What Does the Fox Say? Unit Study

By now, most people are familiar with the hit song "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" by Norwegian artist Ylvis, who went viral when his video debuted in 2013.

And if not, have a listen.

Aidyn loved it at first listen and has since played the song a gajillion times and even recorded his own lip-syncing video of "What Does the Fox Say?". And like any good homeschooling parent, when my child is obsessed with something, I turn it into a unit study. Ha, ha.

I scoured the internet for a pre-made WDtFS unit study and only found cutesy ones for younger children, so I scraped some ideas together and created a fun, age-appropriate study for Aidyn.

Language Arts: Introduction to Satire

In case you weren't aware, Ylvis released a children's book based on his YouTube viral video, but recreating all the silly fox sounds rests all on your shoulders.

So I asked Aidyn to read it to me.

We talked about how goofy the song and the lyrics are...

...and that the song is a satire of pop songs with insanely stupid lyrics somehow topping the charts. I gave Aidyn a very simple definition of satire: something that makes fun of something else to make a point. In this case, it's a song that makes fun of other popular songs to prove that society gravitates toward silly songs based on how catchy they are.

For fun, we read other children's satires like:

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs is a fractured fairy tale of "The Three Little Pigs." Author Jon Scieszka could be satirizing victim mentality, as the wolf blames his harmless cold and the pigs' rudeness for their own demise. Aidyn loved hearing the other side of this familiar story.

We also read another of Scieszka's books, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales.

Now this is a FUN read. Familiar fairy tales are not only distorted but laugh-out-loud funny to read. 

 

We also watched Spaceballs because it's hilarious and why not?  to learn more about satire and parody.

Language Arts: Read-Alouds:

We read more serious fox stories like Red Fox Running by Eve Bunting.

Wendell Minor's paintings in the book are truly beautiful. 

We also read a chapter book called Ereth's Birthday (by Avi), a poignant story of a grumpy porcupine who cares for three fox kits when their mother dies.

Language Arts/Vocabulary: Morse

"But if you meet a friendly horse, will you communicate by Morse?"

Aidyn wasn't sure what "morse" meant, so we read Radio Rescue by Lynne Barasch. The story follows a young boy who, at the age of 10, became the youngest licensed amateur wireless radio operator in 1923. 

In a world of tablets, smart phones, and computers, we don't usually hear about Morse code and "ham" radios, but Aidyn found it fascinating.

He even practiced "tapping" his name in Morse code with a guide at the back of the book.

Social Studies/Geography: Norway

Because Ylvis is Norwegian, we learned a bit about Norway with this book:

We talked about the geography of Norway, its mountains and fjords, the weather, its rich history and royal family, the Sami ethic group that lives there, the food, and their languages. Aidyn was especially interested in the Sami people and did some copywork about them.

Science: Fox study and What Do Foxes Really Say?

We used Foxes  by Sandra Markle to learn about foxes.

Aidyn picked his favorite fox fact for copywork.

He worked on handwriting with fox facts.

And then, we answered the question: what do foxes really say?

We learned that foxes actually make a lot of different sounds from barks to purrs, mating calls, and gekkering. Aidyn busted a gut when we heard a fox "scream" in the video.

Art: Drawing foxes

We spent an afternoon learning to draw foxes with the help of a couple YouTube videos:

Makin' Memories: Baking fox food (aka Blueberry Muffins)

In our studies, we learned that foxes love eating berries, so we made some yummy blueberry muffins. 

Even Jack got in on the fox fun--even if all he did was dress up!

We had a blast turning Ylvis's song into a fun and foxy unit study! We're guaranteed to remember all we did whenever we hear that silly song (which I'm sure will be at least 547 times a week until Aidyn finds something else to annoy me with  share with me!) 

Stories Galore

As if it were planned this week, Aidyn and I read a plethora of books together. After an exhausting day of work and school, I looked forward to our regular storytime on the couch. We read wonderful classics, most of which were favorites that I grew up with, such as The Story Ferdinand by Munro Leaf which echoes the theme of self-contentment. We also read a favorite story of ours called Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack encouraged the moral that it is better to face the music than run away. Another favorite reread we enjoyed was The Best Nest P.D. Eastman.

Yesterday, after I refreshed our books at the library, Aidyn and I sat down and read two Mercer Mayer books: There Are Monsters Everywhere and There's an Alligator Under My Bed. Aidyn adored them both. We then shared the cute and colorful Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Afterward Lyle, Lyle Crocodile ended up becoming a vocabulary lesson and in-depth conversation about the plot line (which is always encouraged!) We finished off the story session with another P.D. Eastman classic, Big Dog, Little Dog.

We've also filled our home and car with Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, and Aidyn especially likes The Nutcracker. Today we plan on traveling to a hands-on science discovery museum for a Spring Egg Festival.

Homeschool Mornings

Yesterday, Aidyn and I had a lovely homeschool morning. Because we have been talking about St. Patrick's Day coming up, I broke out our decorations and let him have at them. He tried on the shamrock antennae and Irish hat and ran around the house. We even did our tablework decorated for St. Patrick's Day.

Aidyn did a quick run-through of the alphabet song, we talked about some letters, and then we did our artist study for the first time. I checked out a children's art book that focuses on Vincent Van Gogh. Yesterday morning, I selected a page for us to look at, which happened to be his "Pear Tree in Blossom" painting. Armed with his sketchpad, I asked him to look at the picture and tell me his thoughts. Every observation I wrote down. He said many interesting things and made careful observations. For example, he said that the pear tree had no leaves on it, only flowers, so it must be springtime in the picture. This is an exercise that I would like to make a habit. Eventually I would like him to even sketch the painting himself on his sketchpad and write his own observations. But this is a good way for him to become familiar with later exercises.

After we finished the art observation, Aidyn and I played with his tangram pieces which is an assortment of right triangles of differing sizes, squares, and parallelograms (we have more than the usual 7 pieces). I am using this particular set as an introduction to mathematics, geometry, and tangible puzzles. It is an excellent way for him to learn his shapes and how to manipulate these shapes to make pictures or other shapes. When we played with them, there were no set rules; we simply messed around with them. He ended up joining two triangles to make a square, and upon flipping it around, he said that he made a diamond and a kite. We made pictures with the pieces also. For example, I made a rocket ship and Aidyn made two houses with roofs. We pretended that my rocket ship was sailing over his houses. I am hoping that this kind of math play encourages Aidyn to like math more than tolerate it.

We have also been filling our home with Johannes Brahms. He is actually on an assortment CD, so we've also revisited Mozart and Bach. Listening to classical music these last months has brought a certain calmness and tranquility to our home, and I love that Aidyn is getting samplings of some of the finest composers. Later when we do more in-depth studies of them, he'll already be familiar with their music.

Winter/Birds Synopsis

Hands down, our favorite activity this week was making pine cone bird feeders and hanging them in our yard. It has been a treat to spy out our windows and catch hungry birds nibbling away on the pine cones. The experience also afforded us the opportunity to talk about what certain animals do in the winter, where they obtain their food, what they do for shelter, and how they respond to the weather.

In related homeschool news, Aidyn continues work on his number recognition and counting. He does rather well and is able to identify every number from 1-10 with the exception of 5 for some reason. Next week, we will continue working on numbers and counting.

The house has been filled with Schubert and his highly moving, melodic pieces. I feel that, out of all the composers we have listened to, his music contains the most passion. The experience of sampling various composers has certainly added some tranquility to our home.

We're also experiencing the death of a furry family member. This is Aidyn's first time dealing with the subject of death up close. Our very old cat is dying, peacefully and quietly. In seeing him respond less and less, we're all discussing the inevitability of death. Not to my surprise, Aidyn is handling it well. He shows curiosity but understands what is happening in simple terms. Although heartbreaking, it is a learning experience, and I intend to allow Aidyn to ask any question about the topic of death and answer him as best as I can.

Winter

Week of January 11th:

Theme: Winter
Adventures in Nature theme: Birds in Winter
Music: Franz Peter Schubert

This week we plan on reading winter-related books and doing winter activities. We also aim to make homemade bird-feeders (from found pine cones, peanut butter, and wild bird seed). Hanging our bird feeders in a visible area, we plan on doing some simple bird watching. We'll talk about what certain birds do in the winter as well as other animals and living things. Schubert will be our classical composer for the week, having finished our sampling of Beethoven.

ABC's, Calendar, and Beethoven

This morning, following our 'brain shake,' Aidyn and I worked on his letters. We recited the alphabet and he did the usual naming of the letters. Today he correctly identified 22 letters! Afterward, I pulled down the X and showed him how one would draw an X. I asked him to practice on a blank sheet of paper. Once he had it down, I showed him our new calendar explaining the name of our current month, the year, and all the boxes representing the days. I also talked about how we are on day 7 of the month and asked him to count the days gone by. Then I allowed him to draw big X's on those days. I imagine his X's will be near-perfect by December. ; )

After hanging the calendar back up, he colored a picture of two boys having a snowball fight near a snowman and two children on a sled. When finished, we hole-punched the sheet and placed it in his binder. He showed initiative to learn how to hole-punch by himself, so I brought him blank paper and left him alone with the project. After some trial and error, he learned how to do it sufficiently enough. Then I pulled out an animal tracks worksheet. On it were pictures of a raccoon, a chipmunk, a deer, a rabbit, and a wolf alongside jumbled animal tracks. We talked about who would belong to what track based on size, shape, and whether or not the animal had claws. What fun! We matched all the animals to their tracks, and then Aidyn hole-punched it and added it to his binder.

When table time was over, we listened and danced to Beethoven. We interpreted some of the music and moved accordingly. "This sounds like people tiptoeing in the snow," I suggested, and we tiptoed around the living room. When the music got boisterous, Aidyn said, "This is chasing music. Run!" After running around, twirling, and dancing, Aidyn said it was time to put on 'lunch music.' So I put on slower tunes and made grilled cheese sandwiches for the family. Excellent homeschool morning if I don't say so myself!

Update!

It's been a while since I updated!

For the past couple weeks, we have been playing it by ear. Aidyn and I have been baking, playing, reading, taking library trips, and welcoming the Christmas season. The other day we made snowflakes out of tissue paper which lead to Aidyn creating snow by clipping and ripping tissue paper. He created a large mound of "snow" and played with our sledding snowmen knickknacks through it.

Because of his recent game, I picked up some snow-related books and a Christmas themed story. Today we made a batch of chocolate sugar cookie dough which we intend on making into alphabet cookies so that he can "accidentally" review his letters.

In other events, we finished listening to Handel and have recently moved on to Mozart. Hearing music from 17th century composers has been a surprisingly peaceful and educational event. I cannot wait for us to listen to more! While his grandma was watching a civil war documentary, Aidyn announced that he liked the music (I filed a thought to listen to 1860's music in the back of my mind). I can see that he's developing an ear for music which delights me beyond words.

We also had my friend, Hannah, visit us last weekend and Aidyn took to her immediately. She posed some good questions to him, and I loved hearing their conversation. Aidyn explained the life cycle of a butterfly to her (and showed her with our poster) and told her about how we released them at Daffodil Hill. They spoke of superheroes, snowmen, Christmas decorations, and the happenings of Horton Hears a Who.

Busy and Artistic

Busy week! A couple of days ago, Aidyn and I had a science experiment day! We filled a large, glass vase with water and created a little vortex by stirring the water rapidly. Aidyn observed the action in the vase as I stirred. Then we played with adding colors to the water. He added red dye and watched it whirl in the water. Dropping blue in, he watched as the water turned purple. We tried several color mixtures and talked about the colors changing. Afterward we played a game of "Sink or Float." Going around the house with a basket, we plucked an assortment of objects and brought them back "to the lab." We individually plunked an object in the water after guessing if it would float or sink. Aidyn had a ball guessing the outcome and watching the result. When the game was through, I showed Aidyn the old "turn toothpicks into a star" parlor trick that I learned when I was little. Then I showed him how to do it himself. After all that guided play, I left him at the table with new objects, free reign over the food coloring, and a spoon and let him play with these new discoveries without assitance or guidance by me. He had a time! He dunked all sorts of objects into his personally-made vat of black water. : )

Also throughout this week, we have been listening to Bach. A couple nights this week, Aidyn also heard pieces of "Paradise Lost" as I was listening to the poem for my own class. It's also been an artistic week as Aidyn had been finger painting, coloring, and making shapes out of moon sand.

Yesterday evening, the family went out for a viewing of Where the Wild Things Are. I am so delighted that Aidyn is getting better and better at movie theatre ettiquette. He knows the importance of whispering, remaining in your seat, focusing his attention, and respecting other patrons. An hour plus movie is still a bit long for him and he gets wiggly but not to the point of effecting anyone's movie-watching experience. Whew!

I am also still working on the new curriculum. I will post it as soon as it is as close to finished as possible. Additionally, I will possibly create a new addendum blog that strictly focuses on our curriculum and activities rather than our personal log.

Library Walks and Talks

This afternoon's weather was too beautiful to drive to the library, so Aidyn and I strolled there on foot. While meandering through the neighborhoods, we noted the different autumnal colors of the trees and how some trees retained their green color. We listened to leaves crunching under our feet and smelled the scent of aromatic fruit trees. While walking, Aidyn brought up his upcoming birthday, how he'd like a Star Wars-themed party, his thoughts on Halloween and trick-or-treating, and ideas on game plans for Disneyland this December. When we arrived at the library, Aidyn immediately began playing in the children's section while I gathered new books. Once I finished collecting our reads, I sat down at one of the children's tables and surveyed the books in a nearby basket while Aidyn, holding two puppets, relaxed on the rug.

I watched him play at the playground for awhile before we started back home. Aidyn talked on and on about Disneyland. He told me what he plans on doing once we get there. He said that we'd all eat breakfast in the morning first and then we would walk to Disneyland. As we'd get closer, we would see the giant rides peeking from over the trees. When we get through the lines, he remarked, we'll go under the big train tunnel and see the houses (shops on Main Street). I reminded him that, when we go this time, a 50-foot Christmas tree with loads of twinkling lights and ribbons will stand at the center of Main Street. His excitement was palpable as then he began listing all the rides he wants to go on: "yellow submarine" (Nemo's Submarine Voyage) and all the fish and "Nemos" he sees under water, Peter Pan's ship, the teacups ("remember when Gilbert came on with us and we spun fast?" he recalled), Winnie the Pooh train, doom buggies, and many more. I told him that we would feast on yummy Christmas cookies made especially for this time of year, Mickey Mouse-shaped ice cream bars, mint juleps, egg nog, candy canes, and cinammon churros! Aidyn and I had such a sweet time mind-escaping to a nearing holiday vacation.

Once we got settled at home, we watched an episode of Between the Lions that focused on the short u sound. Thus the show was full of "bugs, hugs, and fun." When I sang one of the short u bug songs and asked Aidyn to join in, he sang the words, "hum bug" which, remarkably, do contain the sound I was looking for!

We also played some Vivaldi and had quiet time before Aidyn requested a viewing of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, a Beatrix Potter story. He's now watching that while Vivaldi continues to play in the background.

I intend to sample approximately thirty-four famous composers chronologically beginning with Vivaldi and other 17th century composers. My intent is simply to taste the sounds without emphasizing too much on who the artist is (unless Aidyn asks), and to purely enjoy the music. Later in our homeschooling venture, I will have Aidyn do composer/artist studies, so I wanted to lay some foundation-recognition now.

A Pirate's Life for Us

Yesterday afternoon, Aidyn and I sang, clapped, and danced to a slew of pirate-themed songs including the well-known "Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me" as well as several random buccaneer ballads. During our session, we talked about pirates, walking down the plank, and the ride at Disneyland. Aidyn remembered all the quirks from the ride. He commented, "Mama, 'member that dog that has the keys?" I nodded and replied, "Yeah, and the prisoners are stuck in that jail cell. What do they shake at the dog to try to get him to bring the keys?" Aidyn's face lit up, "A bone! But he didn't want that bone." I laughed, "You're right; that dog was too smart for them!"

Afterward, we even went so far as to pretend the bed was a boat and below was the threat of the cold ocean and a hungry alligator. Aidyn promptly corrected me and said, "No, it was a crocodile!" We had fun pretending and Aidyn got a kick "teaching" me some things!

I found a way to intertwine my own studies with Aidyn in a way that he seemed to enjoy. I had pages of Shakespearean sonnet sequences to read, so I found a comfy spot in the living room and proceeded to read them aloud. At times, Aidyn listened to the rhythms of my voice and fluidity of the poetry. Other times I assumed he was not listening but, surprisingly, he would remark on a funny or strange word that I said. I've never been shy to read "grown-up" material to Aidyn (the first book he heard was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a newborn), but I haven't been doing it as much as I would like. I think he has the attention span to hear some chapter books now, so I would like to select one that he'd enjoy. I would also like to continue reading aloud poems/stories that may not particularly be on his radar (like Mr. Shakespeare) just yet.

In the evening, David and Aidyn snuggled up on the couch and read The Ghost-Eye Tree which is becoming a favorite in this household. Recently, I learned that someone made a short film based rather closely on the story. I need to make a note to myself to look into that.

After the spooky tale, Aidyn elected to watch WALL-E, and his dad and I sat with him for an interactive viewing. To others he would seem like one of those annoying movie patrons that ack a zillion questions while the film is playing, but I see it as an opportunity to have conversations with him. During one scene after WALL-E was caught in the flurry of action aboard the Axiom and had make-up put on him, Aidyn asked, "Where did his make-up go?" realizing that he had never actually taken it off, yet his face appeared normal again. "I don't know..." I said, in wonder. "Nobody took it off..." Aidyn remarked, "and now it's gone." I had never actually noticed that, but Aidyn caught on to the continuity error.
Still, I'm not sure if there was a scene showing the removal of make-up; however, I'm pleased that Aidyn can recognize what appears to be continuity errors and shows curiousity if events are unexplained.

Also during this week, we have been playing jazz music daily. Our living room often feels like the French Market in New Orleans Sqaure (audibly, anyways) and makes me wish we were strolling alongside the beautiful trinket shops.

Dancing, Fresh Books, Circus Animals, and Nature Exploration

When I arrived home from work, Aidyn promptly requested a dance session "with oh-dees," as he refers to the stylings of 50's and 60's music, so we danced, sang, and spun around until we were both dizzy.

We then took a trip to our local library where I stocked up on new reads and Aidyn played with puppets. I asked him to choose his own storybook, and he selected Hi, Cat (my inner voice cheered!). Afterward, he played for a while on the playground and "did laps" around the play structure.

Later, we lounged on his bed and read C is for Caboose, a less than entertaining book, but it did bring up some new and old vocabulary words. We then read the more delightful The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper and Tell Me, Tree by Gail Gibbon. Both provided opportunities for discussion and oral dictation.

As the time neared for Mama to do her own school work, David took Aidyn to the bank among other places. To give me time to read and to fulfill the rest of Aidyn's homeschool day, David and Aidyn stopped by the camped out circus on the other side of town. David reported that they were able to see camels, zebras, elephants, llamas, and dwarf ponies. Well, that's something you don't see everyday!

Later, the boys went to the park where David emphasized interaction with nature. Thus, they ran up and down the grassy hills, inspected leaves, and, as David proudly bragged, Aidyn climbed his first tree (with only a little help). According to David, Aidyn's butt was soon attacked by a "swarm of ants" and they swifted ducked out of there. They then played on the swings until tiredness got the better of Aidyn.

Ragtime!

During the whole of studying along Main Street, we are listening to turn-of-the-century ragtime music. Aidyn and I just made up our own silly dances and remarked on the quirky sounds of the music. Had we not begun this venture, we probably never would have experimented with ragtime music!

Monkey Craft

This afternoon, Aidyn and I added another African animal to our craft collection: a monkey. Aidyn painted the toilet paper roll while I cut out all the monkey's various body parts. We both colored his body parts and Aidyn glued and applied them himself. Later we listened to some African music and took pictures of his animal family. Playing the photographer, Aidyn snapped some shots of his creations, and he was very proud of them indeed.

Video Staple

Everyday since launching African Month, Aidyn and I have sat down, watched, and sang with this video. Aidyn's mama is a vintage video nut, and this one fits our theme as well as the respect for nostalgia. I find Kermit's ABC song amazingly beautiful, and I hope that translates into wonderful memories for Aidyn in the future.
Lyrics:
Amazing,
Beautiful
Creatures
Dancing
Excite the
Forest
Glade, in my
Heart how
I do
Jump like the
Kudu
Listen to the
Music so
Nice the
Organ
Plays.
Quietly
Rests the
Sleepy
Tiger
Under the
Vine tree at the
Water's side and
X marks the place 'neath the
Yellow moon where the
Zulu chief and I did hide.