the ELLA echo

study unit: daedalus and icarus

this was the first study unit we did under the new "plan" i put together for ella this year. it was an unconditional HIT.

the story she was most interested in when we were choosing was the myth of daedalus and icarus, which is actually from the 2nd grade core knowledge book, but we had not covered it yet.  as always, there were more possibilities than we could fit into a single week!  editing is always my weak point :)  so i made a list of everything we COULD do, then each day i chose what we WOULD do based on what appealed to her most or what seemed appropriate given the weather, our existing schedule, our energy level that day, etc.--trusting that that the story and the activities themselves were rich enough to provide plenty of learning without any additional "enrichment".

 

the story of daedalus and icarus from bulfinch's mythology (a little past the middle of the page, beginning at the part titled "Daedalus", and ending "and hung up his wings, an offering to the god.").  i read the story to her once a day, and sometimes more upon request, for five days.

also available in downloadable format for various reading devices at the gutenburg project.

 

social studies:  ella wanted to know about the land that was named for icarus--ikaria (sometimes spelled "icaria"). after quite a search we finally located the island of ikaria on the map, learned some history, and made a small flag to start our flag bunting.

ella's embellishment is on the back--a prayer for the people of ikaria.  this has become a tradition for her with each flag we've made.

 

vocabulary:  on a printout of the story from bulfinch i let ella mark each word that she was not familiar with. 

 

next i let her choose a word to look up in the dictionary, i showed her how to look things up alphabetically, and had her make a file card for that word.  she figured out how to look up words with just one demonstration, and enjoyed this project so much that she worked for almost THREE HOURS the first time, just writing out vocabulary cards.

 

then i showed her how to file them in the card box, so now she has her own custom vocabulary list.  on the back of each card i made note of where she first encountered that word, and my hope is that as she finds each one in other stories she will remember and be able to add to the list of stories and books on the back.

 

math:  i think this is where this belongs.  :)  we learned to make a labyrinth!  mystery labyrinth has a brilliant explanation of how to make a simple classical labyrinth, which we practiced on paper several times. 

 

we are fortunate to have an actual labyrinth close by to visit, at st. ann's episcopal church in east nashville. 

 

and most fun of all, we made our own labyrinth in the yard!  (hint:  one, 5-lb. bag of flour is not enough).  ella and i are considering how we can make this a permanent feature of our home landscape.

finished groundplan:

 

the foreman:

 

sprinkling flour to make the path:

 

walking the labyrinth:

 

we touched briefly on the the basics of the greek numbering system and that is how i learned--FINALLY--why geometry was so important to them.

 

visual art:  bruegal's painting "landscape with the fall of icarus" (seen at the top of this post).  an excellent printable image of this painting is available by clicking the image at the wikipedia site.

another good printable is available at the artchive website (click the image viewer).

the seeing questions from eyes on art come in very handy for looking at static works of art.

question ella came away with after studying the picture: " how come icarus' wings melted and he fell into the sea but the sun was so low in the sky?"

 

music:  we listened to reconstructions of ancient greek music using reconstructed instruments, and to examples of homeric singing, both available online from the commission for ancient literature and latin tradition.

we don't "study" music, we listen to it and think about it and spend some deliberate time with it but we don't "do" a lot with it.  appreciating it seems worthy enough a goal to me.

 

science:  we have a small collection of bird feathers that i had ella sort according to whatever made sense to her, then had her explain the various arrangements she had chosen (the purpose here is to observe, sort, categorize, describe, reexamine, and reinterpret).  her categories were:

size and shape:

 

color:

 

and animal--they all come from birds!:

 

we learned a bit about what different feathers are for, and how feathers have been used by humans.  not long after that, one of her beloved cousins put a feather in her hair!

 

ella's principle science question:  "how come if you go high up on mountains it is cold enough to snow, but if you fly high up in the sky it is hot enough to melt wax?".

thus offering us a chance to investigate issues of temperature at different altitudes.

science stuff we looked at but didn’t “study”: 

flight in birds

animations of how birds use their wings

animations of lift, gravity, and thrust on bird flight

NASA lesson for grades K-4 on aerodynamics

 

serendipity:  there is always serendipity.  :) 

• the evening after we looked up ikaria and read about the history of the island, the daily show happened to do a segment on the recent economic unrest in greece.  most of it was over ella's head but she did recognize the flag!  she was so excited, because now this place was REAL and she could see regular people there.  happy.
• a few days later we found this image from NASA’s astronomy picture of the day, taken on the island of ikaria.

 

all in all, this was a fun, easy unit and i am thrilled to have found something so simple that so readily meets her needs and desires!  

 

 

*how is school (home or other place) going for your children?  what particularly is working for them or for you?

how ella spent the month of june

earning these:

 

thank you, bass pro shops!

*we have a strict "free activities only" policy for summer.  all these workshops fit the bill and we learned a ton of valuable and interesting information about nature and enjoying the great outdoors safely.  what are you doing this summer?

he's "our" paleontologist now

actually he's a paleoanthropologist, but ella always calls him a paleontologist because she has not seen any "anthro" stuff on any of our visits. LOL

since my first post about meeting jun ebersole at the mcwane science center we've had the opportunity to return several more times.  the most recent trip ella got to spend time with him in the lab, sorting and organizing a giant sloth skeleton, megalonyx jeffersonii (jefferson's ground sloth) that will be on display at the museum.  he demonstrated how to prepare the pieces that are broken, using an adhesive called butvar B-76, and he let her compare the different parts of the assembled body to her own body parts.  he also showed us how to label the different bones so they wouldn’t get mixed up.

yeah, i was holding it upside down.  that’s is the kind of thing i’m prone to doing when i get to hold a REAL, HONEST-T0-PETE dinosaur bone for the very first time.

 

ella also spent a lot of time sketching the exhibits, which is one of the ways she learns best.  by spending quiet time looking and recording what she sees, she is able to slow down and make important comparisons, noticing details that are sometimes overlooked when they aren't being documented.

 

of all the sketches she has made so far, this one is the most complete, in that it includes an environment.  it is of the dinosaur in the above picture, an appalachiosaurus.

 

jun also gave us some tips on where best to do our own digging in our area. our plan is to bring whatever we find to him to evaluate.  ella is pretty much sure she'll either find a t-rex or she'll discover a brand new, heretofore unknown type of dinosaur, which she plans to call the ellasaurus regina.

this has become a really sweet relationship.  ella has developed a greater understanding for the real work involved, and a meaningful relationship with a working professional.  for his part, jun always treats ella with kindness and respect--he listens to her questions and responds with clear, thorough answers. he allows her to be part of the process and that gives her a great sense of ownership in her learning. 

one of the best things about this experience is that she is learning how to approach a professional in a given field with maturity, healthy curiosity, intentionality, and clarity of purpose.  that is not something i could have taught her at home. 

again, i encourage every parent to take a chance, make a connection to someone who is actively involved in your child's area of interest.  even if all they do is hang out together, the benefits will go far beyond just the details of info that your child might learn.  finding an adult who will openly and freely share your child's passion will fuel the fire of learning in a way no textbook ever could, and your work load will be greatly lightened along the way.

unless your child asks the paleontologist about a dinosaur he is not familiar with.  be prepared to whip out the smartphone and look it up for him.  :)

field trip: cookeville children's museum

NOTE!  since originally publishing this post, the cookeville children's museum has changed it's name to the kiwanis cookeville children's museum.  the logo has changed as well, so when you click over to visit their website, you'll see the new website but it is still the same wonderful playland!

 

 

 

whenever possible, ella and i go with rudi when he has business out of town. one of our favorite trips is when he goes to cookeville, TN, which is only about 90 minutes from nashville, and where we recently discovered the marvelous cookeville children's museum.  on first seeing the website i was a little dubious, but i was completely won over on our visit.

the permanent section of the museum is an area devoted to imaginative play in various occupations, such as farming, veterinary care, homemaking, even the circus!  everything is so well thought out--for example, there is an apple tree where a child can really "pick" apples, and a garden where the child can harvest carrots, corn, etc.  there is a farm with chickens on nests that have eggs the children can collect, and there is a check out stand for the farmer's market.  

 

on the day we were there, the revolving section of the museum had all sorts of activities relating to the theme of "communication".  there was a typewriter the kids could really type on--a typesetting area where they could set up a page to print--a morse code table where two people could sit across from each other and send messages with real telegraph equipment--a mail sorting station where kids could learn how to properly address an envelope--even a video station where kids could learn american sign language.  

 

every surface of this small but delightful place is appealing to the senses and invites touching and playing and experimenting.  even the walls were interesting, with mounted tic-tac-toe boards and magnetic marble runs and images of ART.  and there are plenty of materials scattered everywhere that the children are free to use as they wish.

the only part we didn't get to experience was the outdoor center--there was snow on the ground!--but we expect to visit this little place many times in the future, and i even dream that one day something similar could be available in nashville.  it was far more interesting and engaging that the usual indoor activites we have here (if i never see another jump/bounce gym, i will be eternally thankful).

field trip: cathedral of the incarnation

 

the cathedral of the incarnation was our third stop on our tour of nashville's major houses of worship and for the first time we were on home turf.  LOL  it happened that our field trip date fell on the first friday of lent so ella and i went to mass and then stayed to do the stations of the cross before the tour began. this was the first time i'd ever taken her to do stations--i'd only ever done them at home with her--so i wasn't sure what to expect but she was right there with us all the way.  i was very proud and so happy to have made our first journey together.

anyway, the tour was lead by either a sacristan or some other minister because she knew her building and she knew her stuff.  she told us she was born just a few blocks from the cathedral, raised all her children there, and now helps with her grandchildren's formation.  

this church is really very lovely to look at and is so full of symbolism on every surface that you could easily spend an entire day just decoding the architecture.  one of the most remarkable features is the ceiling which is like a catholic I-spy, with the south end of the nave devoted to symbols of christ's birth as the incarnation of god and the north end devoted to symbols of his death and resurrection.  

every surface of the interior is intended to remind the worshiper of the history of the church and of jesus' message of salvation.  the tour guide also let the kids put their hands on all kinds of church gear, like chalices and vestments and was very agreeable to answering any and all questions without a hint of irony.  that is a gift.

in the excitement i forgot to take pictures--in the only place that would have had no problem with me taking as many pictures as i wish.  LOL

while this is not my parish of choice--ella and i both prefer smaller, quieter churches--for sheer catholic majesty the cathedral cannot be beat.  if you want the full experience, do attend a mass and if you are there on a friday during lent stay for the stations--even the homeschoolers who had never been to a catholic church commented on how prayerful and reverent and healing it was.

field trip: islamic center of nashville

the second stop on our tour of nashville's major houses of worship was the islamic center of nashville.  this turned out to not be an actual tour, but instead we got to meet a young muslim woman named sophia who gave us a brief and very interesting history of islam and explained things like the five pillars.  she was very patient with all our questions, and seemed to genuinely appreciate our willingness to learn.  she spoke very movingly of how her faith informs her interactions with the greater community and taught us much about welcoming the human dignity of each person.

something i learned about the local islamic worship community is that there are more than one mosque in nashville.  i had no idea!   i'm hoping we'll get a chance to visit the others sometime.

again we were not allowed to take pictures inside.  i was surprised at how plain the interior of the worship space was--i guess without knowing it i was expecting something like the alhambra.  however, in the area that is under the pointy part of the building there hangs a beautiful elaborate chandelier that made rainbows all over the room.  :)

i wish i had more to report about this visit--it was very quiet, and for whatever reason we were not invited or allowed into other parts of the center.  however, the chance to speak with a woman who clearly loves her faith and who views herself as part of the world community was worth the time.

field trip: sri ganesah temple in nashville

 

during february we were privileged to enjoy several field trips to local houses of worship in nashville, beginning with one that i have always been curious about: the gorgeous sri ganesha hindu temple in west nashville.

we were welcomed by our tour guide who began by giving us a brief history of hinduism and a moving description of how her faith informs her life.  from there we got to visit the prayer hall upstairs where she gave us an overview of what each monument represents and the various ways in which believers worship.  we were surprised to learn that worship is an individual event, rather than communal, and that anyone is invited to pray there.  we were fortunate to be present during the chanting of the 1000 names of vishnu and to also see ganesha after he was ritually bathed and dressed.

there are no photos or videos allowed in the prayer hall, but i did get a shot of ella with a relief of the animal that ella believes is her spirit guide, the elephant, just outside the entrance to the temple.

 

when the tour was over we were invited to spend as much time as we wished to further study the monuments, so ella and i took the opportunity to do so.  we also found a bowl of something that looked a bit like popcorn balls.  i wish i could tell you what these were called, they are made from some kind of grain (no, not rice, not barley, not quinoa, the word told to us was unknown to me and the attendant did not know the translation), honey, raisins, and nuts--the balls are made from offerings left by worshipers and are available for purchase by visitors.  we learned from the tour that food offerings are to be consumed, as they are believed to confer on the eater the blessings of the deity to whom they are offered.  naturally we bought one to share with rudi since he hardly ever gets to go on field trips with us.  we all took just a tiny bite--and agreed that the flavor of incense is probably an acquired taste.  :)

 

due in part to ella's visit to this temple she was inspired to create her own royal indian palace, and naturally she needed a sari and a royal walkway.

 

when the tour guide asked at the end of the tour if we had any questions, i said, "oh, about 1,000."  but one thing i did learn from this trip is this:  i believe it is possible that i am a catholic hindu.

how we homeschool: meeting a paleoanthropologist

yesterday ella and i had the good fortune to spend part of the day with jun ebersole, the collections manager of the mcwane science center in birmingham alabama!  he is a paleoanthropologist which is the technical term for "one of the top 10 coolest jobs ever".

mr. ebersole showed us around the dinosaur exhibit, very patiently answering all our questions no matter how far fetched or naive they must have seemed to him--and then he spent a great deal of time showing us how they recover and prepare an actual fossil for exhibit!  he showed us the machine they use to carve out replicas of bones, showed us a cool 3D PRINTER--you heard me, IT PRINTS OUT OBJECTS--and we got to see some eggs they are preparing for the upcoming new exhibit called "naturescope, which sounds like it will be exceptionally cool just like the rest of the museum is.

we didn't get to take any pictures in the lab (and truthfully we were so excited and asking so many questions that we didn't even think much about pictures--for that matter, i got so excited about looking at things and picking his brain that i forgot my purse on a table in the exhibit area!), but next time we visit he's going to take us to the back area where they store the stuff that is not on display, like their mosasaur skeletons, the fourth-largest such collection in the world!

 

this was our third visit to the mcwane science center, and every time we have hours of fun and we find something new that we missed before. the entire basement is devoted to marine life, with a shark and ray touch tank and a quiet little nook where you can meditate on the mystery of life under the sea--and there is an entire floor we haven't even visited yet, i have no idea what is up there.  :D  each area of the center is so engaging that you simply can't see and do everything on a single trip, which is great because it gives us something to look forward to for the next time.  on this trip we stumbled upon the fox 6 weather lab, where ella got to do and then watch a recording of herself doing one of her favorite things:  the weather report.  

 

my advice to homeschooling parents it is this:  take a chance, pick up the phone and ask somebody cool if you can spend some time with them.  i've never been turned down, and i've never been disappointed. even the top-10 cool job havers seem really happy to share a little of their passion with an eager audience.  and you might make a new friend.

 

ps--about an hour from birmingham we had a flat tire.  :(  rudi managed to change it in record time, on the side of the interstate highway in the rain while wearing his good clothes (he was dressed for a meeting), and then we limped on the spare to a little town called hanceville where the very nice people at college tire put on a replacement and got us back on the road.  they even had a lego play table for us to enjoy while we waited--proof positive that they care about their customers and realize that sometime parents have their children with them.  

 

we were a full hour-and-a-half late getting to the mcwane science center and mr. ebersole STILL took time out of his day to indulge our dinosaur interests.  everybody we met all day was just wonderful to us and the next time we go we're bringing them all cupcakes.