The Elements

My sister-in-law just sent me a link to this book.  It looks fabulous.  There are 3 copies in the CALS.

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe

If you're looking for more, there's also The Photographic Card Deck of the Elements.

Hokusai: Living Book

A book we have enjoyed from the library has been The Hokusai Sketchbooks: Selections from the Manga by James Michener*.

Let me be the first to say I am a novice when it comes to art history or even art appreciation.  In all honesty, I could care less about Japanese art but this book captivated me from the first peek.  I've spent about an hour perusing the book because I find it so interesting.

The author, a westerner, explains the sketches and their significance in a couple of sentences.  I told someone today that I would consider it a living book.

Of interesting note, the author writes an essay in the beginning of the book,

My own reaction has certainly been subjective, especially since the airplane in which I was carrying the completed manuscript for this book from America to the publishers in Japan crashed into the Pacific Ocean.  Fortunately, all passengers and crew members were saved, but my manuscript and the make-up pages illustrating it were lost, and that was a grievous blow.

The first edition was printed in 1958... before computers.  Michener wrote the entire thing again.  From scratch.  He was intimately familiar with Hokusai.

-Julie

*Of interesting note, the Wikipedia bio on Michener does not mention this book.  However, his third wife is mentioned and it is to her the book is dedicated.

Composers and Music lessons+

MakingMusicFun.net
 I was looking for a way to introduce Baker to each composer without spending any money and found this site. It has lesson plans and biographies and related worksheets (color pages and such) and music theory materials and on and on it goes. Sign up for the newsletter. Lovin' it!
Amy

SEEK: A Science Enrichment Program for Homeschoolers

Last year we participated in SEEK (Science Enrichment Education for Kids) at the 4-H Center.  There are 12-week classes (end of November through February) for 1st through 12th grades.  

Our experience was such a positive one that we've signed up again this year (going on Wednesday, anyone want to carpool?).

-Julie

Soft Pretzels

Yesterday after Comm. Central we made these soft pretzels from Smitten Kitchen.  Super yummy and easy to make.

We also had a light dinner.  :)

-Julie

Periodic Table for Kids

I like this periodic table of the elements in pictures! You might pair it with this photographic periodic table, or this photo gallery of the elements from about.com. NeoK12 also has a number of videos to introduce the table and the elements. This is a catchy video introducing some of the elements as well. David's Whizzy Periodic Table helps fill in some of the gaps in knowledge from what we're learning about atoms into the periodic table, simply because you can see a "nucleus view" and a "shell view" of each element.

For older students, here's an interactive periodic table, and an interesting interactive, in association with NASA, that models the periodic table.

For those of you who would like even more links--as in, 183 links on the Periodic Table, lesson plans, and activities (including but not limited to Periodic Table Bingo and Periodic Table Tetris), click here!

Young Peacemakers

I desire to teach my children to resolve conflict in a timely, calm manner. Before I was a mother I bought these activity books.  Read about them here.  See entire first lesson here.

There are 12 comic-book-like workbooks. The curriculum is designed for 3rd-7th grade.  I'm reading it to my 2nd grader and we will most certainly visit the booklets again another year.

Guy Fawkes Day

Take a peek to view information about Guy Fawkes day written for kids.

Thirty Years' War for kids

Unfortunately, there's very little for younger kids about the Thirty Years' War that's engaging, in my opinion! But three quick ideas as you prepare for next week's history topic:

1) Consider acting out the war with Legos. This home video is a little dry in my estimation, but it may give your kids an idea on how to do it themselves. Army men may also work!

2) If you have multiple children, have them stage a drama. You might put signs around their necks to designate sides or main characters; have a "Treaty of Westphalia" paper that both sides sign. (For older kids, have them make the signs and papers themselves as another way to remember who were the sides, what was the treaty, etc.) They can designate parts of a room--or different rooms--as different countries, etc. You can be as elaborate as you want. I'm sure my boys will be involving the Nerf swords.

3) I thought this digital poster explaining the Thirty Years' War was pretty cool!

Note: You can apparently create your own on Glogster. Here was the original blogpost on creating the poster by a homeschooler. Glogster "is the leading global education platform for the creative expression of knowledge and skills in the classroom and beyond.  We empower educators and students with the technology to create GLOGS - online multimedia posters - with text, photos, videos, graphics, sounds, drawings, data attachments and more." Kind of a fun way to put together information--may have to try this out!

Math Drills

Anyone else kicking themselves for not doing math over the summer?

After struggling to complete a few math problems in his workbook, I quickly wrote numbers on paper and cut them out.

Then we did whole body math drills.







I called out the problem and he jumped on the answer.



It was much more fun.
-Julie