The Cardiovascular System

Today is Health class and we are discussing hazards in the home, and how to fix and prevent them. Plus DJ is doing the cardiovascular system. You can use the educational video below as an adjunct to your lessons. We finished our ice sculpture, which was nothing fancy, and is quickly melting in the 75 degree weather. I will post pictures soon. There are only 51 days until Christmas, WOW!

Lesson Plans For 11/4/10:

DJ:
Health: As above
Writing: Personal Narrative
About 4H: Hazards in the home
Math: Division, mixed math
Sign Language
Proofreading
Language Arts: Verbs
Spelling: Chapter 7

Caitlin:
Health: About 4h home hazards
Math: Addition
Sentences and word placement worksheet
Language Arts: Long vowels, blends sl and br
Printing Practice
Clock work, calendar work, sight words, skip counting

Entrecard, and Ice Sculpture Hotel

First I have to tell me readers, after two years, I am removing the Entrecard widget from my blogs. This morning while doing my drops yet again another hack site, and then one with a redirect to a virus download. This is the same virus that nearly wiped out my computer before, and I am not dealing with it again. I use several other traffic exchange sites, and I don't know what they do differently for security but whatever it is Entrecard needs to do it too. They can not protect their members from these sites and that is obvious. I still will do my Blogging for Fun friends as I always do, and I have new group at Mom Bloggers Club. Both widgets are on the side bar, and if you would like to join that would be awesome. I apologize to anyone who used credits on my widget. I will try to get them all reimbursed.

We are finishing up our lessons on Canada today. One of the famous attractions in Quebec is the ice sculptures each winter. Below is a video of the ultimate ice sculpture, an ice hotel. It is really cool! We also did a mixing colors experiment where we wrote down different color combos to mix and see what colors we got. We did this using water, and food coloring in plastic cups. Then the cups were put in the freezer, and we will be making our own ice sculpture using the colored water. DJ took photos for his pictures tell a story lesson for 4H. Dinosaur findings in Canada is another topic of discussion. National Geographic magazine has a wonderful article on extinction of dinosaurs and DJ will be reading it and then discussing the different theories of dinosaur extinction. Caitlin will use the pictures to make a dinosaur lapbook in a few weeks.

Lesson Plans For 11/3/10:

DJ:
Social Studies: Chapter 8 Ancient Times, lessons above, and map skills
Math: Division, mixed math
Sign Language
Spelling: Chapter 7 put words in alphabetical order

Caitlin:
Social Studies: As above
Math: Addition
Reading sentences and word placement worksheet
Language Arts: long vowels, blends sl and br
Printing Practice
Clock work, calendar work, sight words, skip counting

Mixing Colors and Copernicus

Today is Science here at Melissa's Homeschool. DJ will be doing more space activities beginning with learning about Copernicus. He has two reading assignments, the video below, and then review questions. Caitlin and DJ both will be doing an experiment about mixing colors. We actually will be doing this tomorrow when we continue learning about Canada, and we get to make an ice sculpture with colors we mix and match. Should be fun, and I will get pictures before it melts. If you have a youngster learning about farm animals, and want something fun to teach it. Have your child draw a farm with all the animals that can be found on a farm. Here in Florida public school kids have no school due to election day. Don't forget to vote!

Lesson Plans For 11/02/10:

DJ:
Science: Copernicus, Solar System, mixing colors experiment
Math: Division, mixed math
Sign Language
Spelling: Chapter 7 write each word three times each

Caitlin
Science: Farm animals with her own drawing of a farm with animals, mixing colors experiment
Math: Addition
Reading Sentences and word placement worksheet
Language Arts: Long vowels, blends sl and br
Printing Practice
Clock work, calendar work, sight words, skip counting

DJ Was The Teacher Today!

This morning DJ got to be Caitlin's teacher, because I was sicker than a dog. I am never sick, migraines once in a while, but not sick. I got up feeling normal, did my usual stuff, got the kids up, started laundry, started school then wham it slammed me like a freight train. For the next six hours I was in bed, vomiting, and with a fever. I have no idea what caused it, but I am certainly glad I feel better, though I got nothing done. Hats off to DJ for being the first grade teacher today. I still have a lingering headache but at least I am in the upright position functioning normal.

I thought I would share today some of the more fun things we have been doing for school. I like to add projects along with book work, movies, and other non traditional ways to learn. I found this neat experiment to determine how salt beds are formed. It is easy all you need is a glass bowl you can see mine is a pie plate, 1 cup of water, and 4 tbsp of salt. Put the water in the bowl, then stir in the salt. Allow the bowl to sit undisturbed until all the water evaporates. This took about two weeks here in Florida, but can take up to 4 weeks according to the book. If you click each picture you will see that the salt turns into cubic crystals and look like squares or cubes. The sides are a thick, white, frosty type substance. Conclusion: Beds of salt are believed to have formed from shallow ponds that were close enough to the ocean to collect salt water, and were then cut off from the sea. Slow evaporation of water left behind clear cubic salt crystals called halite. The frosty substance along the side, forms when water rises up the side and salt in the solution crystallizes as the water quickly evaporates. The faster drying along the sides does not allow enough time for the cubic crystals to form as on the bottom.

We did a whole four week lesson on reusing and reducing waste. So when we would empty glass jars, we would wash them and give them to my mom, who paints them. So I figured we could paint some too. I kept a salsa jar, and a pickle jar. Washed and dried them and then let the kids paint on them. The results are shown below. Then we couldn't decide what to do with them. We have pencil containers, odds and ends containers, what to do? Then my husband suggested sugar, and the kids said no we don't use that much sugar. Then one of them said salt! So they are now our new salt and pepper shakers, and they look quite lovely on the dinner table. Good think I kept the lids. Note if you decide to do this don't cut the holes in the lids too big, the salt will really just pour out.