Another week filled with Download N Go fun! After Chocolate Challenge, Elijah decided that we'll do all the food studies (so we'll eventually get to Hoppin' Popcorn and Crunchy Cookies too!), and this week it was time for a Pizza Party!
We started this week off with breakfast pizza (something we've never tried before). Elijah was also trying out new smiles when I took pictures Monday morning. Not sure what this one is! 😉
Don't be deceived by the name of this study. Pizza Party is about SO much more than pizza! We learned a ton about Italy. We also were introduced to five famous Italians: Marco Polo, Vivaldi, Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and Galileo. I have a feeling that Elijah might be turning his focus & energy to learning about Galileo over the next few weeks. He was very curious about this Italian astronomer.
I made an easy tic-tac-toe board for the boys (the link was in the study). So cute and it added a little extra fun for them.
On Tuesday we had a peanut butter and jelly pizza for lunch (Elijah's request). If you attempt this, make sure you make the crusts high on the sides. Put the toppings on AFTER you bake it.
The boys LOVE this pizza 'cause it's like a warm PB&J sandwich made with super fresh bread. YUM– even if it is ugly and messy!
On Day 4 we did a Yeast Experiment.
We also made personal pizzas for dinner on Thursday. Simon helped out by chopping up the bacon.
Elijah got to sample some of the new toppings he wanted to try (bacon, sausage, and ham).
Simon put EVERY topping on his pizza!
And, of course, by the final day of our study, Elijah had a notebook to put together. We use spiral bound Bare Books.
Pages 1-2
Pages 3-4
Pages 5-6
Pages 7-8
Pages 9-10
Simon didn't make a lapbook this time, but I printed an extra copy of the "Pizza Adjectives" pizza and cut it out so Simon could decorate his own paper pizza. That is one HUGE ring of green pepper!
He also had fun helping cook and with our Tuzzles Pizza Fraction Puzzle.
I think we've found our groove with Download N Go! We won't be doing these studies all the time, but they are nice to use when the topic fits Elijah's current interest. They are also great for sparking NEW interests! We hope to use Crazy Cartoons, Davy Crockett, Rockin' Robots, Kite Capers, Crunchy Cookies, Magnificent Moon, and Hoppin' Popcorn sometime this year.
A few notes about DNG
It took me one hour to plan our week (from start to finish) including printing pages, deciding on recipes & making a shopping list (pizza ingredients, felt for pizza tic-tac-toe), pulling books off my shelves, etc. It doesn't have to take this long, but I looked through the extra links in the study.
I don't print every page (that would be 112 pages!). What you see in Elijah's notebook is everything I printed (about 25 pages this time). We do most of the worksheet pages orally (Elijah narrates answers to me) instead of printing them.
You can read more about how I get ready for DNG in my Sunny Seashells post.
Ami, I can’t wait to get started on this one. It looks like a lot of fun. 🙂 I love that giant pepper slice!
I want to give you the Sunshine Award. You have made SUCH a difference in our homeschool, with HSS and this blog both. I just wanted you to have it. I am sure you have got it a lot before, But not from me. 🙂
mmmmm. food is my favorite thing to study too! this is such a cute unit study!
I loved reading this post…..we begin our pizza adventures in Sept!! Can’t wait…:)
Dawn
I’m currently homeschooling 2 children and we lapbook, minit book, and notebook constantly and love it! We use Homeschoolshare, Amanda Bennet, and ones I’ve put together myself w/blank templates. Loving it so far, and the kids are too.
That said,
WHERE are the best deals on printer ink, and HOW do the rest of you afford this expense?! I’m going through ink like crazy, but I don’t want to skimp on the lapbooking because it’s SO effective as a teaching tool. Any advice? Thanks!
Oh, not sure if this is a proper place to ask a question like this, and if there is a better place just tell me!
In Christ,
Tami
Tami,
I rarely print everything. Some lessons we just do orally (which is good for learning to LISTEN). 🙂
I have a black toner printer. It prints for about .01/page. Sometimes I print things on colored paper to make them a bit more fun. 🙂
My friend found a local office that will print for .10/page which is pretty reasonable. Try calling around (local university with a print shop?) and see what you can find.
Also, I have a color toner printer that someone gave me, but I haven’t purchased cartridges for it yet. The start-up cost is HIGH, but the prints come out at a great deal (much cheaper than ink).
That’s about all I know. 🙂