Canada

Our visit to Canada was relatively brief. We learned that Canada has a very diverse culture, but we focused mainly on the Inuit. We rowed Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews. We found several mini books, etc. to use in our notebooks/lapbooks at Homeschool Share.

Then, we headed off to Canada at EPCOT to wrap up our unit. The O Canada 360 film was fun and educational at the same time. Martin Short, a native Canadian, narrated it and kept all our attention throughout. The photography was breathtaking!

The boys also made soap carvings, which I thought came out pretty nicely. DS#1 carved a dolphin jumping out of the waves, and DS#2 carved a fish (I don't know why that picture keeps uploading sideways- it is the right way on my computer-- the fish's head is on the top of this photo).

Volcanoes

Hooray!!! The book Hill of Fire came from the library! So we decided to make one last stop in Mexico before we move on to Canada. We read the Hill of Fire by Thomas P. Lewis. Then we watched All About Volcanoes by Schlessinger Science Library. We followed that up with the book "The Magic School Bus Blows its Top" and then played the Magic School Bus Blows Its Top Game by Scholastic. Of course, no unit would be complete without stopping by Homeschool Share's website and printing out the lap book materials available there. This time, there were tons of volcano materials available to go along with Hill of Fire. Naturally, we also had to demonstrate a model of a volcano. I let DS#1 lead this activity, as he has done this several times before. He loves having the opportunity to teach the younger kids something new :-)
Later, we went to Homeschool Share's Volcano Unit Study and Lapbook items, where we found loads more items. And this paper volcano model was right up my kids' alley- the boys were able to complete them themselves, while DD needed just a little help :-)

Finishing up Mexico

We are moving on from Mexico to Canada... all three kids, as it turned out, wanted to make serapes, so here they are :-) The book Hill of Fire never did come in at the library- maybe we can study volcanoes another time... We are getting ready to take a break from school, as Grandparents are coming to visit- YAY! That should be a fun time for all of us :-)

Adios Amigos!

Symbolic Butterfly Migration Update & Bird Migration Game

The kids finished their butterflies. Here is a picture of them with their creations. I printed out the booklet about monarchs in Spanish, and I'm going over the checklist provided to ensure a safe trip for our butterflies. There is still time to participate in this! The deadline for your postmark is not until October 14, 2008. I am excited to see where our butterflies wind up :-)

On another note, I found this cool online game called Mission: Migration. In this game you will try to help your flock migrate safely by learning how choices you make each and every day around your home, school, and neighborhood can affect the fate of these migrating birds - in both positive and negative ways. By the time you're done, you'll have the skills and knowledge to help birds thrive and survive around your home (excerpted from their website). You even get to print out a certificate when you're done!

Mexico

Well, we have travelled from China and the 2008 Olympics to Mexico... We're "rowing" The Gullywasher by Joyce Rossi and reading (and completing the activities) through Mexico! by Susan Milord. In there, we are learning about the history and culture of Mexico. We made "Ojos de Dios" last week, had Mexican food for dinner last night, and today we went to EPCOT and took the Gran Fiesta Tour with the Three Caballeros!

We also tried on serapes and sombreros. We might try to make some serapes. DS#2 and DD really liked them! Of course, I think our favorite part so far has been the snacks! Who can resist Churros and Bunuelos? YUM!!

Today, we wove a belt, which turned into a bracelet for DD... we made it with a popsicle weaving loom...

DS#1 built a model of a Mayan Temple.