Learning About Sharks::A Unit Study

Sharks and Dinosaurs, Dinos and Sharks - that's pretty much the mantra around here with Peter and Joseph.  Peter knows the exact location of shark books at the library and I think we've checked out every single one of them.

My favorite part of homeschooling the youngest learners is their sweet desire for knowledge.  Everything is new and exciting.  One simple book leads to questions which leads to a quick Google search for coloring and activity pages.

The book that started it all

Hark!  A Shark:  All About Sharks

We have nearly the entire set of Cat in the Hat's Learning Library.

Thanks to that collection, last summer we focused on butterflies and frogs.

My kids love coloring while I read, so I'll print off a pile of theme pictures and while I read a stack of books, they'll color.

Books We Read About Sharks

             

Links to favorite shark coloring pages

Get Coloring Pages (huge variety of scary and smiley sharks)

Super Coloring (print or "color" online)

How to draw a hammerhead shark

After all the listening and coloring it was time for something a little more active.  I found this Flipping Fins Shark game.  It teaches left and right and worked for all ages.  Basically you toss a shark and earn points based on how it lands.  

Other fun stuff:


(this is for an Easter basket)




(favorite larger size sharks for tub play)

This Shark Unit Study was so short and simple, yet effectively informed my three youngest about the many different species of sharks, how they use their 6 senses, and kept the kids yearning for more shark info the next day.

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My pinterest shark unit board

Weekly Wrap-Up....{the one where the dogs wore clothes}

Speaking of clothes, this dark load really sums up our week - a lot going on, but it sure wasn't laundry.  I did eventually get all this washed just in time for two kids to get the stomach flu.  Blah!

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Here are the adorable pups Amber's been watching.  I think I mentioned last week they wear ski jackets.  I didn't make that up.  Amber just brought them in from a chilly evening walk.  

They went home yesterday, and I actually miss them.  I can't say that too loud or everyone will be begging for a dog again.

Bella is wearing a cheetah fur trimmed sweater vest while she studies "Civilizations of the Fertile Crescent"

Maria had such fun dressing Teddy all week.  And what a trooper Teddy was, she actually would lay on her back like a baby, letting Maria velcro the clothes on.

And when it doesn't work out quite right, ask your 12 year old brother for help.

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Amber and I participated in a 5K.  It was the first one of the year - cold and had one killer hill.

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When I shared the recipe for Southern Pork Barbecue, I listed the other new recipes I'd tried.  This is Frank's Chicken from this cookbook cooking in the crockpot.  I'll share this recipe soon.  It turned out very tender chicken.  I think I'll use a little less rosemary next time, though.

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Noteworthy Homeschooling News

Amber finished Algebra 1 Teaching Textbooks this week.  She worked so hard this year, never missing a day, and it's really paid off.  She's very prepared for Geometry.

Joseph read a book to me at the library.  I pulled a Margaret Hillert book off the shelf and while I typed out a blog post, he sat and read the entire book to me.  I heard a few missed words, but I let them go and a couple times he went back and reread the sentence with the right word.  That's a HUGE win in my book because that means he's actually comprehending what he's reading.

Margaret Hillert's Beginning to Read series has become a favorite of mine this year.  Joe has been responding so well to the limited vocabulary in her books.

That about wraps up our week.  It's a windy, dreary day here in Wisconsin.  Springtime temperatures are welcome anytime now!!

Linking up with

Super Summer Science - Butterflies

The summer slide - it's a fact of life. Over the summer kids lose some of their newly learned skills.  We all know the phrase use it or lose it, well that's what happens when summer takes over - skills aren't used and they're lost, or at least are left trailing behind.  It's easy to indulge in all the fun summer brings.  Here at Camp Homeschool we've been fishing, swimming, boating, grilling out, gardening, trampolining, BMX and motocross biking, bowfishing, horseback riding...and more.  The activity level is mind blowing, yet the summer slide still happens.  Handwriting skills, reading fluency, math facts - pushed aside leaving room for all things summery and happy.

What if the summer slide could be com-batted with a little trickery on your part?  This summer I've decided to use the Cat in the Hat Learning Library books to infuse a little summery, happy learning into our days.  It's so easy to excite the kids with science, especially in the summer, and especially when it revolves around butterflies.  The first book in my Super Summer Science plan is:

At this point, I'm mainly concerned with Joseph.  The effort required for mastering skills is mind-blowing so I really don't want those new skills to slide away this summer.  I made a list of skills I want to keep fresh.

Reading/Listening Skills
Cutting - Motor skills
Handwriting

Then I thought about a simple structure for our science time.

Read, Review, Eat, Explore

READ

 First we cuddled on the couch and read My, oh My--A butterfly!

REVIEW

 I used this free printable for coloring practice and recognizing colors and shapes.

 Teaching symmetry is perfect in a butterfly unit.  I used this free printable, folded it in half, gave the boys paint and q-tips and instructed them to paint on only half.  Then we folded the blank half over the painted half to reveal a symmetrical butterfly.

Joseph wasn't satisfied with a perfectly symmetrical butterfly and ended up painting more dots on the wings.

Using this free printable, we reviewed the life cycle of a butterfly.  This turned out to be Joe's favorite activity.  He even read it to me before I reviewed it with him.  I was astonished.

EAT

After cleaning up, we ate a quick little snack of pretzel twists.  I encouraged them to arrange them on the table to look like butterfly wings.  They had fun and it turned into a what other animal can you make game.

EXPLORE

Then for the EXPLORE time we headed outdoors and watched butterflies flit to and fro on the hot gravel driveway.  It was the perfect butterfly watching day.  The boys chased them, trying to catch the butterflies.  We also went searching under leaves for eggs.  It wasn't fruitful, but they had a good time.

It turned out to be the perfect Super Summer Science for Joseph and Peter.  Up next:

We'll focus on frogs.  But before I sign off with this post, here's a short video of Joe reading the butterfly life cycle book.

Pure Cuteness

We settled in 25 chicks.  They're awful cute now, all yellow and fluffy.  And the cheep, cheep sound they make continuously draws me in so, I want to peer over the edge of the box forever.  But it's a good thing they all look the same because to name these little puffballs would be a sin, unless they were named breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Come July 1st that's what these Cornish Cross will become...food.  For now though, we'll enjoy their pure cuteness.

Migration

First saw them October 18.  Everyday they're picking seeds in the lawn under the feeders.  Another nature note:  First skim ice on the chicken's water dish, October 19.