The Genial Hearth
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Archive for Science
October 29, 2008 at 9:32 pm · Filed under Home Education, Science
Our homeschooling co-op is wanting to employ someone to prepare a science activity each week for the older children (probably arrange materials, come in and present it for about an hour and maybe provide some links/information to allow parents to follow up if the children are interested). There’s around 8 kids, 5 to 7—although there may be younger ones joining in if they are interested.
So far, we haven’t had any responses from the people we’ve tried contacting (partly because some of the contact information we’d found was no longer current:-( ) I’m wondering if anyone knows anyone who might be able to help? (Even just contact information for specific people who might be able to point us the right way would be really useful!)
As it stands, one of the mums is organising something, so that we can get it started… but we would really like to have someone else (with a science background!) to run it:-)
January 8, 2008 at 8:00 pm · Filed under Art, Books, Domestic Life, Family, Food, For Adults, For Children, For the Future, French, History, Home Education, Language, Latin, Maths, Montessori, Music, Narration, Nature Study, Organisation, Plans, Puggle, Reading, Science, Singing, Writing
General stuff:-)
As I was happy with the structure of our year in 2007, we’ll stick with the same thing in 2008. I have made a decision about the term names. This year we’ll have Boronia, Dorothea and Edith terms. They’re two great-grandmothers and one great-great-grandmother, covering three of the four branches of our family tree. We’ll start the week beginning January 13th. I have plans for a Cornucopia (as I believe they do in Germany at the start of the school year) containing coloured pencils, some new glue and scissors, more sticky tape, counters, and any other bits of stationery type things I think of to include.
Language (Including Memorisation and Copywork)
I have definite plans in this area, but I’m hoping to be able to keep a grip on myself! I’m planning to begin using Writing Road to Reading
this year. I’m not necessarily thinking that we’ll use it as written, but I thought I would use their order to work through the phonograms, and aim to introduce them all this year… but mostly it will act as a resource for me—so I can look things up if I don’t know why phonograms make their sound (there were a surprising number I didn’t know when I read it a year or so ago!) As Puggle reaches the appropriate stages, I’m planning to be ready with I Spy, Moveable Alphabet, Object Boxes, Action Cards, and Reading Folders—the first two should be fairly immediate, the others I’ll work on making, so they’ll be ready when he is up to them. (I’m not going to link to all of the specific materials… I have posts planned when they’re made, or if you’re desperate to know (!) ask me in the comments:-) )
Otherwise, we’ll continue with Latin Nursery Rhymes (I have enough for two per Block!) and I’m going to add in some everyday Latin phrases (look, careful, listen, sit up etc.). We’ll start doing the same for French, so a nursery rhyme per fortnight, and everyday French phrases (I still need to sort out which comptines we’ll use).
For Memorisation, we’ll be using When We Were Very Young
, by A. A. Milne. We’ll basically read and repeat a poem a week, and I’d like to pick one of the four (actually, I think it’s five per Block) to work on memorising. There are sufficient short ones that it should be possible from the start of the year.
We’ll begin Copywork properly this year. I’ll re-introduce the sandpaper letters when we do that phonogram, and I’ll also provide a Sand Tray for practice (still need to finish that). I also need to complete our ‘Metal’ Insets, which he can practice with. For these, he’ll use the ‘Lyra’ coloured pencils which are thick, triangular ones. Hopefully this will assist Puggle’s proper writing grip.
Maths
I’m basically intending a fairly Montessori style approach. I have a number of started Sensorial materials, (Pink Tower, Broad Stair, Square of Pythagoras), some completed (Red Rods, Geometric Solids—a Christmas gift, but still, ready to use), and plans to make some others Geometric Cabinet, Constructive Triangles, Binomial Cube, Trinomial Cube and Geometric Cards. I am similarly in progress with Maths materials, some complete (Number Rods, Sandpaper Numbers, Number Tablets and Number Cards), some almost complete (Spindle Box), and plans to make some of the rest.
My plan is to prepare the materials, present them as he seems ready, but just leave him to work with them as he sees fit. Obviously well also be talking about numbers as a normal part of our day (cooking, measuring and various number related books we read).
I also figured that my resolution to play more games can’t but help with maths:-)
English Studies
We’ll be reading all year from The Aesop for Children
illustrated by Milo Winter. These are quite brief re-tellings, and this is the main place I’ll be working on developing Narration. I am hoping that we’ve both kind of got a grasp on it by the end of the year:-)
We’ll also be reading a selection of stories over the year from The Lilac Fairy Book
, The Pink Fairy Book
, The Violet Fairy Book
and The Olive Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. As a family read-aloud (so, not necessarily in Mat Time, and quite possibly starting to be some before bed reading—depending on the story!) we’ll be reading selections from Complete Illustrated Stories
by Hans Christian Anderson for the first part of the year, and all of Winnie-the-Pooh
by A. A. Milne for the last term (Edith Term:-) ) Essentially that will break down to three fables, one Fairy Book story, and one Family Read-Aloud selection a week—which I think should be do-able. I may in fact not do all the fables, but rather choose between them at the time. Certainly I doubt that we’ll be narrating more than one!
Health and Phys. Ed
We’re continuing with our weekly swimming lessons. I thought I might try introducing some yoga (through cards that he can do himself, once I’ve shown them to him). We’re working on making the ‘back’yard more contained, and we’re digging a hole for the trampoline. When he’s out there he rarely stops moving:-) I would also like to work (again!) on establishing regular Nature Walks.
(At his age I’m not seriously planning things here… But in the future I’ll need to consider this Learning Area, so I’m noting it now.)
History and Geography
We’re basically going to stick with geography for now. Puggle is really aware of maps, so we’ll make use of the Picture Atlas we have, and he got a pretty good world map puzzle for Christmas. I have plans to make a few more, plus some land and water forms (more of those Montessori materials!) We also plan to acquire a globe.
Science
I intend (once again!) to work on including a weekly Nature walk. I’m not going to worry too much about it until the weather gets more pleasant (so, not until at least March), as I figure it’s one thing to maintain a habit when the weather drops off… but it’s much harder to establish it. We will do some more gardening. We’ll also begin observing the weather.
Aside from these, I’ve been working on various ‘Parts of Animal’ cards, and I’ll finish those, and I have plans for some of the Botany Cabinet stuff.
Art and Music
After my library find earlier this year, I was really excited to discover a copy of The Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas
(a single edition version of the book I’d found, plus its companion volumes) by Fiona Watts in a local shop just before Christmas. It became a family present:-) I’m planning to use this for the practical side of our art curriculum—for some years:-) I’ve decided to stick to a theme per term (at this stage, media), so I’ve pulled all the watercolour and wax crayon/oil pastel ideas out. My plan is to prepare the materials for the activity, and leave that with the book (open to the page) on the sewing cabinet. Hopefully Puggle will have the opportunity to attack the idea multiple times if he chooses. (They’re not really independent things, but it is about the process… and I’m happy to assist or inform when he wants… we’ll see how that goes.)
We’ll continue following the Ambleside Online Artist study schedule, so that means this year will be Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt van Rijn and Jan van Eyck.
When I was at my last school, I was good friends with the music teacher. She was a real Kodály afficienado. She lent me The Kodály Method I: Comprehensive Music Education
by Lois Choksy which I read with great interest. (I can’t follow it all yet, but I find it very inspiring.) I’ve since got my own copy so I can read and mull (and work on!), and that’s where my practical music programme is coming from—I was already planning on singing:-) We’ll continue with our Ambleside based Folksong plan, but I’ll be sure to include a range of nursery rhymes as suggested, and make sure that we talk about and experiment with the ten aspects of music that are introduced in the Preschool year plan.
We’re also following the Ambleside Composer study schedule, so Boronia Term we’ll listen to Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Aelexander Borodin and Modest Mussorgsky. Dorothea Term will be George Frederic Handel, and Edith Term we’ll listen to works by Camille Saint-Saens and Hector Berlioz.
Technology and Enterprise
(This is probably my least consisdered area… bizarre given that it’s what I taught! I guess there are a couple of reasons for that. I just don’t think as an eary it’s as important as some of the others, but equally, I’m fairly confident of my ability to wing it for a while… no need to plan at all at this stage. I do have an idea of developing a woodwork curriculum for junior primary homeschooled kids… when we reach that stage, so a little way ahead of me for now:-) )
He got a toolbox for Christmas… so we’ll start some woodwork:-) And of course, more cooking:-)
(I could never be an unschooler! But maybe I should re-read my The Latin-Centered Curriculum
… this seems as though it may be a little over the top…)
In the next week before we start, I have quite a bit of sorting still to do:-( Arranging equipment/books so that they’re accessible and making sure that we have all the bits (music, still need Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, and the French comptines are proving challenging:-( ) we need. I also have a long list of materials I plan to make (or finish) in the first half of this year… I’m going to be quite busy:-)
November 4, 2007 at 9:35 pm · Filed under Domestic Life, Garden, Puggle, Science
It was such a lovely day, (actually, a little hot if anything!) I’ve been meaning to get these seeds planted out into seedling trays for at least a month!
Here we have all our equipment assembled. Egg cartons for seedling trays—ideally no need to disturb the roots, seed raising mix, a couple of trowels, gloves, dowel to make holes, sprayer for watering, and seeds.
Puggle and I filled the trays with the seed raising mix.
Then we carefully planted out lots of seeds. Tomato (a number of varieties, a Five Colour Mix, as well as Mortgage Lifter), capsicum (a Seven Colour Mix), eggplant (Listada di Gandia) and Echinacea (because I’m planning on putting in sunflowers as well, and I thought this would look pretty with them:-) ).
Seeds nestled in their trays.
Covered over (tucked in their beds) and watered. (I tried to use the Waldorf storytelling idea to make sure that Puggle didn’t disturb the seeds when watering them… It seems to be working to some degree… but the spray bottle is awfully hard work:-( )
Now of course, I need to work on getting the ground ready for them to go in—as well as the ground for the direct sown seeds… I know where I’m intending for them to go, but at the moment it’s not looking particularly hospitable:-( Much work ahead of us…
August 31, 2007 at 10:29 am · Filed under Bilby, Charlotte Mason, Home Education, Nature Study, Puggle, Science
We went walking today, at Herdsman Lake. I’m amazed that I have never been there before—I’ve lived within a couple of kilometres of it for most of my life! Bilby was a little less settled than I would have liked (there was just so much to see!) so we couldn’t settle in and have a go at drawing, but other than that, it was a lovely morning.
It reinforced just how bad my general nature knowledge is:-( But I can use the net:-) Since getting home I’ve managed to identify most of what we saw (I’m sure we saw a couple of others, but I could only remember a certain number of images).
I’m fairly sure we saw some Australian Ravens, Australian White Ibis, Black Swans, Dusky Moorehens, Eurasian Coots, Pacific Black Ducks and the ubiquitous Willie Wagtail. Puggle also assures me that we heard some Australian Magpies (and given that he has been able to identify them, including by song, for at least a year, I’m inclined to think he’s correct!)
I also think we saw Magpie Larks, Little Black Cormorants, Laughing Turtle-doves (almost certainly a turtle-dove of some sort) and Welcome Swallows (but they were darting around so quickly that it was very hard to tell). I am pretty sure there were another couple of dark-coloured, wading type birds, but I can’t remember sufficient details.
Next time, I’ll take a camera! I’m assuming it’ll take me a while to get decent bird photos, but there were some terribly picturesque paperbarks (about a third of the way down the page):-) There were also some Bottlebrush that were flowering at a convenient height for close observation of the flowers—very cool:-)
July 26, 2007 at 3:19 pm · Filed under For the Future, Home Education, Nature Study, Science
Puggle keeps noting bugs and insects and caterpillars, and asking me what they are.
I keep forgetting to find a good source for answers:-(
But now the Headmistress has posted some links someone sent to her—all about bugs! And there’s even some Australian sites (lots of homeschoolers have links to bug sites but they tend to be in the US, so probably not so useful for us).
What’s that Bug?
The Spider’s Parlour (Victorian spiders)
Spider ID Chart
March 21, 2007 at 11:22 pm · Filed under For the Future, Home Education, Science
I came across this today, thanks to Mama Squirrel. Teaching science with a yoyo looks like some fun, although, probably a little in advance of our needs:-)
March 2, 2007 at 2:07 pm · Filed under Books, For Children, For the Future, Home Education, Picture Books, Science
Thanks to Dawn By Sun and Candlelight, here’s a poetic addition to stargazing. The Native Americans named their full moons (and thereby their months). Here’s the list for 2007, and a book of poems on that theme.
February 27, 2007 at 12:29 am · Filed under Family, For the Future, Science
From the Headmistress comes a collection of games sites that look worth noting. There’s also some science activities (things to do while you wait for food!) we’ll have to try out…
January 25, 2007 at 10:33 pm · Filed under Classical, For the Future, Home Education, Nature Study, Science, Science
How is it I have never come across this before?
I’ve just downloaded it. It is mac friendly. It gave me a world map to select my location (I was expecting it to be US-centric). It even has a night-time mode, so you can take it outside and not disturb your night vision!
This will go wonderfully with the hammock!
December 29, 2006 at 6:40 pm · Filed under Home Education, Puggle, Science
So, does anyone have any experience with a formicarium?
Puggle was given one this morning for second Christmas, and he’s now desperate to put “sand, and dinner, and water and ants” (counted out, oh so carefully on his fingers) in it.
It will certainly be a good addition to this year’s nature study plans, although I’d be thinking to leave it after our summer holidaying (a bit much to ask someone to feed the cat and the ants—and I don’t want them in the car!) But then, strike while the iron is hot, he’s keen to do it now. We can always empty it before we holiday and then start again on our return.
For now it has been (somewhat) filled with sand that has been in the sandpit for the last year… it includes plenty of random ’stuff’. We managed to dissuade Puggle from digging up an ant’s nest and putting that in, rather it’s been placed near the nest with a sugar cube on the top to act as bait. We’ll see what happens, but we’d be very glad of suggestions:-)
July 28, 2004 at 6:13 pm · Filed under For the Future, History, Home Education, Language, Science
Today I’m going to begin going through my homeschooling links.
These ones are not homeschooling specific… rather they’re sites I discovered that I thought could be useful in a few areas - including schooling (assuming they are still functioning when we get to the point of wanting to use them).
The first two are quote collections, Quote Cache and Brainy Quote. I’m a sucker for a good quote and it’s nice to be able to search for them on topic. I know I have books of them, but because these are on the computer I don’t have to get up to go looking.
Amanda’s Mnemonics site is perhaps not as large as I’d remembered, but it is cool to have a collection of them in one place.
The Internet Book List is the beginnings of a searchable catalogue of books. Still early days yet and less interesting than I remembered, but basically I’m including all links in my Education/Homeschooling bookmark folder.
I left the best for last. I love the NOVA documentaries that I’ve seen (the only one I’ve seen all the way through is the Roman Bath one… go to history, then Secrets of Lost Empires, Roman Bath). Some have been on SBS (I think), although I usually only realise by accident. This is their website. They have all sorts of info about the actual documentaries as well as activities and articles related to it. Very cool indeed:-)
That’s enough for now.
Later I’ll focus more specifically on homeschooling, although, I lack a lot of links I thought I had. I suspect I did the searching so long ago that they are bookmarked in another piece of software on another machine. I may have to re-investigate in fact. But perhaps it’s ok to start in the middle and work back:-)
by A. A. Milne
by Andrew Lang
