If you live anywhere near a pond when it freezes over, this is a great nature study activity!
We headed out in the very cold wind to bring a sample of ice home from the pond. After trying to break the ice with a knife (which usually works), then a large rock (which almost always works), we looked out to the middle of the pond to see the dog happily walking across with not a care in the world.
After realizing the pond was way more frozen than we thought, Mahayla and Caleb went back down with a an axe. Nothing was going to stop Caleb from trying this experiment!
Once home, we let the ice melt with the hopes of being able to find something alive in the once frozen water. Unfortunately, the pond closest to our home is new and probably doesn’t have much life in it yet, so we were left with only melted pond water. But, the study wasn’t worthless, as we were able to watch the water settle and get a small simulation of what the bottom of this particular pond looks like.
I’m hoping to talk hubby into taking the kids to the bigger pond for a sample. If we find anything exciting, I’ll be sure to post!
Enjoy an exciting snow and ice study using this NaturExplorers study!
The time has come to set out some winter learning centers. Even though the kids get outside almost everyday still, it’s just too cold to stay out for long. Without friendly reminders around the house, one of my sweet children will do nothing but beg to watch the TV for hours. (Anyone who knows us can guess which of my lovely children that might be!)
So, in different places around the house, I have stashed a few small boxes and baskets of creative things for my children to do if the desire strikes. (Or if I’m so sick of hearing the TV question that I demand their desire to strike. )
The first four were inspired by LaPaz Home Learning. A small sample of abstract art and oil pastels for recreating the artwork. Another small sample of abstract art, this time with chalk pastels. A few cards of architecture/machines, Sculpey clay and some “around the house” tools for recreating 3-D models. And a bag of marshmallows and toothpicks for creating…. whatever.
There are also math manipulatives that we don’t use often during school time scattered about. Fraction circles, pattern blocks and geo boards.
A few science kits – electricity, chemistry and magic tricks. (Thank the Lord for grandparents who buy these fun kits for gifts!)
I’ve also been checking out more books on tape/CD for the kids to listen to as they knit or sew or clean their rooms.
Don’t get me wrong. My children don’t always flock to these things. If I let them, they (well one of them) will always choose TV over the wonderful extra-fun learning activities I’ve so diligently and thoughtfully placed around the house. Sometimes, real boredom has to be experienced before any of these things seems inviting.
I don’t like to be cold. Let me rephrase that – I REALLY don’t like to be cold. My hands ache, my back tenses up, and my cheeks and lips take days to recover from severe dryness after being outside only a short time. Let’s put it another way – if I could figure out a way to stock up on everything I need from mid-December through the end of February, and if I could cancel all church/family/co-op obligations, I would happily stay at home in my jammies for two and a half months! You think I’m kidding?
That being said, I’ll make myself go out at least once for some good old-fashioned fun the snow. I also have plans for at least one snowy nature walk since I’ve got some fun ideas up my sleeve. And, I still encourage my children to love wintry days outdoors, even if their mom is a big sissy.
How am I continuing nature study every week considering my wintery predicament? Well, why in the world were windows invented if we weren’t supposed to use them? LOL Seriously, though, a lot of nature study time is happening right from a cozy, comfy seat in front of a window….
My children aren’t the best at drawing. In other words, it doesn’t come naturally, nor do they magically gain the ability after showing them drawing after drawing from wonderfully talented artists. I really don’t expect much, but I would like to be able to tell the difference between a tree and a flower in their nature journals!
Until now, I hadn’t even considered teaching them how to draw – for goodness sakes, have you seen my drawings?? But after letting Drawing with Children sit on my shelf for two full years, I was inspired to pull it out after reading this, this and this.
I have put together eight lessons (just enough to get me through the cold spell) that will teach my children better drawing skills AND lead into a bit of nature study/drawing practice from a window or a nature book.
Last week, after some warm-up exercises, we learned how to draw a bird on a tree limb. The kids did some bird watching near our one lonely bird feeder as they practiced drawing bird after bird.
Caleb’s Bird
This week, again after some warm-up exercises, we learned how to draw one object behind another. To practice the new skill, they sat at the window observing winter trees in our fence line and drew what they saw using the new layering skill.
Mahayla’s Winter Treescape
Some of my nature-loving friends may tell me that not only am I a winter wimp, but my children and I are missing out on all the beauty and education that God provides in winter. I’m not disagreeing on either account. However, this seems to be a good middle ground for now.
Welcome to the first edition of the Charlotte Mason Carnival in 2009! You sure are in for a treat as there are over 30 posts to savor and enjoy. I know there are gems to be found in every CM Carnival, but this one is full of really great posts! I hope you’ll take the time to encourage each one of the writers with a kind comment. Enjoy!
Our CM Carnival organizer deserves a big thank you in her comment section! Jamie from Rose CottageIntentional Homeschooling shares some of her thoughts about school and life in .
Preschool
The Queen of Carrots from Introducing the World talks about Charlotte Mason’s ideas on reading books versus storytelling with preschoolers in Tell, Don’t Show.
I have a busy toddler in the house who can make school challenging (to say the least!) I’ve written a post called Taming the Toddler to remind myself of things to keep him meaningfully busy while the big kids are involved in school work.
Lapbooking has become a popular method of recording lessons learned. Lynn from Eclectic EducationChristmas Lapbook shares one of her son’s latest creations and links in .
And believe it or not, there’s one more exciting thing to tell before this carnival wraps up…. Barb from Handbook of Nature Study has come up with a plan to help us all get ourselves moving with winter nature study. It’s called Winter Wednesday. Click on the button to see what it’s all about. I hope to be able to join Barb and many of you some weeks!
Ladies, thanks for starting off 2009 with such a great carnival full of practical Charlotte Mason ideas! I pray 2009 is a year full of wonderful memories with your children. Take time to snuggle with them during these peaceful winter days.
After the last couple of living math posts, I promised to share some of our non-textbook lessons. Here are some of the fun things we’ve been doing/have planned to do this winter on our living math days. My hope is to encourage you that….
1.) Living math really is thoughtful, meaningful math.
2.) Living math isn’t hard to implement at all.
Here are a few of our January/February activities with links…
This Grab the Candy Game allows the kids to practice coordinate graphing and record keeping. Valentine Battleship is another version of a coordinate graphing game.
These Candy Heart Patterns are a little harder than they first seem. I gave these to my 5th grader as “fun filler” and she realized half-way through that she hadn’t thought the pattern through completely!
Glyphs are pictures children make based on a legend or key of codes. Not only does it reinforce problem solving, critical thinking and organization skills, but mapping as well. Here’s a link to the Snowman Glyph activity we used.
This President’s Day activity is going to require charting and creating a graph.
Even this worksheet of Valentine Word Problems is a fun, seasonal way to change the pace from a textbook.
There are a few more activities we’ve done or have planned to do, but I’ll let you find them for yourself at MathWire – an awesome site for living math ideas!
When the activities are quick, I’ll do several in one day.
As for living literature, we’ve checked out this series of books from the library to go along with our Medieval Unit.
Learn more about adding living math to your homeschool with Loving Living Math!
I’d love to hear about your living math learning! If you share on your blog, please let me know so I can come visit! Happy math times!
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sit on my shelf for two full years, I was inspired to pull it out after reading 
