Wednesday, July 31, 2013

"Lost Egypt" - St. Louis Science Center

To cap off our study of the ancient world, we visited Lost EgyptSt. Louis Science Center's current featured exhibit. While there, we also watched Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs, an Omnimax film. Tessa enjoyed the many hands-on displays. There were also several small, but interesting artifacts...mostly amulets, shabtis and sculptures of various Egyptian gods. A replica of the Rosetta Stone too. (To see real mummies, visit the St. Louis Art Museum.)

St. Louis Science Center - Lost Egypt Exhibition - May 25 - September 2, 2013
May 25 - September 2, 2013

Tessa thought about what kind of things from today's world she would want to take with her to an Egyptian afterlife. Using a magnetic board and picture tiles designed after artwork commonly found on the walls of Egyptian tombs, she placed those items in the hands of servants who would bring them to her in the afterlife.
Tessa thought about what kind of things from today's world she would want to take with her to an Egyptian afterlife. Using a magnetic board and picture tiles designed after artwork commonly found on the walls of Egyptian tombs, she placed those items in the hands of servants who would bring them to her in the afterlife.

Broken pottery is a common find for archaeologists. Tessa tried her hand at piecing together the fragments of an "Egyptian bowl."
Broken pottery is a common find for archaeologists. Tessa tried her hand at piecing together the fragments of an "Egyptian bowl." 

Tessa tested how the Ancient Egyptians may have pulled massive stone blocks up ramps to build their pyramids. She found the block on a sled and pulled over wooden slats beneath it was much easier to move than the one without any such device.
Tessa tested how the Ancient Egyptians may have pulled massive stone blocks up ramps to build their pyramids. She found the block on a sled and pulled over wooden slats beneath it was much easier to move than the one without any such device.

On our way home from the Science Center, we stopped by Culver's in Eureka where Lollypop the Balloon Artist was twisting balloons. After patiently waiting almost an hour, Tessa finally got her balloon butterfly. There were over 80 kids that day!
On our way home from the Science Center, we stopped by Culver's in Eureka where Lollypop the Balloon Artist was twisting balloons. After patiently waiting almost an hour, Tessa finally got her balloon butterfly. There were over 80 kids that day!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Life Science, Week 33

Plants That Never Bloom

We finished up our first-round study of the life sciences with plants that never bloom, focusing on mushrooms and ferns that reproduce by spores as apposed to seeds. We also touched upon plants that have cones.

Join us at the end of next month when we embark on our mission to study the earth and space. We will once again use Evan-Moor ScienceWorks to do so.


Monday

Tuesday
The mushroom prints were so easy that they really could have been combined with Monday's lesson.

Ancient History, Week 35

Ancient History - Final Days

At ten months almost to the day, we have officially completed our first-round study of ancient history. Yeah!

In this final very short week, we covered the spread of Christianity and the fall of the Roman Empire to the Barbarians. History Odyssey both ends Ancients and begins Middle Ages with the Byzantine Empire. Since the Byzantines are not included in Usborne: Ancient World, I have opted to cover them during our study of the Middle Ages. We will set off on that adventure at the end of August.


Monday

Tuesday

* HO = History Odyssey

Friday, July 19, 2013

Ancient History, Week 34

Ancient Rome - Daily Life

Tessa learned all about the daily life of the Ancient Romans, including the importance of Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, gladiators and aqueducts.


Monday

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1412710480/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1412710480&linkCode=as2&tag=bluhouschhomo-20
Tessa drew a picture of her driving a chariot for her "Triumphal Arch" project. She was so proud of it that she asked me to take a picture of it to post on our blog.

Tuesday

Wednesday

    Thursday

    Friday
    To create a model of a Roman aqueduct, Tessa first cut a paper towel tube in half, taped it together at the ends and then covered it with aluminum foil (to waterproof it). Then, she built a series of sloping archways with wooden blocks. After setting the aqueduct on top of the arches, it was ready to test. And, test she did! Over and over again. I liked this project because Tessa was able to complete it with very little help from me.

    Tessa greatly enjoyed this simple project. She tested her Roman aqueduct many times.
    Tessa greatly enjoyed this simple project. She tested her Roman aqueduct many times. 

    * HO = History Odyssey

    Thursday, July 18, 2013

    Life Science, Week 32

    What Plants Need & Why People Need Plants

    Tessa reviewed that plants need food, water and light to grow. She also learned that people need plants for food and oxygen.


    Monday
    We're to the point in our school term that we're quickly wrapping things up. We already have several ongoing plant experiments in the works, so I opted not to start any new ones. Tessa generally understands the needs of plants, so we talked through the experiments and she made appropriate guesses to what would happen to the plants in each one.

    Wednesday
    When I don't want to go through the process of creating a bulletin board, I fold a sheet of paper into the appropriate number of parts and have Tessa draw the activity in a similar fashion.

    Instead of creating a bulletin board, I had Tessa complete the activity by drawing it out on paper.
    Instead of creating a bulletin board, I had Tessa complete the activity by drawing it out on paper.

    Thursday
    I really wanted to perform the "Plants Make Oxygen" experiment, but I couldn't easily come by a water plant in our area and we aren't visiting a larger city until the end of next week.

    Other Books of Interest

    Wednesday, July 17, 2013

    Cool Critters

    Tessa came across a couple of cool critters while playing outside these past few days, which lead to some impromptu nature study. She also saw an ornate box turtle in our front flowerbed, but it crawled out of sight before I was able to grab my camera.

    This picturesque little guy posed for several minutes before hopping off. I tried looking up "red toads, Missouri" with Google, but came up short in identifying him.
    This picturesque little guy posed for several minutes before hopping off. I tried looking up "red toads, Missouri" with Google, but came up short in identifying him. 

    Since luna moths fly at night, Tessa had the entire day to enjoy this incredible creature.
    Since luna moths fly at night, Tessa had the entire day to enjoy this incredible creature.

    Tuesday, July 16, 2013

    OpenLibrary.org

    I recently stumbled across OpenLibrary.org, an awesome resource for free eBooks. I find it especially helpful when searching for out-of-print books, which are often recommended within our history and science curriculum. Or, for when I discover at the last minute that I've forgotten to order something from our local library.

    Check it out! You can borrow up to five titles at a time for two weeks.

    Friday, July 12, 2013

    Life Science, Week 31

    Traveling Seeds & Changing Plants

    Tessa learned the various ways seeds travel. Now, she thinks it's a hoot every time our dog carries in a seed on her fur. She also learned the ways a plant changes as it grows.


    Monday

    Tuesday

    Thursday

    Tessa prepared a seed-growing bag that she will monitor for 21 days. She will mark significant stages of growth on a chart to see exactly how long each stage takes.
    Tessa prepared a seed-growing bag that she will monitor for 21 days. She will mark significant stages of growth on a chart to see exactly how long each stage takes.

    Friday
    Since we have a vegetable garden, and various plants growing outside around the house that Tessa helped plant, we opted not to complete any additional activities from Evan-Moor ScienceWorks for Kids: Plants, Grades 1-3 "Plants Change As They Grow."

    Ancient History, Week 33

    The Celts, Early Rome & the Roman Army

    I couldn't come up with anything more for the Ancient Celts than the quick synopsis in Usborne, so we finished the week by beginning our study of the Ancient Romans. Tessa also learned about the cleverness of the Roman army, which lead to their immense success.


    Monday

    Tuesday

    Wednesday
    • Read Usborne: Ancient World by Fiona Chandler (pages 82-83).
    • Completed HO map work for Lesson 30, Main Lesson, Part 2.
    • Completed "Ancient Rome" history pocket (student booklet and words to know).
    I knew Tessa wouldn't want to sit and cut leaf after leaf for the Laurel-Wreath Crown featured in the "Ancient Rome" history pocket, so we skipped it in favor of crafting a simple catapult on Thursday.

      Thursday
      The plastic-spoon-and-shoe-box catapult from Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome was a teetotal bust. We used old lima bean seeds as ammunition and they just shot straight up (or backward) in the air so fast you couldn't even see them. The shoe box was not strong enough either. After messing with it for a bit, I searched Pinterest for a quick-and-simple replacement. That is where I came up with the "Airplane Catapult" fashioned from craft sticks from Little Paper Dog: All Things Lovely's blog. It works MUCH better.

      Tessa prepared her craft stick catapult for launch by filling it with lima bean seeds.
      Tessa prepared her craft stick catapult for launch by filling it with lima bean seeds.

      Friday
      • Read "Roman Town" (pages 20-21) and "Built to Last" (22-23) from How People Lived by Jim Pipe.

      * HO = History Odyssey

      Sunday, July 07, 2013

      Life Science, Week 30

      Fruit Contains Seeds & Seeds Contain New Plants

      Tessa studied fruits and seeds to see how new plants are formed.


      Monday

      Tuesday

      Tessa examined and counted seeds from various fruits. She learned that a fruit is a "suitcase" for seeds.
      Tessa examined and counted seeds from various fruits. She learned that a fruit is a "suitcase" for seeds.

      Wednesday

      Tessa examined the inside of a lima bean seed (soaked overnight to soften it) up close. Noting its seed coat and then the small shoot and food inside, she sketched what she observed. Afterward, she compared the seed to others of various types to see whether all seeds contain the same parts.
      Tessa examined the inside of a lima bean seed (soaked overnight to soften it) up close. Noting its seed coat and then the small shoot and food inside, she sketched what she observed. Afterward, she compared the seed to others of various types to see whether all seeds contain the same parts.  

      Friday

      Saturday, July 06, 2013

      Ancient History, Week 32

      Ancient Americas

      Although there isn't a lot of information about the earliest people who lived in the ancient Americas, Tessa greatly enjoyed the little there was. She was totally enthralled by the Nazca Lines, giant stone heads of the Olmecs and the discovery of Machu Picchu.


      Monday
      • Read Usborne: Ancient World by Fiona Chandler (pages 72-73).
      • Completed HO map work for Lesson 28, Main Lesson (North America part only).
      • Completed draw and color.

      Wednesday
      Seven Wonders of Ancient Central and South America also has chapters on Machu Picchu, Tikal and more.

      Friday
      I really liked Rain Player because it included so many tidbits of Ancient Mayan culture...tidbits that Tessa had already learned from other resources. Reading it last was a nice way to tie everything together.

        * HO = History Odyssey