Lentil written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey
Highlights:
*We did three basic experiments with sound.
1.The first one, using thread, plastic cups, and a hanger, we discovered how sound waves travel and things that might affect its travel.
2.The second experiment showed us why two ears are better than one.
3.The third experiment was the favorite. Using resonance they saw how they could create sound waves on one glass of water and it would move a card balanced on top of another glass of water nearby. Dad was the lucky audience four times as each child had to show off their new sound magic skills.
*We made up our own stories marking the differt parts of a good story. WARNING...This can get very silly and more fun than school should be.
Additional Books and Videos used:
Sound All Around - Fay Robinson Ohio Facts and Symbols - Emily McAuliffe Ohio in Words and Pictures - Dennis B. Fradin The First World War - A. J. P. Taylor America's Wars - World War I - Gail B. Stewart Backyard Scientist Series 2 & 3- Jane Hoffman Magic Schoolbus Inside the Haunted House - video back to the top
Madeline
written and illustratd by Ludwig Bemelmans
We had not done this book for several years, so we enjoyed this re-visit to a favorite book.
Highlights:
*My children are really into foreign languages right now, so we enjoyed learning to count to ten in French and listening to a "Teach Me French" tape.
*Our "trip" to France was the favorite part of this study - we played a French language memory match game, built the Eiffle Tower with Legos, and made a book of the diffent regions and landmarks of the country.
*The "germ" experiement in the FIAR Archives was another favorite lesson.
Additional Books used:
Character Counts (Virtue)
June-July 97 Mailbox Magazine pp 30 - 37 Easy Make & Learn Projects Human Body (Scholastic) pp 74 - 79 Teach Me French - book on tape back to the top
The Rag Coat written and illustrated by Lauren Mills
The kids have been interested in learning to sew so this study was a big hit with them! With the cold, snow, and ice bringing an unusually harsh winter for us we enjoyed curling up under blankets with hot chocolate with me reading out loud and them working industriously on their Jacob's coat quilt squares. There is defiantly something to be said of the serenity of old-fashioned industriousness of those special evenings!
Highlights:
Sewing - Each child hand sewed a Jacob's Coat quilt square in their choice of fabrics to be put on a shirt or pillow case of their own. This kept them busy for several evenings and really sparked their interest and imagination. They have been designing and sewing rag dolls, clothes and doll blankets ever since.
Additional books used:
Quilt Connection - Carson-Dellosa Publishing Co. The Patchwork Quilt - Valerie Flourney Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt - Deborah Hopkinson The Bedspread - Sylvia Fair The Keeping Quilt - Patricia Polacco The Josefina Story Quilt - Elano Coerr The Quilt Story - Tony Johnston Quilts in the Attic - Robbin Fleisher The Memory Coat - Elvira Woodruff In Coal Country - Judith Hendershot
Coal Kit from West Virgina Tourism Bureau
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World written and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
Beginning with Jane's lessons in the manual, we used some activities from the FIAR Archives,and some of our own, we spent almost 3 weeks with this delightful book.
Lapbook
Highligts:
We had a EGGstravaganza Day. We used the egg investigation experiements from Egg Fun and had them carry around an egg in a plastic baggy to see how long the egg would last. One of the girls broke her egg in 45 seconds - she tried to sit on it and keep it warm like a mommy hen! The girls really had fun!! We also learned the main stages of a baby chicks developement from fertilization to hatching on the back and drew actual size pictures of the developing chick on the front from information from Chick Scope fun!!
Additional Books Used: A Family in Sri Lanka - Apple Festivals - Apples - Gail Gibbons
Grandfather's Journey Written and Illustrated by Allen Say
We had a lot of fun with this book! The kids chose to spend extra time on it - three weeks. Highlights:
* Building and exploding our version of Mt. Fuji - Mt. Drippy Drippy.
*One of the kids favorite things to do is PAINT. So painting the Japanese numbers 1 - 10 was a great hit. They also now appreciate how easy it is to write English.
*Another highlight of our study was the Japanese meal eaten at a table on the floor. They all donned their robes, kimono style, flip flop shoes and sat on pillows for this meal. The menu consisted of Steamed Rice, Seasoned Fish (both from the FIAR Cookbook), stir-fry vegetables and Kasutera (Honey Cakes).
*We concluded our study by attending a presentation of "One Thousand Cranes" and an origami workshop preformed by the University of Oklahoma drama students. We made paper cranes to be sent to Japan to be placed at the base of Sadako's statue in the Peace Park in Hiroshima, Japan for their August 6th Peace Day celebration.
Additional Books Used Tree of Cranes - Allen Say Once Under a Cherry Tree - Allen Say The Bicycle Man - Allen Say A River Dream - Allen Say The Lost Lake - Allen Say Welcome to Molly's World - American Girls Series A to Zen - Ruth Wells Yoshi The Boy Who Drew Cats - Arthur A. Levine Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes - Eleanor Coerr All Those Secrets of the World - Jane Yolen Passage to Freedom - Ken Mochinzuki Volcanoes - Christoher Lampton Enchantment of the World Series - Japan back to the top
Cranberry Thanksgiving
Written and Illustrated by Wende and Harry Devlin
July 30-Aug 4, 2000 We started our school year with Cranberry Thanksgiving, which was already one of our favorites from years past.
Highlights:
We enjoyed a day of exploring properites of starch. For the first experiment we placed a drop of iodine on several objects to test for starch. For the second we painted a picture with a cornstarch and water mixture, then "developed" the picture in iodine water. back to the top
Papa Piccolo Written by Patricia Talley Illustrated by Itoko Maeno
Lapbook
Highlights:
* The hit of this study was writing their own "screen play" of the book and putting on their production of Papa Piccolo. The antics of the kittens was perfect for their version of "Children Theatre".
*Investigating color and mixing colors also was a lesson that the girls didn't want to stop doing.
Night of the Moonjellies Written and Illustrated by Mark Shasha
We started the 2001-02 with a 3 week study of this book. I think we would all agree this is one of the most fun studies we have done! We also did our first Lap book and are looking forward to more of them. We made minit books for most of the lessons we studied.
Lapbook
Highlights:
* We spent 4 days on learning about small businesses, planning and operating our own hot dog stand (One day ONLY) for Dad and Grandparents, and figuring our profit/loss. The girls learned about printing and layout while designing their menu. We found out it was a lot of fun (a LOT of work for Mom). The girls added a miniature copy of our menu to our lap book.
* We studied jellyfish and combjellies aka "moonjellies". We made moonjellies out of plastic baggies, crepe paper streamer, colored cellophane, and glow in the dark paint.
We also made a jellyfish board game with facts about jellyfish and the jellyfish life cycle. The girls added a trifold minit book in the shape of a jellyfish with the life cycle into their lap books.
Additional Books used:
Jellyfish and Other Sea Creatures - Oxford Scientific Films
The Ocean Book - Center for Marine Conservation
Dollars and Cents for Harriet - Betsy & Giulio Maestro
Sofie's Role - Amy Heath
Stopping Woods on a Snowy Evening written by Robert Frost Illustrated by Susan Jeffers
Highlights:
*April is National Poetry Month and our local library has an annual poetry contest in observance. We used this book as a starting point for an in-depth study of poetry writing in preparation for the contest. My 11dd is a natural at poetry writing but my 8yo twins take after mom and have a much harder time. We are making a poetry lapbook and are enjoying the study even if poetry writing is harder than dd's thought it would be.
My Puppy
by Skye
I had the sweetest puppy
that I ever knew,
her name was Lovely Anny
and I loved her too.
She got shot in the cow field
with her siblings too.
I really really miss her
all my whole days through.
Poetry
by Amanda
Poetry is a great art,
Like painting or drawing
(in which I love to take part).
Poetry, oh poetry, you are great.
I am not a great poet,
I'll admit that.
But my aunt really shows it,
She is great.
The Queen (a Haiku)
by Brooke
The black swan is queen
of the animals she is
regal and graceful.
Additional Books used:
Scholastic Guides How to Write Poetry - Paul B. Janeczko
Pieces: A Year in Poems and Quilts - Anna Grossnickle Hines
LIVES: Poems About Fmous Americans - Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Birdwatch - Jane Yolen back to the top
Lentil
Madeline
The Rag Coat
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Grandfather's Journey
Papa Piccolo
Night of the Moonjellies
Stopping Woods on a Snowy Evening