Mt. Vernon, George Washington's Home

A couple of weeks ago we lucky to be able to take a trip to see George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon. It was a full day and the kids were asleep by the time we got home with the hours of walking we did (and the warm, cozy car ride home!) I hadn't ever been there, but we were impressed with all there was to do there. The museum was wonderful. I love that hands-on learning!

Slave Cabin and the interior (below)

Being a Tourist: Microbe Exhibit, Davy Crockett's Cabin, the Parthenon

Last week I took the kids on a trip down to Nashville to spend time with my sister, brother-in-law and their three kids. They are homeschoolers as well. They are in 5th, 7th and 10th grades. A little bit more about them in my next post.


We had a fantastic time with the family and also did a number of terrific outings.  Here are a few things we did:
 
Microbe Exhibit (eastern Tennessee off of I-81 and down I-26 about 5 or 10 miles) The other exhibit at Gray's Fossil Museum that I talked about a couple days ago.

This room talked about the Black Plague and the kids are looking at a mask like some people would wear to try to prevent the plague. Since some thought the plague was transferred through the air they wore these masks and had sweet smelling concoctions to try to keep the plague away.  This exhibit was great timing because we listened to the first disc of the second volume of the Story of the World on our long drive that talked about the Black Death. That wasn't planned, it was just pure chance and blind luck!  I bought all four volumes from someone at homeschoolclassified this summer and just love, love, love having the CDs to listen to in the car! 

This interactive castle showed us how our body has defenses just like the castle. Each part of the castle moved and explained how mucus, acids, etc. help keep our body safe from invasion.

Oh no! Microbes in the kitchen!

This room was super-duper neat!  It was lit with black lights and these viruses jumped out and were three dimensional. You can see ED trying to grab one in the picture below (I had to lift her up to see the viruses and she wouldn't let me put her back down again!)  A group of teenagers came to visit with their class and I heard comments like "Wow," "This is SO cool" and "Check this out!"  What an awesome exhibit!

Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park (east Tennessee)

We had just finished up a big unit on the frontiersmen (Daniel Boone, the Wilderness Road, etc.) and had read four or five books about Davy Crockett (plus learned the song!).  We enjoyed our brief visit to see Davy Crockett's (reconstructed) cabin.

 

 

We spent a long time looking at how the cabin was constructed because of the wonderful book we just finished called Sign of the Beaver.  The boy, Brian, was left alone to finish work on the cabin he and his Dad built. His father left to fetch his mother and sister, but then didn't return. Luckily Brian got to know an Indian grandfather and his grandson who taught him how to survive.  I highly, highly recommend that book!

Parthenon, reconstruction of the ancient Greek temple (Nashville)

We all loved visiting the Parthenon in Nashville, which is based on the one from ancient Athens.  We talked about our studies of ancient Greece (back about two years ago now) and the kids said they're keen to study it again! Oh and that's my sis with the long braid and my niece in the striped shirt.  My nieces and nephew have the exact same coloring as my kids -- and they sure are wonderful with their younger cousins!

 

Frontiersmen Unit

This past week the kids all came down with colds. As a consequence we did a lot of reading aloud and a bit less of the hands-on type stuff. We've been studying Appalachian music and decided to study some of the early frontiersmen in more depth.

We spent a lot of time reading about Daniel Boone (one of the first to cross the Appalachian Mountains and one of the men to create the Wilderness Road) , Johnny Appleseed (who planted apple seeds through out the "West" -- Ohio Valley region) and Davy Crockett (left). We also learned about the Alamo since Davy Crockett died there at almost 50 years of age.

The Alamo Mission, where the pivotal battle took place during the Texas Revolution. Texas proclaimed its independence from Mexico and drove the Mexicans out, but then the Mexican army marched in to re-claim Texas.

The kids really enjoyed watching the 1955 Disney movie about Davy Crockett.   While this series is not known for its historical accuracy, it gave the kids a flavor of the times and a springboard for more discussions. LD and DD both said they "LOVED" it!

We made origami raccoons, in honor of Crockett's coonskin hat! You can't tell in the picture, but the heads pop out a bit and can move.  DD went on to make an entire family of raccoons!

 

 We're reading a wonderful novel called The Sign of the Beaver.  It's about a boy who is left on his own in a frontier cabin (in Maine) while his father goes to fetch the rest of the family. The boy has to live on his own and soon has some encounters with Indians...  Going along with this book, the kids are helping me make some moccasins.

Finally we have plans to make a Daniel Boone lapbook offered free from Dynamic Two Moms.

We also hope to see a bit of the Wilderness Road state park (Martin's Station, the last fortified fort for supplies before settlers made their way across the Appalachian mountain) and to make it to Davy Crockett's birthplace cabin in the next couple of weeks. Hooray!

Empty Skies Memorial

Adjacent to the landing where we caught the ferry to Liberty Island we came upon the Empty Skies Memorial. This was beautiful site and an emotional place to visit. 

 

We walked silently down the corridor with the kids.  When we came to the end I explained to DD why there were so many names on the walls we had just walked through.  She reached out and buried her head on my shoulder and hugged me.  "Mommy," she whispered, "that's just so sad."  Still makes tears well up thinking about her touching response.

American Landmarks and Symbols -- The Real Thing!

Last weekend we took an extended trip to see some famous sites to go along with our studies of US symbols and landmarks.  We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa in New Jersey and used them as a base to go into Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and to travel up to New York to take the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  And, being so close to the ocean we had to spend time at the 'Jersey Shore' as well!  What a fabulous (extended) weekend and a lovely time with Grandma and Grandpa.  It is SO amazing to live near family!

The kids were fascinated by the old cobblestone streets.

Independence Hall beyond the green and the Liberty Bell is housed in the building to the right.

 Time at the beach with Grandpa and Grandma:

 

Ellis Island is where many immigrants to the USA were processed (1892-1954).  It is very close to Liberty Island.

Ellis Island

 

The Great Hall where immigrants were processed.

The Statue of Liberty:

Statue of Liberty as seen from Ellis Island. With the haze we wondered what it would look like up close. Then the weather cleared up and we had a fabulous day with fine, cool weather.

It is so pretty seeing it in person.  Pictures just don't do it justice!

We learned that the Statue of Liberty has seven points on her crown symbolizing the seven continents.

Montessori Philosophy and our USA unit study

I've been doing some reading and re-reading of Montessori philosophy this summer.  I thought I'd share my thoughts about how our studies -- specifically our USA unit study -- fits in with my interpretations of Montessori teaching in the early elementary grades.  As I have three kids spanning the two age groupings (both 3-6 and 6-9), I use elements from both.

**We will be starting the year by creating paper maché  globes. This is ED's first (formal) introduction to the world and globes. When I told DD and LD about this, they were excited and said they wanted to make globes as well.  I have big plastic bouncy balls on hand and we'll slather on paper mache and do our best to make reasonable representations of the seven continents  and the oceans with paint, glue and sand. (Keep in mind, it'll be the process not the end result!)

**We will also start off the year with the First and Second Great Lessons.  It has been nearly two years since we did the First Great Lesson (coming of the universe and Earth) and a year since our Second Great Lesson (Coming of Life-the geologic timeline).  I plan to do these presentations and all the drama over a two or three-day period. If you want to learn more you can visit Miss Barbara's Great Lessons page or Montessori Albums Great Lessons pages or explore the links put together by Montessori Mom.  I think these lessons are really useful for giving the kids a broad overview of the universe, the world and life.  Having this broad overview, they can then better understand how smaller ideas and details fit into the big picture. I like the idea that the kids gain a picture of how they fit into the universe and the immense timeline of life.

**Review of the World -- continents and oceans (this is new for ED), continent song

**USA in relation to the world --
     Physical Geography:
          North America mapwork, What is the country like?
          How big is it?
          What are the major rivers, mountains and bays?
          USA pinmap           What is the climate like?
          Landmarks
     Political Geography:
          What are its neighbors? (and perhaps Rock the Capitals, Central America to go along with this)
           Symbols

**This unit also seemed perfect since in the early elementary years there's an emphasis of taking children out into the world for real-life experiences.  This unit takes advantage of our location here on the East Coast. We have plans to see the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, White House, Washington Monument, and Mt. Vernon (and perhaps other places, but we'll see -- that's already quite ambitious!!)

**One issue that I have with myself and our homeschooling is that element of self direction and self-led learning.  The kids definitely have their areas of interest. LD, for example, reads and follows his passion for science. You will often find him picking up and reading chemistry, physics book or reading through our vast Horrible Science collection. He designs and sets up his own experiments (often with help from Mom and Dad to gather materials, etc.). But when it comes to other units of study, I often bring forth the materials and we explore topics that I have sought out and set forth.  Anyway, just wanted you all to be aware that there is a beautiful element to Montessori philosophy that is under scrutiny for our homeschool.  I am tossing up changing our homeschooling style a bit -- to be both more structured and more autonomous and independent for the kids.  I'm still thinking this through though before I can share anything further here in blogland!

***OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!! -- I wrote this post and had this set to send out since we were on holiday visiting family.  While we were away I found out that I was the winner of Karen Tyler's year long Montessori training class.  I've had a sneak-preview of the albums and what we will be learning over the course of this next year. (My class starts Sept. 1! Hooray!!)  It BLOWS MY SOCKS OFF!!!  I am a voracious reader and have pretty much read all the books and resources I can get my hands on regarding Montessori philosophy and stuff... Karen's albums make me feel like I knew nothing... and I can't wait to get started learning and re-planning for this next year.  The course is geared towards 3-6 but let me tell you, LD will benefit from my training course as much or more than little ED here!!! 

Anyway, stay tuned as I revisit our homeschool style and structure. I'm on a new journey and I'm SO SO excited!!

US Landmarks and Symbols -- free 3-part Montessori cards

I am busy planning and getting ready for this next year.  I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for and so made these 3-part cards for our upcoming unit study on America. Cards include landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, the White House, Mount Rushmore and more.

UPDATE: You can download the free US Landmarks and Symbols cards at our new location.  This link will take you there.

We also have world landmark cards and matching pages in our World Facts Packet

We also have a new 45-page Civics and Government Packet that you may be interested in. It covers the 3 branches of government and includes civics cards, notebook pages and much more.

Let's Learn about the World

When we start back into our school year LD and DD are going to learn some basic facts about the world in which we live --
the largest continent-Asia
the largest country-Russia
the largest ocean-Pacific
the largest desert-Sahara
the tallest mountain-Mt. Everest
the longest river-the Nile has been long thought to be the longest river, but an expedition in 2000 found the Amazon River to be 64 miles longer.
world population (6 billion+).

If you are interested you can find our Let's Learn about the World sheet here.

This is the United States--Unit Study

American  Landmarks, Symbols, Basic Facts

We are going to study some basic facts and symbols of the United States with this unit study.  Things like
US geography (rivers, mountains, time zones)
famous landmarks
American patriotic songs
the US flag

the Liberty Bell

the Statue of Liberty,
the Great Seal etc. etc.

 Here are the topics we'll be covering over a two or three week period (or so) in this introduction to the U.S. I typed it up for myself, but you can  click here to see that sheet. I have a lot of wonderful history resources from my years of teaching a 7-10 year old class called "American History for Kids."  We'll be doing tons of activities and readings selected from my numerous resources (which I obviously can't share because they are copyright protected). And another reason why I'm so excited is because my best friend here is going to do this same unit and we hope to do lots of trips together. Hooray!

In a couple of days I'll share the fact sheet I made about the world.

I'll be sharing my US Landmarks (Montessori type) 3-part cards on July 26th.

(Left--Space Needle, Seattle, WA) Update, here's the link!!

US Landmarks and Symbols — free 3-part Montessori cards (over at our new location, homeschoolden.com

I love this cute rhyme/song to learn the 50 states. It's called 50 States That Rhyme.  The kids loved their South America countries and capitals song (Rock the Capitals) and learned so much that I'm inclined to give this a go as well!

By the way, for those of you who live in the US, I noticed that Target has lots of things in their dollar bin area (in our area at least) that we'll find especially useful this year -- US Presidents and world landmarks, for example.  

You might also be interested in our World Facts Packet

This goes over some basic world facts.  Do they know…

• What are the four largest countries? (Russia, Canada, the U.S.A., China)
• What countries have the most people? (China, India, the U.S.A.)
• What are the world’s largest cities? (Tokyo, Jakarta, Seoul)
• Which countries have the longest life expectancy? (Monaco, Macau, Japan)
• What are the major religions?

Since we live in the U.S., I also had the kids go over some basic facts about America.

• What is the U.S. capital? Washington, D.C.
• What is the smallest state? Rhode Island
• Biggest state? Alaska
• What is the name of the tallest mountain in the U.S.? Mt. McKinley
• What is the longest river? Mississippi River
• There is also a sheet so the kids can locate some geographic features of the US: the larger rivers, the oceans, Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes