Homeschool Science: March 2012

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Next Year's Plans... Already Beginning

Already planning for next year... We will be doing something different for next year and then going back to Heart of Dakota the following year.

So I have to do a little more planning.

We are doing 8 weeks of Native Americans. I am putting it together mostly based on Guest Hollow's American Unit 1 ,weeks 1-7 and week 26. It is FREE on her blog!

We aren't including her science because we will be doing WinterPromise's Rock around the Earth science.

I have organized the plans in my own fashion. (Boy, did this take a while. I learn something new everyday on Open Office) I did much copying and pasting.

Then we are going to use Expedition Earth for our core. This is on Confession of a Homeschooler's blog.

Here is a little sample of what I put together. I also put all the notes that were with each week of the Native American study all in one place instead of after each week's plans. It is just the way I want it.

If could figure out how to attach at file I would put up all the lessons I have so far. Is that possible?

Friday, March 9, 2012

Art Appreciation : Henry Matisse

We are doing Art Appreciation on a more regular basis this year. We all love it! Henry Matisse was our first artist. Next is Mary Cassatt. More details on how we are doing our Art Appreciation later. I have gleaned so much from some great bloggers and websites on line.

My youngest drew and cut out a few shapes of her own. She cut out some others on her own that I drew.

I love how my children's art can be so different from each other even when working on the same project. It is interesting to watch how they each work, too.

Unit 17 Burgess Animal

Unit 17

Day 1 - Chapter 13 Muskrat; Brown Rat (Narrate)

Day 2 - Chapter 14 Cotton Rat; Packrat; Kangaroo Rat (Minibooks)

Day 3 - Chapter 15 Deer Mouse; Field Mouse (Minibooks)

Day 4 - Chapter 18 Mice with Pockets (Minibook)

Day 5 - Super Concoctions (Milky Color Explosions pg. 113 -114)

All mini-books for Unit 17


Super Concoctions : Milky Color Explosions

Three of my kids did this experiment. It was so easy.
My 4 yr old did hers after this picture was taken.

1. You put milk to cover the bottom of a plate (I used a powder milk mix so that I wouldn't be using our expensive organic milk that we drink).
2. Drop a couple different colors of food coloring on the milk.
3. Then put liquid soap on the end of toothpick and touch it to the middle of the plate.
4. Watch the colors move and mix.

WHY: The soap wants to attach to the water and the fat in the milk, so that is why all the movement.

My kids also got a kick out of blowing on the milk, afterwards, to mix them to the point in the picture.