More Map Skills (With Some Science and Math Thrown In)

The boys are thoroughly enjoying their map and geography book I posted earlier.  The latest exercise called for making their very own compass.  I must mention at this point that my boys are avid campers and have their own compasses (from the kids' meal at Chick-Fil-A).  By avid campers, I mean they put on their backpacks and camp in the yard, the playroom, the bushes, wherever, as long as they can call it camping.  They have been tent camping with Sweet Hubby and are waiting so very impatiently for cooler weather to go again.  So, teaching them how to make their own compass out of household materials was almost more excitement than they could handle.

First, we needed a magnet, a sewing needle, a circle made from cardstock, and a small bowl of water.  Run the needle over the magnet in the same direction 100 times.  (We had to make a slight variation since we were also practicing counting to 100).  Then set the cardstock circle on top of the water.  Put the needle on the cardstock.

After gently tapping the circle to make it spin and make the needle spin, the needle will automatically point north.  Our needle actually did this!  We were so very excited.  We used the kids' meal compasses to make sure our homemade compass was working correctly.  Yep, close enough for cheesecake.

We are very much enjoying our geography book.  The Boys' Wonder look forward to each lesson.

School Supplies

I've been stocking up on school supplies for the Wonder Kids this summer.  I realized I needed some as well.  Here's my list:

Making a Map

For our geography this month, we are studying maps.  I found a delightful book called "Leagues and Legends" from Veritas Press.  It is a story about a man who walks into the wrong shop only to meet Mr. Latitude and Mr. Longitude.  They proceed to tell him how to find his way using maps.  The Boys Wonder loved the story.  Boy Wonder #1 is determined to be Mr. Tardy (the main character) every time we go for walks now.  The accompanying workbook has exercises that teach how to read and draw maps.  The first lesson was to make a strip map.  We had to make a strip map of the route from our house to the grandparents house.  This was fun, even for me.  The Boys Wonder had to remember what all we saw on the way to Nana and Papa's house.  (This was slightly difficult since we normally traverse this route during naptime since it takes 5 hours).  They had a great time drawing bridges, rivers, fields, and houses.

The strip map created by the Boys Wonder.  One drew the rivers and bridges, the other drew the houses.  They both worked on the grass and fields.

Mr. Latitude (L) and Mr. Longitude (R).  They are helping the boys learn to read and draw maps.

Boy Wonder #2 leading Mr. Longitude across the map from our house to the grandparents house. 

Covered Wagons in My Playroom

We've been reading through the "Little House on the Prairie" series for about a year now.  We're up to book 3, "Liitle House on the Prairie".  The Wonder Kids have been loving listening to the book over lunch.  Since I finally have more energy, we've added some fun along the way.  In the chapters where Pa is building the house, we used Lincoln Logs to build a house as we read.  The boys especially enjoyed that part.  Then they clamored for a covered wagon.  I am not crafty at all so I found a great link on a website and voila-covered wagons.

The base for our covered wagon.

Covering the wagon bottom with brown paper and glue stick.  Or as Boy Wonder #2 calls it, "putting purple on".

Once the brown paper is all glued into place, the "canvas top" gets glued into place.  Boy Wonder #1 chose a red canvas while BW#2 chose a white canvas.  At this point, BW#1 was more interested in piano practice (really more piano banging) so BW#2 finished up both wagons.  Any opportunity to immerse himself in glue stick work makes him happy.

Adding wheels, 2D and 3D.

BW#2 and GW#1 spent the next 30 minutes or so pushing the wagons across the playroom prairie.  They were having a great time until they hit the Island of Sodor and BW#1's train tracks.  Then chaos ensued.  It's probably good Laura Ingalls Wilder never encountered that on her journey westward.  Our covered wagons did not survive multiple train accidents on the bridges. 

Here's the link to the covered wagon craft.

Buoyancy and Emptying the Pool

One of the great joys of homeschooling is the myriad ways we can do science experiments and teach the foundations of science.  Our science lessons that past 2 weeks have included nothing but water.  And the blow-up pool.  We emptied the pool after a couple of days of using it.  The water got icky so we had to wash it.  Except I never got around to washing it fast enough.  Then it rained cats, dogs, and buckets from the sky so the pool filled up again.  The kids were thrilled to say the least.  Nothing is more fun at our house than playing in the pool (well, maybe eating popsicles).  So we experimented with floating and sinking various toys, rocks, sticks, balls, cups, and whatever else we found in the yard.  Bricks don't float unless you put them on frisbees.  Frisbees float until you put too much stuff in them. 

Then it rained cats, dogs, and buckets again.  So we did more experiments.  The Wonder Kids also learned how to reuse the rain water to water the garden.  The Boys Wonder had fun spilling their buckets of water on the blueberry bushes.  I could not convince them that they were watering the bushes.  In their world, they were spilling the water on the bushes, ergo, a much more fun adventure.  Girl Wonder #1 daintly watered the strawberry bushes.  Mostly, she watered her head with some splashes into the strawberry bushes.