Clouds!

We start our day with Science which usually gets the kids excited because we do an experiment and craft. It seems to start the day with a positive attitude. We have been studying the Solar System and in particular Jupiter and now Saturn. The lesson moved into why Jupiter and Saturn look like giant clouds. They both spin very quickly and take about 10 hours to spin around once. This fast spinning makes their clouds line up in colored bands, so the planets look striped. One of the most incredible things about Jupiter is that it has a large storm called the Great Red Spot. It is three times the size of Earth! The Solar System by Rosalind Mist is an excellent book!
Our experiment was to fill a plastic cup half full with water and add glitter. The kids stirred the water around and around and watched the glitter follow in swirls. This gave them a visual of how the clouds form and look colorful with the spinning of the planets and the light.
So of course we moved into the types of clouds we see in our atmosphere and how they are formed. We talked about three specific types: Cirrus, Stratus, Cumulus.  The kids then got to draw each type with a white crayon on blue paper. I found a couple sites online where they read a little more on each type and looked at more pictures.

Poetry

I put together a book for my son and on each page we reviewed the different types of poetry. He was to write his own poem using that particular type. This was a lot of fun! The poetry book we have been following during the year also comes with a CD so that we can listen to them. We reviewed: Free Verse, Nonsense poetry, Quatrain, Haiku and ended with Nursery Rhymes. Our daughter joined in on the Nursery Rhyme part and we spent fifteen minutes taking turns with our favorites.

Parts of a Whole

My son enjoyed learning about parts of a whole yesterday. We made these cut-outs so he could make and see what 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5 and so on means. Afterwards, we all went to the kitchen and the kids made cookies following a recipe and using the measurements. This is the kind of math any kid would enjoy!!!

We also reviewed graphing: pictograph, bargraph and linegraph.

Last month!

May is our last month of Home school before taking our two month break. Normally during the week Wednesday is a day off, but not this month, we have a lot to finish up. I am typing up an end-of-year test for each kid on the computer for a year-in-review.
What an experience this has been for us! No matter how much I tried to prepare myself for this, I just didn't have a clue. Not only has my image of education changed (public school setting; memorization, papers,papers,papers, sit for six hours etc.) but I have such an appreciation for the resources that are available to the kids and I and how far creativity can go. There were definitely some "misses" this year with our schedule, curriculum and just working through the hoops. BUT there were also some definite "hits"! The kids and I have a different and new understanding for one another during those learning hours and we can do as much as we need to on a particular subject until it makes sense. Wow, this year has been full of memories!
I have so many ideas for next year and the ideas that I have center around each child and their type of learning, what clicks with them and/or interests them. I feel that I am much more comfortable and creative with guiding and teaching when it comes to their education. This year was just as much an experience of learning for me as it was for the kids. So, we will get ready to enjoy our busy summer and I'll be excited to start a fresh new year in August with fresh new ideas!!!!