Day 3 of Science Camp

I was able to stop in and take some pictures of what the kids would be working on today. I didn't get pics of the kids because I didn't want to violate anyone's privacy. 

I watched as the teacher used an electric tea kettle, a metal tray filled with ice cubes, and a pie pan beneath the tray to catch the droplets of water. She was showing them how to make rain, and one of the girls piped up and explained the process of condensation. She was probably about 9. One boy, about 10 or so, believed the droplets would form without the ice, so the teacher said they should act as scientists and test that theory later in the day.

Then the children followed the teacher to the different stations she had set up for various experiments. She gave presentations, or explanations of how to do each one and then the children were free to choose what they wanted to do.
I snapped these shots and then I left. I could tell having me in the room was distracting for some of the children, and especially for Sean.
I hope these give you some ideas for things to do with your homeschoolers.

She brought a large bowl of water over to this table after I took the picture. The kids were already hypothesizing which would float and which would sink.

As I was leaving a girl was doing this experiment. The balloon was expanding and she was getting nervous. It blew and spewed baking soda all over the place. 

(Sean and I did this one at home last year too.)

I don't know if you can tell what is happening in this one. She was using a long toothpick to pick up this stack of bolts one by one. I didn't catch what this one was about.

There were a couple of others that I didn't photograph. One where they put droplets of paint onto paper and used a straw to blow and make designs, you can see in the background of this photo.

A little bit of science

Science camp week has begun, and we're adjusting to the new schedule. We just aren't used to being somewhere at a certain time every day, so we're both like the walking dead in the mornings.
But it's worth it. Sean had a great time yesterday, and said they started a project to make crystals.
He knows all the kids in the camp.

A view of part of the playground from the parking lot. 

This is the first time he's been allowed to play on the big kids' playground. The school has the primary playground for the 3-6 age group, and down the hill at the elementary building there is a playground for the big kids. I used to wonder why they were so strict about the playground rules. The little kids were absolutely not allowed to use the big playground. It's for insurance purposes.

Today's activities look like fun. 

changes in attitude

It's been more than a month since I posted anything here, so as you can guess we're in summer mode.
It took a long time for the weather to catch up with our attitudes. We're finally seeing 80 degree days.
We've been outside a little more, and Sean was on a vacation for two weeks to visit his dad's family in Calif. Next week he starts a series of camps at his former Montessori school. We're both excited, and he chose the subjects that were interesting to him. I attended a July 4th party while Sean was away and someone asked if he was attending our local summer camp. I explained we decided to do educational camps this year, and their response was, "Well that doesn't sound very fun. Is he happy about that?"
They don't get it. I told them he was excited about it, and he had chosen all of the camps on his own. (Sad isn't it, that learning becomes no fun when we get to about 2nd grade when we're in a traditional school setting.)
First up, Science camp.
I don't expect I'll get any photos, but if I can I'll share some asap.
One of our favorite museums is the Museum of Flight in Seattle. We took a little trip there to meet with some homeschool families and enjoy a day of airplanes and such. Unfortunately we didn't find any of our homeschool families while we were there, but we had a great time anyway. I'm just as fascinated by it as Sean is, so we'll be going back soon. I should invest in the membership.

It's filled with every imaginable airplane. 

This is one of my favorites. SR71

You can even go into space;)

We've been a couple of times now, and it's really so big it's difficult to see everything in one trip.

It's one of the few non-profit flight museums in the country, and if you're ever planning a trip to Seattle, be sure to put this on your list. It has a neat little gift shop too, of course.

Sean's photos

We made another zoo play date this week. We've had a lot of rain, and Saturday was beautiful. A perfect day for the zoo. This time we went to one of the afternoon shows. I let Sean take pictures this time. He knows more about this camera than I do. This is the show from his perspective.

I can't remember what this animal is, but it was cute.

This huge owl had gotten loose earlier, so they had to cancel the show they had planned and revert to an old one. They were afraid it would attack the animals in the show. So during the alternate show, the owl swooped in and perched in the rafters.

The porcupine was funny.

The armadillo was really cute, but a little too fast for Sean to get a good shot.

I think this is an anteater.

This bald eagle was the last animal in the show. Its left wing was damaged by a power line, so it is a permanent resident at the zoo. Poor thing can't fly anymore. 

After the show we were able to go down front and get a closer look at some of the animals, and some that weren't in the show. This iguana was pretty cool.

Our exciting journey

We've been taking the same journey for a couple of years now. We started in a mole burrow, and ventured to a river bank, watched that mole learn to oar a boat, and make a new friend with a rat.
We've walked through the Wild Wood with Mole, and huddled in that hollowed out tree with him as the snow storm raged. As Rat ventured out to find his friend, and found the doormat to Badger's home, we mused at how Mole couldn't figure out that a doormat meant there must be a door close by. We followed a toad on all sorts of escapades. We shake our heads at his boasting, and laugh through his tantrums. That Toad, he sure is a character.
The term Washer Woman has been used so many times in this house, it is our own inside joke.

I don't know if I can express how fun it is for us to read "The Wind in the Willows." I started reading it to Sean when he was 5, having never read it myself. We've read it about six times now, and he never tires of it. Neither do I.
It has become our own little book club book.
We discuss Toad's inability to control himself and his need to have the best. Nothing holds his attention for very long, and Toad throws himself head first into things, then quickly is bored with that and on to the next. He is naughty, yet his friends forgive him and try so hard to help him.
Sean loves the end when they take back Toad Hall from the Stoats and Weasels.

Our copy of the book is an inexpensive hard cover edition. My mom bought it years ago at a sale, and it was on the shelf along with other classics like "Jungle Book," "Hunchback of Notre Dame," to name a few. (My mom loved books.) We've tried to read "Jungle Book," but he keeps going back to "The Wind in the Willows."
When I first started reading "The Wind in the Willows," to him, I remembered what a treat it was when my first grade teacher would read "Charlotte's Web" to us each day. Each day she read one chapter, and it has stuck with me all these years. I was transported to a different world, and I could have listened to her read all day.
I then read it on my own when I was about 6, and cried and cried when Charlotte died.
I was so attached to the characters, and loved the feeling of escaping into a story.
I still love a story, I see them everywhere.
My mom used to spend hours reading to me and the friends in my neighborhood. She would read as long as we were content to sit and listen.
There are all sorts of studies and reports on how important it is to read to children. The list of benefits is quite long, and I agree with all of it. But I think there should be a list of benefits for the parent.
So I'll attempt to put one together for you--though I've not yet received my grant to study this subject, so this isn't scientific ;o)
Benefits for Parents who Read to Their Child
1. You get to know your child better. Reading a book and exploring the characters together gives the parent a chance to get to know the child on a different level. By asking age-appropriate questions, parents can gain an understanding of their child's personality. What they find amusing, frustrating, or emotionally touching, and even morally wrong or right can give a parent insight into other subjects to explore. You can get a good gauge of whether your child is sharing your values, and even explore where they are getting their ideas of right and wrong.
2. You get some time to relax. If you read at bedtime, it gives you a chance to unwind and spend some relaxed time with your child. This is completely different from watching a TV program with a child. There is a different atmosphere and vibe when you're reading to a child.
3. You can relive some of your childhood. Whether it's a book your parents read to you, you read on your own, or have never read before, reading to  your child gives you an excuse to relive some of those wonderful childhood moments.

As I said, this isn't scientific, and these are the things that popped into my head as benefits. Feel free to leave a comment and add to this list.

Field Trips

We've taken a few field trips this year, and visited the zoo a few times. We are lucky to live so close to a zoo, and actually are within driving distance of another.
Here are some pics from our last trip with our friends Shane and Jacob-Joshua. (Thanks for the passes Shane!)

It was a beautiful day, and we long for another day like that one. It's been rainy.

This guy was great to come up close for pictures.

Not sure what these guys were doing. The boys were bored watching them, so we moved on.

This guy was a little more exciting.

We made time for lots of running and playing. I didn't get pics at the playground, but there are a couple of nice ones with climbing equipment and a slide.

He or she was napping, but at least we got to see the Polar Bear this time.

This little fox was sooo cute. I took a LOT of pictures of him/her.

Babies.

See ya later. 

Positive Identification

In my previous post I talked about our trip to the local farmers market, and how we brought home a critter that was inadvertently put on the grill during a cooking demonstration.

This is the little guy we brought home.

It didn't take Sean very long to identify it using our Mac's Field Guide.

It's a Mossy Chiton.

We really enjoy that field guide because it's a single card laminated with really nice, detailed illustrations.

I'm not getting paid by Mac's Field Guide to say any of this, we really do like it.

I've decided to step back and look at what we're doing for homeschool and what is and isn't working, so we're taking a little break. I'm not going to ask him to "work" for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

At breakfast he did some math. He frequently asks me what does ___ plus___ equal, and I always have him work it on his own using whatever he needs to do so. I offer material suggestions while acting very interested in what the answer could be.

He read a book to me at lunch, and then we ran some errands before I had to take off to a meeting.  

After lunch he went outside and found these guys on a toy truck.

Charlotte was here!

Not trying to creep anyone out here, but it was an interesting find. Interesting too that they almost exactly match the yellow on the truck.

In case you can't tell, we do live among the fir trees and pastures, and frequently have visitors such as these at our house. Sean was concerned about them and went out to check on them several times before we left the house. He noticed they would huddle together, then if he touched the web they would scatter.

A couple of years ago he found a garter snake in the yard. He wanted one last year but never found any, and is already talking about finding one this summer.