Wizard of Oz Activities

I asked the girls what extra, fun activities they wanted to do this summer.  They said they wanted to study the Wizard of Oz.  So, I dreamt up a few activities for them to do.  We have had a lot of fun and explored some different things.  We made "salt dough" and used it to make a huge number of bricks.

This was just about the same thing as making cut out Christmas cookies, except you couldn't eat them.  Nevertheless, it was good practice for using a rolling pin and cutting rectangles.

 The finished product:

 Then we painted them yellow:

 Sabrina is still a messy, inappropriate painter:

 After they were all painted:

Then we taped them all on a big sheet of paper, in a long trail.  Along the trail we created small props for the different sections of the story.  The girls did not know what a model was, but loved coming up with different ideas.  We made apple trees and corn stalks out of pipe cleaners.  They used a brown bottle cap for a stump (which the Tin Man's oil can sat on):

They got some grass from the front yard to make the poppy fields:

 They made a castle out of a box and toilet paper tubes, then painted it green:

 Then they added sparkle to the castle so it would look like an Emerald City:

In another "Wizard of Oz" session we studied Dorothy.  We weaved paper and learned what gingham fabric is.

Then we used some thick brown yarn and tried (without success) to learn how to braid.  Neither one of the girls could handle braiding.

I have a lot more Wizard of Oz ideas in the pipeline ...

Ancient Egypt

During the summer we are trying to do some of the projects which we don't have as much time to do during the school year.  We read a book about mummies, and then made some out of Barbies:

We sprinkled them with salt (because we didn't have any Natron), then wrapped them in toilet paper (instead of linen).  Then we made a pyramid out of cardboard to bury the mummies in.

We also painted a golden coffin, like what King Tut used.  I bought a year ago at a used curriculum sale.  We finally got around to using it.

 Lastly, we painted a death mask like King Tut used.  Sabrina pretended she was dead:

Etowah Indian Mounds

We recently went on a field trip with our church's homeschooling support group to the Etowah Indian Mounds.  We had a great time.

The group was huge - about 80 people (mostly small children).  Our tour guide tried to explain to the kids that there were a lot of Indians buried here and they could not run around:

We all walked up the 134 stairs to the top of the biggest mound.  My father came with us, and he even made it up:

The girls had some fun running around on top of the mound with their friends:

The weather was perfect.  Catherine was a little afraid on the stairs, but I stayed close to her and made her walk all the way up and down by herself.

One of the lesser mounds (as seen from the top of the biggest mound):

The canoe lecture:

All the kids loved the swing near the Etowah River:

The tour guide gave a weapons demonstration for our group.  This part was by far the most enjoyed by the children:

He showed us how they made poisoned darts for the blow guns:

I thought only the boys would be enthralled by the weapons, but now my girls want to set up a target in the back yard:

The kids were not allowed to try the weapons, but they could touch the hand woven quiver:

The weapons table:

After the field trip, we went to lunch with my Dad.  I asked the girls to draw a picture of whatever they remembered from the field trip.  Catherine drew the tour guide shooting a bow and arrow, with the audience watching:

I love when I see evidence that they actually learn things from the field trips we take!

Making Rocks ... Sort Of

Recently we did a unit on Rocks with our science curriculum.  This sounded pretty boring to me, but the girls really enjoyed it.  We got a kit containing 16 different types of rocks and conducted tests to determine which was which.  We also learned about the three main classes of rocks and made models of them. 

I am so conflicted about teaching science.  I hate the mess and clutter created by the experiments.  But the second I even hint that we will do a science experiment, the girls jump up and down with excitement.  They frequently re-create the experiments for Robby when he gets home and I have even caught them doing modified versions of the experiments with their dolls weeks later.  So, I do try to incorporate as many of the experiments as I can into the day.

Igneous rocks are made from molten rock which has cooled & hardened.  So we made a mini-volcano with a toilet paper tube covered in wax paper.  Then we melted chocolate chips in the microwave and poured it into the "crater."  As the crater overflowed, the pretend lava flowed down the mountainside.  In a few hours, the liquid chocolate cooled and (surprise!) hardened.  Sabrina especially loved this project because she got to eat the igneous rocks we made.

Sedimentary rocks are made from layers of salt and other "stuff" deposited in layers.  So, we took a disposable aluminum pan, poked holes in the bottom, and put it inside a bigger pan (to create a place for drainage).  We used play sand and spatulas to make various layers.

In between some layers, we included sponges which we had cut into animal and plant shapes, to represent fossils.  Then we poured salt water over the whole thing and waited a few days.

After a few days, the girls excavated the pan of sand. They used popsicle sticks, paint brushes, and cheap magnifying glasses ... but they thought they were "real" scientists.  They seemed genuinely impressed when they "discovered" fossil-shaped sponges.

The third main type of rock are metamorphic, which are igneous and sedimentary rocks which are changed by heat and pressure.  I forgot to photograph this, but we pretended that a corn chip was a rock and put "pressure" on them with our hands, crushing them and, therefore, changing their shape.  They re-create this experiment all the time - every time we have corn chips now.

 We did not do an experiment to demonstrate how heat changes the shape of rocks - I couldn't find one that seemed simple enough.

The girls had a lot of fun with these experiments!

Monastery

We recently visited the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA as a field trip.  My father and another home school family joined us.  It was a rainy, dreary day but the children had a great time and were introduced (a little) to monastic life.  They loved the fountain:

The museum included a brief history of Christianity.  It is hard to tell in this picture, but there is a painting of the Christians being killed by lions in the Colosseum.  The exhibit described how Constantine legalized Christianity and Pentecost caused the early Church to spread.  These events are detailed in the Timeline we are learning in Classical Conversations, so the kids loved it:

This section talked about Saint Benedict and the beginnings of monasticism.  We just finished studying the Middle Ages and the role of monasteries in spreading the church.

This particular monastery is apparently famous for its bonsai gardens.  The kids loved all the miniature trees:

 Part of the monastery included a museum about monastic life, with a sample monk's room:

These monks, according to the video, built the monastery themselves.  Some of the construction supplies used were on display.

Here was a great display about a typical day in the life of a monk:

 Our kids completely ignored this sign:

Fortunately, there were very few people in the museum while we were there.  This display altar had kneeling benches.  We taught the kids how to kneel & pray before an altar.  Sabrina prayer was quite succinct: "Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me.  Amen."  She then got up and started running again.

As part of the emphasis on Bonsai trees, there was a huge garden center of supplies, including tons of different types of wire for Bonsai trees:

 Lots of Bonsai pots:

 And, of course, tons of trees:

 Some of these trees were several hundred dollars, and a few were over a thousand dollars.

 They had some sample "fairy gardens" on display:

We also got to tour the church:

 They had a neat stable display:

 And tons of stained glass:

This was a fun, informative field trip.  My girls were disappointed that we did not get to see any actual monks (other than in the video).  The Visitor Center, Museum, and Gardens are all public friendly.  The monks apparently isolate themselves from the public.