To say it's been a busy week would be an understatement (is it only Tuesday!?). I have been scurrying trying to get the children and I packed for a week trip to visit my family up north with my mom, all the while trying to maintain our school routine and squeeze in a little extra schooling to make up for our travel days. We will take a few things along with us but not the WHOLE classroom so we've done a little extra trying to loosely keep the yearly schedule I laid out (Who am I kidding? I love my schedule. There's no loose about it. Sigh). I do have some built in maintenance days so I'm not super stressed if we get a little off - overall we're in great shape!
Anyhow....
in science we continue learning about our bodies. We're learning about how the brain sends and receives messages and how intricately God created us so that some parts of our bodies (brain, digestion, etc.) work even when we aren't thinking about it!
Yesterday we learned about the special way our hands and feet were designed and though they may not remember the details I am certain the children will remember the activities for a long time...
This stressed Natalee out though she was able to do it after she tried. Xavier was actually quite good at writing with his feet!
After they practiced using their feet in a way they usually use their hands we reversed roles and they used their hands in a way that usually their feet are used...
After a couple rounds of practice they both became pretty proficient at the "wheelbarrow walk."
In history we've learned about Stonehenge yesterday and the Egyptians today. Some of the history topics are a little advanced for my age of scholars but we do skim through the information and I try to pick out big chunks for conversation. For example, yesterday all they learned about Stonehenge was that it's a big rock formation in England. There's tons more to know but that's for later years. I'm pleased that they have a basic understanding and introduction to some of these topics and we aren't going to dwell on the things that are beyond their years.
They did find today's study on Egyptians and the pyramids interesting today, however, because for the last several weeks in Bible we've been studying about Pharaoh, Moses, the plagues and we've been waiting for Pharaoh to release the Israelites God to set the Israelites free from Egypt. (Today Pharaoh finally released them after the final plague of the death of the firstborn sons in Egypt.). It's a "God-incidence" that our History topic would just happen to be about the great pyramids and how the Pharaoh's mummified themselves after they died so they were fresh for their next life.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Pyramid_of_Giza,_Giza,_Egypt8.jpg
The children and I decided, after some discussion, that they musn't have known God because in Heaven he gives you a fresh body and you don't need to take your riches and gold with you! (So fun to let them come to this conclusion by talking it out rather than telling them.) Xavier kind of squirrels around while we discuss but Natalee is really soaking things in (though X can recite back to me more than I'd ever dream he'd know as he rarely looks like he's paying attention.). Natalee is just like me in that History is super interesting to her and she's always begging to do it first!
What's a good study of the Egyptians with a little toilet paper mummifying, right? Mr. Ornery jumped right into this little activity!
Natalee didn't want a turn so we mummied Mia since Daddy was home to hold her up...she LOVED being included though she had no clue what was happening...
We will default to reading, math and Bible while we travel (in addition to anything we can learn about the world around us while we are driving!!). Our fun history and science activities will be waiting for us when we get home!
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