Even though I didn't blog our home school adventures this summer, we did actually still have them. Here is a link to our family blog where I documented their favorite home school of the summer. Harry Potter Day.
Click HERE to see it!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Electricity
I was originally going to do this in two sessions. One on atoms, molecules and bonds. And one on electricity. But we ran out of time this summer. So I sort of lumped them together. We focused mainly on electricity.
What they knew:
Hannah: It powers up things. It can electrocute you. It can cause sparks.
Seth: It can be used for lights, flashlights, cameras...it makes lights work.
We covered:
First we made molecules using marshmallows as the atoms, and toothpicks as the bonds. We viewed pictures of molecules on the internet as inspiration.
Next we completed a few experiments. We tested static electricity with a balloon. We rubbed it on our hair, the carpet, and on a wool sweater. We rubbed it on the sweater and then picked up pieces of paper from the table.
Next we "made lightning". We got into our dark walk-in closet and rubbed the balloon on the sweater, and then held it in front of the doorknob. The electrons arced between the balloon and the doorknob, and sparked for just a second, but long enough to see it. We did this several times because the LOVED it!
The most exciting experiment, for them and for me as well, was the circuit. I was so proud because I was getting the stuff ready for school the night before, and it was late. Rick was in bed, and I knew I wanted to try this, but didn't know if I could make it work without his help. I know this is ridiculously easy, and as simple of a light circuit as you can make, but still...it was so thrilling to rummage through our junk tool drawers and come away with something that actually worked! It was just a couple of wires, a Christmas light, and a 9V battery. And provided all three kids with entertainment for the afternoon!
Hannah:
Seth:
What they learned:
Hannah: Electricity is made out of electrons moving, there are different kinds of atoms, the best showing of electricity is lightning, you can make lightning sparks, electrons travel through wires, because they are attracted to it, tons of electrons move quickly to a place by finding somewhere to go and it makes electricity in that place.
Seth: There's different kinds, electrics travel from one side of the battery to the other, if they go through the light they make it light up, they don't go through plastic and stuff, we walked out and looked at the electric box, if you break through the box, you'll get electrocuted, electricity lights everything up and electricity travels through your body.
Well, that's the summer for us. I have really had fun with the kids doing these things this summer. But I admit, I probably won't do the blog anymore. I feel like it's just another thing to add to my "to-do" list, and I don't think it got a lot of use. So next summer we will still do our home school, I'm just taking the blog aspect out of it.
School starts tomorrow. Enjoy!
What they knew:
Hannah: It powers up things. It can electrocute you. It can cause sparks.
Seth: It can be used for lights, flashlights, cameras...it makes lights work.
We covered:
- atoms: what makes up an atom, protons, neutrons, electrons, and the nucleus. we talked about charges, both positive and negative, the number of protons determines the type of atom.
- molecules: made up of atoms bonding together
- electricity: the flow of electrical charge...basically electrons on the move
- circuits: giving the electrons a path to follow, forcing electricity to the areas we need it
- we talked about he role Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison played in the development of modern electricity
- we talked about sources of power, natural, chemical, man-made, etc.
- we talked about how we kept our homes light and warm before electricity
- visible forms of electricity: lightning, sparks, etc.
- volts, amps, and watts...how to find these measurements on things in our environment, batteries, power boxes, etc. we talked about how voltage changes from a battery to a plug, to a lightning strike
- SAFETY! We walked outside and looked at the warnings on the power box next to our house, looked at the voltage warnings, etc.
- static electricity
- conductive materials, and insulators.
First we made molecules using marshmallows as the atoms, and toothpicks as the bonds. We viewed pictures of molecules on the internet as inspiration.
Next we completed a few experiments. We tested static electricity with a balloon. We rubbed it on our hair, the carpet, and on a wool sweater. We rubbed it on the sweater and then picked up pieces of paper from the table.
Next we "made lightning". We got into our dark walk-in closet and rubbed the balloon on the sweater, and then held it in front of the doorknob. The electrons arced between the balloon and the doorknob, and sparked for just a second, but long enough to see it. We did this several times because the LOVED it!
The most exciting experiment, for them and for me as well, was the circuit. I was so proud because I was getting the stuff ready for school the night before, and it was late. Rick was in bed, and I knew I wanted to try this, but didn't know if I could make it work without his help. I know this is ridiculously easy, and as simple of a light circuit as you can make, but still...it was so thrilling to rummage through our junk tool drawers and come away with something that actually worked! It was just a couple of wires, a Christmas light, and a 9V battery. And provided all three kids with entertainment for the afternoon!
Hannah:
Seth:
Even MaKaty:
What they learned:
Hannah: Electricity is made out of electrons moving, there are different kinds of atoms, the best showing of electricity is lightning, you can make lightning sparks, electrons travel through wires, because they are attracted to it, tons of electrons move quickly to a place by finding somewhere to go and it makes electricity in that place.
Seth: There's different kinds, electrics travel from one side of the battery to the other, if they go through the light they make it light up, they don't go through plastic and stuff, we walked out and looked at the electric box, if you break through the box, you'll get electrocuted, electricity lights everything up and electricity travels through your body.
Well, that's the summer for us. I have really had fun with the kids doing these things this summer. But I admit, I probably won't do the blog anymore. I feel like it's just another thing to add to my "to-do" list, and I don't think it got a lot of use. So next summer we will still do our home school, I'm just taking the blog aspect out of it.
School starts tomorrow. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Artists/Art History
The other day Hannah and I were talking. I mentioned that something was a mosaic. Hannah said, "What's a mosaic?" And I knew what our next home school lesson would be.
What they knew:
Seth: Art can look good or bad, and it doesn't matter. Some art can be animals. You can use a pen or a marker, some can be anything you want.
Hannah: You can use pen, pencil, marker, paint brushes, paint, clay, crayon, and pastels. There are lots of famous artists. They all had different techniques. One is cutting out and glueing on. Art can be colorful or dull.
First off, let me tell you...it took us 4 hours to do all this stuff. Our usual home school session is about 2. But they were the ones who kept wanting more.
I am not a slave driver. Usually.
We started off by reading I Spy Two Eyes.
Next I gave them a very basic overview of some different styles of art. Just a couple of sentences about each.
- abstract
- cubism
- impressionism
- pointillism
- pop art
- post-impressionism
- primitivism
- realism
- surrealism
Then I had made a little slideshow on the computer using about a dozen paintings. I "quizzed" them by showing them a painting and then seeing if they could remember something about it...the artist, the style, the medium, anything. They did really well!
Then we got busy DOING! I had prepared 4 activities for them.
- a self portrait inspired by Van Gogh
- an abstract action painting inspired by Jackson Pollack
- a mosaic inspired by cubism
- and a watercolor inspired by the Impressionist era.
Here are the results:
For some reason, I cannot find Seth's self-portrait. And I'm sad, because it was a more primitive style, and I loved it. Oh well. Hannah's is cute, but fairly predictable. The mosaics turned out cute, I thought. Seth's is a dragon, MaKaty's is a cow, and Hannah's is a unicorn.
The watercolors were fun, too. Seth decided on a desert landscape. If you can't tell, it's a turtle eating a cactus.
Hannah's is a pond and garden in a backyard.
And finally, we went outside and did some action painting. Rick brought home these huge maps so that the kids could use the backside for big art projects. They were perfect. We still ended up cleaning a little paint off of the garage door, and some off Seth's feet,
but for the most part, it was an easy clean-up. Seth chose to go back to the same spot each time he got a new color, and so his painting sort of has the effect of a volcano erupting.
Hannah walked around her painting with each new color, leaving a much more fluid look.
We plan to find some cool frames for them, and then cut out a chunk of the painting to fit inside.
What they know NOW:
Seth: Some artists use paper, or clay, some guy put paint in a balloon and painted splatters, some artists were never loved until now, some are weird like the guy who cut off his ear, there are self-portraits, some do cut paper, some even use glue.
Hannah: My favorite artist was totally crazy, and I'm very disappointed (Van Gogh). People like to paint happiness, using warm colors and cool colors, there were realism paintings, and impression paintings, some people cut things out and put them on, some people filled balloons with paint and threw them at the canvas, artists like to sign their paintings, some of the painters used shapes in their paintings called cubist painting.
I have also been doing a simple "school" with MaKaty each week. Usually we just go over the alphabet, practice writing her name, do weather, numbers, letters, etc..,read a couple of concept books, and do a math/concept worksheet. Today was about color, and she was just so cute sorting out the colored toys that I just couldn't resist taking pictures.
The cool rainbow effect doesn't hurt either.
Next week will be our final home school for this summer. Subject: Electricity!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Pirates
Following on the heels of Vikings, Seth chose Pirates. I was...less than thrilled. Vikings are fierce enough...but pirates are just plain barbaric. So I approached with caution.
What They Knew:
Hannah: They often used guns called pistols, Blackbeard was the most fierce, Pirates don't just steal treasure, they steal food and cloth, and things they need to survive, they have ships called warbirds, some brought their families (???), pirate movies mix myth with truth, they had parrots, sometimes they got caught in storms...which is very dangerous on high seas.
Seth: They have big wooden ships, they don't have heads on their ships like the Vikings, some use guns and some use swords, some lost their heads, they have cannons on their ships.
We went over basic pirate history, we discussed what kinds of ships they used, and why they would choose smaller ships over the larger ones, we talked about a few famous pirates, Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Mary Read, etc. We looked at maps and followed some of the most common pirate courses. We discussed why they would choose to hit those areas most. We were very clear about the fact that pirates were NOT NICE PEOPLE who did a lot of bad things. We looked at a diagram of the insides of a pirate ship, and what the different spaces were used for, the galley, the captains quarters, etc. We looked at pirates symbols and pirate lingo.
For a writing activity, I had them write three days worth of a ships log. They had to come up with their pirate name and record what might have happened to them during that time. I totally love the results!
Next we did a "treasure hunt" activity. I had a bunch of cardboard coins, from pennies up to quarters that I buried in a bin of dry beans. The kids got to search for the "treasure" and then add up their "booty." The point was for them to learn how to count money...to use some tricks to make it easier (grouping, separating into 1$ increments, counting by 5's, 10's etc). In the end, Hannah ended up with quite a few more coins than Seth did. But the totals were almost identical. $5.29 for Seth, and $5.26 for Hannah. Apparently Seth ended up with more "silver" coinage.
Next we did a fun activity. I've been wanting to do the shaving cream activity, and this seemed the perfect opportunity. I printed a simple pirate ship image and taped it to the table, then I covered it with a piece of saran wrap, which I also taped down. Then I covered the picture with shaving cream and dropped a few drops of blue and green food coloring in.
They played around in the shaving cream for a while, and eventually realized that through the foam...there was something under there...
We call the color: Sea Foam Green.
What They Know Now:
Seth: Some pirate ships are called "junks". They steal the other peoples ships, some pirates get dumped off (marooned) for breaking a rule, Blackbeard was the meanest pirate in the whole world until the good guy got him.
Hannah: Pirate ships have rooms, their anchors were heavy and so were their sails, they had different types of flags, they all had to do with skeletons, they had smaller, fast ships, they would steal the daughters of the mayor or general, pirates called their treasure "booty", they could be very dangerous.
Next week: Famous Artists
What They Knew:
Hannah: They often used guns called pistols, Blackbeard was the most fierce, Pirates don't just steal treasure, they steal food and cloth, and things they need to survive, they have ships called warbirds, some brought their families (???), pirate movies mix myth with truth, they had parrots, sometimes they got caught in storms...which is very dangerous on high seas.
Seth: They have big wooden ships, they don't have heads on their ships like the Vikings, some use guns and some use swords, some lost their heads, they have cannons on their ships.
We went over basic pirate history, we discussed what kinds of ships they used, and why they would choose smaller ships over the larger ones, we talked about a few famous pirates, Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Mary Read, etc. We looked at maps and followed some of the most common pirate courses. We discussed why they would choose to hit those areas most. We were very clear about the fact that pirates were NOT NICE PEOPLE who did a lot of bad things. We looked at a diagram of the insides of a pirate ship, and what the different spaces were used for, the galley, the captains quarters, etc. We looked at pirates symbols and pirate lingo.
For a writing activity, I had them write three days worth of a ships log. They had to come up with their pirate name and record what might have happened to them during that time. I totally love the results!
Next we did a "treasure hunt" activity. I had a bunch of cardboard coins, from pennies up to quarters that I buried in a bin of dry beans. The kids got to search for the "treasure" and then add up their "booty." The point was for them to learn how to count money...to use some tricks to make it easier (grouping, separating into 1$ increments, counting by 5's, 10's etc). In the end, Hannah ended up with quite a few more coins than Seth did. But the totals were almost identical. $5.29 for Seth, and $5.26 for Hannah. Apparently Seth ended up with more "silver" coinage.
Next we did a fun activity. I've been wanting to do the shaving cream activity, and this seemed the perfect opportunity. I printed a simple pirate ship image and taped it to the table, then I covered it with a piece of saran wrap, which I also taped down. Then I covered the picture with shaving cream and dropped a few drops of blue and green food coloring in.
They played around in the shaving cream for a while, and eventually realized that through the foam...there was something under there...
We call the color: Sea Foam Green.
What They Know Now:
Seth: Some pirate ships are called "junks". They steal the other peoples ships, some pirates get dumped off (marooned) for breaking a rule, Blackbeard was the meanest pirate in the whole world until the good guy got him.
Hannah: Pirate ships have rooms, their anchors were heavy and so were their sails, they had different types of flags, they all had to do with skeletons, they had smaller, fast ships, they would steal the daughters of the mayor or general, pirates called their treasure "booty", they could be very dangerous.
Next week: Famous Artists
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Vikings
On the way home from the movie theater, following How To Train Your Dragon, Hannah said, "Mom, I know that dragons are not real, but what about Vikings?"
And so a summer school topic was inspired.
What They Knew:
Hannah: They have their own handwriting, they fight, they lived in houses with roofs made of straw.
Seth: They fight.
We covered a lot of aspects of Vikings:
And finally, we built this boat. The day after Hannah decided to do Vikings for our next lesson, we came across this kit in the clearance bin at Michaels. (yes, Michaels, despite my extreme dislike for them...they have the best assortment of fabric paint colors) . At any rate, it was fate. These kits are usually more money than I am willing to spend, but this boat has become a well loved and well used toy at our house...totally worth the 3$ I spent!
First Seth had to show me that he could make a sea horse out of these pieces.
Finished. I told them to show me their Viking faces. Yikes!
What They Learned:
Hannah: Vikings were very good at shipbuilding, they killed or banished people that broke the rules, Vikings often went to other lands and traded, or raided. They wore gold, some people were rich, their ships were strong and fast and they put their shields on the sides of the ship, they carved heads of animals on their ships, they liked to fight, and feast, and their meetings were called "things". The days of the week were named after the gods, Thor, Woden, and Frey/Freyja.
Seth: Viking boats were fast. They were also strong. They killed whales for food. They growed their own food. They traveled to Greenland and Iceland. They made their own weapons.
Another segment that we added to our school time was one on money. My sister gave Hannah a bunch of foreign coins for her birthday. So each "school" day, we pick out a coin, find the country on the map, discuss how many US dollars/cents it would be worth, whether or not it is still used today, etc. They have really liked this part. And so have I!
Next week: Pirates! (I know, it's so similar to Vikings...I will have to spin it a little to be more educational, and less horrifying.)
And so a summer school topic was inspired.
What They Knew:
Hannah: They have their own handwriting, they fight, they lived in houses with roofs made of straw.
Seth: They fight.
We covered a lot of aspects of Vikings:
- where they lived
- what their houses were like
- how they ran their towns
- what their boats looked like and were used for
- what foods they ate
- what clothes they wore
- what tools they used
- how we know about them
- their alphabet, Runes
- their beliefs, including the gods, and how we got many of the names of the days of the week...
- Erik the Red, Greenland, Vinland, Iceland, etc.
- their weapons and forms of fighting
- unique customs
- followed their travels on a world map
- discussed why/how they disappeared
And finally, we built this boat. The day after Hannah decided to do Vikings for our next lesson, we came across this kit in the clearance bin at Michaels. (yes, Michaels, despite my extreme dislike for them...they have the best assortment of fabric paint colors) . At any rate, it was fate. These kits are usually more money than I am willing to spend, but this boat has become a well loved and well used toy at our house...totally worth the 3$ I spent!
First Seth had to show me that he could make a sea horse out of these pieces.
Finished. I told them to show me their Viking faces. Yikes!
What They Learned:
Hannah: Vikings were very good at shipbuilding, they killed or banished people that broke the rules, Vikings often went to other lands and traded, or raided. They wore gold, some people were rich, their ships were strong and fast and they put their shields on the sides of the ship, they carved heads of animals on their ships, they liked to fight, and feast, and their meetings were called "things". The days of the week were named after the gods, Thor, Woden, and Frey/Freyja.
Seth: Viking boats were fast. They were also strong. They killed whales for food. They growed their own food. They traveled to Greenland and Iceland. They made their own weapons.
Another segment that we added to our school time was one on money. My sister gave Hannah a bunch of foreign coins for her birthday. So each "school" day, we pick out a coin, find the country on the map, discuss how many US dollars/cents it would be worth, whether or not it is still used today, etc. They have really liked this part. And so have I!
Next week: Pirates! (I know, it's so similar to Vikings...I will have to spin it a little to be more educational, and less horrifying.)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sharks
Seth chose to learn about sharks this week. I toyed with the idea of doing oceans as a whole, but that was just too much information, and my kids are all about the details, so we focused on sharks.
What They Knew:
Seth: They have sharp teeth. They live in the sea, they eat fish.
Hannah: They have sharp teeth. they live in the ocean. They like to eat fish. They are very dangerous. They live deep down in the ocean.
We discussed the habitat of the shark, and which type of sharks lived deep in the ocean vs. which sharks lived closer to the surface. We named the most dangerous shark, the least dangerous shark, and some of the more unique sharks in between...i.e. the Cookie Cutter Shark and the Saw Shark. The kids thought it was cool that the cookie cutter shark, which sounds so cute and sweet, was much more brutal than the saw shark, who sounds so vicious. We discussed other members of the shark family, like Rays. We talked about the three ways that sharks give birth...laying eggs, an egg case, and live birth. Shark babies are called pups. We discussed the distinguishing characteristics of sharks...like the lack of bones, the ability to replace their teeth, and their mode of "breathing." We also talked about how many sharks need to keep moving so that they don't sink. We learned that they have an oil in their liver that helps them have more buoyancy. We poured a little oil into a glass of water to show how that process worked.
And finally, we got crafty. I had seen this idea on my friend Amy's blog a couple weeks ago, and knew that we would need to try it. Here is the site that she got the idea from. His looks so professional.
Ours looks slightly less professional, I admit. But I just adore the kids' drawings. Hannah did the octopus and the whale shark, while Seth did the black and green sharks.
One thing I will say about this project...be prepared to be freaked out. This currently sits on the table next to the computer, and more than once I have jumped because the fishies were "swimming" (thanks to the AC) and I thought they were real for a second. Creepy. The top of the box is cut with long slits where the fish are attached to buttons. So the kids can slide them around and constantly rearrange the fish like puppets. Very fun.
OK, so what did they learn?
What They Know Now:
Hannah: Some sharks live on the very bottom, cookie cutter sharks use their teeth like a cookie cutter, whale sharks are almost completely harmless, all sharks eat meat, oil helps them float, the oil is in their liver, some sharks eat each other, some lay eggs in a sack, the Great White is the most dangerous shark, sharks barely ever get sick, if sharks stop swimming, they sink.
Seth: They can eat their own babies, some babies eat their brothers and sisters, the cookie cutter shark makes cookies out of its prey with its mouth...even huge whales, the huge shark eats tiny food, and he's nice, and fat, the whale shark...that's what he's called, some sharks live at the bottom and look like sea weed, one shark looks like a swordfish, they are flabbery because they have that stuff inside that's not bone.
Next Week: Vikings (Hannah's choice, inspired by How to Train your Dragon)
What They Knew:
Seth: They have sharp teeth. They live in the sea, they eat fish.
Hannah: They have sharp teeth. they live in the ocean. They like to eat fish. They are very dangerous. They live deep down in the ocean.
We discussed the habitat of the shark, and which type of sharks lived deep in the ocean vs. which sharks lived closer to the surface. We named the most dangerous shark, the least dangerous shark, and some of the more unique sharks in between...i.e. the Cookie Cutter Shark and the Saw Shark. The kids thought it was cool that the cookie cutter shark, which sounds so cute and sweet, was much more brutal than the saw shark, who sounds so vicious. We discussed other members of the shark family, like Rays. We talked about the three ways that sharks give birth...laying eggs, an egg case, and live birth. Shark babies are called pups. We discussed the distinguishing characteristics of sharks...like the lack of bones, the ability to replace their teeth, and their mode of "breathing." We also talked about how many sharks need to keep moving so that they don't sink. We learned that they have an oil in their liver that helps them have more buoyancy. We poured a little oil into a glass of water to show how that process worked.
And finally, we got crafty. I had seen this idea on my friend Amy's blog a couple weeks ago, and knew that we would need to try it. Here is the site that she got the idea from. His looks so professional.
One thing I will say about this project...be prepared to be freaked out. This currently sits on the table next to the computer, and more than once I have jumped because the fishies were "swimming" (thanks to the AC) and I thought they were real for a second. Creepy. The top of the box is cut with long slits where the fish are attached to buttons. So the kids can slide them around and constantly rearrange the fish like puppets. Very fun.
OK, so what did they learn?
What They Know Now:
Hannah: Some sharks live on the very bottom, cookie cutter sharks use their teeth like a cookie cutter, whale sharks are almost completely harmless, all sharks eat meat, oil helps them float, the oil is in their liver, some sharks eat each other, some lay eggs in a sack, the Great White is the most dangerous shark, sharks barely ever get sick, if sharks stop swimming, they sink.
Seth: They can eat their own babies, some babies eat their brothers and sisters, the cookie cutter shark makes cookies out of its prey with its mouth...even huge whales, the huge shark eats tiny food, and he's nice, and fat, the whale shark...that's what he's called, some sharks live at the bottom and look like sea weed, one shark looks like a swordfish, they are flabbery because they have that stuff inside that's not bone.
Next Week: Vikings (Hannah's choice, inspired by How to Train your Dragon)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Plants/Photosynthesis
Even though the kids had both done plant units in school this spring, they were still both very interested in it. So...we made it our choice for the week.
What They Knew:
Seth: "they grow by seeds, they need water, they need sunshine, they need air, they are alive, some plants eat bugs, some are big and some are small"
Hannah: "they need to breathe, they are big and small, they need certain things to make them green, they need warmth, sunlight, and water. they need time to germinate, they need soil, the leaves make the food, if they don't get pollinated, they can't make seeds"
As you can see, they already had a pretty good grasp on the concept. So I had to push it a little further. Thankfully, I had prepared more than I thought I would teach. So we ended up skipping most of the basics and focusing on photosynthesis. They filled out a worksheet labeling the parts of a plant. We read the book "The Life Cycle of a Carrot". We talked about seed dispersal and looked at different ways seeds can be spread. We learned about various unique plants from around the world. We discussed vocabulary words, including: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds, chlorophyll, photosynthesis, sugar, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. We learned the basic process of photosynthesis and the function of chlorophyll. Plants use water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to make their own food. As the food is absorbed, the plants leaves release oxygen into the air. (thank you, plants, for making our air so much better to breathe!) To see this process in action, we put lettuce leaves in water and placed them in the sunshine. About an hour later, we observed little bubbles of air on the surface of the leaves and into the water.
The picture doesn't show it very well. You can see the tiny bubbles on the side of the container better than you can see the big bubbles right on the surface of the leaf. Bummer. BUT, the kids could see it perfectly in person.
What They Learned:
Seth: "we don't eat the top part of a carrot, we eat the root. Some plants wrap around other plants and eat their food. birds and bees transfer pollen. plants make air."
Hannah: "There is a flower that is 3 ft wide, the redwood trees can be taller than the statue of liberty, people can spread pollen on purpose to make their crops grow more seeds, fruits have 2 jobs 1. to be delicious, and 2. to protect the seed. Chlorophyll is the stuff that makes it green. Plants make oxygen for us to breathe."
Next week: Sharks (it was Seth's choice)
What They Knew:
Seth: "they grow by seeds, they need water, they need sunshine, they need air, they are alive, some plants eat bugs, some are big and some are small"
Hannah: "they need to breathe, they are big and small, they need certain things to make them green, they need warmth, sunlight, and water. they need time to germinate, they need soil, the leaves make the food, if they don't get pollinated, they can't make seeds"
As you can see, they already had a pretty good grasp on the concept. So I had to push it a little further. Thankfully, I had prepared more than I thought I would teach. So we ended up skipping most of the basics and focusing on photosynthesis. They filled out a worksheet labeling the parts of a plant. We read the book "The Life Cycle of a Carrot". We talked about seed dispersal and looked at different ways seeds can be spread. We learned about various unique plants from around the world. We discussed vocabulary words, including: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds, chlorophyll, photosynthesis, sugar, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. We learned the basic process of photosynthesis and the function of chlorophyll. Plants use water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to make their own food. As the food is absorbed, the plants leaves release oxygen into the air. (thank you, plants, for making our air so much better to breathe!) To see this process in action, we put lettuce leaves in water and placed them in the sunshine. About an hour later, we observed little bubbles of air on the surface of the leaves and into the water.
The picture doesn't show it very well. You can see the tiny bubbles on the side of the container better than you can see the big bubbles right on the surface of the leaf. Bummer. BUT, the kids could see it perfectly in person.
What They Learned:
Seth: "we don't eat the top part of a carrot, we eat the root. Some plants wrap around other plants and eat their food. birds and bees transfer pollen. plants make air."
Hannah: "There is a flower that is 3 ft wide, the redwood trees can be taller than the statue of liberty, people can spread pollen on purpose to make their crops grow more seeds, fruits have 2 jobs 1. to be delicious, and 2. to protect the seed. Chlorophyll is the stuff that makes it green. Plants make oxygen for us to breathe."
Next week: Sharks (it was Seth's choice)
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