Saturday, December 22, 2012

Ancient History, Week 10

Ancient Egyptians: Pyramids

Tessa and I finally finished up our first survey of Ancient Egypt. We will pick it up once again in a month or two when we study people, events and things more closely associated with the New Kingdom time period.

My plans were for us to build a pyramid together out of Legos as our project this week, but we ran out of time and by the time we had time, it was time to move on.


Monday

Quickly noting that there was one discreet sexual innuendo in this documentary but it went way over Tessa head. Also, there was a brief but not-too-intense death scene.


Tuesday


Wednesday

Other Books of Interest

Friday, December 14, 2012

Atelier Art, Level 1 - Module A, Lesson 4

Clowns

We're still loving Atelier Art! My original goal for art was every other week (or at least twice a month). I think we've fallen off that schedule a bit, as history and science have been absorbing so much time lately. I really need to get us back on track. Tessa always enjoys art day.

"Clowns" is a lesson on pattern. I was afraid it might be a little complex and slightly daunting for Tessa. There's so much drawing and coloring to be done, but she remained focused and resolved. We were rewarded with a really cute piece of artwork.

After viewing several photos of various types of clowns and a little guidance from the Atelier Art teacher, Tessa set to work on her clown.
After viewing several photos of various types of clowns and a little guidance from the Atelier Art teacher, Tessa set to work on her clown.

Tessa enjoyed using bold contrasting colors to create many different types of pattern.
Tessa enjoyed using bold contrasting colors to create many different types of pattern.

Tessa's completed clown is a happy fellow! I especially like his rainbow hair.
Tessa's completed clown is a happy fellow! I especially like his rainbow hair.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Life Science, Week 9

The Lungs & Respiratory System

Breathe in, breathe out. Age-appropriate books are sparse on the subject of the lungs and respiratory system, so we relied on a couple of fun and easy hands-on activities to illustrate the concept.


Wednesday

Using a clear plastic bottle filled with water, a straw and modeling clay, we created a model of a lung. The plastic bottle served as the lung, the water as air, and the straw as a bronchial tube. When Tessa squeezed the "lung," the "air" was forced out through the "bronchial tube" to mimic exhalation. Releasing the lung created the reverse effect...inhalation.
Using a clear plastic bottle filled with water, a straw and modeling clay, we created a model of a lung. The plastic bottle served as the lung, the water as air, and the straw as a bronchial tube. When Tessa squeezed the "lung," the "air" was forced out through the "bronchial tube" to mimic exhalation. Releasing the lung created the reverse effect...inhalation.   

Thursday

Using a clear plastic bottle cut to size, balloon, piece of plastic (cut from a bag) and tape, we created a model of a lung. Tessa pushed and pulled a tab taped to the bottom of the "diaphragm" to deflate and inflate the balloon "lung."
Using a clear plastic bottle cut to size, balloon, piece of plastic (cut from a bag) and tape, we created a model of a lung. Tessa pushed and pulled a tab taped to the bottom of the "diaphragm" to deflate and inflate the balloon "lung."

Other Books of Interest

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Ancient History, Week 9

Ancient Egyptians: Gods

Short week for history this week. We didn't dive too deeply into Ancient Egyptian gods due to the lack of good readily available picture books, but the subject matter was too much to weave into last week's lessons.


Monday

This video isn't really about Ancient Egyptian gods but we couldn't fit it in last week.


Tuesday


* HO = History Odyssey

Saturday, December 08, 2012

Atelier Art, Level 1 - Module A, Lesson 3

Animal Textures

This quick and easy lesson on texture seemed more like a craft than true art, but it did the trick. Tessa now knows and understands the word "texture." It was a fun little project...one that we both enjoyed.

Tessa first chose a piece of glittery stiffened felt from a stack of differently textured fabrics. It reminded her of Speedy, a box turtle that we housed once for a local turtle race. After adding a head and legs cut from card stock, she drew shapes on its shell.
Tessa first chose a piece of glittery stiffened felt from a stack of differently textured fabrics. It reminded her of Speedy, a box turtle that we housed once for a local turtle race. After adding a head and legs cut from card stock, she drew shapes on its shell. 

Tessa enjoyed creating her textured turtle so much that she asked to make a second animal. A fluffy piece of purple fleece made her think of a sheep.
Tessa enjoyed creating her textured turtle so much that she asked to make a second animal. A fluffy piece of purple fleece made her think of a sheep.

Ancient History, Week 8

Ancient Egyptians: Mummies

I was a little nervous about teaching the process of mummification to Tessa. The details really are quite gruesome...a level of gruesomeness that Tessa had not been exposed to before. Though she did wince and cover her eyes on more than one occasion, she embraced the knowledge and has been fascinated with all things mummy ever since.


Monday
  • Read Usborne: Ancient World by Fiona Chandler (pages 12-13).
  • Completed corresponding Blue House School ancient world worksheets.

Tuesday
  • Looked up and defined HO dictionary word for Lesson 6, Main Lesson Part 1.
  • Read Mummies by Kremena Spengler.
  • Read Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki.
  • Completed draw and color.

Wednesday

Thursday

I have mixed feelings about Lift the Lid on Mummies. Tessa absolutely adores the set, but I feel a little cheated for the price. I knew there were some cardboard pieces in it, but I really think the bottoms of the canopic jars should be made of resin like the lids. The gauze provided to cover the mummy is a little short as well. Just three or four more inches would have made a big difference. Besides placing the internal organs in their appropriate canopic jars and tucking the amulets within the mummy's bandages, Tessa could do little else. The cutting and paper piecing is too intricate for early elementary students. Having said that, Tessa did learn a few things and greatly enjoyed the activity in whole. 

Our completed mummy, canopic jars and cat coffin. Tessa and I stuck the amulet stickers onto cardboard remnants left over from the canopic jars and then I cut around them so she can play with them again and again.
Our completed mummy, canopic jars and cat coffin. Tessa and I stuck the amulet stickers onto cardboard remnants left over from the canopic jars and then I cut around them so she can play with them again and again. 

Friday

Other Resources of Interest

* HO = History Odyssey

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Life Science, Week 8

The Five Senses

We have come to a point in both science and history that 2-3 days just isn't enough time to appropriately cover some of the topics, so we are rotating weeks between the two as needed. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, this past week's investigation of the five senses spanned two calendar weeks.


Monday

Tuesday

I used a cloth bag instead of a box for the "Touch is One of the Five Senses - Mystery Box" activity. Tessa used her sense of touch to identify and describe the mystery items in the bag.
I used a cloth bag instead of a box for the "Touch is One of the Five Senses - Mystery Box" activity. Tessa used her sense of touch to identify and describe the mystery items in the bag.

Wednesday

Following Monday

Tessa used her sense of smell to identify and match scents. I used cotton balls soaked (or dusted) in cinnamon, peppermint, pickle juice and vanilla.
Tessa used her sense of smell to identify and match scents. I used cotton balls soaked (or dusted) in cinnamon, peppermint, pickle juice and vanilla.

Following Tuesday

Following Thursday

Following Friday

Tessa is quite fond of her Leapfrog Tag Reading System, so when I saw Leapfrog came out with this human body discovery pack, I just had to buy and incorporate it into our studies.
Tessa is quite fond of her Leapfrog Tag Reading System, so when I saw Leapfrog came out with this human body discovery pack, I just had to buy and incorporate it into our studies.

Other Books of Interest

* RSO = R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey

Friday, November 16, 2012

Ancient History, Week 7

Ancient Egyptians & The River Nile

There are so many great resources for ancient Egypt that our studies will span several weeks. This week, we focused on the basics of ancient Egyptian life and the importance of the Nile River.


Tuesday
  • Read Usborne: Ancient World by Fiona Chandler (pages 10-11).
  • Completed corresponding Blue House School ancient world worksheets.
  • Completed HO map work for Lesson 5, Main Lesson.
  • Read "The Farmer" (page 6) from Voices of Egypt by Kay Winters.

Wednesday
Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile didn't come in time for me to pick it up from the library, so I had to improvise. I found a great visual presentation of the book on YouTube. However, I wasn't fond of the creator's narration. I ended up using SaveVid.com to download the video to my laptop, then I transferred it to my Kindle Fire. I turned down the volume and read it myself to Tessa.

Tessa created an accordion-style paper brochure of sorts as part of her "Ancient Egypt" history pocket. It explains and depicts how the ancient Egyptians used the Nile's vast resources to survive and prosper.
Tessa created an accordion-style paper brochure of sorts as part of her "Ancient Egypt" history pocket. It explains and depicts how the ancient Egyptians used the Nile's vast resources to survive and prosper.

Thursday

Friday
I know Tessa would have loved to have gone all-out and created a larger, more elaborate scene of the Nile River. Anything she can recreate in miniature is exactly her kind of thing. Unfortunately, the weather here is beyond nippy now most days...not exactly hospitable enough to keep this project outside. We only have one window in our house that gets morning sun and has a shelf nearby, so we needed to create a very small, simple version of the Nile. Our supplies were minimal...a small disposable rectangle pan, aluminum foil, soil/sand, rocks from the driveway, and an old Duplo crocodile (okay, it's really an alligator...close enough). Most items we had on hand.

Tessa began by scooping a mixture of sand and dirt into a small disposable pan.
Tessa began by scooping a mixture of sand and dirt into a small disposable pan. 

After helping Tessa fashion a river bed from aluminum foil, she added pointed white rocks from our driveway in Upper Egypt to stand in as snow-capped mountains. Then, she sprinkled grass seed onto the banks of her soon-to-be Nile to mimic the planting of crops.
After helping Tessa fashion a river bed from aluminum foil, she added pointed white rocks from our driveway in Upper Egypt to stand in as snow-capped mountains. Then, she sprinkled grass seed onto the banks of her soon-to-be Nile to mimic the planting of crops. 

After adding a Duplo crocodile, Tessa gently flooded her Nile River. (Personally, I think the Nile should have been flooded before planting the crops since this step is technically out of sequence, but we followed the directions anyway.)
After adding a Duplo crocodile, Tessa gently flooded her Nile River. (Personally, I think the Nile should have been flooded before planting the crops since this step is technically out of sequence, but we followed the directions anyway.) 

Tessa's flooded Nile River. (We added a lot more grass seed after this pic was taken.) She'll continue to flood it once a week until her crops are ready for harvest.
Tessa's flooded Nile River. (We added a lot more grass seed after this pic was taken.) She'll continue to flood it once a week until her crops are ready for harvest.

Tessa's Nile River two-and-a-half weeks later. Crops are ready for harvest! Quick note...we ended up watering this more than once a week.
Tessa's Nile River two-and-a-half weeks later. Crops are ready for harvest! Quick note...we ended up watering this more than once a week.

* HO = History Odyssey, SOTW = The Story of the World

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Life Science, Week 7

The Brain & Nervous System

It never creases to amaze me how enthusiastic Tessa is to learn new things. I thought going over the three main parts of the brain and how it and the rest of the nervous system works to control the body might not be the most exciting thing for her to learn, but she chattered about it and carted around our model brain (her "pet brain") all week long.


Wednesday

Thursday

Following Monday
  • Tessa read Our Brains reader by Charlotte Guillain during reading.
  • Read Blastoff! Readers: The Nervous System by Kay Manolis.
  • Completed RSO Nervous System Lab 1: Reaction Time.
  • Completed Teacher Created Resources My Body by Patty Carratello "My Brain" activity (pages 7-8).

Tessa tested her nervous system's reaction time by attempting to grasp a ruler after it was dropped several times without warning.
Tessa tested her nervous system's reaction time by attempting to grasp a ruler after it was dropped several times without warning.

Tessa recorded her reaction time for each drop and then charted the results. Earlier, she hypothesized that she could teach her body to react more quickly with practice. Although her reaction times did not dramatically improve over the span of the five drops she recorded, she was generally correct.
Tessa recorded her reaction time for each drop and then charted the results. Earlier, she hypothesized that she could teach her body to react more quickly with practice. Although her reaction times did not dramatically improve over the span of the five drops she recorded, she was generally correct.

Tessa colored and glued the brain from Teacher Created Resources "My Body" to an outline of her body that I had traced earlier onto pink butcher block paper.
Tessa colored and glued the brain from Teacher Created Resources "My Body" to an outline of her body that I had traced earlier onto pink butcher block paper.

The outline of Tessa's body. Tessa will add more body parts as we study them.
The outline of Tessa's body. Tessa will add more body parts as we study them.

Other Books of Interest

* RSO = R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey

Monday, November 12, 2012

Ancient History, Week 6

First Writings

Tessa practiced writing in cuneiform and hieroglyphs...two early forms of ancient writing.


Monday
  • Read The Story of Writing by Carol Donoughue (pages 6-11).
  • Completed cuneiform writing activity adapted from "Make Cuneiform Tablets" from the SOTW activity guide.
Tessa and I found the cuneiform writing activity so frustrating at first that I admit, I rushed it. I thought maybe she was just too young for it, so we worked through one quick short word and called it done. As it turned out, Tessa just needed more practice. She played with a stylus, some Play-Doh and cuneiform guide sheet on her own for a couple of hours after school. She got quite good it! She even had me pretending to be an ancient scribe student and her the teacher. I lament that our keepsake tablet could have been so much more had I been a little more patient. The good news is that all of her free play gave her a more thorough understanding of cuneiform. She enjoyed it so much that I know she'll remember this lesson for years to come.

I created my own simple cuneiform guide sheet for this activity from a free cuneiform font I found on the internet. I'm not sure how accurate the font it, but it worked well for us. Feel free to use it as well.

Download A Simple Cuneiform Alphabet.

Tessa's cuneiform tablet with the word "fish" on it. We used tan FIMO clay that we baked hard in the oven.
Tessa's cuneiform tablet with the word "fish" on it. We used tan FIMO clay that we baked hard in the oven.

Tuesday

Wednesday

Tessa finds it very difficult to look at a picture and replicate it with pencil and paper, so it didn't take long before frustration set in while completing this hieroglyphs activity. After several failed attempts, I left her to work on it alone while I fixed lunch. To my complete and utter amazement, ten minutes later she got it done! That's marker on her "papyrus" scroll there, so imagine how hard she must have concentrated. In hindsight, I wish I would have tracked down some hieroglyphs stencils or stamps. I think the activity would have been way more fun for her.

Tessa's hieroglyph note says, "I like candy." Her name is encircled with a cartouche.
Tessa's hieroglyphs note says, "I like candy." Her name is encircled with a cartouche.

* HO = History OdysseySOTW = The Story of the World

Friday, November 02, 2012

Hooked on Phonics: First Grade - Completed!

How could I forget to post that we finally completed Hooked on Phonics: First Grade early last week?! Tessa has been reading early and leveled readers this past week, which is what she does on the off days of our schedule anyway. I feel like Tessa and I could both use a break from Hooked on Phonics. I'm wrestling with whether we should continue on with Hooked on Phonics: Second Grade so Tessa can gain valuable new decoding skills or jump over to All About Spelling, Level 1 and focus on spelling and reading fluency for a short while. We have the All About Spelling readers for level one, which I worry are quickly falling below Tessa's reading level. I need to decide soon!

Hooked on Phonics: First Grade...completed! YEAH!!
Hooked on Phonics: First Grade...completed! YEAH!!

Atelier Art, Level 1 - Module A, Lesson 2

Picasso Hands and Flowers

Although this was only our second time using Atelier Art, I have been quite impressed at how well Tessa listens to the instructor on the DVD. She follows her instructions and movements way better than she does mine. I'm always tense when an art project involves paint...more so when my laptop is sitting a mere two feet from the paint and water bucket. After we got past Tessa tracing her hands (I had to help her a bit...Tessa tracing with her left hand just wasn't happening) and I realized that hey, she's doing a pretty good job, my tension eased considerably. I was able to take some pics. By the end, I was actually enjoying myself watching her paint.

"Picasso Hands and Flowers" is a lesson on color. It teaches that there are three primary colors and that those colors may be mixed to make secondary colors. The lesson also introduces renowned painter Pablo Picasso and features his painting Mains Aux Fleurs. Since Picasso is the key artist for this module, I'm considering using this lesson as a jumping off point for a quick artist study.

Tessa carefully mixed yellow with red to make orange, blue with red to make violet, and yellow with blue to make green.
Tessa carefully mixed yellow with red to make orange, blue with red to make violet, and yellow with blue to make green.

After tracing her hands and then painting the middles of the flowers, Tessa used her freshly mixed green paint to paint stems.
After tracing her hands and then painting the middles of the flowers, Tessa used her freshly mixed green paint to paint stems.

Tessa painted the last of her petals orange.
Tessa painted the last of her petals orange.

Although not instructed to do so during the instructional portion of the DVD, the children featured on the DVD embellish their traced hands. Tessa wanted to embellish hers too. This would have been much easier before painting, but she made it work.
Although not instructed to do so during the instructional portion of the DVD, the children featured on the DVD embellish their traced hands. Tessa wanted to embellish hers too. This would have been much easier before painting, but she made it work. 

Life Science, Week 6

Body Parts

Arms, legs, heart and lungs...Tessa learned her body has both external and internal parts.


Monday

Tessa cut out body parts from various pictures in catalogs and magazines. She glued the pieces onto card stock to create a collage person and then labeled the parts.
Tessa cut out body parts from various pictures in catalogs and magazines. She glued the pieces onto card stock to create a collage person and then labeled the parts.


Tuesday

Wednesday

Tessa's fingerprint art. She used fist prints to create the goat; thumbprints for the spider, bee, face and frog; and a hand print for the rooster head.

Tessa wanted to pose with her pics, so here she is!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Halloween Sneak Peek

Remember me saying that Tessa REALLY enjoyed studying about ancient cave dwellers? Well, here's a sneak peek of the Halloween costume I sewed up for her to wear tomorrow night. She insisted that her American Girl doll have one too!

All set for Halloween! Tessa and Kanani as ancient cave dwellers.
All set for Halloween! Tessa and Kanani as ancient cave dwellers.

Picture Word Puzzles - Challenge Cards

These cute little Trend Picture Word Puzzles - Challenge Cards were hiding out in one of our homeschool supplies totes. I decided to put them into action before Tessa totally outgrows them. Yeah, they're pretty easy for her now, but she's enjoying them and they serve as a nice little warm-up right before her reading lesson each day.

Trend Picture Word Puzzles - Challenge Cards

Trend Picture Word Puzzles cards are a fun way to warm up right before settling in for a reading lesson. The cards are two-sided and feature phonetic rhyming text.
Trend Picture Word Puzzles cards are a fun way to warm up right before settling in for a reading lesson. The cards are double-sided and feature phonetic rhyming text.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Life Science - Week 5

Bodies Grow & Change

We have officially kicked off our study of the human body. I haven't counted up the weeks, but we'll be hanging out here for a while...at least a couple of months. Should be fun! Tessa started wanting to learn more about the inner workings of the body at the end of summer. I'm so glad we're finally here. I felt guilty constantly putting her off, saying that we would study it very soon.


Wednesday

Tessa created an accordion book that highlights how she has grown and changed over the years.
Tessa created an accordion book that highlights how she has grown and changed over the years.


Friday

Other Books of Interest

Ancient History, Week 5

Sumerian Crafts & Kings

We finished up our survey of the first civilization of Sumer by learning more about Sumerian daily life, their crafts, trade, and King Sargon of Akkad.


Wednesday
  • Looked up and defined HO dictionary word for Lesson 3, Main Lesson Part 2.
  • Read Usborne: Ancient World by Fiona Chandler (pages 8-9).
  • Completed corresponding Blue House School ancient world worksheets.
  • Listened to Tales from the Arabian Nights audiobook (story of Sheherezade) by Andrew Lang/Tavia Gilbert.
The stories of Arabian Nights don't feel as though they fit perfectly here, but some apparently root back to ancient Mesopotamian folklore and literature. The SOTW activity guide makes brief mention of one selection written by Andrew Lang. I flipped through the rest of the guide and found no additional references to Arabian Nights in chapters from other time periods (nor in HO), so we went ahead and listened to three of the most popular tales during lunch this past week. Although Tales from the Arabian Nights is a sanitized version of Arabian Nights, it still contains considerable violence. Then again, what part of ancient history isn't considerably violent?


Thursday

Tessa created Mesopotamian puppets on craft sticks. She also completed an interactive map with model trading ship. By moving the craft stick attached to the back of the ship, she can sail it down the Tigris River to the Persian Gulf.
Tessa created Mesopotamian puppets on craft sticks. She also completed an interactive map with model trading ship. By moving the craft stick attached to the back of the ship, she can sail it down the Tigris River to the Persian Gulf.


Friday
I kind of messed up here. I couldn't figure out why the Gilgamesh myth wasn't mentioned in HO or the SOTW activity guide since it derives from ancient Sumerian poems. Turns out it is...further down the road. That's okay, there are some really cool looking children's books about Gilgamesh that I didn't get a chance to check out from the library. We'll be sure to snatch them next time.

Tessa in our version of a Mesopotamian long robe.
Tessa in our version of a Mesopotamian long robe.

* HO = History OdysseySOTW = The Story of the World

Looking for more Sumerian lesson ideas?

Check out my Label a Sumerian Chariot Diagram and Standard of Ur Writing Paper & Toppers digital curriculum helpers!