Monday, September 29, 2008

There are others!

Ok, so I am all excited about the K-3rd group. But there are others! For the 3-5th graders, there is a great literature unit on Sarah Plain and Tall. I loved the movie, and know the girls are enjoying the book!

Mary is leading this class. The unit study is from the 5 in a Row series. According to their website, it is not marketed but a scret shared among friends! Our daughters are enjoying this course, so consider it shared!

Upcoming Field Trip?

Hopefully our troop of interested learners will be making a journey to Dan Nicholas Park towards the end of October. More details as they become available.

As I mentioned before we began the year with a trip to All-A-Flutter Butterfly Farm. After several exciting and successful trips last year, we are doing are best to hit the road again this season too!

Tour A Continent

For the month of October our K-3rd grade group will be learning about Africa! Here's an outline of what they will cover. (Thanks Liz for the update and for leading the group this month!)

Week 1 Continent Outline: Students will identify, label, and draw. I'll be using Uncle Josh's Outline Maps to print out a map of Africa. Deserts, forests, oceans, mountain ranges, and lakes will be taught and located on the map. Activity: We will be learning an African song, "Siyahama," that the students will perform at the end of the unit.

Week 2 Animals, Attractions, and Landmarks: Students will learn about animals that are native to Africa. Basic facts about the Pyramids, the Great Sphinx, and Victoria Falls will also be presented. Activity: Each student will create a mural in which they will be able to glue pictures of animals and landmarks. We'll continue to practice our song at the end of the class.

Week 3 Saints: We'll be learning about African, Catholic saints, including St. Charles Lwanga, St. Monica, and St. Augustine. We'll be able to place where they were from on our mural of Africa. Kids will be able to take home some coloring pages to be completed at home for a coloring contest. Activity: Continue practicing song for performance.

Week 4:Unit Wrap-Up: We'll be reviewing the unit on our last day and collecting all saint coloring pages to be entered into a contest. The prize will be a goody bag filled with a surprise! Since there are about 18 students in the class, I'm thinking of dividing up the contestants into age groups. But no one will be empty handed as I'll also be presenting the class with their finished murals and some yummy African treats. Then we'll give all the parents a treat with our presentation!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Welcome!

The fall's courses for a Kindergarten - 3rd grade group is so great. But most of all I am excited about the Science class. We are studying from Harcourt Science text books at home and the students are completing the hands on experiments at co-op! Katie is the hard working mom who has stepped up to the challenge for this great course.

To start the year, we went on a field trip to All-A-Flutter Butterfly Farm and brought home monarch caterpillars to watch grow. Most recently, the students were learning about plants growing and what is needed to help the plants grow and be healthy, like air water and nutrients.

My next favorite course for this age group is the Tour A Continent class. All the moms are taking turns to lead this group, one per month. Definetly what being in a co-op is all about! Sharing the work and the fun.

The older classes are getting to learn some neat things too. But I should save something for another post!