Archive for the ‘destination...delight directed’ Category:
Chocolate Challenge!
Study chocolate? Oh YES!
This was our second time enjoying this rich topic. We briefly touched on it when we studied the rain forest. This time was better because we devoted an entire week to chocolate. Yum.
This is our third Download N Go experience, and I must confess– I heart Download N Go. Try it, and you will probably heart it too! The days are planned for you. You don’t have to work the lessons into a plan. You don’t have to go looking for supplemental material. You don’t have to check the links. You don’t have to hunt down fun videos on YouTube or conjure up a supplemental book list. You don’t have to create a lapbook from scratch, and you don’t have to think of fun project ideas. It’s all right there ready for download!
So, with all that done for me, what DO I do in order to pull off a successful experience with DNG?
1. I open the ebook, scan through it, and decide what to print. I print the activity pages, the lapbook, and a few other pages. Instead of using the worksheets, Elijah narrates to me each day.
2. I make a supply list and buy a few things when I do my weekly grocery shopping. You don’t HAVE to do this, but I do. I like to do some cooking or a memorable project with my kids as part of the unit.
3. I grab some books off my shelves. You don’t need extra books, but I hoard books, so we use them.
Once I have those three things done, I start the unit.
We began with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, a family favorite.
We learned about one chocolatier each day. To make this relevant, I purchased chocolate products that matched up with the chocolatiers of the day.
On Monday the boys split a Hershey Bar. On Tuesday they devoured some Wonka chocolate (Nestle company). On Wednesday they chomped the Cadbury Milk Bar. On Thursday they shared the Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate and Toffee Bar. On Friday we gobbled up some treats made by Lindt. Nobody makes truffles like Lindt! I think the boys are official chocolate snobs. They know the difference between good chocolate and great chocolate!
Throughout the week, Elijah worked through the activity pages and lapbook. Elijah is working hard here on the lay-out of his notebook.
Here is the final product–a great record of what he learned!
Page 1- chocolatiers and their products
Page 2- more chocolatiers and their products
Page 3- vocabulary and graph
*the "What’s in a A Chocolate Bar" is just a small simple fold we made. You can do this too! Just fold a piece of paper in half.
Page 4
*the Chocolate Candy Bar activity was from Homeschool Share
Page 5- all about cacao (and yes, we know how to pronounce it!)
*again, the two tiny yellow books we made ourselves; we wanted to include this information from the unit in the lapbook without doing the worksheet pages
Page 6 -timeline
Page 7- drawing of a cacao tree, where cacao grows
Page 8- rain forest layers, chocolate treats pop-up, word find
*the green flap book includes the layers of the rain forest; this activity is found in the DNG, but Elijah made it into a flap book
Page 9- learning about Brazil
*we added four Brazil mini books from Homeschool Share, but this is not necessary
Page 10- more about Brazil and cacoa beans as money
The boys decided that chocolate ice cream topped with homemade hot fudge would be the best way to end our week. This stuff is good. Really good. Make it at your own risk.
My little chef starts the sauce.
Stirring and being goofy!
Elijah takes over with the blender.
Good enough to eat!
If you want to enjoy Chocolate Challenge, it will be released on August 1st. We got a sneak peek since I’m friends with the lapbook designer. 
Learning with LEGO
Elijah spent last week learning with LEGO using the digital unit I prepared for him.
He spent four days watching videos about LEGOs, completing building challenges and creating a Lap-N-Note ™.
Putting the lapbook together.
Completed Lap-N-Note ™ Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Elijah’s coolest creation of the week–
Free Range Education
Once upon a time I knew an English teacher who, when asked what she taught, would reply, "literature" or "writing." Once upon a time that same teacher eventually realized that she wasn’t teaching "literature" or "writing"–she was teaching students.
Once upon a time that very teacher became a mom then a homeschooling mom. She taught her little students math, reading, handwriting, and geography.
One day this teacher, this mom, this homeschooling mom realized that her oldest student was really teaching himself. And one day (one very important day) this mom had a metaphor moment.
She had taken her little students to a dairy farm for a field trip. At the dairy farm there were chickens (and cows, too, of course, but the chickens are what’s important in this story).
The tour guide explained all about chickens and why it was so important to free range them. You see, most egg-laying hens are kept in cages. Sometimes too many chickens in one cage. They are cooped up with the other chickens–all sitting in their own filth.
These hens are given the same diet. And it’s not what they really need to produce rich Omega 3 eggs, but it does get them to produce eggs. And eggs (even if they aren’t the best) are the goal.
But the hens at the dairy farm this mom visited were free. They could walk where they wanted, build nests where they wanted, and eat what they wanted. All they needed were a few grassy pastures which the farm provided for them.
And that’s when this once-upon-a-time mom had her moment: chickens and children are somewhat the same.
She knew she didn’t want to keep her students in cages or a give them a diet of state standards. She knew she didn’t need to give each child the exact.same.thing. And she certainly didn’t want them sitting in their own filth.
She determined–
my chicks need a green pasture from which to feed.
Once upon a time this mom grasped that when she supplies her children with rich resources and large doses of inspiration, they will learn far more than if she were to try to teach them.
"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." ~Albert Einstein
Summer Adventure Box ~ Mad Science!
My friend Ginger (who unfortunately does not have a blog) started a fabulous tradition with her children about five years ago. She creates Summer Adventure Boxes for them–keeping the learning alive through the summer by giving them a theme to explore.
Every summer I say I’m going to make an adventure box for Elijah. Well, it’s never happened. Until now.
Elijah started asking to mix potions and concoct concoctions a few months ago. So, I found a few books (Super Science Concoctions, What’s Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew) & a box, and for the first time, I finally put together a summer adventure box for my son (insert wild applause, please).
The first thing he learned about was solutions (making lemonade). We did substitute the idea in the book because salad dressing is something my son is never, never, never going to ingest.
He’s also learned about molecules and how they diffuse.
What’s next for my super scientist? More about molecules, crystals, phases of matter, chemical changes, viscosity, density, immiscibility, surface tension, capillary action, polymers, and SO much more! I love the Super Science Concoctions book. It’s written to the student, and he can do 90% of everything on his own (there are moments where the book has a HOT! Get help! indicator).
His box holds almost everything he needs for his mad science adventures: baking soda, plaster of Paris, paraffin, borax, vinegar, salt, gelatin, and so much more (it’s hidden under there!).
Here are some other Summer Adventure Box themes you might want to check out. It’s not too late to put together a love-to-learn experience for your own child! Just ask him what he wants to learn about. . . and GO for it!
Michele’s Insects Adventure Box
Heather’s Summer Adventure Boxes
Home Grown Mom’s Adventure Boxes- Little House on the Prairie and Insects
Chrissy’s Summer Adventure Boxes
Astronaut Adventures
Mission: Have fun learning with the Astronaut Mini-Unit
Status: Complete
~prepping some mini-books
~working through the videos, interactive websites, and astronaut information
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Elijah’s next exploration is "Mad Science!"
Who says summer school can’t be fun?! :)
Independent Study: Astronauts
Yesterday, Elijah asked if I would give him something about astronauts. I didn’t really know what to give him. He’s read the only two astronaut books we have (John Glenn: Young Astronaut and Neil Armstrong: Young Flyer) dozens of times.
I decided to try something new for him–an independent study of sorts. So, last night I worked hard pulling together Astronaut Adventures. It’s a 4-day mini-unit for him to work through on his own.
I usually share all my work at Homeschool Share (makes sense since I’m the girl behind the curtain), but this has too many links. I do not plan on updating this as the links break, so get it while it’s hot!
Delight-Directed Update
pattern block creation Elijah constructed in his free time
Getting the hang of this delight-directed thing is still hard for me. I don’t know if I make it harder than it is, or if I just like to agonize over my child’s education. Probably both! But, I’m learning. Here are some of the things I’ve gleaned from the past few months.
1. My son has great ideas.
It’s okay to let go and let him lead the way. He is choosing great things to learn about. He is also learning how to fill his days with profitable activities.
2. Delight directed learning goes slow.
We don’t "cover" as much as we did before, but he’s exploring and learning things I would’ve never introduced. These things are really sinking in. Slowly, but surely! It’s better to go at his pace than mine. :)
3. I have to keep a journal in order to feel accomplished.
In the midst of the day, I feel like Elijah does a lot. But at the end of the month, I feel that we’ve done nothing unless I keep track of what he’s doing. My friend, Helen, suggested I keep a journal, and it has made a huge difference. When I look back through a written record, I don’t feel anxious about his education.
4. Delight-directed doesn’t mean my hands are completely off of my son’s learning. He will come to me and tell me what he wants to learn about. He determines the subjects and topics, but I put different options on the table. He chooses what he likes and we go from there. It’s kind of like this–
Elijah: Mom, I’m hungry.
Me: What are you hungry for?
Elijah: Potatoes.
Me: Would you like them mashed, baked, boiled, or fried, OR do you just want to eat them plain?
And he decides.
And we go from there.
5. The Delight-directed approach is not the same as unschooling. Elijah doesn’t determine what his entire day looks like. We still do math and language lessons daily. Elijah is still memorizing scripture and has critical thinking exercises to do. Someone asked if we still use workboxes. We do. I don’t fill very many, but the must-dos are in his boxes (usually 3-6, depending on the day).
I am certainly not an authority on this type of learning, but I do want to share my experience in case in might help someone else along in their journey. We’re just going to keep cruising through our adventure.
Making a U-turn
I don’t know who learned more yesterday.
While Elijah was building robots, I was in the background.
I listened to my not-so-little-boy work through some problems.
He had to decide which way to cross the belt.
He had to figure out why the birds weren’t dancing.
He had to learn new commands with the computer program.
And he did it.
And he did it without me.
And he was learning. A lot.
I had to stop him so that I could teach him other things. We worked through my prescribed list—mapping out New England states, creating eight vocab cards, and a few other things. It felt contrived. Because it was.
I’m making a U-turn.
Sometimes they are dangerous and illegal, but I don’t think the homeschool police will chase after me. For over a year I’ve been tossing around the idea of tossing out my agenda and letting Elijah lead the way. I’m overdue. It’s time to let this boy devote some serious energy to what he wants to learn about.
I’m unplanned. I’m unprepared. I feel like I’m in the Emerald City and I’ve been given not the green glasses but super blurry ones. I want to click home to Kansas because Oz scares me, but I know that Kansas is not what my not-so-little-boy needs.
I thought I had come to this place before, but I never really made it. This time I am on that yellow brick road.
It’s a brand new adventure– destination: delight-directed.
Elijah in Lego Land
About six months ago I asked Elijah for a list of things he wanted to study. Robots was on the list. Um-hum and oh-no.
You see, once something gets on Elijah’s want-to-study list, it stays there for a very long time…and this particular subject is more like at the tippy top of the want-to have-to must study list…and this particular subject is likely to stay there…forever.
So, Jason and I decided to invest in a WeDo Robotics Kit by Lego Education. This particular kit comes with Legos for constructing the robots as well as computer software to aid in the engineering and programming.
Elijah has been working with the kit for a few weeks; he’s been teaching himself about simple machines– axles & motors, gears (all kinds from the idler gear to the crown gear to the worm gear to the whatever other kind of gear I have no clue about), belts (how to increase speed & how to decrease speed), and levers.
Today, he started on his first real project — Dancing Birds.
Elijah spent a block of time playing with the gears and such to affect the speed and direction of motion.
He also had fun programming the birds to do different things along with some sound effects.
As he was working this morning, I knew I wanted to put this all in a blog post as an introduction to his robotics study. At the tail end of his work, I decided to grab the video camera. Through the clip below, you can get a glimpse of the Wedo Robotics program.
I will try to take some video of each robotics project. Elijah is excited to share, and it would be good practice for his speaking skills since he needs to work on articulation (and I could use some video camera practice, too!). :)
Special Delivery from Canada
Our co-op decided to have a geography fair this year. We wanted to give family & friends a chance to see some of the work our students do; we also wanted to give our students a chance to shine.
When I asked Elijah what country he wanted to do, he was insistent on Canada. I offered a dozen other suggestions to try to change his mind. It didn’t work. He was stuck on Canada, and I decided to back off and let the boy go with his own interest.
On online homeschooling friend from Nova Scotia graciously sent us a package of goodies from Canada. Elijah was SO excited when it came. It was jam-packed full of stuff that we were able to use for his Canada display! A huge thanks to Jen for helping out a little boy who wanted to learn about her country.
