Photos from the Classroom - February

Getting caught up on Photos...

a "Spring" activity

washing raw wool from my brother's sheep Jack

the hot water and dish detergent loosen the dirt

 from the fleece so gently!

having a double sink is perfect for these step-by-step instructions

from A Child's Dream

it is amazing how much dirt comes out without having

to agitate the wool at all!  

this is the end of wash #1 (left) and wash #2 (right)

we do two more rounds with dish detergent, one with vinegar,

and one final rinse in clean water

while the wool is resting in its water, there's play

with blocks in the living room...

Grimm's Large Stepped Pyramid building blocks

and amazing Dragon Eye art happening in the art room...

we will put these Dragon Eyes on the cover of our

Norse Mythology II books in May

(Ragnarok will begin when the dragon Nidhogg

finally manages to chew through the roots of Yggdrasil)

 washing raw wool from my brother's sheep Cocoa

Cocoa's fleece is a completely different color

carefully watering our seeds

and adding Seeds of Kindness to our garden

proud builders of a domino design

Grimm's Color Charts Rally building blocks

finishing up our Cultural MLBs

a "Spring" activity

Finding Nature's Greens

mixing a particular green,

then taking it outside to see if you can find it in Nature

once you find it, come back and write down

where in the yard you saw that exact color

this is not nearly as easy as it sounds

a "Summer" activity

Raspberry Greek Yogurt Popsicles

exploring the Contour Model Kit

for 2-D Topographic Maps

a team meeting to divide up the steps fairly

among the different members of the group

watching carefully 

the water must be poured precisely to the next centimeter mark

then trace around the top of the waterline each time with a grease pencil

then all of the water is removed

you lay the clear lid on top of the box 

so that you can see all of the lines on the  model

and trace those grease pencil marks onto the flat lid

we decide to wash the rest of the raw wool

in the washing machine, again following

the step-by-step instructions from A Child's Dream

a visit from SIU undergraduate students

in Philosophy, Forestry, Hydrology, and Environmental Education

we do some activities to help us study our land

including Feeling Like a Tree

sit blindfolded and silent in a part of the yard for several minutes;

use all of your senses to acutely notice the place where you are;

leave that spot and have someone remove the blindfold;

can you find where you were planted?

experiments in Science Club from Prove It!

a super-fun vintage Science I Can Read book

making booklets for the Carbon Cycle

using three part cards from Waseca Biomes

a "Summer" activity

reading The Paperboy,

reviewing the color wheel, and painting a Warm Abstract

individual handwork projects continue

here is a finished Knitted Pouch with Button Closure

as we learn more about Carbon, we

try a Science Experiment from 

The Book of Ingeniously Daring Chemistry

an "Autumn" activity

Positive/Negative Apple Art

in Science Club we continue with activities from

Prove It!

this one asks how high you can lift water in a straw

taping several 20 inch long straws together

I know!  we will head up the stairs

an "Autumn" activity

Cinnamon Baked Pears

making a grid of the yard so that each student can

do Nature study and make observations on one portion

finding a slug

building with the marble maze

the Stamp Game

our new encyclopedias

multiplication facts with the Mortensen materials

our long-awaited Atom Board has arrived!

a model of Nitrogen

and a Nitrogen cycle booklet

Miss Ellie brings in some of her family's baby chicks

and shares facts about Buff Orpingtons with us

a "Winter" activity

tracing feet for Wet Felted Slippers

we cut each foot templates out of old yoga mat

this was suggested in the instructions we used

Wet Felted Slippers:  12 Steps

beginning the wet felting process

arrange layers of wool fibers carefully to cover your yoga mat foot

they must overlap horizontally and vertically 

scoop and sprinkle the hot water

so that you do not dislodge the wool abruptly

build the slippers up layer by layer

fluffy - before felting

not fluffly - after felting

rub gently

the bubble wrap keeps the fibers in place while you felt them

squeeze out the extra water, flip the yoga mat foot,

build up another layer of wool fibers, and repeat

it's a VERY wet process, so be prepared

you definitely want a rimmed tray

when you have the wool thick enough, cut a hole,

remove the yoga mat foot, and put your own foot in

then you need to continue felting to shrink it to the perfect size

a "Winter" activity

Pajama Day!

of course there's lots of fort building

do you know what this element is?

hint:  count the protons (red) or electrons (blue)

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