Candlemas, Groundhog's Day, and Math

Two weeks ago, we switched back to a math block where Grant learned about square, cubed, and prime numbers, as well as perimeter and area.  Before we got into that, we started everyday with math review, spelling practice, French and penny whistle lessons, and cursive practice.  We also did Mad Libs almost everyday as it is a fun review of nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.  Grant also learned the "special upper zone letters" - t and d. Once he had practiced t and d, I taught him how to write his name. It just didn't look right to me to have him using a regular "print" G to start his name, so I went ahead and taught him a capital cursive G.

Here are two videos of the kids singing French songs.  They did well on the first one, but the second song, um, well, fell apart a little at the end, as so often seems to happen with small children, but it was too funny not to include.

On Monday, we talked about square numbers.  I made a drawing on the chalkboard, and then Grant copied it into his lesson book. We also worked out some additional problems.

I illustrated it using 2 sides of a square.  That was a visual way to help him see it as the number times itself, not taking the number times 2.

Candlemas also fell during this week, so I read Johanna (and Grant, too) a Candlemas story.  After I was done with the story, we rolled and decorated beeswax candles.

On Tuesday, Grant and I talked about perimeter.  Once again, I drew on the chalkboard, and Grant copied it into his lesson book.

Afterward, we took time to measure the perimeter of some different objects.

On Wednesday, I read a book about Groundhog's Day to the kids, and then Grant and I talked about area and how to figure out the area of four-sided shapes. 

Once again, I drew some sample problems on the chalkboard, and Grant copied them into his lesson book (with a little help from Julia).

We also took time to measure out the area of some of the objects in the school room.

The kids drew some pictures of groundhogs, but they also took some inspiration from the math gnomes I had been drawing on the chalkboard, and they ended up with "math gnome groundhogs".

 

Grant's Drawing

 

 Johanna's Drawing

 

 Julia's Drawing

 

On Thursday, Grant and I covered cubed numbers.  He copied the drawing I had on the chalkboard, and we worked out more problems together in his lesson book.  This time a used a 3-sided triangle to help him visualize the number times itself 3 times instead of the number times 3.

Next week, we will finish up the math block with cubed numbers and prime numbers, and then do some review. The kids are also looking forward to the upcoming Valentine Skate Party.

Stories of Joseph and The End of The Silver Stork

So, we finally have our computer, and therefore, Internet and my photo editing software back.  Yay!  Now I can pick back up where I left off, and hopefully be up to date on the blog by the end of this week.

Three weeks ago, on Monday, we started with our morning walk around the lake.  Before we set off on the walk, I took some time to draw spirals on the driveway with the kids.  Spirals go along with the verse for Johanna today from her Silver Stork book.  I drew a big spiral they could walk around.

Grant decided it needed to be more elaborate, so he began drawing a "path" of his own that they had fun following.

While walking around the lake, our German Shepard, Odin, who LOVES sticks and rocks, found a stick tree limb that was almost too big for him to handle.

A game of tug-of-war quickly ensued, until, in the end, all Odin was left with was one manageable stick.

Once we finally made it into the school room, we began the day with all of Grant's normal pre-main lesson activities.  Spelling practice, math review, French and penny whistle lessons, and reading.  He continues to practice cursive, and this week he learned the "upper zone letters" of b,h,k and l. We worked on these activities every day.

I also introduced Grant's new form drawing for the week:

I told Johanna the next verse in the Silver Stork story which was about a snail making a spiral path. 

After I was done reading the verse, she drew some spirals in her lesson book, and then we got out the glue and all the kids made some glitter spirals.

Johanna's Glitter Spiral 

Grant's Glitter Spiral 

Julia's Glitter Spiral 

 

For Grant, we continued on with Old Testament stories about Joseph. There were so many good stories about Joseph containing lessons of love, betrayal, strength, forgiveness and humility, that we were unable to cover them all in school.  We also read some outside of school.

For this lesson, we focused on the stories about his dreams, his coat of many colors, his brother's throwing him down the well, and then his brother's selling him into slavery. Once I was done telling the stories, Grant and I drew pictures in our main lesson books.

Mom's Drawing

Grant's Drawing 

Johanna also wanted to draw her own picture of Joseph in his coat of many colors.

 

On Tuesday, I told Johanna the last verse of the Silver Stork story. 

 

Once I was done, Grant and I came up with a summary for the story from yesterday, and Grant copied it into his lesson book.

 

On Wednesday, I re-read the whole story of The Silver Stork from the start, and then the kids had fun acting out the story (with the help of some of their stuffed animals).

The Cast of Characters

 

Johanna as The Stork

 

Julia as The Rabbit

 

Grant as the Koala

(eating leaves up in his tree)

 

Mom as The Kangaroo

(sorry no photo of this one)

 

"Scamper" as The Duck

 

Penguin as The Turtle

 

Baby Penguin as The Snail

 

Once the characters were set up, the kids re-enacted the story, and Johanna went to every animal asking if they knew "the secret".

 

She finally found the snail, on his spiral trail, who was able to tell her the secret.

 

The secret being, of course, that the stork carries the newborn babies who are awaiting the time of their birth.

 

The kids had a lot of fun acting that out!

 

I also read Grant more stories about Joseph's life in Egypt and his ability to explain the meaning of dreams.  We focused on Joseph interpreting the dreams of the Pharaoh, and his subsequent rise to power.

After I read the stories, Grant and I drew pictures in our lesson books.

Mom's Drawing

 

Grant's Drawing

 

On Thursday, Grant and I came up with a summary for the stories, and he copied it into his lesson book.

 

He also drew the form drawing in his book.

 

Next week we will change it up, and start a two-week long math block.