Classifying game

Our orchard visit sparked the interest of spiders and insects. What is the difference? They are both arthropods, meaning they have an exoskeleton and a segmented body. But a spider has eight legs, while an insect has six legs.

This fits into our animal unit nicely. We started off the unit by watching this free movie from brainpopjr.
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/animals/classifyinganimals/



Mimi is a kinesthetic learner. So lots of manipulations, movement and actions helps her retain what she has learned.



The object of the game was to pretend to be an animal and hop to the group.



Are you a vertebrate or invertebrate? Warm blooded or cold blooded? Bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, or arthropod? If it was an arthropod, are you a spider or an insect?

Field trips

We had the opportunity to visit an orchard. We were lucky to catch them before the closed.

The people who run the orchard were great. The people who run it are great. The kids got to see the steps of making a blanket from cottonbud to weaving.







They learned about bees.



Did you know that bees have a straw-like tongue?



After the demonstrations, they took the tour of the orchard. They learned about worm composting. They also learned which insects were good and which insects were bad for the garden.

Look a huge spider!


They visited several areas of the gardens and learned about "raincoats" or pods.

Yummy, black eyed pea


At the end of the tour, the kids got to pick an apple. They were very careful to twist until the apple fell off, so it won't break.


Look at huge apple washer!

Kindness Co-op

One of the most common arguments against homeschooling is that the kids won't get enough socialization. On the contrary, most homeschooled children have more opportunities to interact with their peers along with other age groups older and younger. They learn to be gentle with the little ones and sometimes it can lead to them mentoring. They get to speak to adults on the same level, while still being respectful.

There are so many opportunities to "socialize". Besides going to the park or museum, we joined a couple of co-ops. You should check to see what co-ops are in your area.

One co-op we joined is called The Kindness Co-op. We meet every other Thursday. Every week there is an activity geared towards nurturing the kindness.

This last week, we made bird feeders with pipe cleaners and cheerios. This is also good for helping with fine motor skills.




They also played the "Pass the Mouse" game. They get in a circle and take turns handing the "mouse" (beanbag) to the next person.

The kids get very excited about waiting the turn. It has taken a new creative twist, where they will pretend the mouse is telling them how she wants to be passed (slowly, fast, up in the air!).

The age range for this particular group is infant to seven. They all play very well together. My kids come home with new creative ideas for playtime.