Grand Canyon {in little words}

I have fallen very behind in posting our learning adventures. The following Grand Canyon pics are from our Arizona trip in March.

Awaiting.

Family.

Majesty.

Awe-inspiring.

Silhouettes.

Snow-dusted.

Together,

Brave.

High altitude giggles.

Meandering.

Snuggle.

Trail of Time.

Guide.

Heroes.

Daring duo.

Real world education.

Cliff.

Wisdom.

Game day; or, How I Snuck in Education Today

Yesterday morning, we hosted a little alphabet scavenger hunt for Aidyn and his neighborhood pals.

First, I wrote out one letter per index card. Next, I wrote the names of items one could find out-of-doors, like air conditioning unit, bush, cement, and so on. Things got tricky around letters I, Q, and V, but I used some of my son's outdoor toys. For Q, I found a quadrilateral block, for instance.

We then handed out the alphabet cards with just the letters. Then each child hunted for their specific letters. I was pleased to see them helping each other.

"I found one! It's a hole! Does anyone have an "H"?"

The whole hunt was a success, and the kids had a ball learning.

Later that day we tweaked the game (mostly because we couldn't think of 26 more outdoor items that would fit each letter). This time we used only the alphabet cards and challenged them to find things outside that start with A, B, C, and so on.

That's when I saw them flexing some creative muscle. For instance (totally on his own!), when we got to Q, Aidyn stormed off and said, pseudo-dramatically, "I quit!"

To which the other kids shouted, "He's quiting! Quiting starts with Q!"

I really don't think they'll ever forget that "quit" starts with a Q.

During a quiet part of the day, when Aidyn's pals went out shopping, we sat at the table and played some M&M math. I had printed out an M&M worksheet earlier that day and drew some M&Ms on the back in a one-to-one order to play around with greater than or less than signs.

Before we cracked open two fun size packets of the colorful candy, Aidyn estimated how much of each color were in the bags. We then dumped them out on the table, and, one color at a time, counted them and graphed them.

Along the way, we made observations about how much more this color had than another, which had the most, and which had the least.

After graphing them, Aidyn filled out the greater than or less than signs and made sure to give each one teeth.

Of course, after M&M math, we gobbled them up.

Continuing our learning about explorers (even pint-sized ones), we watched the sequel to An American Tail, entitled Fievel Goes West.

We talked about western exploration at the time, the pursuit for a better life, a new frontier, and the prospect of gold. We also did nothing at all but laugh at Tiger's  silly antics.

And finally, later that day, Aidyn and his friend K played with Google Earth. I heard them "go to Mars" and look for aliens before asking if I could zoom in on our neighborhood back on Earth. They played with it at street-level and explored the streets, saying "I recognize that house! There's Mama's favorite restaurant!" etc.

Overall, it was a fun, learning-filled day (and the kids never suspected!)

Discovery Destination (Northern San Joaquin County)

Using an earlier post about field trip ideas (Field Trip Brainstorm), our family enjoyed a discovery destination on Memorial Day.

Here's how it works:

I modified a  regular die with small paper cut-outs with the directional letters N, S, E, and W. We also took along:
- a twenty-sided die to calculate minutes (thanks to my lovable D&D nerd-husband)
- a tangible road map of California
- a GPS
- snacks and drinks

We're lucky enough to live at the crossroads of many highways and byways, which could have taken us in any direction. Our first rule was that the initial roll would predict which freeway to take (instead of going street by street, though you can do that too if you want to likely stay in town). Aidyn's first roll had us going North for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, we rerolled and followed the dice's instructions after that. We could have ended up anywhere.

Eventually, "Mr. Dice" (as Aidyn referred to them), the wielders of fate, delivered us to this random feed store on the outskirts of a little town. We stopped in and explored, meeting and greeting kittens, chirping chicks, ducklings, and dwarf rabbits. We never would have met these adorable creatures had the dice not delivered us there. We also saw interesting things roadside that we might not have noticed had we not done this: gorgeous country houses, intimate family-owned wineries, and olive farm, a hidden golf course, and a public greenhouse.

I am probably unable to fully catalogue everything that Aidyn learned during this trip, but in doing a discovery destination, we worked with directions, moved around in our little world, and learned to let chance take us where it did.

Starry Night with Daddy

Due to time constraints, David took over the usual activities today. We were set to observe Van Gogh's "Starry Night," so the boys tackled that one together. According to David, he asked Aidyn to have a look at the painting for a few minutes. He then asked some questions about the piece. For instance, he asked Aidyn what he noticed in the painting, what was happening in the painting, what certain things were, and what his favorite color was. I heard that Aidyn commented that the people in the town must be sleeping because it was night. I was so happy to hear Aidyn make a connection to the painting and what the people inside of it were thinking or doing. From the sound of it, their first art observation together went rather well.

They also worked on letters and the alphabet song, and David commented that Aidyn did a good job and had fun learning, even asking his daddy to continue after it was over.

It's a relief to know that when I am unavailable, David can pick up the pace.

Nuts, Bolts, and Yahtzee

Helping his dad with the building of a standing punching bag, Aidyn, per Dad's instructions, attached washers to the structure. According to Dad, Aidyn got a hands-on lesson about tools, their names, placements, and how to attach them. Dad reported that Aidyn basically built the stand himself and he only tightened the bolts securely. Afterward, the duo practiced their karate skills and both came in the house bragging about their roughed up knuckles. Aidyn got his own Spider-Man punching bag for Christmas and dragged it out with his daddy's so they could practice together. What an adorable sight!

In the evening, the family relaxed with a game of Yahtzee. I had never played the game and neither had Aidyn, so Dad and the printed game rules helped us learn. We all played two games, Daddy winning one and Aidyn winning one. Fun times. : )

Stargazing--Night Two

Last night, Aidyn, his grandma, and I went out to stargaze. We set out chairs, donned our pajamas, and brought along a pair of binoculars and made ourselves comfortable. Instantly, we spied Jupiter glowing ever so brightly and waited until several stars appeared before our eyes. We spent a good hour talking in the night, sharing the binoculars, and commenting on the night sky. Aidyn asked several wonderful questions like, "Why is Jupiter not red? Why is it white? Where's Mars? Where are the other planets?" Later, we went around to the front yard for a better view of the huge full moon. With our binoculars, we observed the intricacies of the moon. This was actually Aidyn's first time using a pair of binoculars and he handled them like a pro. Luckily, Aidyn was able to express his curiousity and wonder about the night sky. Stargazing is something I would like to continue less as a unit activity and more as a constant hobby.

Before our stargazing adventure, Aidyn and I did a project while listening to Vivaldi. I painted each of Aidyn's palms black, and he planted them on a piece of paper. He was amazed to see just how big his hands were. We even went so far as to do his feet (which were even larger!). Afterward, he couldn't walk or touch a thing for fear of getting everything black so we hosed him off in the sink. I titled his pieces of art, dated them, and marked down his current age.

Earlier in the day, Aidyn and his daddy spent time at Outdoor World, talked about animals, and then they played for a couple hours at a nearby park. We all had a very sweet day!

Evening Reads with Daddy

This evening while I read Volpone to myself in my rocking chair, David and Aidyn gathered on the bed and took in two books. Together they read Snow White by the Brothers Grimm, and I heard David's strong, fluid voice carrying the story to Aidyn's attentive ears. Next they read a favorite of mine growing up: Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky, and Aidyn seemed to enjoy the storyline and the silly little ending. I think David brings a different flavor to homelearning that Aidyn enjoys. Most importantly, I believe he is an excellent role model. Without the slightest need for influence, David reads his own books avidly. He zips through novels quicker than I do these days, and Aidyn sees this sort of behavior regularly. I think that what is equally important to reading to a child is allowing that child to see how much we enjoy reading our own books.

After storytime, David and Aidyn played all sorts of imaginative "boy" games while I wrapped up some schoolwork and sonnet memorizations. I appreciate the playing just as much as I do the readings. I owe many of Aidyn's admirable qualities to David.

Halloween Fun Day/ Indoor Campout

Today, the family had a total play day. Upon returning home from work, Aidyn and I dug through his super-huge Halloween bucket o' fun. We donned impressively hideous fake teeth and showed Grandma and Daddy. Then we blew up a whoopie cushion (and hilariously expended it!) numerous times and nearly died laughing. Also we made these cute little masks, one of which was a wolfman and the other was a witch. He also put on a pair of Groucho Marx glasses complete with bulbous nose and bushy mustache and eyebrows. He stomped around and declared, "I'm a man now!" I am so glad that Aidyn now immerses himself in Halloween-excitement. This is the second year that he has independently requested his costume (this year, despite it not being anywhere in stores, he has chosen to be the evil Emperor Zurg!). Last year, he was able to say, "Trick or Treat," but shyness often got the better of him. This year, according to Aidyn, he's ready to not only say, "Trick or Treat," but also, "thank you," to every single treat-giver.

Later in the afternoon when I was deep into Shakespearean poetry, David and Aidyn made a fort out of sheets, pillows, chairs (for added height and dimension), and our two couches. They camped out in the living room and were up to all sorts of shenanigans for the remainder of the day.

Due to our rapidly progressing schedules, we will be combining several of our preplanned units into land-units. For instance, instead of studying pirates for a week and ghosts for another, we will be studying New Orleans Square as a whole. Today I had the jazz music playing through the house. I plan on cooking some Lousiana-style cuisine, reading books about pirates and ghosts, playing dress-up, creating spooky crafts, and playing pirate games.

Homeschooling with Daddy

David and Aidyn spent the day playing and learning together. According to his report, the two played hide 'n' seek, tag, and other physical games. Afterward, they read Horses in Dreamland "numerous times" because Aidyn kept requesting a re-read. David suspects that he was interested most in the wolves. I need to file that thought for later as a possible unit study! When Aidyn selected a new book, he picked Caterpillar Sring, Butterfly Summer, which is one of his favorite books. Sounds like the two boys had a very warm, interactive, and enjoyable homeschool day!