Posts Tagged ‘delight directed’
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.
Ancient Egypt Unit Study
I determined that this year Elijah would get to choose more of his unit study topics, and he decided to start off 2nd grade with Ancient Egypt. I hope to write some posts this year about Delight-Directed education (the philosophy we are working toward). I can honestly say that Elijah taught himself more about Ancient Egypt than I taught him. He knows MORE about Ancient Egypt than I do. When you let your child have a hand in his own education, he just might surprise and delight YOU.
I inteded to make this a series of posts, but laundry and dishes and gardening keep getting in the way of blogging, so you are only getting one (very fat) post.
Becoming an Egyptologist (or is that archaeologist?)
We started with a kit I picked up at Frye’s for about $5. Elijah could barely breathe when he saw it in his workbox on the first day of our Ancient Egypt study. He worked on it for a long time and was happy with his finished product.
Making a Mummy
Another fun project we did the second week of our study was to "mummify" an apple. We also tried preserving with water (freezing) and Elijah predicted which one would be in the best shape when we checked on them a week later.
We took three apple slices and washed/dried them (something weird about eating an apple slice during a mummifying experiment…).
One apple gets coated in a mixture of salt and soda (about 1/4 cup of each). Then you roll it up in some guaze.
Another apple gets placed in a ziploc of water.
The final apple gets placed in a dish.
The apple in the water goes in the freezer while the other two go to a dark, cool place (scary!) for seven days (don’t peek!).
Want to see our results? Are you sure? :)
the control apple (ew!)
the apple mummy
the frozen apple
Ziggurat Lego Model
After learning about architecture, Elijah decided to try his hand at building a (very colorful) ziggurat complete with treasures stored inside. I had no part of this…didn’t even know it was how he was spending an afternoon.
Making a Pharaoh Mask
We followed the Pharaoh Mask instructions found at DLTK kids. You can do the same, but here are a few tips:
1. Make your pattern by folding a piece of posterboard in half. You won’t see the fold after you paper mache. Also, draw it in pencil as many times as you need until you have something you like. You won’t see the pencil marks after the paper mache, either.
2. Smooth the newspaer pieces down after your student is done. I didn’t do this for Elijah, and after we spray painted it, I saw all the lumps and bumps. It’s okay (he doesnt’ care!), but I thought I would share that tip.
3. Put plastic lids under the mask as it dries so it won’t stick to your work surface.
4. You might want to cut holes in your eyes BEFORE you paper mache. I had a really hard time cutting the eyes out. I think we could’ve paper mached around them easier. I don’t know for sure.
5. Use a thick flat brush for painting the stripes.
6. Have fun! I don’t know if Elijah will ever let me get rid of this mask!
Ancient Egypt Notebook
We used the Evan Moor History Pockets book to make our notebook. I skipped some things as this book is targeted for 4th-6th graders. I am only going to post some of the pictures (we filled an entire Bare Book). You get lots of informational pages to print in the History Pockets book. We pasted most of them as full pages in the notebook, but a few were folded (as simple folds or tri-folds).
Learning about Daily Life was great (my favorite part!)
Government, Leaders, & Occupations
Religion
Very cool mummy book that demonstrates the layering of the coffins… (cover is "Where’s My Mummy?" above)
Architecture
Courtyard Pop-up (cover pictured above "An Egyptian Courtyard"
"Elijah" in hieroglyphs
Resources Used
Evan Moor History Pockets ~ Ancient Egypt
Usborne Beginners ~ Egyptians by Stephanie Turnbull
Who Built the Pyramids? by Jane Chisholm & Straun Reid (Usborne)
Mummies and Pyramids by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Treehouse Research)
Tutankhamen’s Gift by Robert Sabuda
Adventures in Ancient Egypt by Linda Bailey
Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki
Egyptian Life Stickers by Dover
Safari LTD Ancient Egypt Toob
note: Something fun I did with the Acient Egypt Toob…I put all the pieces in a workbox and told Elijah that he had to tell me how each one related to Ancient Egypt. If he didn’t know, he had to do some research and find out. He loved this much more than I thought he would! I might have a little researcher on my hands.
Links
Your Name in Hieroglyphs
Explore Ancient Egypt (includes some great printable activities!)
Ancient Egypt Paper Dali (cover image)
Pharoah Mask
Points to Ponder
We are moving our homeschool in a new direction. I’m not sure exactly what this will look like. We are keeping math and some language arts, but I want to try to dive in to (instead of just dabble with) delight-directed education.
Elijah will get to decide what he’s going to learn about, about 80% of the time. He already has a list ready for me of the topics he wants to explore!
Here are some great quotes that are inspiring me to do in my heart what I already know I should do…
"Self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child’s nature." ~Charlotte Mason
"There isn’t any known way to bulk-education; it’s all custom work."
~John Taylor Gatto
"All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education." ~Sir Walter Scott
"To teach a man how he may learn to grow independently, and for himself, is perphaps the greatest service that one man can do another." ~Benjamin Jowett
"The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn." ~John Lubbock
"Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion has no hold on the mind. Therefore do not use compulsion, but let early education be a sort of amusement; you will then be better able to discover the child’s natural bent." ~Plato
Dog Family Lapbook
While studying desert, Elijah decided he really wanted to start his own Dog Family Lapbook (inspired by coyote). He wants to include various foxes, wolves, and breeds of dogs.
I did not want to design a Dog Family Lapbook. I decided I would just give him the tools he needed to do it himself. I put the Lapbook Reference book, some pictures, some printed information, scissors, double-stick tape, colored pencils, colored paper, etc. all in a workbox for him.
I think he’s worked on this four times. He sits for an hour (or longer) and just reads and reads and works and works. I stay far, far away from this project as I let him make all the choices. Yes, I give him the tools…then I step away. If he needs something, he asks (and let me tell you- he is very specific and picky!).
Here are some shots of the inside of his book (yes, another Bare Book!). I didn’t take pictures of every minit book or every picture, but you will get a good sampling.
Arctic Wolf Page
About Dholes (Do you know that the Dhole is in the Dog Family? Do you know what a Dhole is?!)
Raccoon Dog
Bat-eared Fox
Arctic Fox
He has a list of twenty-some "dogs" he wants in the book. I will update once he thinks he is finished!
Happy Lapbooking!
