Polar Regions and Colours

I set up our sensory tray with a variety of animals from both polar regions, we have made a start reading through some of our polar books.  We have also been working our way through the Frozen Planet documentary and on Curiosity Stream we found a wonderful penguin documentary called Penguin Central, looking at 4 different locations around New Zealand.

L spent some time building an igloo out of lego

and then attempting to make one out of marshmallows, not easy!

On twinkl we found some lovely polar yoga cards, so I have printed and laminated them. I have also bookmarked cosmic yoga polar bear and penguin sessions to use later on.

I have found out some more books for L to read, I've also bought her Eve of the Emperor Penguin, I hadn't realised that the magic treehouse now do books for the older reader as in 7+, we have read lots of their younger series and enjoyed.

We've also mapped the climate across the world using a Mystery Science lesson.

We have also been looking at colours, starting with primary colours, the secondary etc, L loves to mix and experiment with colours, so thought we would have a play again with skittles. Place skittles on a plate in a pattern, add some water and wait and see the colours emerge.

We have used some of the sheets from Evan-Moor's Teaching Children Art, looking at how overlaying colours can create new ones.

 We have also been creating a colour wheel, starting with primary colours and then working through to tertiary colours. Then on another session we had the paints out, my idea was for L to enjoy mixing the different colours and painting her own picture but actually she wanted to recreate the colour wheel with paint, drawing it all out by hand.

We have an amazing games shop in our town, we popped in before Christmas and asked for some recommendations, they are spot on with what they suggested. Game one was Carcassonne, a strategy game that we are all enjoying playing and then Timeline, a brilliant game causing lots of interesting discussions and time after researching various facts!

Our art class this week was based around Gyotaku fish, it apparently dates back to the 1800s when Japanese fishermen wanted to create a record of their fish they caught, so they literally printed the fish. Printing in today's session used cardboard, foam shapes,bubble wrap and textured wall paper. L also made a cat shape but then decided to she didn't want to ruin it with paint!

Volcanoes.

Just after Christmas L did an outschool class on blue animals, we both learnt lots, how most animals aren't actually blue it is how the light reflects of them, how a chameleon changes colour. It led to us looking at rainbows and how they are formed and then spending a lot of time having fun mixing colours, starting with primary colours and then secondary colours. L created her own colour wheel and we talked about warm and cool colours too. Then did some art using only warm colours and then one using only cool colours and comparing how they made us feel.

Before Christmas we had been reading bits about the Romans, lots on the myths and legends, which L loves. I introduced L to the first in the Roman mysteries series, The Thieves of Ostia, missing the bits when it got a bit gory or upsetting around the dogs dying, then read The Secrets of Vesuvius, which she found fascinating, we have since watched so many you tube videos on volcanoes and enjoyed reading Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters. This led to L asking if we could make a lapbook and learn all about volcanoes, this spread out to earthquakes, tsunamis, mudslides, how mountains form and then looking at Yellowstone National park and their geysers etc. I love the Super Earth Encyclopedia the photos in it are amazing, to say the least. We have made a model of the earth using play dough, recreated earthquakes, using a tray with rice in it, adding some blocks and people and shaking it, starting gently and making a note of what happened and then shaking it stronger, to demonstrate the different strengths. Photo below of some of the other books we have read, not all of them cover to cover but we are getting there.

 L's lapbook.

We created an experiment to demonstrate how acid rain can cause erosion, using vinegar and chalk, you can't see clearly from the photos but it bubbles really well producing the gas carbon dioxide, we then dried the chalk out and compared the difference, see holes where there weren't any before.

Setting up an experiment to show how stalactites and stalagmites are formed, we used epsom salts mixed with water, weighting the string down in each jar and

2 days later we have our stalactite. Think I might have to find out our copy of Caves (One Small Square)  as we have been talking a lot about where you would find stalactites and stalagmites, the one small square books are really informative and beautifully illustrated, we have a read few around different habitats.

My plan now is  to look at the polar regions, using Ls interest and love of penguins! We have started watching David Attenborough Frozen Planet and then used this Mystery Science lesson to map the climate around the world, it means we have a large map of the world with its climate, might end up looking at weather and climate change too.

Some of the books I am planning on using, as L loves adventure/mystery stories I am hoping she might like to learn about some of the explores, as well as the animals.

A few stories to read and drawing book, L loves these, though when she first opened it up she said she liked the drawing but wouldn't do the writing, which was fine with me but actually nearly every time she draws a new animal she copies the writing too.

Now for Christmas Evie was given Vincent's Starry Night and Other Stories, it has a 2 to 3 pages story about an artist, some paintings etc so thought it would be nice to use in conjunction with the art group we go too. Then came across the  Usborne Art Activity Pad , it will go very well together and can't wait to start using them both, hoping L feels the same!

October Crafts

Art group was based around the book The Lost Words, they had black ink and lots of leaves to print with or create whatever design you fancy.

Then onto some printing, Ls view is you should say yes to words, not remove them from the dictionary.

Halloween crafts, including a black cat made out of a paper plate.

Bats made from cardboard rolls and enjoying trying out new pens on black card.

Watercolour night sky.

Birds are enjoying our new bird feeder.

Colour Theory and Gardening

We have been enjoying the warmer, dryer weather and getting outside lots, seedlings are doing well and today we have planted loads of french bean seeds and a mixture of flower seeds, some more sweetpeas, then morning glory, nemesia, snap dragons and nicotina.

 Have been thinking lots about the different conversations we have while gardening and the amount the children learn from them, as well as it being an enjoyable relaxing activity. There is so much science that just occurs without any effort, we cover a variety of life cycles of plants and insects, how seeds develop, parts of a plant, the jobs they do, pollination, how they interact, how earth worms, bees, slow worms and frogs are good for the garden. Nutrition, the impact of farming on the environment, soil erosion, composting. The time spent observing the plants developing, the various wildlife, listening to the birds and crickets and learning to be still and watch. Observing the weather, the change in the sky, seasons and what it means. As well as the health benefits from the exercise while gardening, the positive mental benefits, co-ordination - small motor skills while planting seeds, planting on seeds, gross motor from using tools. I'm sure there is loads more but that is what has come to mind now.

In September 2014 we acquired an additional bit to our allotment, which was fairly over grown and four compost bins made out of old pallets, the bins were full of rotted carpets, weeds and rubbish, it was a lot of work clearing it and then trying to decide what to do with it all.

We decided that we could go for mainly fruit, we have some very dwarf fruit trees apple, pear, cherry, then blueberry bushes, jostaberry, red and white currant bushes and a thornless blackberry. We added in a couple of lavender bushes, some wallflowers and lupins along the front edge, to help attract bees and other helpful insects, so two and a half years later it now looks like this, we've spent the last week weeding and mulching it all and if a may so myself it is looking very good.

Strawberry's are doing well and their new bed is nearly ready for them, front tubs are sweetcorn, planted last week, so a little bit early to see any signs yet.

Cucumbers are potted on and are doing well.

Broccoli and brussel sprouts are doing very well, we've planted some more broccoli seeds today.

On a school childminding front we have been looking at the colour wheel, primary colours, secondary colours, complementary, warm and cool colours and then creating a day and night picture using cool colours for night and warm for day, will hopefully finish them of this week but we have all enjoyed creating these.

M has been attending an anime drawing course, the teacher is wonderful, very enthusiastic, this week they were looking at movement. Over the weeks, they have created a character and a short story piece for their character. Now they are spending time getting to know their character, facial expressions, movements etc.

This week

This week, I have started making a list of garden/allotment jobs that need to be done and thinking about a planting plan. Need to decide if the green house is repairable or not, I have no idea how old it is, it was second hand when we first got it and wasn't in a brilliant state then and it has been taken down and put together a couple of times too. But it has done us well for over 10 years but have reached the stage last year were the metal door was refusing to close and a couple of roof panes have slipped again and the seals are going or have gone, as well as few other problems. Jobs so far are

1. Order new seeds and buy seed potatoes, decided to try growing aubergines and peppers, we did peppers a few years ago and they were ok but need to start them of early.
2. Plan allotment planting
3. Sort green house, clean pots
4. Prune apple and pear trees
5. Prune grape vines
6. Plant onions, aubergine and early broccoli

Think that will do for starters!

Our second story from A Year Full of Stories was from Germany (have realised that 2 of the next 3 stories are also from Germany, had hoped for more country hopping, should of looked more closely first but enjoying the stories). Thought we would look at the work of the artist Franz Marc, he was born in Munich in 1880 and a key figure in the German expressionist movement. Now my girls love horses so his many varies paintings of horses went down well with them, they chose the Blue Horse to try and copy, create their own version of.

L loved all the colours, so decided to paint a multi coloured horse, she realised after she had finished painting she had got carried away with how many legs she had painted, luckily she found it rather amusing.

M went for a more literal interpretation but got rather stuck trying to recreate the horses legs.

One painted by one of my minded children.

L then decided to paint a caterpillar with hairy horns.

We spent yesterday exploring the woods.

L spotted some fungi growing on a fallen branch, really do wish I could identify at least some of the mushrooms and toadstools we find on our walks.

I have been sorting through my wool basket, or maybe that should be baskets and found I had enough pretty pink cotton to make a friends Granddaughter to be a cardigan and the left over ball into some dishcloths. Have been told they look to pretty to use for washing up dishes but sometimes I think it is nice to have something pretty to do a routine job.

Also enjoying reading Braiding Sweetgrass, just read a lovely chapter called The Gift of Strawberries, she talks about how the nature of an object changes depending on how it comes into our hands, a pair of socks bought in a store do not have the same feeling as a pair of socks knitted by your Nan, that sort of gift creates an ongoing relationship. The same goes for our food they are a gift from the earth and therefore create a relationship with it, when you grow your own food you have a different relationship to it than the food you buy in a store. You can see this in the faces of the children when we go and harvest our fruit and vegetables. It is so far proving to be wonderful book, full of interesting stories that are very thought provoking.

The other book is Self-Reg, I have an interest in sensory processing disorder and anxiety in children, so far he has talked about how easily babies and small children can be over stimulated, how for some children the classroom is just too much sensory stimulation for them. How the constant daily triggers, sensory input can lead quickly to full blown melt downs and how a quieter, calmer environment is better for them. I don't think I have learnt anything new yet but enjoying the way it is written and always good to go back over subject even if you think you know it well.

Tonight we had snow, was amazed it settled at all, as it had been raining steadily all afternoon but it did the girls spent a mad hour playing outside, don't think L can really remember the last time we had snow, they enjoyed a snowball fight. It has stopped snowing now and looks like it might be all gone by tomorrow much to their disappointment.

Linked with Yarn Along