China Part 1

We have been working on a China unit study for a geography co-op we are part of. Jayden's topic was the Chinese New Year, and Caitlin's topic were the traditions of fashion throughout the last 2,500 years in China.

We read lots of books, but this one was our favorite.Anything that Ms. Frizzle does is always adventurous, which is a plus for us!

We watched skimmed through several documentaries, which, admittedly, none of us really enjoyed. 

We also watched a short video on Brainpop Jr about Ancient China. 

Last weekend we went to a Chinese New Years Festival. 

 They had a lot of their art displayed, which we checked out before the show started.

The kids got a chance to practice some calligraphy. 

They also made bookmarks. 

It was extremely crowded there but the celebration was very interesting. 

Everything was in Mandarin, although a lot of it was translated to English.  Kids told jokes. Their banter was based on homophones that we didn't get because it was in Mandarin.

A very talented woman played a three stringed instrument. 

Children and adults did some wonderful dancing in their traditional Chinese garb. 

And finally, there was a martial arts performance. 

When we got home we made several crafts including paper lanterns and the New Year Dragon to decorate the dining room in preparation of our co-op meeting. 

 

Here is Jayden working on his presentation. 

Both kids did a History Pocket on Ancient China. They learned about the food, shelter, and clothing during that time. 

Look at these faces! Don't they look like they enjoyed geography? ;)

A Little Bit of Everything

This month J & C earned new stripes on their belts. They work so hard and have both come so far in karate!!

 We recently joined a weekly class at the library. These beauties have learned to finger knit! They have made lots of necklaces and bracelets for friends.

Jayden started 5th grade math this month. His new curriculum is one he picked out on his own because he no longer wants to do math work on Khan Academy. His choice is Saxon Math.

 Caitlin is excelling in her math. She is halfway through her second grade curriculum.

A couple of weeks ago a group of homeschoolers took over a local pizzeria. The pizzeria opened early just for our group. They took a tour of the freezer, kitchen, prep area, pizza ovens, register area, etc. Then they got to make their own pizzas and build their own sundaes. 

Jayden got a robot for Christmas. He built it almost entirely on his own! It was a time consuming project but once he finished he felt very proud of himself!

We haven't had much snowfall this year, which is a bummer and a blessing after last year! We did have just enough to go snowboarding one week before co-op.

J & C also joined a cooking based nutrition program. They focus on the importance of nutrition, healthy eating, and the basics of cooking and food safety. They also come home every week with new ingredients to try their recipes out at home. 

We continue to make weekly trips to the library. We are learning about China right now and took out many books about it last week!

We are working on a new project at our DIY co-op. The kids are re-enacting the first scene of the first Star Wars movie. They each have a role- as an an actor/actress, director, film editor, or camerman/camerwoman. 

The book we read for book club for the month of January was The Pushcart War. We met at the end of January to discuss it.

 We had a great time discussing the book, including the wordplay on characters' names and how ethical they were or weren't!

The kids all made hats like one of the characters in the story (Frank the Flower)

We also had lots of yummy book inspired treats, including homemade donuts and hot cocoa. The kids also got some target practice in with darts, also inspired by the book!

Robotics and Coding

Our local library hosted a robotics and coding program for kids using a robot named Ozobot.

They learned what codes make Ozobot move in the direction they wanted him to go. 

They made their own codes for Ozobot and gave him a test run.

The colors and patterns they used made Ozobot turn left, turn right, and turn backward. 

And here is a gratuitous cat picture, because Max thinks he is the king of the house.