We have SNOW!

At our house that is a big deal. What was great is that it was actual accumulation. We got about 4 inches of the white stuff. My hubby was up and had the kids outside by 8 a.m. this morning to play before it melted away. Everyone had a blast including Buffy, she loved it.

Buffy enjoyed the snow so much. She romped, played and fell in a few holes that went over her head but she loved it anyway.

TT and Poogie loved the sled. They liked riding behind the 4 wheeler and riding them in the snow.

I am still working on our new unit studies for science and history. I plan on posting the units as soon as I complete them. Until tomorrow.

Moon Unit

We are going to be studying the moon and stars this month. We will start the month studying the moon. I bought a lapbook unit from Hands of a Child and will be using it along with a science activity book by Teacher Created Resources of Stars and Planets to complete the unit.

TT and Poogie will each do a lapbook. Poogies will be a more simplified version of TT's but they will both study the same aspects of the moon.

Lesson 1- Create Lapbooks.

We will create lapbooks and make a cover for front of book.

Lesson 2-Vocabulary and Moon Facts

TT- Do Vocabulary book for lapbook.
Do Moon Fact book for lap book.

Use these sites for info.

NASA Kids club: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html
Has a dictionary for terms.

Total moon info page: http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/

Poogie will draw pictures on her vocabulary book for lapbook.



Lesson 3- Moon Mass

TT and Poogie will complete moon mass activity for lapbook.

They will use this site to calculate what their weight would be on the moon.
Calculate your weight on the moon page: http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/


Lesson 4-Moon Phases

I will demonstrate the moon phases using activity in Teacher Created Resources book Stars & Planets pages 12-13

We will view moon phases online at: http://www.netaxs.com/mhmyers/moon.tn.html

Then we will use moon phase cards I made using TCR book Stars & Planets page 14.

TT and Poogie will then make their moon phase book for their lapbook.

TT will be given a sheet copied from TCR book to start a moon phase journal.


Lesson 4- Continued-Moon phases

TT and Poogie will review moon phases using moon phase cards.

They will then make a flip book to view the actual movement and changes in the moon.
The book is from the TCR book pages 16-19.


Lesson 5-Eclipses

We will discuss what eclipses are and view different kinds at

http://www.netaxs.com/mhmyers/moon.tn.html

Lesson 6-Moonlight

TT and Poogie will complete moonlight book for lapbook.

Lesson 7-Layers of the Moon

TT and Poogie will complete the lapbook activity.

Lesson 8-Surface of the Moon

We will view photos of the moon and identify various physical features, namely creators using these sites

Tons of photos of the moon and landing on the moon: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/thumbnail_pages/moon_thumbnails.html

Layers and features of the moon: Internet Encyclopedia of Science http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/M/Moon.html

They will then complete lapbook activity in which they will color and identify the four inner layers of the moon.

Book List:

Poogie-

When You Look Up at the Moon by Allan Fowler

What is the Full Moon Full Of? by Shulamith Levey Oppenheim

TT-

The Moon by Isaac Asimov

Science Adventures: The Moon by Helen H Carey and Judith E. Greenberg

Both-

The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System by Joanna Cole

Does the Moon Change Shape? by Meish Goldish

Movies and DVDs:

Apollo 13

From the Earth to the Moon Disc 3

To be continued...

What a beautiful weekend!

The last two days would make you think that spring is actually here. It has been sunny and the temps have been in the low 70's. But, according to the weather man that was just a little tease from Mother Nature. We enjoyed it any way.

Saturday we spent in town purchasing the kids some new tennis shoes for the YMCA co-op. They were both in need of some new ones. Ouch, I tell you they can get quite expensive. Both were able to find a pair they liked at a local chain shoe store for buy one get one half off. Thank goodness. TT has funny feet and we have to be really choosy what kind if shoes he wears, but he found some that he liked and were good for his feet.

We also bought Poogie a new swim suit for her swim lessons. Man, it was an ordeal. She is so opinionated about what she wears and she is only 6! But we found a very reasonable one at Target, (a one piece which I required for the Y). She has a two piece from last year but I wanted a more conservative one for class.

We then decided to try a new place to eat, Red Robin. The kids had been beggin to go since it opened but I had heard it was quite expensive for just a burger joint. However, it wasn't any more expensive than any other places like that (TGIF, Olive Garden, etc.) And can I just say WOW! I got a Southwestern type burger with Swiss cheese, bacon, and guacamole. It was huge and delicious. All of us loved the burgers and Poogie got spaghetti which she loved.

We spent today outside. The kids rode 4 wheelers and played. I was suppose to be doing lesson plans, and I did some. But I am just getting tired of the workbook stuff and I think my kids are too. I am going to still do math, English and writing from our books but I think we are going to try some unit studies in Social Studies and Science. I already have the moon and stars for March and butterflies and life cycles of animals for April. I purchased a lapbook plan from Hands of a Child for butterflies and I am ordering a butterfly garden kit to hatch our own butterflies. We are also going to plant a butterfly garden in our front flower bed.

For Moon and Stars I purchased a book from the local teachers store for a unit study. Plus, I have a game about the constellations, plan to purchase a telescope, take a trip to the planetarium, and do a lot of star gazing.

I also want to tie in some biographies into this unit for history and social studies. As I get everything together I will post it.

Oh, we are also trying our hands at gardening this year. Poogie and I purchased some seeds to start in the house. We then plan to garden in the square foot gardening method using raised beds. Those that I know that use this method have been very successful, even if they don't have a green thumb, which I do not.