What could be better than learning about space and sending off our own rockets? Learning about DOGS going in to space and helping send THEM up in to “space”! Today’s brief storybook-inspired science project found us learning about two stray dogs and their incredible journey into space. Then, we designed our own doggie rockets and tested how far we could send them upwards!
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I first wrote the booklet about early Native American homes because I could not find something simple for a brief introduction to Native Americans for my son. I wanted him to understand that there was a variety of cultures living on the American continent before Europeans arrived. I wanted him to understand that the vastness of the country meant that not every American Indian lived in a tipi. The various landscapes of America meant that the various groups of people also lived very differently.
As I said, I could not find an appropriate picture book for my son back then that shared that kind of information. So I wrote one with the information I wanted to share. 
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There is one game we have come back to time and again in our homeschool, and that is the Marco Polo Silk Road Game. In this game, we review the ancient trade routes that Marco Polo traveled as he went from Venice to China. We try our hand at buying and selling goods along the way, and we hope to return to Venice to make a profit! Marco Polo’s Silk Road Game is hands-on and interactive learning at its finest as we actively try to make our way through dangerous deserts and trade for better prices in the faraway cities.
I love history. My son loves science. We both love great books. So when I had a chance to take a look at Beautiful Feet Books’ History of Science, I was couldn’t resist. Learning science history through a literature-rich curriculum seems like the perfect compromise.
I’ve long thought that learning subjects through stories is the way to go, so Beautiful Feet Books has always attracted my attention. When I told Raisin what I’d received in the mail and we went to open it, he got excited. Science History! Books! What could be better! Continue reading
My daughter and I have been having fun together since my seven-year-old son has been at day camp for two weeks. (More on this to come!)
One fun thing we discovered as we dropped him off at the beach for his Beach Day was a large feather. Strawberry was delighted when I showed her how we can “tickle” each other with the feather. She proceeded to tickle herself all the way home. I mentioned, in passing, that in the past people would use a feather or “quill” as a pen, by dipping the tip into ink and writing with it. She was so excited by the idea that she wanted to try it! Hence, we had a morning of quill painting.
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To begin my hands-on American History class at my homeschool co-op, I decided to introduce the world explorers by playing our Guess Who?-inspired game: Guess the World Explorer! Not all of the kids knew details about the various world explorers, so we revisited the information cards to learn as we played.
On September 11, 2001, I got up early because that was the only time my apartment of six was quiet. I read the entire New York Times and headed up to my early Economics class. When I got there, I learned of the attacks in New York.
How do I teach of this historic happening without causing my children undue fear? I am not sure yet. My son is only 6, and we talk about it a little more each year. This year, I’m focusing on what it means to be an American.
We’re going to study the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem today in honor of Patriot’s Day. What better way to learn about being an American than by declaring “I pledge allegiance” to this country! Continue reading
Today I get to share a fun pioneer covered wagon craft at my friend Kim’s blog!
When I think of Life Over C’s, I think of hands-on learning. I decided we’d share how we made a covered wagon with her readers. Click over to see how I put together the milk carton covered wagon. Continue reading
As we learn about the pioneers of history, I decided to focus on a different kinds of pioneers in our family histories today. As we do personal family history research, we find fascinating stories of pioneering.
Merriam-Webster defines pioneer as follows:
: a person who helps create or develop new ideas, methods, etc.
: someone who is one of the first people to move to and live in a new area
I love how the definitions include pioneers in the traditional sense, but also pioneers in terms of creativity and methods. My ancestors were pioneers in many different ways.
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Here’s a website we use for making history timelines: Tiki-toki.com. Continue reading