2000 years
later archaeologists will have found the stone head you carved, along with 16
others.
Finally,
you go to bed to do the same thing tomorrow until the head is finished. Soon
you will have another project.
----Doodlebug
Living
in ancient Egypt was not very easy, but people tried to make their lives
beautiful. They did did that by decorating their homes and wearing pretty
clothes.
Egyptian
homes were not very complex. One family wrote a list of the furniture that was
in their house. There were two beds, a tool chest, and a foot stool. Most homes
had three rooms. They were the living room, the bedroom, and the work room. One
home decoration was cups and jars. They were colored with bright patterns. All
ancient Egyptian houses were built from mud bricks, even the pharaoh’s palaces. The only building that wasn’t built from mud
bricks were the pyramids.
The
royal ancient Egyptians wore transparent linen.
The Egyptian slaves were almost naked. Women wore long tunics that came down to their
knees. Men wore skirts as pants with belts. Young children often wore nothing.
Egyptians
liked pretty things. They really did make pretty pottery, and they really did use limestone for jewelry.
----Boo
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Today we started our interest-led week. We went to the library and picked up a crapton of books I'd requested for the kids on their specified subjects - Boo is studying jellyfish and Doodlebug is studying DNA/RNA/amino acids/chromosomes/genetics (he'll have to narrow that down, but for now he's just garnering information). Then I let the kids read and take any notes they wanted to make and they searched on the Internet at the library for even more info because hello multiple computers so nobody has to wait for a turn before we came back home. Boo is extremely excited about her project and can't wait to get started; Doodlebug was frustrated because he hadn't realized exactly how difficult and complex his topic was, but I think I got him to relax and enjoy himself when I pulled out the Zometools Biochemistry set and let him start building some of the proteins he'd been reading about. He was really, really happy to build phosphate and SEE how the universe's elements work together in a chemical setting as part of biology. It all started to click. I'm curious to see what he'll do the rest of the week.
Hope you all had a good weekend!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Homemade History, Week 8
The kids turned in their papers this week. I thought they did well, and I may post those separately. Or not. I haven't decided yet. For week 9, even though it's primarily an interest-led week, the kids will still be doing history and math and a couple other electives. So I'll be back next weekend with yet another installment.
Week 8 Topic: Phoenicians and Sea Peoples
Monday: Reading and timeline. Reading options came from Story of the World (Ch. 15), Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (pp. 28-29), Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World (pp. 88-91), and/or the Usborne World History Encyclopedia (pp. 144-145). Boo was fascinated with the idea of city-states and alliances between the cities.
Tuesday: We filled in the Phoenicia's Trading Empire map from Map Trek and they started typing up their papers.
Wednesday: Videos! We watched a bunch: One on glassblowing (we also searched for Phoenician glass images so they could see some of the stuff the Phoenicians actually produced), one on the Phoenician Ship Expedition, and one on extracting dye. There's another video out there, called Quest for the Phoenicians, that is available in parts on Youtube or for legitimate sale in the National Geographic Store, that we caught the preview for. I may check it out another time, because both kids really, really like the Phoenician peoples.
Thursday: Definitions (city-state, colony, obelisk, alphabet) and Doodlebug's critical thinking questions (What were some advantages and disadvantages of having cooperating city-states vs. a unified country? Which of the Phoenician's inventions [alphabet, dye methods, glassblowing, shipbuilding, colonization, etc.] is the most significant to us today? Why do you think that?)
Friday: I was going to suggest that the kids help me make pita bread, but they had other (and better!) ideas. Doodlebug decided he wanted me to find him a map of Mediterranean currents and winds so that he could work out different sailing routes that the Phoenicians would have used to get to their colonies.
Boo decided she wanted to see if she could build her own boat.
Both kids ran into different problems with their projects - Boo had originally wanted to make a curved boat and Doodlebug wanted to figure out one route that would work for all seasons - but they both overcame their frustrations and were happy with their final results... even if the boat didn't float for more than a few seconds before sinking catastrophically.
Next week: The Indus Valley, Mohenjo-Daro, Hindu beliefs
Week 8 Topic: Phoenicians and Sea Peoples
Monday: Reading and timeline. Reading options came from Story of the World (Ch. 15), Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (pp. 28-29), Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World (pp. 88-91), and/or the Usborne World History Encyclopedia (pp. 144-145). Boo was fascinated with the idea of city-states and alliances between the cities.
Tuesday: We filled in the Phoenicia's Trading Empire map from Map Trek and they started typing up their papers.
Wednesday: Videos! We watched a bunch: One on glassblowing (we also searched for Phoenician glass images so they could see some of the stuff the Phoenicians actually produced), one on the Phoenician Ship Expedition, and one on extracting dye. There's another video out there, called Quest for the Phoenicians, that is available in parts on Youtube or for legitimate sale in the National Geographic Store, that we caught the preview for. I may check it out another time, because both kids really, really like the Phoenician peoples.
Thursday: Definitions (city-state, colony, obelisk, alphabet) and Doodlebug's critical thinking questions (What were some advantages and disadvantages of having cooperating city-states vs. a unified country? Which of the Phoenician's inventions [alphabet, dye methods, glassblowing, shipbuilding, colonization, etc.] is the most significant to us today? Why do you think that?)
Friday: I was going to suggest that the kids help me make pita bread, but they had other (and better!) ideas. Doodlebug decided he wanted me to find him a map of Mediterranean currents and winds so that he could work out different sailing routes that the Phoenicians would have used to get to their colonies.
Boo decided she wanted to see if she could build her own boat.
Both kids ran into different problems with their projects - Boo had originally wanted to make a curved boat and Doodlebug wanted to figure out one route that would work for all seasons - but they both overcame their frustrations and were happy with their final results... even if the boat didn't float for more than a few seconds before sinking catastrophically.
Next week: The Indus Valley, Mohenjo-Daro, Hindu beliefs
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Homemade History, Week 7
Just as we get into the really interesting stuff, it's time for a break. It's Labor Day week here in the ol' US of A, and I don't do four-day weeks. I find them unproductive. So instead, we just take the entire week off. Since we've been going hard for seven weeks, it's time. This first block is one of the longest continuous stretches of school we'll have all year.
Week 7 Topic: Egypt's Old Kingdom + mastabas, pyramids, mummies
Monday: Reading and notes. The kids picked two of the following choices: Story of the World chapters 2 and 4, Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World pages 28-31, Usborne World History Encyclopedia pages 114-117, or Life in Ancient Egypt pages 4-9, 20-22, and 26-27.
Tuesday: The kids finished their reading, and we noted any necessary revisions to their nine weeks' papers. They'll finish revising the paper and type them up in weeks 8 and 9, and hopefully I'll be allowed to post their work here. Doodlebug especially has surprised me - he decided to write his paper entirely from second-person perspective. It's an odd choice, but I think it works.
Wednesday: We filled in a map of Ancient Egypt, complete with the locations of pyramids, ancient cities along the Nile, and the general geography in and around Egypt like the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Sahara.
Thursday: Definitions (hieroglyphics, pyramid, pharaoh, and papyrus - Doodlebug was fascinated with the method of making papyrus) and critical thinking questions: How did geography affect the lives of ancient Egyptians? What were some of the problems that Pharaoh may have faced? That second question is to get him thinking about the problems all rulers face, but he doesn't know that yet.
Friday: On Friday the kids played a game called Mummy Maker on the BBC Kids web site. Then they wanted to make their own cartouches. We discussed the function of a true cartouche, and then I told the kids that if they wanted to make their own, they had a choice. I could look up some close hieroglyphic representations of their names and they could make Egyptian cartouches or they could make their own indecipherable cartouches based on their interests and things that are important to them. Of course, being Generation 2.0 children, they wanted their own custom images. Doodlebug made his out of clay; Boo made hers from paper. Both are designed to be hung from strings like necklaces so they could, theoretically, wear their cartouches everywhere.
I have to say, you can see the differences between them just by looking at the images!
I also gave them options of making scented oil - basil, rosemary, garlic - or virtually touring the inside of the Great Pyramid. These are definitely other project/video options to consider.
Week 8 Topic (when we return): Phoenicians and "Sea People"
Week 7 Topic: Egypt's Old Kingdom + mastabas, pyramids, mummies
Monday: Reading and notes. The kids picked two of the following choices: Story of the World chapters 2 and 4, Kingfisher Book of the Ancient World pages 28-31, Usborne World History Encyclopedia pages 114-117, or Life in Ancient Egypt pages 4-9, 20-22, and 26-27.
Tuesday: The kids finished their reading, and we noted any necessary revisions to their nine weeks' papers. They'll finish revising the paper and type them up in weeks 8 and 9, and hopefully I'll be allowed to post their work here. Doodlebug especially has surprised me - he decided to write his paper entirely from second-person perspective. It's an odd choice, but I think it works.
Wednesday: We filled in a map of Ancient Egypt, complete with the locations of pyramids, ancient cities along the Nile, and the general geography in and around Egypt like the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Sahara.
Thursday: Definitions (hieroglyphics, pyramid, pharaoh, and papyrus - Doodlebug was fascinated with the method of making papyrus) and critical thinking questions: How did geography affect the lives of ancient Egyptians? What were some of the problems that Pharaoh may have faced? That second question is to get him thinking about the problems all rulers face, but he doesn't know that yet.
Friday: On Friday the kids played a game called Mummy Maker on the BBC Kids web site. Then they wanted to make their own cartouches. We discussed the function of a true cartouche, and then I told the kids that if they wanted to make their own, they had a choice. I could look up some close hieroglyphic representations of their names and they could make Egyptian cartouches or they could make their own indecipherable cartouches based on their interests and things that are important to them. Of course, being Generation 2.0 children, they wanted their own custom images. Doodlebug made his out of clay; Boo made hers from paper. Both are designed to be hung from strings like necklaces so they could, theoretically, wear their cartouches everywhere.
I have to say, you can see the differences between them just by looking at the images!
I also gave them options of making scented oil - basil, rosemary, garlic - or virtually touring the inside of the Great Pyramid. These are definitely other project/video options to consider.
Week 8 Topic (when we return): Phoenicians and "Sea People"
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