Unit 6 Bigger and Creation to Christ

Bigger

There weren't as many notable projects this week, I felt.  It did make for a long week since Bean quickly became tired of doing "regular" work.  Hopefully next week goes back to a good balance between the necessary reading/writing work and fun activities.  I'll admit that we did leave out one project.  Perhaps just that one project made the difference.

We did not do the painting project that involved using different fruit juices (day 4).  I could not justify purchasing containers of orange, apple, grape, and lemon juice just to do a painting that I couldn't imagine would turn out well.  Bean was a little disappointed to lose the artistic project of the week, but she recovered quickly.

Also, this was the first week that we started a new spelling curriculum.  For Bean, I chose to use a Christian Liberty Press spelling book that I happened to already have on hand.  Although Building Spelling Skills: Book 2 is technically a 2nd grade textbook, I felt it was a good starting point for where she's at now.  Since spelling is tied with visual memory, and that is something she's getting help with at her occupational therapy, I do not want to make it too difficult for her.

This was a fun activity! To see how well she could have competed with William Penn, a Quaker who enjoyed playing jumping games, we took measurements of her leaps.  I think her gymnastic classes gave her the edge! LOL

This week Bean learned that is took some trial and error to discover which things were effective medicine.  I'm not sure how anyone could ever think that pine cones would remove wrinkles, but I doubt it took many trials for them to figure out it was ineffective!

The supplies to illustrate how the body fights off infection and forms an immunity to disease.

Eventually people did learn that our bodies have the ability to kill some viruses and bacteria and even protect us from getting it again.  Since Bean is more interested in the human body than any other aspect of science right now, she found this extremely intriguing.

The Storytime box on day 3 calls for 10 or more hot air balloon baskets to be drawn ascending on a piece of paper.  I created this document to use and want to share it with you all.  I've never shared a document before, so if it doesn't work, please let me know right away.  You can click here to download it from Google Docs.

I also created this Benjamin West paint palette as called for on day 5.  You can click here to download this document from Google Docs.  Again, please let me know if you have any difficulty obtaining this.

Creation to Christ

Bug made a column like that found in Egypt at the Temple of Karnak.  A trick we discovered to help while decorating was to stick an empty toilet paper tube inside.  That gave it good stability so she was able to do the drawings.

A week learning about primates wouldn't be my favorite week of science, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much Bug learned.  It became evident one night as the family was watching the TV show Cash Cab.  The bonus question included a video of an Aye Aye and asked the contestant what kind of animal was being shown.  Bug jumped off the couch and shouted, "I know this! That's an Aye Aye!"  I was as proud of her as she was of herself! :)

Science also explored the topic of depth perception and its importance to both humans and primates.  Sorry for my shadow in the picture! I'm not a spectacular photographer by any means.  Here Bug first estimated the distance from where she was standing to the car.  Then Bean helped her to do the actual measurement. 

I loved this week's painting! The background colors go together beautifully and the fireflies scattered across the page are so cute.  However, we did have to talk about what trees look like! I think we'll see better branches in future paintings.

I knew some of the reasons behind each plague that God sent to the Egyptians, but it was nice to learn the significance behind each one of them.  It really helped Bug to make sense of this situation, too.

All in all, another great week of Heart of Dakota!

Unit 5 Bigger and Creation to Christ

Bigger

This is the first week that we really got everything done in a timely fashion and didn't feel overwhelmed with the amount of material.  I guess it really does just take a while to find your groove with this program.  If you are struggling, don't give up! It will get better. :)

Bean made this Indian sand painting.  We did not dye salt, as suggested in the guide, but instead used some colored sand we happened to already have on hand.

We started a new genre in our Storytime section: Adventure.  Bean and I were both VERY happy to be done with the biography Ben and Me. It had vocabulary that made it difficult for Bean to understand, thus her interest level was very low.  This is a picture of the activity we did to kick off the adventure book Snow Treasure.  Don't skip this, folks.  I thought it would be a waste of time, but Bean really got a kick out of me making "Buzzzzz" and "Ding ding ding ding" noises as she worked on the "combination."

In science we used glitter to show how germs are on our hands and why soap and warm water are most effective at removing them.  It's amazing all the places the glitter ended up landing (notebook, chair, counter, pencil, clothes)! Wonderful visual reminder of the importance of hand washing in the prevention of spreading germs.

We read about the pilgrims this week and their need for food.  The first column shows needs while the second shows wants.  I hesitated when she wanted to choose money as a need, but ultimately felt that in our culture, it is indeed more a need than a want, so I allowed it.

I loved the poetry activity this week.  There isn't always a paper activity with poetry, but for this poem Bean drew a picture of what she thought the poet was describing.  I've included the poem below for your comparison. :)

At the end of the week we began to introduce the idea of astronomy.  Sailors can use the North Star to guide them, so we drew the Big Dipper using a white crayon on black construction paper.  Word of advice, plan out the whole thing before starting because these stars ending up being a little too big and the North Star is squished up in the corner. LOL

Creation to Christ

I have a secret.  (Well, not for very long since I'm about to tell everyone in this post.)  I like CTC better than Bigger.  I think maybe it's because it's more advanced material, but it may also be because the topics are more interesting and the work seems more purposeful. Not to say that I dislike Bigger.  It's just that if I had to pick, I'd have no problem choosing. :)

Egyptian Palace Bread was the history project this week.  You are suppose to soak the break in honey, but we were fresh out of that, so instead we used some pure maple syrup.  It was a sticky, sticky mess and the bread kept breaking apart.  Then you bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes.

In the end, I think it turned out similar to the original design.  I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Bug and Bean weren't thrilled with it.  I thought it was palatable, but that's about the most praise I could give it.  Always good to try new things, though!

We started a new genre for Bean, too, in the Storytime box.  Adventure is afoot in this book, The Good Master by Kate Seredy.  I was doubtful that it would be interesting, but I gave it a shot since it was a Newbery Medal winner.  I do not regret choosing this book!  From the very first day, Bug and I were both deeply drawn into the book and had a hard time putting it down. 

At the beginning of the week, Bean showed how the continents fit together to form Pangaea.  I used the the National Geographic link provided in the guide to print the continents and then Bug assembled them for her notebook.

Later in the week, she continued her study of animal tracks by making homemade clay out of flour, salt, and water.  Then she used the back of a spoon and toothpicks to make different animal tracks.  Yes, that wild animal that lives in my home even left her own "track."  :)

Well, this is certainly not one of her best poetry paintings, I'll admit.  It's suppose to be rocks with dark shadows at the bottom.  I think the gray is suppose to add dimension.  She also did some scraping with a toothpick which was completely ineffective since the paint had already dried long before she could get to that step.  Yeah, it's...something.  Oh well.  They can't all be perfect! LOL

Finally, these are the completed history notebook pages for the week.  I love seeing these filled with all the information.  Also, I know Bean gets a huge sense of accomplishment at the end of each week.

Unit 4 CTC and Bigger- The "Nitty Gritty"

For the past three units I've shown you all the "fun" activities and projects that the girls get to do during a week of this Heart of Dakota program.  They are absolutely a wonderful part of our day and add a much needed dimension of enjoyment to learning.  Things like art projects, history activities, and science experiments help children learn by involving them in the discovery of new information. 

However, that's not all we do during the week.  There are also the more "basic" lessons that need to be learned and can't all be turned into fun projects.  So this week, I will show you a glimpse of the other work my girls accomplish.  Oh, there may also be a few things that were too fun for me not to share!

**Disclaimer: Not all the picture may be from work that was done during week 4.  I did try to get close to that time frame, but sometimes I just flipped open the notebook and took a picture of something that was representative of their work in that subject no matter the specific week.**

Fear not! This will be the only time I do an entire post dedicated to these mundane topics. I know everyone likes to see the finished projects from each unit.

Bigger Unit 4 "Nitty Gritty"

Bean can't do much of her schoolwork without teacher direction, but one of the things she can do independently is cursive practice.  

Individual letter practice right now, but soon Bean will be writing a short verse.  In A Reason for Handwriting each week ends with a coloring page to display the student's writing and that's Bean's favorite part!

For English, Bean is being introduced to sentence diagramming and also focusing on proper punctuation.

Rod and Staff 3: Beginning Wisely is the first in the series to offer worksheet for some of the lessons.  Whenever those are available, Bean completes them instead of doing the copywork from the text.  That really speeds things along!

At this point, I think we will be abandoning the spelling as assigned by HOD an using another curriculum instead.  That will start with week six, once I have the textbook.

A typical dictation page as assigned in the HOD manual.  I do not feel the words challenge spelling ability.  Bean is able to spell every word ahead of the schedule.  This is a Charlotte Mason approach to learning with which I just can't seem to get on board.

History and geography have written work as well as the projects.  Last week you saw that we do vocabulary words on index cards each week.  We get those words from our history reading. There is also geography work that includes drawing and labeling maps and then adding the routes of different explorers.

An acrostic using the letters from the name POCAHONTAS. 

An ongoing timeline of the people and events studied in history.

Of course, there's math work to be done each day.  This is certainly her least favorite subject.  She is doing Saxon Math Homeschool Intermediate 3 this year.  It is the longest part of our school day since Bug does struggle with it so much.  No matter the program, math will be a difficult subject for her, so I do not attempt to do another program because I feel the change would actually be very detrimental to her.

Sample page of daily math practice.

Working diligently on a practice set.

For Drawn Into the Heart of Reading, she just finished the biography genre with a book about Helen Keller and will be moving on to the Adventure genre with the book The Littles. 

On day one of the Helen Keller book, she asked some questions about the book based only on the cover and synopsis of the story.  On the last day of reading, we went back to answer those questions.

Experiment for the week: discovering why some plants and animals float more easily than others.

A dropper filled only half-way with water will float like a stalk of seaweed due to the air trapped at the top.

When she guessed that salt in the water helps them float, I was pleased to realize that she indeed paid attention the week we studied salt water. :)

Creation to Christ Unit 4 "Nitty Gritty"

During CTC, the student only completes half the English textbook for the year since writing assignments sometimes take the place of an English assignment.  Because of that, she is still near the beginning of the book and only doing review material at this point.

Rod and Staff 4: Building with Diligence.  Worksheets are done instead of text copywork if they are available. 

Bug has also been doing the HOD dictation as her spelling lessons.  Again, I don't feel this challenges her spelling ability as much as it challenges her ability to quickly memorize a passage for transcription. Not sure there is much long-term value in that at this point.

As with Bean, we will be switching to a more traditional spelling curriculum starting with unit 6 (the arrival of the textbook).

Math may not be Bug's favorite subject, but thankfully she doesn't struggle with it the way Bean does.  She is doing Saxon Math Homeschool 7/6  this year.  I teach the lesson to her now, but next year I'll probably buy the DIVE DVDs for her instruction.

Second, some Mental Math and Lesson Practice.

First, a Facts Test.

Finally, the Review Problem Set (side one of two).

As mentioned earlier, some days each week are devoted to a writing lesson instead of an English lesson.  Write With the Best is suggested for use by HOD.  In it, the student studies the writing styles of different famous authors and then uses that method to compose something original.  I apologize, but I had to blank out Bean's real name in the picture. I'm sure you all understand. :)

After studying the descriptive writing style displayed in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Bug wrote a description of her sister.  After editing was done, it was typed and printed.

Drawn Into the Heart of Reading is going great for Bug.  She will be on the Biography genre for a bit longer than Bean since she moves through the program at half-pace this year.

Almost finished with Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.  This was a great character association map.

There are notebooking pages to be completed each week for science and history on top of the fun projects and experiments that are done.

This notebook page was a little lacking, but I let it go since we were in a bit of a hurry that day.  We made corrections later.

You may see history notebook pages featured in future posts since this is Bug's favorite subject and she is always asking me to show you all her work. :)  On these pages, the narration section is by far the most difficult thing for her to do.  A necessary life skill, but she needs a lot of practice for that one.

Geography is MY favorite lesson to complete! I am learning a much as Bug is!  I should have paid more attention in school when I was younger.  Now I understand the value of knowing this information.

The geography book is A Child's Geography.  We are studying Turkey right now with a focus on the Middle East over the entire year.  This is a great time to understand that region considering the current tension our nation has with many of those countries. 

 

Some fun stuff happened, too!  I prepared a traditional "Hebrew" meal for one day's lunch as instructed in Unit 4, day 3.  Bug, Bean, and Sprout were all very excited for this meal!

Served food included yogurt, flatbread with jelly, cheese, grapes, cucumber (with ranch dip), pomegranate seeds, and sparkling grape juice.

Bean wore the shepherd's headband and covering that she made this week.  We used an old receiving blanket for the material.  I loved how perfect the weather was for us to have an outdoor picnic!

This week's painting for poetry was beautiful.  Bug thought is was her best painting to date.

Featured poem: A Passing Glimpse by Robert Frost

That's it for now folks.  From now on, I'll go back to the regular posts about the fun projects and experiments for each unit of Heart of Dakota.

Unit 3 Bigger and CTC

We are slowly starting to get into our groove.  Each week goes better than the previous one.  I find more and more things that I like about the curriculum at the same time that I find things I want to tweek.  So my favorite part of all is that it is completely customizable and flexible to meet the needs of each student or family!

BIGGER UNIT 3

 In Unit 3 for Bigger the history focus was on John Smith and the Jamestown colony as well as Henry Hudson.  Bean started the week with an artistic project which required her to step into some very uncomfortable territory.  Bean is a PERFECTIONIST!  Drawing a tree without looking at the paper and also without lifting the pencil was very challenging for her.  After watching me a couple times, she made the attempt and I think she did great!

 







We also studied a compass rose.  I drew a large one on the cement outside and gave her directions to follow. For example, "Walk two steps West. Now take three steps northeast."  Unfortunately, you can't really see the chalk drawing well in the sunlight, but it is truly there.

Vocabulary this week included the word "explorer."  She had to come up with her own sentence and then draw a picture to illustrate the word.  I chuckled when I saw her drawing and had to share with you all.  It's Dora.  Dora the Explorer.  Awesome!

Now I have a word of warning about the science project for this unit.  Two plates are placed outside overnight for water evaporation to occur.  On one plate is plain water, on the other is water saturated with salt.  The goal is to allow evaporation to occur overnight and in the morning observe that the water is gone, but the salt remains.  DON'T DO THIS OVERNIGHT.  Instead, start it in the morning on a projected warm day and check later that same day.  When we left ours out overnight, we woke to twice as much water on the plates from dew accumulation.

                             
                              We did repeat the project however,
                              and Bean was completely fascinated
                              to see the salt residue.  Very effective
                              lesson.

Creation to Christ Unit 3

As an art project this week Bug made an optical illusion of stars in a striped background.  This was tied to the key concept that God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.  She really enjoyed this mostly as a break from the other strictly academic work she does for the rest of the day.

In science this week Bug learned about different kinds of bears.  She added to the animal track book that she started a few weeks back.  I am having her place the paper over the track image in the book and outline it first, then go back and label the parts.  This way she gets an accurate drawing for her to reference later.




After learning about a polar bear's black skin, she did an experiment to understand that black absorbs more light, thus keeping the object warmer.  This is when I tell you that I have yet another word of warning about the science experiment.  This is detailed in the Apologia science book as using two thermometers placed under a white and black trash bag in the sun.  Because we did not have two thermometers or a black trash bag, we delayed doing this project for about 4 days.  However, BE SURE TO READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE HEART OF DAKOTA BOOK!  At one point I finally noticed that there were alternate instructions which include using two ice cubes under black and white cloth.  Well, I had those things on hand, of course.  So we did finally do the experiment, even though Bug knew fully well the why and how of it all.  She still liked to see it happen. :)

Beginning

End

Middle

Her poetry painting this week was for the poem "A Peck of Gold" by Robert Frost.  We really had a hard time understanding the directions for the clouds part of this painting.  Somehow they were suppose to overlap each other and move from top to bottom, but Bug didn't want all her clouds to just be in a straight vertical line, so she did them separately.  I thought about looking at other blogs to see how they had done it, but as I mentioned earlier, I didn't want her painting to end up looking like someone else's, so I just allowed her to use her own artistic vision.

Well, that's most of the exciting stuff for unit 3.  Next week I'm going to showcase what I like to call the "nitty gritty" of our school day.  Stay tuned!