Do You Hear What I Smell?

"How did we get here?"

I find myself asking that question, although not really needing an answer. 

We have been studying hearing, one of the five senses. My son, who was only in public school through kindergarten, has not really studied the human body much. On the other hand, my daughter, who made it through 3rd grade in public school, says she has studied it three times already. So, I am attempting to teach them both at the same time. I try to make it simple enough that my son will understand, and yet interesting enough to challenge my daughter and possibly teach her something new. To take "hearing" into a deeper level, we studied more about frequencies. Not as much as I'd like to and hopefully we'll do more. 

So, how did we end up doing an experiment with spices, making homemade "scratch and sniffs"? I couldn't remember until one of the kids reminded me that I read from a book about the five senses, focusing on hearing. But while we were reading, we happened across this experiment and thought we'd give it a try. 

I love that about homeschooling. That we can get side tracked and it's ok. In the grand scheme of things, we're still on target, still going to make our yearly goals and yet we took a wonderful side step to do something off schedule and I couldn't even remember how we got there.

Scientific Proof

Science is Amazing

Thanks to another homeschooling mom in our community, we were able to participate in another wonderful field trip. This time, we went to Oregon State University for some hands on experience in microbiology. This field trip was definitely worth the long drive in so many ways. 

First, the kids were able to look at samples using very nice equipment. The college students, who lead our kids, gave instructions on how to keep their work area clean, gave hands on help with microscopes and showed them how to use a bunsen burner. Our kids were exposed to aseptic methods, information on identifying samples and safety rules. 

Second, the group of college students that helped were diverse. Half of them were women and there was a sampling of different ethnicities. I remember being around 10 years old and meeting college students for the first time. They were so tall and so very important. I remember wanting to be one because they just oozed coolness. Now an older, biracial, woman (and mom), I was excited to see my daughter meet her first college student. How wonderful that she was able to see students from various backgrounds working in the science industry. 

Third, the main student who led our group was a very well spoken young man. I figured him for a graduate student, but found out he is an undergraduate for another semester. He not only led the kids in their work, but also gave us a tour of the campus. During the tour, he gave a lot of commentary on what college could be. Not only studies in academics, but also a lot of learning of life skills. He spoke of the mistakes he's made and how it's gotten him where he is today. He talked about the research OSU inspires and that the work they are doing is to affect real life, to make changes, to do something. I am not doing him justice, because in his quiet manner, he really said it well. A lot of what we parents tell our kids, but now it's coming from someone "cooler".

Overall, it was a fantastic field trip. One that will stick in my mind... if only to make me want to go back to college again!

Playing with Pastels

Chalky Experiences

I love art, and wish I could create it all. I wish I were better at more mediums. I've been wanting to work with pastels lately, so today was the day.

For now, we just played with blending options and the difference of a white background and a black background.

I asked the kids to draw something that had to do with the ocean, river, water, etc. as we have been studying those ecosystems. My daughter created a sea urchin with a cannon and my son created a Minecraft dirt block.

I'm just happy we all created art with the pastels.

Standardized Testing

But what about the standardized tests?

The question of standardized testing has come up a lot.

I have recently read a lot about the beginning of standardized testing. Professor J. Kelly invented the multiple-choice test, less than a hundred years ago in response to a national crises during World War I (a flooding of students needing to be sorted quickly). Kelly indicated his test to be a measure of "lower order thinking" among the masses (the lower orders). He had no intent for standardized testing to become so widespread. After World War I ended, Kelly, as president of the University of Idaho, pushed for educational reform saying that the test was only good for testing a tiny portion of what is actually taught. As a result, he was asked to step down, aka, he was fired.

While searching Wikipedia, I found this on the multiple-choice page:

"If students are instructed on the way in which the item format works and myths surrounding the tests are corrected, they will perform better on the test."
Beckert, L., Wilkinson, T. J., & Sainsbury, R. (2003). A needs-based study and examination skills course improves students' performance Medical Education 37 (5), 424–428. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2923.2003.01499.x

What it means to me is that if you study how to take the test, you will get a better score. But that doesn't mean you are educated in anything other than how to take a test. In this model, students definitely have not learned how to be excited about education or figured out how to be life-long learners.

So, when a friend recently asked me, "Aren't you worried about the tests?" I answered, "No!" I went on to explain that part of why we chose to homeschool is that we no longer believe in the public school system's methods of teaching. And part of leaving that paradigm behind, is also leaving behind our belief in the standardized test.  If I truly believe that standardized testing doesn't measure how intelligent an individual is, then why should I worry about it? The world is changing. The communication age is here and there are arguments that the tests may soon no longer be needed.

Of course, I still do worry. In the state of OR, your children have to pass (individual results need to be higher than the 15%-tile) a Standardized test at the 3rd, 5th, 8th and 10th grade levels. I've seen the tests, this shouldn't be too hard. However, the threat is still there. If I don't teach my children enough of what the test maker puts on the exam, they may fail. It won't mean they aren't smart, aren't intelligent, or haven't learned anything. It would only mean they didn't learn what the test makers wanted them to learn.

Something else I worry about is how it will make my kids feel. They are aware of the tests and what they need to achieve. I still remember the pressure of tests and that I am a very bad test taker. I often panic, forget things I knew yesterday, or get enticed by the many choices in a multiple-choice exam. My grades were always As and Bs. All my school life, I was told I was smart by my teachers. They put me in the gifted program. Yet, my standardized test scores didn't always reflect this. As a child, this was very upsetting to me. I didn't feel smart at all. I don't want this confusion for my children.

I do worry about the standardized tests and what it could do to their self esteem. Therefore, instead of teaching to the test, we are instilling self esteem and teaching them to love learning. In the end, a love for learning, confidence in knowing how to find answers, and the urge to find those answers creatively will be better than a high percentile score on an exam that tests "the lower orders".

Found Poetry

I cut out several words from magazines. Then I put them onto single sided laminating sheets, put colored paper behind it and recut them out to make them durable. I decided to color code the words. This is not part of regular found poetry, but I thought we might want to use the words for something else in the future, and I thought that maybe if the kids looked up the words, they might learn different types of words like adjective, adverb, article, noun, etc. Once the words were created, the kids could play with them, move them about, and make poetry on the spot!

Before I was done with the words, my daughter asked if she could make a poem. I reminded her that we had just gone on a trip to see the salmon run and spent the day at the river. Could she make a poem while thinking about that day?  Here is what she created:

A River

Frost arrived

All sleep

We play

One traveler's favorite voice

The only change my daughter made, was the apostrophe on the word travelers. She wanted to indicate that the children's playing voices were one traveler's favorite sound.

Then, a few days later, the kids and I watched a short video I took of the salmon attempting to jump up the large waterfall. We watched in silence, while we all thought about the sounds, visions, feelings and memories of that day. Then we all dove into the pile of words and picked out what we were thinking about. I asked for a set of three lines from each of us. My daughter gave four. Then we put them into an order that we felt made sense. Here is our group poem:

Wish for a River

natural adventure

open exploration

and great kids

launch area

electric bounce

wet, fresh season

happiness, warm, good

uncommon, extreme, and charming

all unique

we wish for a river 

I love that we were able to make a poem within 5 minutes without fear or hesitation. We had fun. We worked alone and together. The colored words looked pretty. We ended up with a nice poem.

Run, Salmon, Run!

A member of the homeschooling community set up a trip to see the Salmon Run with the guidance of one of her friends. I've read about how this is a perk of homeschooling, utilizing resources close by, but living it has been amazing. So, on his day off, our guide Tim, took us on a fantastic tour of the salmon. 

The weather cooperated very well. It rained off and on during the 50 minute drive, but once we got there, the rain eased up. I was worried I wouldn't be able to take photos, but I was lucky enough to take many, too many to choose from, so there are a lot in this post.

From the road, we were able to see and hear the flowing river. 

Beautiful trees watched us as we continued on our path.

Tim, our instructor for the day, asked that we be quiet as we watched the salmon swim. Loud noises could disturb the fish on their journey. It was extremely difficult to keep quiet. When you see a fish jump 5 feet into the air trying to go up a large waterfall, you can't help but squeal with delight, cheer the fish on, hoping it'll make it this time! We did get to see a few fish discover the fish ladder and make it up to the next level. I have never seen anything like it and was exhilarated by the experience of watching the salmon jump.

Our hike back up to begin the next segment of the trip.

Our next and final stop was a few minutes down the road. 

More beautiful sights awaited us.

The kids loved looking over the bridge to see the calmer part of the river where we'd be spending our afternoon. From the bridge, we did not see any live fish, but a few dead ones were spotted. We learned that scientists come out to count the dead bodies. To keep track of which ones have been counted, they cut off the tail, so if you see a tail, it has not been counted yet.

More beautiful trees surrounding us on this day.

And here is our classroom for the day. Love it!

I am not a fisherman. I have fished, but I am not a fisherman. There are fisherman in my extended family, but I am not a fisherman. I have always found a reason to be somewhere else when the fish were cleaned. Therefore, it was pretty cool to see the gills of this fish. Note: A sad part of spawning, for the female fish, is that after she lays her eggs, she dies a few days later.

This time, no cheers. We were on our best behavior at this part of the river. Giving our respect to the female fish trying to find safe places to lay their eggs and to the males trying to fertilize them. It was a majestic time with the quiet trickling of the river, soft steps of onlookers, and the occasional splash from a salmon.

Here you can see the tail fin and dorsal fin of a salmon near the rocks.

This seems to be a centipede? Seems to have one set of legs per body segment and segmented antennae. But, I'm no bug expert. I do know, however, that there were tons of them on this tree and that the younger boys were enthralled with them.

Hands On Science

Today we went on a field trip to the Hatfield Marine Science Center for Homeschool Day. There were several sessions the kids could sign up for and all of them were hands on experiences. It is a bit of a drive, so we did have to wake up early, but it was worth it. We ran into many homeschoolers, which made lunch time a fun reunion of friends.

The first session the kids put together a whale skeleton. After hearing information about different whales, the kids were asked to dive into 2 buckets of bones. They put them onto the table and began to assemble. After the kids were done, the instructor took them outside to see an "already assembled" whale skeleton to see if they thought they were finished or if some changes needed to be made. The kids decided a few changes were in store and went back inside to fix their skeleton. It was fun to watch them fit the puzzle together with team work. 

Our next session was studying rocky intertidal ecosystems. The kids began with an empty aquarium and were asked to introduce one species after another. The last, but not least, was a sea star! Even us big kids were excited at the opportunity to actually hold one in our hands.

The last class of our day was using microscopes to see differences in sand from various places. This was a lot of fun for the kids to see things up close and a reminder to me that I really want a microscope for our home classroom.

My biggest lesson I learned today... to include my oldest when ordering tickets. She was super sad to miss out on dissecting a squid and I completely understand. I assumed incorrectly that it would be too much for her. I stand corrected. I hope we get the opportunity to go back and get that squid!

Doing It Myself

I am trying something new this year, doing it with my kids. That may sound funny, because, of course I'm homeschooling with my kids. What I mean is, really doing the assignments with the kids.

For example, instead of asking them to write for 5 minutes while I go check my emails, I am writing for 5 minutes with them, with pencil and paper. I am finding that the kids are more receptive (duh) when I'm working along side them and actively participating. Instead of asking them to read a book, I read it out loud. My son (7) is a reluctant reader. He can read very well, but he's not interested in sitting still to read a novel. But if the whole family sits together to read a book out loud, he's willing to snuggle under a blanket and listen for a long time.

This year, I've also begun reading poetry to the kids. We have started with Shel Silverstein. The greatest thing has happened. While I read, the kids are jumping in to read the poems too. They take turns with me, reading different poems throughout the book. My son's body squirms with delight as he reads a poem out loud. My daughter (10), who can read a novel or two a day, is forced to slow down while she reads out loud. I've read that reading out loud can help a fast reader slow down and absorb more of the grammar and spelling (of course, this may not help as we're reading poems that defy grammar and traditional spellings!) I'm still excited, as the two of them look forward to reading time now that it is often a group effort.

Somewhere else I am trying to actively participate is when we do anything artsy. I often have a specific idea in my head that I want the kids to create.  Just as often, they have their own artistic voice they want to explore. When my idea doesn't match their idea, I go nuts. I am the mom who says, "but wouldn't it be better if the sky were blue?" or, "what if you tried coloring inside the lines next time?" I hate it as I do it, but I can't sem to stop myself.

The solution has been so simple, I'm bummed I didn't make the realization sooner. Now, when I have an idea, I complete that idea alongside my kids, while they do their own thing. This way, I get to see my idea through to fruition and my kids are allowed to do whatever their creative minds want to do without my nagging voice. I do hope that I never give the message that my art is "better" or "right" but that it's just another interpretation of the task at hand.

My daughter's representation of how many connections neurons can make:

And my son's representation. He is definitely the generation of initialisms and emoticons LOL :)

Take Apart Day

I read about "Take Apart Day" in one book about homeschooling. I forget the book now, but as I search on the internet, I see it's something that kids do all over the country. I liked the idea, so I organized a day within our homeschooling community.

Kids came with items to take apart. We had zip drives, CD players, cassette tape players, computer mice, keyboards, and more. The kids had a lot of fun hammering, prying, and unscrewing the items. They said it was fun to do something that mom and dad usually say "No" to.

We were lucky that one homeschooling dad joined us with his son. The pair of them had strong knowledge of electronics and were able to explain things to us. The day was a success, with many happy kids, and only a few needing bandaids!

Sharing Knowledge

Another thing I am loving about homeschooling, is the fact that peers are not necessarily learning the same things at the same time. Each family is making their own decision on what to learn and when. So, when peers get together, they are able to share their knowledge with each other. Each peer brings something new to the relationship enabling each to take turns being a teacher or a student.

One morning, while we were playing at a nearby park with friends, the daughter of the other family spotted owl pellets. We had seen them before on a tour, but never really touched them, opened one or anything more than just see them. To be honest, it looked like a dust ball or small tumble weed, but our friend knew instantly what they were.

The kids immediately found sticks to pry the pellets open and find what was inside. The two oldest kids were able to identify the different bones inside and got a good idea of the size of the animal the owl had eaten.

Just a few days before, we had seen actual teeth of a beaver, where parts were ivory and parts were orange. This helped us to identify the teeth of the animal found in one of the pellets. I love how each field trip seems to link to something else we do. It makes it "real" for the kids and they are able to connect to what they are learning.

The Wetlands and What Grade Are You?

As we venture deeper into unschooling, I understand more and more why some people do away with labeling their kids in a certain grade altogether. We instantly did away with tests and scores, so why not grades? It seems harder to push aside as we live in a society that asks this question all the time. Sometimes it's just easier to answer with an acceptable grade versus explaining that you don't follow grades, or explaining that you might be a second grader in language arts, but third grade in math and first grade in science.

So, it was funny when we went on a field trip to the local wetlands and the leader asked the kids to yell out what grade they are in. When the leader got to my son, he just looked at the leader, then to me, then back to the leader. I interjected the silence for him and loudly said, "Second!" and we all had a good laugh.

On this field trip, we were able to see a lot of creatures that inhabit the wetlands biome. One of the first creatures we spotted, was this praying mantis eating its wooly caterpillar lunch.

As we walked around, we found lots of bugs to investigate, beaver dams, a controlled burn area and more.

Fun with Colloids

My daughter likes chemistry, so I asked her to pick out an experiment she'd like to do. She picked colloids. We whipped up a batch of Goop for both kids and played all morning. My son refused to get his hands dirty, he hates the feeling, so he played carefully with a spoon.

Recipe: Makes enough for 1 child…..

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
small bowl, tin pie plate, etc.more water
Food coloring (if desired)

Add the water to the corn starch in a small bowl, tin pie plate, etc. Mix it together using your hands. If you need to add more water, add just a couple of drops (especially after playing with it for awhile).

What Day is Today?

“What day is it?"
It's today," squeaked Piglet.
My favorite day," said Pooh.”
― A.A. Milne

There are times when my son comes to me and asks, "What day is today?" I marvel at this question. While he would ask this question before, he seems to ask it much less these days. Why? Maybe because he has learned how to read the calendar, or maybe because our schedule is so different than before. Sometimes we "school" on the weekends or sometimes during the week we'll take a day off. Some days, we're learning and we don't even know it. Sometimes it's even hard for me to know what day it is (which is why I'm thankful for my smartphone's calendar and alerts!)

Brains for Lunch

We finally began our first unit for the fall, brains. In our normal thematic unit fashion, we studied books and videos found in the library and on line. Here we are dividing the brain into their left and right hemispheres using cauliflower and food coloring. Then one brain shows the different lobes (frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital). The other brain shows the cerebellum and the brain stem. 

And Now a "Not Back to School" Picnic

I've now joined another homeschooling community, this one geared more towards the unschooling side of things. I've been thinking about unschooling and growing more and more to like it. Over the summer, I felt myself relax and really open my mind to unschooling. I'm not there yet, but I feel I've crossed the middle line and lean more towards unschooling than not. We are still planning using our math books, and will begin with a handwriting and spelling curriculum. I still like the idea of thematic units. The kids will begin music, swim and circus classes. Sounds very structured and the opposite of unschooling, but it feels more unschooling to me. We tossed all our workbooks over summer, and dropped a few classes to make room for a more relaxed time. 

This new community we have joined hosted a "Not Back to School" picnic for the families. We had a great time joining in and meeting new people.

Another Mural

Last year we began with a mural. This year we are beginning with a mural. This time, not our classroom, but my daughter's room. We found a street seen of Venice, Italy and traced it onto her wall. We used glaze paint (a first for me) and painted in the lines. Somewhere in all of this, we snuck in some organizing, donating and updating from both kids' rooms. My daughter is happy with the results of her newly updated room (it was girlie pink and lavender before) and I am happy to begin our new year slowly. 

Not Back to School

We are celebrating "Not Back to School" days. The sun is still shining bright, it's warm, and the kids just want to run and play. We have not started back to any kind of schedule with curriculum, we are still enjoying summer. Today the kids played in and around the river while the adults chatted. Win-win.

Blowing Bubbles

Today, we hosted a Bubble Day at the park. It was a great turn out for the homeschooling community. The kids had a blast playing with bubbles we made ourselves and reconnecting with friends.

You Take The Summer Off, Right?

I get these questions a lot. Will you take the summer off? Will you school through the summer? Well, my answer is, "Yes!" and, "I don't know." to both. I feel that we have changed the way we live our daily lives. Slowing down, answering questions and really focusing on the process and not the product as much. Therefore, we will continue this life style through summer, and honestly, I hope for the rest of our lives.

However, I did put away the math and other curriculums and replaced it with lots of out door activities. We live in an area where it rains a lot in the winter, so I feel we must get out and enjoy every last bit of sunshine when we can.

So, when one parent in the homeschooling community said she was going to host an Egg Drop,  I decided to not participate. I didn't want to take the time to research, create, or build anything for an Egg Drop. It is summer, my brain is ready for a break. But, then I got a call from another parent saying she is doing it with another friend and would I like to drop my oldest off to create something within a few casual hours? Hmmm, this sounded good, so I dropped my daughter off and when I picked her up, she had her egg drop container all built and ready to go.

Today, we went to the Egg Drop and my daughter dropped her container from 10 feet and from 15 feet. Her egg survived both drops! Not bad for summer, right?

Butterfly Effect

Well, more the effect that butterflies had on us. My daughter received a gift certificate for butterfly larvae and it was finally warm enough to send for them. We had done this experiment before, when she was around 4 years old, which means my son was 1 at the time and has no memory of it. 

In addition to watching the larvae grow into caterpillars,  create their chrysalis (seen in the photo above), and finally emerge as a beautiful butterfly (painted lady, left), my daughter asked to study bees. It was a perfect unit to study at the same time. We read a lot about the bees' life cycles, body structures and importance to our livelihood. 

Would you believe it? Just as we entered into these studies, I received an email asking if anyone would be interested in going to see a butterfly pavilion that would be soon closing its doors forever. Yes! We wanted to go. What a wonderful way to end our unit... or so we thought! 

Just a few days later, we got a visit from this friend. It landed on the outside of a window, so we were able to see it up close, without getting too close.

And then, even a few days later, we found this fallen home with live larvae in it! We investigated and then disposed of it safely. While we are now honeybee fans, we are still not too happy with the wasps, hornets or yellow jackets. 

Again, I am amazed as to what we see and find after a unit of study. It's been here all the time, but now we truly SEE it.

Saying goodbye to the butterflies was a difficult, sad time. It was good to have privacy for these moments.










However, one butterfly couldn't fly away, so we were able to have one stay with us until its end, which touched my daughter's heart deeply.

Finding Moments

Or is it moments finding us? I had seen that there was a local rocket club, one of its members was also a member of our homeschooling community, and I was curious. I saw that my niece and nephew were starting to get involved in this community as well. Today we decided to check it out.  It was great weather, perfect for staring into the sky as you followed a rocket's trajectory. It felt like a mini-air show as we sat in our lawn chairs cheering each rocket's successful launch and safe return to earth. 

That night, a partial eclipse of the moon was scheduled to occur. We spontaneously invited family over to watch the short eclipse. There were rain clouds coming and going, so we were worried we wouldn't see anything. However, the clouds thinned, and we were able to see it with the naked eye, as well and through our experimental paper holes.

What a fun filled day it was.

Crystals Stick Together

As the Easter holiday came around, I saw a lot of suggestions for egg crafts and activities. I was intrigued by one in particular, how to make your own geode in an egg shell. There were a few websites out there, and many of them pointed to Martha Stewart's Crystal Egg Geodes. I wanted to try it, mostly just for the fun of it, and besides, they are so pretty!

A few months ago, a few kids from our homeschooling community participated in a Science Fair. One of the kids did her study on crystals and we happen to be friends with her family. So, I called her mom up and asked if they'd like to make these geodes with us and would her daughter feel comfortable sharing her science fair display and knowledge with us again? She answered, "Yes!"

Her oldest daughter brought her display to our home. She then explained to us about what she learned while studying crystals. How they form. The different kinds. Where to find them.

After learning about crystals, we all got to make our own in the egg shells I had prepared the night before. A few days later, we were able to hold the beautifully colored crystals the kids had made.

Coincidences and Their Infinite Possibilities

When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities.- Deepak Chopra

I am continually surprised by the coincidences we experience as we venture along our new educational path. Serendipity, kismet, luck, coincidence. Whatever you want to call it. Certain opportunities didn't present themselves to me before, or I wasn't able to see them. Now that my eyes are open and I am looking, I see opportunity everywhere.

My daughter loves chocolate, science and hands on creating. So a perfect gift, from her grandparents, was this Make Your Own Chocolate Kit. At the end of a unit, my daughter asked if we could do a unit on chocolate next and finish the unit by making the chocolate from the kit. I had loose plans for our next unit, so was able to think about it and say, "Yes!" The next day, we went to the library and gathered tons of books. We were ready to learn all about the history of chocolate, making of chocolate, farming of the cacao tree, fair trade laws and more.

The day we began our new new unit, I received an email from the homeschooling group we joined. The author of the email stated they were putting together a tour of a local chocolate factory and asked if anyone was interested in joining them. Serendipity, kismet, luck, coincidence! We replied at once before spaces filled up.

Thanks to the homeschooling group and the parent who organized the tour, we were able to see something so cool right here in our own town. What a fantastic addition to our unit on chocolate! From the library, we learned a lot about the bean, from plant to factory and the process the bean goes through until it is chocolate. I incorrectly assumed the tour would be more on this, reinforcing what we learned. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this factory melted chocolate and formed it into shapes, bars, pretzel clusters and more. Most of this work, they do by hand! So, we got to see, in person, what happens to chocolate after it's created, a great extension to what we had already learned.

I'm still amazed that this tour popped up right after we decided to study chocolate. But, as I said, I am finding more coincidences like this one. We saw cool skeletons at a local farm museum right after we completed a unit on the skeleton. The children's museum has an exhibit on the planets, and our first unit was the solar system. The list goes on. While these coincidences may have existed before, I didn't see them before. Maybe it helps knowing the kids' curriculums first hand, maybe it's that we have more free time to explore opportunities that present themselves, or maybe it's just my willingness to go out and "do it". Serendipity, kismet, luck, and coincidence are everywhere and I feel lucky to be able to take advantage of them!

Journey North

I had read about Journey North's Mystery Class, Tracking Sunlight to Solve a Mystery but didn't think I would try it. But then my sister-in-law said she was going to do it, so I thought, with her as a support system, I would give it a go.

Turns out, this project was bigger than I anticipated. There is a lot of charting to do and I was anal about it. Therefore, I did a lot of the charting. While the kids were able to look up the information to report, and get started, I really wanted the charts to be "exact", so I ended up finishing up the shading of the charts. I guess, if you had a large class and could divide the kids into groups, and each group was in charge of one chart, then the work doesn't seem to daunting. But for two kids and one adult, it was a lot of work. There were a lot of sighs and grumbles when I'd get the charts out.

However, in the end, the charts were beautiful and really did show the kids a clear visual of what the sunlight was doing in different parts of the world, which I thought was worth all our hard work. Next year, perhaps we'll do fewer weeks, try it digitally in a spreadsheet, try glue and strips of paper, or figure out another way to do this so it's not so much precise coloring!


As we were reading the city clues and seeing if we could figure out what the 10 mystery cities were, we found ourselves glued to our globe. This was great in helping me incorporate geography and cultural studies without me having to do a lot of the research or planning. It just happened as we explored the globe or ran to the internet to see what else we might be able to find that would fit the clues

Some of the cities were very tricky and took a lot of time to figure out. Others were more easily discovered. In the end, I felt a bit of disappointment as we didn't correctly guess all 10 cities. Old feelings of school and failure came back to me. Wanting to do well and be the best. Yet feeling conflict, as this is not my area of interest and I did not want to spend any more time to get an accurate answer. After a few weeks, I went back to look and we actually got more right than I originally thought. For example, on one, we named the region instead of the city name, so, as the teacher, I granted our team a few points for that!

For me, this project was a challenge. Geography is not my strongest subject, so it was a stretch for me to display energy throughout the whole process. However, I do think it was worth it. The graphing of sunlight visually showed what they learned about the earth's rotation, tilt, etc. from studying the solar system earlier in the year. I love how the two different units tied into each other. And again, I love that we were able to huddle around the globe each week.