Show & Tell: Adventures Weeks 28 & 29

All right, sweet bloggy friends ... if this post actually gets published, it'll be a miracle indeed because not only am I putting two weekly wrap-ups in one post (which for some odd reason is amazingly difficult for me) but also I'm planning to publish it with today's date rather than changing the date to "put it where it's supposed to be chronologically," thereby satisfying my OCD.  It's all about baby steps.  (And who knew when I started blogging three years ago that it would end up being therapy?!)  ;)

In history, we learned about Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and slavery in Week 28.  Our text primarily focused on the life of Abraham Lincoln, and Hannah and Millie both really enjoyed learning about him.  Millie has been telling everyone about the log cabin he lived in as a child (it only had three walls), while Hannah has been recounting a story about a town bully who thought he would pick a fight with Abe but found that Abe was a little more competition than he had bargained for!

Slavery and the Civil War are pretty dark times in our nation's history and are pretty tough for children to understand, so they were only mentioned briefly in our text.  But in our book basket we had several books that gave a little bit more information about those topics.

 
(There's a chance I just might have become the oldest American Girl fan in America this year.  I love, love, love these books!!!)

Here's the Abraham Lincoln notebook page Hannah made for her U.S. notebook.

And in Week 29, we learned about America's 34th through 37th states:  Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, and Nebraska.

I asked Hannah if she remembered doing a presentation on Kansas at co-op back in kindergarten, but she couldn't remember many details about it besides the Dust Bowl.  I pulled up the blog post so she could read about it, and it was entertaining to watch little light bulbs turn on as she remembered various details.

In Bible, we learned about Jesus as our Shepherd.  We've really enjoyed the way My Father's World has done the names of Jesus study this year, but because of our read-aloud, this one was the best by far!

Oh, my goodness gracious!  It was all I could do not to stop the flow of the story after every paragraph to comment on how I saw us as lambs, Jesus as a Shepherd, Jesus as a Lamb ... it was the perfect read-aloud to go along with our Bible lessons!  And every day, Marie Hazell (author of My Father's World) chose Bible passages that related perfectly to the assigned chapters for the day. 

I won't tell you how the story ends, but I will tell you that the last chapter of the book was a beautiful picture of Christ, and it was also a real tear-jerker.  I learned that day that it's not easy to read aloud when you're crying.  I was trying my very hardest to stay composed and not let some children's book get the best of me, but I finally got to the point where my voice kept failing me, so I handed the book to Hannah (cuddled quietly on the couch next to me) so she could finish reading it for us.  She didn't take it from me, so I turned to look at her and saw that she had a quiet river of tears streaming from red, puffy eyes down her cheeks as well.  So I kept reading, and one word at a time (word, sniff, another word, gulp, another word, heavy breath, another word, sigh) we somehow managed to make it to the end of the story.

In Science, we've been focusing on physics for the past two weeks.  In Week 28, we learned about energy, forces, hot and cold (expansion and contraction), and gravity.

To demonstrate how heat makes things expand and cold makes them contract, we ran hot water over a soda bottle for a few minutes, then put a balloon over the neck of the bottle.  Then we put the balloon-capped bottle into a pot filled with ice water.  The ice water caused the air inside the bottle to cool down and contract, sucking the balloon into the bottle.  (Well, kind of sucking the balloon into the bottle.  The results weren't as impressive as the picture in our book, but there was enough of a change for us to get the idea, anyway.)

There was definitely evidence that the air inside the bottle was contracting ...

... but the balloon didn't pull all the way inside the bottle the way it did in the picture in our book.

Then we basically did the same thing in reverse.  We took the bottle that now had cooled-down air and a totally deflated balloon and put it into a sink full of hot water.

As the air in the bottle heated back up and expanded, it began to push the sides of the bottle back out and inflate the balloon.

And we also did an activity that demonstrated gravity.  Yes, gravity.  The main point of the lesson was not air resistance (like Mama someone tried to make it), but gravity.  Just like the boldface title at the top of the page said.  (And my mom was a reading teacher!!  My reading teacher!!)  Fortunately, I posted my question on the My Father's World message board and the ladies there helped me make sense of it all when my original explanation even left me with questions.  :)

First I had Hannah climb on top of the kitchen table ('cause we just do really safe things like that around here) so she could drop a quarter and a quarter-sized piece of tissue paper at the same time.  Obviously, the quarter landed first.

The point of this I now know was to show that gravity pulls everything down with equal force, despite its weight.  So then why was there a huge difference between the time it took the tissue paper to fall and the time it took the quarter to fall?  Because the tissue paper had air pushing back against it (air resistance), which slowed its fall.  But gravity still pulled it down with the same force as it did the quarter.  This was really important to know for the rest of our experiment to make sense.  :)

Our next step was to remove the air resistance factor.  To do this, we put the tissue paper and the quarter in identical boxes and dropped them once again.  This time, despite Hannah's hypothesis, they landed at the same time.

Now it all makes sense.  They landed at the same time because gravity pulls everything down with equal force, despite its weight, and we were able to see that when we removed the air resistance factor.  We even did it one more time with eight quarters in the box and got the same result.

So thank you, thank you, thank you to my sisters on the MFW board for helping me salvage this lesson!

In Week 29, we did the first four activities that came with our magnet kit.  (Yes!!  I can handle magnets!)

Hannah gathered several items that she thought might be attracted to a magnet and tested them all.  When she was done ... voila!  Her first piece of modern art!

We learned that the earth has lines of magnetic force that run through it from one pole to the other, and that a compass is actually a special kind of magnet.  Then we made a homemade compass and placed it in a bowl of water.  Sure enough, the north pole of our magnet pointed toward the north!

We learned that lines of force in magnets run between the two poles, and magnets attract more strongly at their poles than anywhere else because the lines of force are so concentrated there. 

You can see that the metal shavings were most attracted to the poles (ends) of the bar magnet.

The shavings were very attracted to the poles of the U magnet ...

... but not so much to the other parts!

We learned the oh-so-important life lesson that opposites attract!  (This will be beneficial to them when they look for husbands in 15 30 years!) 

She figured out that she could attach several small magnets to her large one if she put opposite poles together.

And here's what happens when you put like poles together.  The top magnet looks like it's floating because like poles are together so they're repelling each other.

We learned that magnetic force can travel through objects.  Here we put a piece of thin cardboard (part of a mac 'n cheese box) between the magnet and the marble, and the force was still strong.

We didn't find that too surprising, but what we tried next sure was!

The magnetic force was strong enough to pull through the cover of a hardback book ...

... plus several of the pages ...

... and even the entire thing!  That surprised us!!

And then they used their magnets to make funny faces.  (I wish I had a nickel for every car trip I took as a kid where this was my source of entertainment!)

As far as the three R's go ... much to Hannah's delight, we finished our unit on paragraphs.  (This kid can write, but I have learned that she likes to write when it's her idea to write and only when it's her idea to write.)  We took a very brief look at poetry and rhyming words, and Hannah came up with this poem:

Spring is here and summer's coming.
I won't have to do math or its summing.
I can play
All through the day,
And play in the sun
With everyone.

I laughed out loud when I read the first two lines!  Now we're beginning a unit on dictionary skills, focusing specifically on alphabetical order for the time being. 

And in math, we began a unit on multiplication.  We downloaded a free game called Timez Attack, which has been an excellent resource for memorizing multiplication math facts!

Oh, and how about a quick nature picture?  We've seen a couple of these lately.  The first one we saw was at our local putt-putt golf course, and as we were going around the block we noticed that a neighbor has one growing in her yard, as well.  I have no idea what it is (we'll have to ask our neighbor), but it's really beautiful!

So there you have it:  a two-week "weekly" report with an authentic publication date assigned to it.  Time to click the Publish Post button.  I think I can ... I think I can ... I think I can ...

Multitudes on Mondays: 27–57

I'm sure I've only noticed a small drop in an ocean of gifts He has poured into my life this week.  Even so, my list continues to grow, and I am thankful.

0027. For being pushed beyond what I think my body can handle.

0028. For the friend who gently pushes.

0029. For the same friend who in some ways anchors me, reminding me that a heart full of wisdom is far better than a head full of knowledge.

0030. For the other friend who I can so fully trust. Who I know prays without ceasing. Whose daily walk points me to Him without fail. "Less of me, more of Him."

0031. For his peace for those times when I abide in the Spirit.

0032. For his grace for those times when my flesh overcomes.

0033. For the honesty of one little girl after a poor decision was made.

0034. For the opportunity to train the heart of the other, who tried to conceal it with a lie.

0035.  For purchasing a book on my wish list at a price that seemed too good to be true!

0036.  For authors like Hillyer who can take a geography book and turn it into a story book of far-away lands, with just the right touch of science and history added to the mix.

0037.  And for this gem, also on my wish list, found on the bookshelf at MeeMaw and Kimpaw's.

0038.  For their generosity in giving it to me ... even before I asked.  :)

0039.  For a daughter who asked if she could "add one" to my list.

0040.  For the fact that the one she wanted to add was the love between our family.

0041.  For little girls' hearts being so receptive that they put His words into action.

0042.  For the desk getting cleaned off and the bills getting paid.  :)

0043.  For his provision in faithfully stretching our meager income.  Truly, the numbers don't make sense.  He is our Jehovah-Jireh.

0044.  For hearing Greg share a new thought with me from a book he read on his  flight last week:  Our "messy house" is okay because we have a "pretty neat home."

0045.  For waking up to find that he had cleaned the kitchen after I went to bed.

0046. For three extra bodies for a few hours one evening, and the laughter and joy and memories they added to our home.

0047.  For the warmer days and the new life that is springing up everywhere I look.

0048.  For children who love to play outside.

0049.  For a husband who took the initiative to get our project going while my thoughts were consumed with next year's school.

0050.  For a place right here in our small town for the girls to share some afternoon fun with their AWANA friends.

0051.  For learning that there is an appropriate time to hit your sister.  ;)

0052.  For rejoicing in that knowledge!

0053.  That "Coach Daddy" got to go with us and teach the girls a new game.

0054.  That we have been blessed with good health and sharp minds and bodies that move, although we rarely give it a moment's thought.

0055.  For this child, full of new ideas and boundless energy, who has been entrusted to my care.

0056.  And for this one, tender and affectionate and full of compassion.

0057.  For creative minds and never knowing what they'll come up with next, but always being amazed at whatever it is.

How about you?  What gifts are you most thankful for this week?

Show & Tell: Adventures Week 27

This week we finished Week 27 of Adventures in My Father's World.  Or as I like to call it, the week with all the redos!  ;)

In history this week, we learned that Minnesota and Oregon were the next two states added to the union.

Typically Hannah just does her state sheet and map work and we consider the state "done," but this week something on the state sheet piqued her curiosity and she wanted to look into it more.  She read that Crater Lake in Oregon is an old volcano with a collapsed top, and she immediately wanted to see a picture of it.  She googled it and found these breath-taking images!

What a beautiful place!  I'm glad she took the time to look it up and "see" another part of our country that we had never seen before.

We were really surprised to see our U.S. map at the end of the week.  I knew that California was added kind of "out of order" geographically because of the Gold Rush, but then I assumed we'd go back to working our way westward.  But with the addition of Oregon, we realized that's not the way it worked after all.

In Bible this week we continued to look at Jesus as a Servant.  One of my favorite days was when we read Matthew 25:31-46.  In this passage, Jesus separates the sheep from the goats and blesses the sheep for giving Him food when he was hungry, something to drink when he was thirsty, and clothing and shelter when he was in need.  They question this and tell Him they don't remember ever giving Him any of these things, and he replies, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."  After we finished reading the passage, I shared an idea with the girls that I got from my friend Rose.  (And yes, she is every bit as sweet as her name implies!)

You know how sometimes you see a person on a street corner with a "HUNGRY" sign but you don't know what to do as far as giving them money or not giving them money?  Well, Rose has special bags made up for just such an occasion.  So after school was finished for the day, the girls and I headed to Dollar Tree and bought enough supplies to make three "Blessing Bags."  By the time we were all done adding to them, they had all kinds of goodies in them!

Each bag contains a tuna fish meal, two packages of peanut butter crackers, an applesauce and a spoon, peanuts, two bottles of water, a toothbrush, a toothbrush case, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, a washcloth, deodorant, socks, eight wet wipes, a bag to hold all the toiletry items, and a Bible.

We had such a good time shopping for these bags and putting them all together!  They're currently in the trunk, ready to be shared with whoever the Lord might put in our path who has a need for one.

We also made plans to help the family of a student-athlete Greg occasionally takes home from school, but when we shared our ideas with him at dinner, he had a few reservations.  He's still praying about that one so he can make a good decision for both our family and the student's family.

In science we looked at how matter can change from one state (liquid, solid, gas) to another, such as when a candle melts or when water boils. 

We talked about the way water expands when it freezes, unlike most materials which shrink when they get colder.  To demonstrate this, we filled a plastic container with water and placed it in the freezer.  The book suggested using a water bottle, but we didn't have one handy that day so we tried using a Tupperware type of container instead.  Didn't work out so well.  ;)

Here's our container filled to the brim.

This is what it looked like when it came out.

We could sorta-kinda-maybe tell that it had expanded, but it also had some low spots in it.  Soooo ...

Mama declared a redo.

Fortunately, Greg brought a water bottle home from work the next day and we were able to do the experiment the way the directions said to do it, with much better results.  (Funny how that happens!)  ;)

Here's our bottle of water, filled to the brim and ready to place in the freezer.

And here it is a full day later.  Sure enough, the water expanded as it froze, forcing its way out of the top of the bottle.

We learned that insulated items hold in heat and cold better than non-insulated items.  To demonstrate this, we wrapped one coffee mug in cotton and left one unwrapped.  Then we put an ice cube in each mug.  The book said the ice cube in the wrapped mug would melt more slowly because it was insulated.  The book was wrong.

Here's Hannah putting the plastic wrap on both mugs.

Each mug has an ice cube.  (The mug on the left is the insulated one.)

  

And here they are about six minutes later.  Whaaaaat?!

So you know what Mama did?

Mama declared a redo.

The mugs we used the first time weren't identical, so one of them could have offered better insulation just because it was a better mug.  So to make everything fair, we decided just to use identical juice glasses instead.  And the other thing we did differently the second time 'round was to wrap the heck out of the insulated cup.  None of this "wrap it once and we're done" business!

Ready to give it another try!

Yessss!  This time it worked!

Okay, fine.  Maybe the book was right after all.  ;)

And for our final activity, we placed a variety of substances in the freezer to see if the freezing temperatures had the same effect on all of them.  I got out an ice cube tray and had the girls choose items from the fridge and pantry.  The only one I was dead set on doing was hair conditioner. I didn't think it would freeze, but I did think it would be interesting to see for sure.


Here's what they froze:
(Back, left to right) Spray butter, string cheese, vegetable oil, honey, conditioner, ketchup, grape jelly, and peanut putter.
(Front, left to right) Grape juice, milk, pickle juice, pancake syrup, strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup, pumpkin butter, and mayonnaise.

Here are the results after a day in the freezer.

They used toothpicks to determine how hard each substance was.

The strawberry syrup never froze!  (This is the kind of strawberry syrup you mix with milk or squeeze onto ice cream.)

The chocolate syrup was thicker than normal, but it hadn't frozen, either.

The substances with the toothpicks in them were the ones that weren't frozen solid.

The ones that surprised us the most were the vegetable oil, which had a lotion-like consistency; the hair conditioner, which actually froze solid; and the grape jelly, which didn't change much from the way it was when we put in it!

In math this week, we transitioned from multiplication to division.  This lent itself to an especially funny life lesson earlier today.  Last night we had some friends' kids over for dinner, and we had Oreos for dessert.  After lunch today, Hannah asked if she could have some Oreos for dessert.  I told her, "There are two left.  You can have one of them."  That little stinker's first thought was that Greg and I had stayed up late and eaten all of them except for two!  I reminded her that there were three extra people here for dinner last night, and when you divide a package of Oreos between 7 people rather than between 4, you don't get as many of them.  She got it, but she wasn't very happy about it.

And in grammar, we wrapped up our unit on paragraphs.  Hannah has been learning how to think of experiences in terms of how they look, sound, and feel, then put those senses into words so others can share her experience.  Her assignment was to write about an experience, making sure to include sentences that told what she saw, heard, and felt.  This is what she came up with:

"This morning I saw Millie.  She had blond hair.  She neighs like a horse.  Her hair is tangly."

How are you supposed to react to that?!  I said, "Wow, that's ... huh ... well, it's really ... um ... hmmm." 

Honestly, what choice did I have?

Mama declared a redo.

I told her that all the sentences in her paragraph needed to talk about one topic, and she felt like they did because they all talked about Millie.  I tried to point out that they didn't all talk about the same aspect of Millie because they jumped back and forth from her hair to the way she neighs like a horse (which, by the way ... what?!) to her tangly hair.  I told Hannah to find one experience with Millie to write about, and she chose to write about what it's like to wake up with Millie in the morning.  Here is her finished product:

"This morning I saw Millie.  She has a pretty smile in the morning.  I can hear her yawn.  I can feel the warmth of her when she hugs me!"

That, I can accept.

And speaking of Millie, here are a couple of pictures of her working on one of her lessons this week.

Complete and utter cuteness, this child is!



For this part of her lesson, she draws a number card ...



... looks at it ...



... then writes the number and adds that many stickers or stamps to her paper.

The actual lessons are written to have your child choose an object and draw it that many times (whatever number card they choose), but who wants to draw 13 of something?!  Every now and then she'll choose to draw 10 flowers or 5 swings or something, but we have found the stickers and stamps to be a faster and easier way to accomplish the same thing.

And finally, how about a little nature study nugget?  Earlier today the kids ran in to tell me they found something sooo exciting outside.  And it was pretty cool.  It was a white frog!


Here it is in their frog habitat.

After a few minutes it began to look a little darker.  I didn't know frogs could change color to blend with their surroundings?!

She said it was even darker in the first picture than it was when they first found it, but I can't verify the accuracy of that statement.  I'm simply reporting what I was told.  ;)

The plan was to watch it throughout the day and see if it changed colors anymore, but sadly our nature study went in a totally different direction.  We learned instead that you can't keep a frog in a habitat in the direct sunlight or things don't work out so well for the frog. 

And Mama can't declare a redo on that one.  :(

This week I'm linking up with Kathi's Homeschool Highlights in My Father's World and Kris' Weekly Wrap-Up.  Grab a cup of coffee and check them out!  You'll be glad you did!