THEME FOR THIS WEEK: Waratah had a dream about a Golden Eagle, so this week we explored Eagles, which also tied into our ongoing exploration of North American Indian culture.
RELIGION
- who are we named after? discussion of why our names and those of many of our friends and family are based on people in the Bible
ENGLISH
- discussion of written advertising; writing signs for shop (see description under Mathematics)
- writing about Golden Eagles: composition (dictation) and handwriting practice
Dictated: "Golden Eagle. It is not gold. It ac tually has brown feathers. Their feathers have gold tips when the sun shines on their wings."
Handwriting: "They are great hunters. I want to own a Golden Eagle."
- independent reading (shop signs, packages etc)
- writing lists: a to-do list for our day; a shopping list
Story time - library books
- Lydia Monks,
Babbit (2011)
- Arone Raymond Meeks,
Enora and the Black Crane (1991)
- James Marsh,
Bizarre Birds and Beasts (1991)
MATHEMATICS
- Waratah set up a shop selling cicadas ($2) and nut shells ($1) and rides on his skateboard ($100).
- measuring length, width and weight of an Eagle feather found in our bush (see above under English)
- counting to 100
- how much is 1 million?
- currency recognition; counting money
- weights and measures: making tortillas after reading about North American Indians
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
- make a snow globe: experiments with viscosity (adding glycerin to water and observing effects); experiments with particle size and weight (adding shells, tiny gemstone chips, sequins and glitter and observing which stay suspended for the longest time and how they move in response to gentle / violent forces)
- watch a number of short documentaries on Golden Eagles [
playlist]
- observation: Christmas tree reproductive cycle; identifying male and female flowers, immature and mature pinecones
- investigating hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of various objects
- plant vegetable seeds and watch for seedlings sprouting
- observation of moths
- observation of skinks
- observation of butterflies and a dragonfly (which you can just see in the net); discussion of catch, observe and release
- inventing and testing a butterfly trap
- David Attenborough Blue Planet: Tides
HUMAN SOCIETY & ENVIRONMENT
- discussion of relative values and how scarcity affects price (cicadas were worth more because they were more difficult to find)
- discussion of goods and services
- watching documentaries of humans interacting with Golden Eagles in Scotland and in Mongolia
- learning about the Golden Eagle Festival in Mongolia
- discussion of legislation in Australia preventing the keeping of Eagles as pets or for hunting
- Michael Stotter,
Step into the world of North American Indians (1999)
- making beans and tortillas
CREATIVE ARTS
- oil pastel drawing of the Golden Eagle from Waratah's dream (he described it as being the size of our kitchen and pure gold)
- completed the water colour painting of a praying mantis
- clay modelling: making Christmas ornaments
- painting - goache on canvas. Waratah painted the picture of a spouting whale but was dissatisfied with it as pencil lines from his first idea - a gecko - were still visible, and there was a blotch where paint had dripped. We discussed what kind of background his subject might have and agreed that the spume might create a rainbow. Waratah asked me to paint in the background, and I showed him how his previous pencil outline could be hidden in the sea, and how the blotch could be disguised as a bird flying by.
- hand sewing: making a toy size feather pillow
- origami paper boats
- music: playing ukulele
- painting a feather: we learnt that since Eagles are now a protected and rare species in America, the Indians today use painted Turkey feathers to simulate Eagle feathers in their costumes. Waratah collected a white wing feather dropped by our pet Corella and painted it to be a feather from a more colourful species of parrot.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
- Upon A Time... Life: Neurons [
Playlist - 3
episodes]
- Upon A Time... Life: Eyes [
Playlist - 3 episodes]
- eye tracking experiments
- chasing and catching butterflies
- skateboard riding
- swimming: Waratah is now comfortable floating on back; attempted underwater rocket for the first time; working on putting head under water without holding his nose
- bike riding without training wheels: needs help starting off but is otherwise doing very well
- breakfast picnic under Waratah's new umbrella which he purchased using his pocket money
PLAY BASED LEARNING - MULGA
Create a car app
Scrambled picture puzzles
Sorting games
Clay modelling
Swimming
Drawing with oil pastels
INFANT DEVELOPMENT - BORONIA
Playing peekaboo
Rolling over
Trying to crawl
Self -directed movement
Singing
Observation of her brothers
