Mail from...Oklahoma

I've talked a lot about creating lessons from the random things my kids sometimes happen to be interested in.  (see motorcycle sidecar racing and underwater worlds for examples).  This week we put a little twist on that theme-this time it was something random that I happened to be interested in.

It started while I was reading  Into the West: The Story of It's People.  The book's not that great, but it did talk a little bit about the Oklahoma Land Grab and that piqued my interest.

I found some great information on the Oklahoma Historical Society website and this clip from the movie "Far and Away."  (I ended up checking this movie out at our library-not for the kids, of course-and really enjoyed watching it.)

Source: youtube.com via Michelle on Pinterest

After talking about the Native Americans in Oklahoma, and a little bit about homesteading, I helped my boys participate in their own land grab.  They had to decide what to take with them...

Clothes, toys, books, and snacks.

I wanted them to think carefully about what they'd need in the wilderness, but when I turned around they'd emptied their entire dressers into their sleds and filled their shoes with nuts.  It was a good time to just smile and let them be.

Next they had to think about their mode of transportation...one sled has a string on it, so that worked perfectly.  We had to transfer supplies from the second sled into something a little more manageable...

I put 6 land "markers" in the yard...

...and then it was a race to see who could collect the most "land"...

My teenage neighbor came out at about the time as this video and looked at us very strangely.  It's like he's never seen kids running around with sleds and coolers full of clothes and snacks before...

My kids loved the running around part of this lesson, 

and it was so rewarding to share with them something that was intriguing to me.  

What was the last spontaneous lesson

 you and your kids shared?

You thought I forgot, didn't you?

The Oklahoma state bird is the Scissor-tailed Fly Catcher.

I'll bet you've never seen one of those!

Mail from...New Mexico

Here is a state that our family knows A LOT about.  And we absolutely love it.  Every October we make the 9+ hour drive to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  And while we're there we cram in as many amazing sites and attractions as possible!  Some of our favorites are, of course, the Balloon Fiesta itself...

but also White Sands National Monument...

and Tent Rocks National Monument...

In New Mexico it's impossible to ignore the history of the Native American people, so for our lesson we looked at examples of Native American artwork. We looked at the patterns in Navajo rugs, the different shades of turquoise, and horsehair pottery (my favorite, crafted by burning horse hairs onto the finished piece).

We attempted making Indian hieroglyphics and learned a valuable lesson to scrunch the paper before you do the drawing.  By the time Beck got done scrunching his drawing 20 times it had all but disappeared (which did drive home the point of erosion and aging, but made him pretty mad).  

 And, of course, Beck got excited learning about New Mexico's state bird, the road runner.  Raise your hand if you had no idea that the road runner was more than just an over-intelligent animated character.  I certainly didn't.  But here's a random fact for you:  The commuter train between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is called the Road Runner after their unique feathered friend.

Sadly, my kids had never seen a Road Runner cartoon, so we watched a few of those, too.  In case you've deprived your children, like I had mine, here's a little taste to whet their whistle...

Can you tell we really, really love New Mexico?  

Mail from...North Dakota & Kansas

My family does a lot of traveling.  It's a blessing we have and something I'm grateful for.  My kids love pulling out our photo albums and looking at the places they've been.  So, last week when we pulled out the postcards for North Dakota and Kansas, it seemed like a great time to remind them of some of the fun things we've done in those states.  In addition, we were learning last week about the Grand Canyon, which Beck can remember hiking around not so long ago.  All together, these three places made for a fun week of learning!

North Dakota
Years ago on a drive from Utah to Iowa via Yellowstone, we made a stop in Medora, ND.  It's the location of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and one of the coolest lodging accomodations we've ever stayed in...

Custer's Cottage & Wooly Wagon

That's right, we stayed in a real covered wagon!

Kansas

My boys love Kansas, I didn't need to remind them of that.  Every year we go to a 4-day flea market in Sparks, KS with their cousins.  It's hot and smelly camping in a field and it's the most fun ever!  

The Grand Canyon

On a spur-of-the-moment decision two years ago, we met family in Arizona for 3 days of hiking.  Beck and Peyton did amazing!

Where are the places your children love to go?

Side-note:  I had no idea North Dakota and Kansas were so the same,

 but they share the same state bird (the western meadowlark),

 and while Kansas is the Sunflower State, 

North Dakota is the nation's largest producer of agricultural sunflowers. 

 Interesting.  

Mail from...New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a beautiful state!  Who could argue that when this is their state bird...

Purple Finch

I visited there in a long ago October when the granite mountains were on fire with changing autumn colors.  On that trip, I got to see the Old Man of the Mountain.  I'm so glad I did, because in 2003 the profile collapsed and changed the face of the mountain forever.

Before and After 

Much to my surprise, this pile of crumbled rocks held very little appeal to my boys, so, thinking on my feet, I pulled out the paints to create our own representations of the New Hampshire autumn leaves.  We used Q-tips instead of brushes and I demonstrated how to carefully dot the paint onto the paper.  It did not make any sense to my kids today.  Surprising myself again, I didn't over-react and try to correct them.  I just let them be and worked on my own dotted painting...

So, New Hampshire did not bring about a super-memorable postcard lesson.  I'll have to put "visit New Hampshire" on our to-do list and see if that doesn't turn out to be more inspiring.

Apple Week (and Arkansas)

Last week we pulled out the postcard from Arkansas and discovered that 1) the state bird is the mockingbird, and 2) the state flower is the Apple Blossom.  I could have put it back in the bin until spring when, the apple trees would be blossoming, but decided to link it to the apple harvest of this time of year instead.

This was our week of apple learning...

First, we counted & sorted them by color & size. We also looked for patterns & more than/less than (i.e. stems v. no stems, red v. green, etc)

Then, we made a comparison chart. Beck colored each different apple across the top.  Our categories were: stems, red, not red, & spots/dots.  Does anyone know why apples have those tiny, tiny little dots?

We tried doing a taste test, but my kids didn't seem to think the apples tasted any differently.  After a few probing questions, I decided not to push their apparent lack of taste buds any further.

I found this superhero apple template on Pinterest and KNEW my kids would love it!

After printing, I glued the pieces to a cereal box cardboard, and cut the pieces apart in hopes of avoiding the frustration of tired hands.

Beck had a serious problem that his little brother wasn't putting  his apple together properly...

He forgot soon enough, though, unable to resist the lure of being a superhero!

 Our second craft activity of the week was an attempt at apple printing.  They didn't turn out the way I'd anticipated, but still the boys had a lot of fun.

 And the Apple Week Grand Finale was a field trip with cousin Claire to our local apple orchard!  The kids got to run up and down the planted rows in search of the perfect apple to eat right off the tree.  This picture doesn't show it very well, but these Galas were nearly as sweet as the doughnuts that were waiting at the end of the tour!

Do you have a favorite apple activity you'll be doing this year?

Mail from...Arizona

The "Mail from..." series was part of our participation in a a postcard swap hosted by Beth at Living Life Intentionally.  The idea was to send out 50 postcards of your state-one to every state in the Union-and then receive back the same.  Being a travel junkie, I thought it was an exciting way to add a little geography into this year's kindergarten lessons.  Besides, what kid doesn't LOVE to get mail?

Well, the postcards have started to trickle in.  While most of them have included fairly generic tidbits of information, my kids seem to be most fascinated with learning each state's official bird.  They get confused with senders who didn't understand that was vital information.  And because that's what they're intrigued with, I've started printing out the official state birds and attaching them to the map as we study each new postcard.

The Arizona Cactus Wren

To get us started, let's take a look at Arizona...

The postcard we received showed an enormous Saguaro Cactus.  

I adapted this cute cactus craft from one I saw at Creative Jewish Mom.

To make:

~Cut apart the square parts of a cardboard egg container 

(This part was unexpectedly messy and probably should be done by mom)

~Paint the squares.

~Send your kids outside to collect pebbles and rocks while the paint dries.

~Glue the squares into whatever shape your child thinks a cactus looks like.

~Glue the rocks onto the cardboard  (we used the side of a cereal box) 
so your landscape looks like a desert.

~Crumple tissue paper and glue to your cactus for "blossoms" 

What fun tidbits can you share with us about Arizona?

Computers and Creativity

Beck has serious cabin fever so I gave him the camera and sent him outside today to take pictures of his favorite things in nature.  That last part got a little lost on him, but his eyes lit up when I handed the camera to him.  

My husband and I have decided not to let our kids play on the computer until they start school.  It stuns me how integral computers have become in classrooms and how quickly children pick up the skills they need.  I don't think it's going to set them back if they aren't sitting in front of the screen instead of up around and playing.  Today, however, I decided it might be fun for Beck to actually see his pictures turn into something.

Using Picnik.com, Beck created these collage beauties.  He learned new skills like double-clicking and dragging and was captivated.  I'm sure it's only a matter of time before our roles switch and he becomes my computer tutor...

A Gift For the Birds

"Spend time feeding and watching the birds"

-Teaching Your Children Joy

We haven't seen a lot of birds around our house lately.   Because of that, we started today's lesson by talking about the reasons why (the trees don't have any leaves or seeds, the worms are too far underground, etc).  We decided to make birdfeeders as a Christmas gift for the birds.  FINALLY, a nature activity that makes sense to be doing in December!

Holiday Bird Feeders

Here's what you'll need:

Christmas (or other) Cookie Cutters

Stale Bread (either let it set out a few days or, if you forget like I did, throw it in the toaster)

Peanut Butter & knife for spreading

Birdseed (That huge bag is only $3.00 at Walmart)

String and a Straw

To make your birdfeeders:

Spread peanut butter on your bread and accept right now that this is going to get messy.

Push your cookie cutter into the bread (It might take mom strength to get all the way through).

Use your knife to push the bread out of the cookie cutter.  Let the kids eat the outsides.

Then put your bread peanut butter side down in the bird seed.

Spread peanut butter on the other side of your bread. Then flip that side over into the seeds as well.

Use the straw to poke a hole through the top of your feeder and push a length of string through.

Tie a knot, set the feeder aside, and start all over again.

Hang your feeders and watch for the birds to come enjoy their Christmas feast!