Summer Camp Planning - Cenozoic III - Quaternary

Please note, if you have arrived at this post out of chronological order, that this is part of my overall From Lava to Life summer camp planning.

At the bottom of the post I've updated with the actual lesson notes after teaching it... if you find my brainstorm-jumble frustrating, I hope this added information will help! Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

Already Owned:

Bought for Camp:

Blank Calendars for Scrapbooking - 10 calendars - $8.17 each

Planning:

read Quaternary book from

Geologic Periods Book Set - Montessori Services

we are going to focus here on Early Humans, which is basically transitioning into the Third Great Lesson

rice / skulls activity from Michelle Breyer's book


she covers Australopithecus, Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, Neandertal, Homo Sapien (Cro-Magnon), Homo Sapien Sapien

the information in her book is also what we are using for the calendar analogy throughout the camp (Time Analogy p.37)


I still think this is the very best way to convey the scale to kids. Who would think, reading all of these detailed notes about everything that has happened, is that the Paleozoic Era doesn't even begin until November!!!!

cave paintings - art

Hunter/Gatherer simulation game from Michelle Breyer's book - NEED TO PHOTOCOPY some more record sheets

masks? that would be amazing

TED talk for them to watch at home afterward? dark matter - the world yet to be explored

or, if you really want to get things hopping, Rupert Sheldrake's The Science Delusion

or, for older kids, that article from the Guardian about whether agriculture was the worst thing that ever happened to humans!

And the Expo wraps up the camp on Friday afternoon -- can't wait to share all this with parents!

prep Friday night:

• print photos of our skin bacteria growing in Petri dishes, for calendars
• photocopy record sheets for Hunter/Gatherers simulation game
• design Expo flyer on Cava, send to Walgreens to print in 5 x 7 inch size
• buy large 1/2 gallon glass jars for Early Humans rice/skull capacity display
• buy yeast for yeast balloons demonstration
• buy celery for vascular bundles demonstration, and place in plain, red, and blue water
• choose recipes for Expo reception food and buy ingredients
• buy party goods
• assemble posters and put up displays
• make detailed to-do list for tomorrow

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Implementation:

THURSDAY AM - read When Cave Men Painted, do virtual tour of the caves as Lascaux and find the cave painting from the story, cave-style art on 12 x 12 pieces of thin cork using charcoal sticks and chalk pastels in earthy tones

THURSDAY PM - paint and print hands for final piece of Early Human art (we have many options for December in our calendars), make final calendar art choices, glue in chosen pieces, add extra pieces of art to museum displays, continue individual & group projects and work on displays for Expo tomorrow

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Reflection:

We have been working HARD to get ready for the Expo! We are brainstorming lists of all that still needs to be done, and students are working individually or in teams on projects and displays.

This post contains affiliate links to the materials I actually use for homeschooling. I hope you find them helpful. Thank you for your support!