Results tagged “Project Feederwatch” from Learn at Every Turn - Creative, Enriched Homeschooling

It's been some time since I've posted. All I can say is that I've been too busy living the life to write about it. Here's a recap of some of the highlights.

First, I think I've resolved my difficulties with Moving Beyond the Page. A more relaxed attitude toward the daily lesson plan lessens the tension and makes the work go better. Furthermore,  both Kipp and Landry finished a social studies unit and moved into  science units. As I posted at the beginning of the year (and apparently promptly forgot), I suspected that the science units would prove too simplistic for them. I was right, and they are burning through those in days rather than weeks.  Next year, I wont buy the science units from Moving Beyond the Page for Landry when they become a separate part of the curriculum. For now, however, I'm happy to work through them quickly while still enjoying the literature units that are tied to these science units.

As a result of the changes with Moving Beyond the Page, we've had the time to get back to our usual style of learning. Here are some examples.

With a local group that meets build projects, Landry and Kipp each designed a popsicle stick bridge, then tested it by seeing how many bricks each bridge would hold until it broke. Personally, although not one of our bridges, I had no idea that a popicle stick bridge could ever hold 13 bricks!

At the same time, Kipp has suddenly taken a renewed interest in our wild bird populations. For some time now, he has kept our feeder full and attempted to identify the different species who feed there from a stack of books we've moved to the window sill for him. Project Feederwatch just opened this past weekend, and I think he's really going to enjoy gathering data for Cornell this year.

We've also had the opportunity to go deeper with Moving Beyond the Page. For example, Kipp was studying sound and the human ear. Now, he explained the basic mechanics of how we hear before I could finish reading the lesson. However, Jerry just happened to hear a great podcast on Science Friday discussing the biochemistry involved in converting the sound waves into something the brain can understand. So, rather than missing an opportunity to take his understanding a bit further, Kipp curled up in my lap and we listened to the podcast together. It was amazing to hear what a six year old could comprehend from the discussion.

This past Sunday, we attended a robot rumble at our local state college. The boys got to control the battle robots and talk with the designers. I took copious notes and have a strange suspicion that a homemade battle bot looms in my future. In the meantime, we received some needed parts for our robotic arm, and Kipp and I are anxious to finish it soon. 

On a lighter note, a friend gave me a great recipe for pumpkin play dough with which we had great fun making and playing.

Nor will the fun stop any time soon. We have tickets for a local performance of Fiddler on the Roof this weekend. I am also purchasing tickets for the B Street Theatre's Family Series. If I can get tickets to each performance, we will see Pinocchio, a play about Harriet Tubman, and Beauty and the Beast. Over the next few months, the boys will be taking some science classes at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley and art classes at one of our local museums. By the end of the year, we will be going to Yosemite for a few days, and I'm already looking for books on Yosemite's geology, flora and fauna and any literature tie-in's I can find.

And yes, it is wonderful to be back to truly learning at every turn!

Given my penchant (some would say obsession) for rescuing various animals, Landry, Kipp and Galen have been surrounded by a small menagerie of the typical domesticated animals since birth: dogs, cats, goats and horses. When we needed more variety, we became familiar with the local fauna with whom we share the property: a family of turkeys, two varieties of finches, a squirrel named Patchy, hummingbirds, deer and the occasion young skunk. 

Lately, however, it seems we are on the family expansion plan, and the new members have been providing all us with some great opportunities to learn.

First, my husband's very old Jack Dempsey fish, Big Fish, died a little over a month ago. That left us with a very large empty fish tank in our dining room. So, the boys made a weekend project of cleaning it out and learning the details of what fish need to thrive - filters, water quality, food, temperature, the benefits of plants, and oxygenation. By the end of the weekend, we had pairs of black, red, and speckled mollies, a pair of swordtails, and a lovely plecostemus to keep the tank free of algae. Much to my surprise, the boys became religiously vigilant in their care of the fish and were rewarded with the birth of five speckled mollies.

This past summer, my African Grey parrot, Rocky, passed away, and I've been quietly looking for another Grey for a couple of months, but the price is prohibitive. Seeing the boys' abiding interest in the fish tank got me thinking they might enjoy a smaller, less formidable parrot. So, this past week, we adopted Kia the Lovebird. I'm still struggling to convert her to a healthy diet and teach her basic commands like "step up" and "step down." However, the boys already received a quick geography lesson to determine where her species originated so we could choose an appropriate name and a good review of basic nutrition because exotic birds require a varied diet very similar to humans.

In another step in our unplanned theme, we finally began building our terrarium for the Lawrence Hall of Science unit study that I ordered as part of this year's science curriculum. Landry and Kipp mixed the proper percentages of sand and dirt to create the base of the terrarium. On a nature walk, they collected an assortment of needles, acorns, twigs, bark and leaves with which to decorate their habitat. They also planted violas and scattered bird seed, which later sprouted. I'm not sure whether it's the unit study or their newly discovered interest in art (thanks to my terrific art instructor), but I've twice found them with heads bent over their journals, completely engrossed in drawing the terrarium. The next two stages look equally promising. This week, we get to dig up and examine earthworms, up close and personally, before adding them to the terrarium and seeing the function they perform in nature. The following week, we will add isopods.

Finally, I recently discovered what appears to be a really neat project for the boys. Cornell University runs a program called Project Feederwatch. For $15, they send you a feeder and instructions for monitoring over a period of months. You then record data for a Cornell study. Since we already monitor our local bird populace through several feeders around the house, I think the boys will enjoy this project and learn a bit more about data collection for scientific purposes. I just hope I wasn't too late in applying for the current season, and the feeder arrives soon.

These projects have made for an interesting fall at our house. And I love seeing the boys learn to love and respect nature, in its multitude of forms, the way I do.