Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Water Festival

The Water Festival was a local festival put on to teach children about water conservation and just about anything else to do with water. It's following the Ontario curriculum for Grades 3-5. Our homeschool group could go on two of the days. The person at the entrance (who I assume organizes the day) said something about Austyn being the age of grade one and that it's suppose to be for older kids. She said she was going to talk to the homeschool mom who arranged the trip. It's interesting how people who don't know much about homeschoolers seem to think that they have to be an exact age just like school kids to attend things. However, we don't follow the Ontario Curriculum schedule and he did just fine. I heard so many compliments about how smart he was and how even Zoe (who was basically taging along) did things better than some of the older school kids there. It was interesting to hear things like that from the volunteers. The above picture is of Austyn learning about sealed wells and wells that are not sealed. 

This is showing what types of materials allow water to drain through faster or more efficiently and why. 

Here Austyn is a farmer and Zoe is a city dweller. They are spraying pesticides on their land (powdered Koolaid). Then they spray water (precipitation) on their land and watch how the pesticides drain into the sewers and eventually into our rivers and lakes. 

They are eagles running to get one fish at a time to bring back to their nests. Eagles can only carry one fish at a time. 

Here they are plants in front of a waterway. They are trying to stop balls (pollutants) from entering the waterway. The more plants there are the less balls get through.

This is a survival game. They have to pick up sticks from each category. There is sun, food, space, and air I think. Each time the levels get more difficult because if the environment gets polluted there are less resources. So the round boards cover some of the sticks up and they are only able to get the sticks that remain in view.

This was a fun play where they learned about how much water we use in our homes when we do different tasks like taking a shower or washing dishes. 

We learned about boaters safety, but as you can see from the picture, the whole time Austyn was distracted by the flair gun. Ha ha ha!!! I'm not sure he heard anything the man said. Ha ha ha!!

This was a cool game where they were the water in the river and they had to put on a coat with Velcro on it.  As they rolled along the river they picked up different coloured felt pieces and at the end they collect them and learn what pollutants they picked up and took down stream.

They learned about daily consumption in a home by this interactive tower that lit up large pop bottles. The whole tower represents our average water consumption in a home. As they touched each button it broke down what each bottle or group of bottles represented.

This illustrated how pollutants seep into our underground soil. 

Here they are testing the acidity level of many common household items. There were things like milk, water, vinegar, Windex, lemon juice. Did you know Windex is less acidic than regular tap water?!

There were many more things at this all-day trip. We learned how septic tanks worked, the difference between efficient and inefficient taps and toilets, about ecosystems, household cleaning products, oil spills and how to try and contain them, how water is treated, how much drinking water exists on earth, and the list goes on. 

I hope that they continue to allow homeschoolers to attend this festival at many age levels. My kids may be young but they got so much out of it! It was a good day!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Park Days - Not busy is sometimes good!

As you can see, we made a new friend at the beach of our local park. This is a Blue Heron. The lake was full of fish that he was catching, let wiggle in his beak for a minute or two and swallowing whole! Zoe and one of her friends were so close a couple of times. This bird didn't mind a couple of kids and he'd just jump up and fly out a bit, making his way back in to catch more fish. If it was more busy he wouldn't have been there at all. The water was surprisingly warm for the last day of May.

An Egret flew in to fish near the heron. 

So much fun was had with friends at the park and especially on the beach. 

Up under the trees I couldn't see the storm coming. I moved onto the beach to watch the sky.

A fishing boat made it's way toward shore as the storm approached. 

My kids seem unaffected by the storm approaching.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The War of 1812


We went to a War Encampment with our homeschool group. I read up on the war before attending since I was not interested in history in school. I read a U.S. history book and found that it leaned toward U.S. Patriotic views. I became curious right away about what the views of Canadians was. So to attend a Canadian War of 1812 event was so much more interesting. The Canadian book I found at our library was longer. I wanted a fast overview in case I needed to explain anything to my kids. Well, not only did we get the view of the Canadian side but much of it was from the Native point of view. The actor who played Tecumseh's was AMAZING! I thoroughly enjoyed his acting! I, personally learned from him. I had no idea that Chicago actually means "Black murky stinky muck" or something like that! I guess when the city was named the white men never found out what the word meant. He really let us know how things were and that Natives were not the barbarians that the white men have brought us up to believe. He talked about their way of life and how there use to be many buffalo. He talked about how they never scalped people as part of their way of life.  They learned this from Christian white men who came and paid them to do it. He even talked about how his brother should be more well known but because Tecumseh is a war leader that is more interesting to talk about him. Life changed dramatically in his generation and he witnessed so many terrible things. He talked about how family members and friends were ordered to kill each other on both sides of the boarder at Windsor and Detroit. He shared so much that I can't even begin to share it all here.

The costumes were well done. This man introduced Tecumseh and he told us what his job was at that time. He was to teach the English how to get along with the Natives. He was a sort of middle man.

I noticed sitting on that grass that my kids are so comfortable among the other children. They are all such good friends. 

We learned what the difference between a rifle and a musket is. Muskets were not accurate but they could be loaded faster. They then fired a musket off. Austyn found that one of the most exciting parts of his day!

We talked to the weavers. They talked about how the famous Canadian Sashs were made and what they were used for. The markings were to identify families and the voyagers also found that they provided back support while carrying and canoing. It took a very long time to make a sash. Much of the time is spend untangling the yarn after each row.

 This woman was using a loom. The yarn would have been died from natural sources in nature.
Here she is talking about beading. The beads she is pointing out were made from porcupine quills.

 We learned about peoples' living courters and how trading was tipped in favour of the white men.

We learned about furs and how they were prepared. We got to touch some. We also learned about the fur trade.

The Voyagers discussed their jobs and how life was for them. They were long days with much labour. They would sing to pass the time well.

We saw how people kept themselves fed even in times of war. They ate salted pork and a hard buscuit that lasted a very long time. Their diet was usually unhealthy. As you can see in the picture of the fire, they were roasting some sort of animal.

We learned about the canons they used. There is a whole procedure they go through to light it. He also talked about the dangers faced by the people who used the canon. One wrong move could cost someone an arm.
The kids got to get right in there and make some rope just like they would have around the time of the war. Each family got to take a piece of the rope home. 

After making rope the kids were instructed on how to play tug of war with two people and two logs. This looked fun!

Look at the concern in Zoe's face. They were telling them how to hold their hands around their ears and open their mouths a bit so they don't blow their ear drums when the canon is fired. It was very loud. That was the grand fanale of our field trip. It was a good day!

Lego Quest - Flags

This week Austyn was involved in Lego Quest again. He made a flag. Here is his description. 
 
"This flag is for the country called 'Buy Land' in Lego World. There is a statue of the President (President Ching) standing in front and behind the flag pole."
 
Click on the Lego Quest Logo above to go to the Lego Quest Blog and see what was typed about his Flag and to see what others made for their flags. I think he is the 16th one down the page. It was a busy week at Lego Quest!
 

Monday, May 31, 2010

100 Books-A-Month Challenge, Reading My Library

 

For the 100 Books- a-Month Challenge we are doing fine. For Reading My Library, we got a little off track this month. I made the mistake of bringing the kids into the library while I looked for some specific books. While I was busy searching through on the shelf they chose piles of books to bring home that day and we are still working away at those piles. So, instead of going and picking the authors from the letter we are working through we read their pics and some select books I chose for specific subjects. I'm going to try and get back on track in June.

May Reading List:
1. A Color Clown Comes To Town by Jane Belk Moncure
2. A Girl and Her Gator by Sean Bryan
3. A Honey of a Day by Janet Marshall
4. Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric A. Kimmel
5. Anansi The Spider by Gerald McDermott
6. And Here’s to You! By David Elliott
7. A Packet of Seeds by Deborah Hopkinson – 2 times
8. Baby Einstein Animal Match by Julie Aigner-Clark
9. Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming
10. Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup
11. Billions of Bats by Scott Nickel
12. Bravo,  Zan Angelo! By Niki Daly
13. But Excuse Me That is My Book with Lauren Child
14. Butterflies in the Garden by Carol Lerner
15. Butterfly Express by Jane Belk Moncure
16. Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
17. Cinderella by Walt Disney
18. Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cariley
19. Class Clown by Robert Munsch
20. Curious George and the Puppies by H. A. Rey
21. Dear Bunny A Bunny Love Story by Michaela Morgan
22. Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin
23. Down by the Bay by Rafi
24. Dream Hop by Julia Durango
25. Fancy Nancy Bonjour, Butterfly by Jane O’Connor
26. FlappyWaggy Wiggly by Amanda Leslie
27. Gold Fever by Verla KayHand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins
28. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
29. Go To Sleep, Groundhog! By Judy Cox
30. Grayboy by Ray Chorao
31. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
32. Hardworking Puppies by Lynn Reiser
33. Hogwood Steps Out by Howard Mansfield and Barry Moser
34. How Are You Peeling? Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
35. How to Lose All Your Friends by Nancy Carlson
36. Hug Me by Patti Stren
37. Humble Pie by Jennifer Donnelly
38. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numberoff
39. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numberoff
40. I’m Gonna Like Me. Letting off a little Self-Esteem by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
41. I’m So Embarrassed! By Robert Munsch
42. Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
43. I Spy Little Animals by Jean Marzollo
44. I Spy Little Book by Jean Marzollo
45. I Spy Little Bunnies by Jean Marzollo
46. It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
47. I was Born about 10,000 Years Ago by Steven Kellogg
48. Joshua and the Big Bad Blue Crabs by Mark Childress
49. June and August by Vivian Walsch
50. Let’s Talk About Throwing Tantrums by Joy Berry
51. Little Bunny Foo Foo by paul Brett Johnson
52. Little Gorilla by Ruth Bornstein
53. Making Room by Joanne Taylor
54. Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel by Leslie Connor
55. Miss Polly Has a Dolly by Pamela Duncan Edwards
56. Moon Plane by Peter McCarty
57. Mother, Mother, I Want Another by Maria Polushkin Robbins
58. My Big Book of Spanish Words by Rebecca Emberley
59. No Trouble at All by Sally Grindley
60. Oma’s Quilt by Paulette Bourgeois and Stephane Jorisch
61. One Sunday Morning by Yumi Heo
62. Peekaboo Bedtime by Rachel Isadora
63. Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
64. Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
65. Quilt Alphabet by Lesa Cline-Ransome
66. Rabbits’ Habits by Jane Belk Moncure
67. Rose and Riley by Jane Cutler -  3 Chapters
68. Sleepy Pendoodle by Malachy Doyle
69. “Smile”, Says Little Crocodile by Jane Belk Moncure
70. Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
71. Snow Ponies by Cynthia Cotton
72. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt Disney
73. Stretch, Swallow & Stare by Veronika Martenova Charles
74. Stormy’s Hat by Eric A. Kimmel
75. Telling Time with Big Mama Cat by Dan Harper and Cara Moser
76. Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo. LeSeig
77. Ten Go Tango by Arthor Dorros
78. The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book by Kate Pety and Jennie Marzels
79. The Biggest Snowball of All by Jane Belk Moncure
80. The Bird House by Cynthia Rylant
81. The Bunyans by Audrey Wood
82. The Dandelion Wish by Sandra Ann Horn
83. The Duchess of Whimsy by Randall de Seve and Peter de Seve
84. The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis
85. The Fantastic Mr. Wani by Kanako Usui
86. The Gift of the Inuksuk by Mike Ulmer
87. The Greatest Nursery Rhyme Disaster by David Conway
88. The King’s Secret by Carol Farley
89. The Lady with the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Westcott
90. The Lemon Sisters by Andrea Cheng
91. The Master Swordsman & The Magic Doorway by Alice Provensen – 2 Stories
92. The Most Important Gift of All by David Conway
93. The Patchwork Path by Bettye Stroud
94. The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! By Mo Willems
95. The Princesses Have a Ball by Teressa Bateman
96. The Queen’s Feet by Sarah Ellis
97. The Red Sash by Jean E. Pendziwol
98. The Seven Chairs by Helen Lanteigne
99. The Shore Beyond by Mary Joslin and Alison Jay
100. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Weise
101. The Story of Kites by Ying Chang Compestine
102. The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
103. The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss
104. The True Story of The 3 Little Pigs! By A. Wolf By Jon Scieszka
105. The Well of the Wind by Alan Garner
106. The Wizard of Oz Abridged by Charles Moritz
107. Three Little Ghosties byPippa Good hart
108. Through the Heart of the Jungle by Jonathan Emmett
109. Turtle Girl by Carole Crowe
110. Uno’s Garden by Graeme Base
111. Up and Down with Kate by Kay Chorao – 4 chapters
112. Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
113. Water Boy by David McPhail
114. Weaving the Rainbow by George Ella Lyon
115. What Do You Say When A Monkey Acts This Way? by Jane Belk Moncure
116. What Makes a Rainbow? By Betty Schwartz
117. Winter Is by Ann Dixon
118. Yes, No, Little Hippo by Jane Belk Moncure
119. Zomo The Rabbit by Gerald McDermott

Chapter books and References (Both kids):
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling – 2 stories
The War of 1812 by Rebecca Stefoff – Read the whole thing!
Winnie The Pooh – Intro and 1 Chapter
Wind in the Willows – 1 Chapter

DVD and Books on CD:
Reading Rainbow – Math Is Everywhere
    Featuring How Much is a million by David M. Schwartz
    And How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
Shilvi Popo part au vent by Sylvie Dumontier (book on CD)
The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone (book on CD)
I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt (book on CD)
The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone (book on CD)
The Dot by Peter H. Renolds (book on CD)
Patrick’s Dinosaurs byCarol Carrick (book on CD)

Read to Austyn:
The Story of the World Book 1 by Susan Wise Bauer – 5 chapters
Galileo’s Journal 1609-1610 Jeanne K. Pettenati
The Lego Book by Daniel Lipkowitz – Read parts of it

Austyn Read:
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Read to Zoe:
The Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone (Book on Disk)
Miss Polly Has a Dolly by Pamela Duncan Edwards
The Queen’s Feet by Sarah Ellis
A Dragon in a Wagon by Jane Belk Moncure
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
The Wheels on the Bus
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
I’m A Little Teapot