Showing posts with label Wonder Workshops. Show all posts
Wonder Workshops: Mini Olympics
Yes, well I thought I'd better get myself motivated and end of the term well with a little mini-Olympics, seeing as I did write up a blog post about doing the Olympics a while back!
It was really fun sitting with the kids to begin with and seeing what they knew about the Olympics - they were astonished that athletes competed in the nude, and that they had to train so hard. I think some of them were quite amused by the myths the Greeks had, and we read one about Persephone, Demeter and the seasons for fun. (King Arthur is LOVING Greek Myths at the moment! He was stoked he got to hear one again...again!).
We talked about how the athletes would take an oath to Zeus and carry the torch, and how that is such a tradition today - and then we had our own relay race up and down the road!
I had a pack of country cards I had printed and laminated from the World Cup last year, so I pulled those out and we played a few memory games with them in pairs.
And lastly a "throwing" challenge using raw eggs - how far apart could each team move before their egg cracked? It was going well until we were pelted by rain and had to high tail it back to the house!
And lastly, a short sweet ceremony involving lovely chocolate medals from Clicks (for R9, 95 - I think they're for Father's day, but they don't say Dad on them!).
Wonderful wonder!
It was really fun sitting with the kids to begin with and seeing what they knew about the Olympics - they were astonished that athletes competed in the nude, and that they had to train so hard. I think some of them were quite amused by the myths the Greeks had, and we read one about Persephone, Demeter and the seasons for fun. (King Arthur is LOVING Greek Myths at the moment! He was stoked he got to hear one again...again!).
We talked about how the athletes would take an oath to Zeus and carry the torch, and how that is such a tradition today - and then we had our own relay race up and down the road!
I had a pack of country cards I had printed and laminated from the World Cup last year, so I pulled those out and we played a few memory games with them in pairs.
I then asked them what colors were most common on all the flags, and then showed them the Olympic rings - and we deduced their symbolism! And then we got to work painting our very own Olympic flags!
Then after our break, we got to work, holding our very own mini Olympics - well, at least, we tried in the rain! First, we tried to crack a code with numbers and letters (ït's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game that matters"). We only got a short way before I realized my plans might be thwarted by the rain so we set off to our field!
We did a race in teams to move raisins with straws from one plate to another, which had me in stitches and therefore no photos to show for it!
Then, a very amusing three legged race!
And lastly a "throwing" challenge using raw eggs - how far apart could each team move before their egg cracked? It was going well until we were pelted by rain and had to high tail it back to the house!
And lastly, a short sweet ceremony involving lovely chocolate medals from Clicks (for R9, 95 - I think they're for Father's day, but they don't say Dad on them!).
Wonderful wonder!
Tag :
Wonder Workshops,
Wonder Workshops: Miracles and Magic
This workshop was a lot of fun, as I knew some of the kids were interested in magic shows already.
We first talked about miracles, and shared miracles they'd read about or heard about, and talked about how powerful miralces were. I then attempted to show them an illustration of water turning into wine (or in my case, pink water), which didn't fool them very easily! I'd poured some jelly powder into a glass and poured a glass of warm water into it whilst concealing it in my hand...they were not fooled! It prompted a discussion about what makes a miracle a miracle and who can do a miracle - the conclusion? Only the Holy Spirit!
We then got down to some serious learning about magic tricks. I spoke about how magic tricks are just that - ways of tricking people into thinking something else. These caused some "wonder" as we did them, and hopefully if you try them out they will too!
We first talked about miracles, and shared miracles they'd read about or heard about, and talked about how powerful miralces were. I then attempted to show them an illustration of water turning into wine (or in my case, pink water), which didn't fool them very easily! I'd poured some jelly powder into a glass and poured a glass of warm water into it whilst concealing it in my hand...they were not fooled! It prompted a discussion about what makes a miracle a miracle and who can do a miracle - the conclusion? Only the Holy Spirit!
We then got down to some serious learning about magic tricks. I spoke about how magic tricks are just that - ways of tricking people into thinking something else. These caused some "wonder" as we did them, and hopefully if you try them out they will too!
- We tried the toothpick and dishwashing liquid trick, which worked like a charm when I tested it, and failed dismally on the day! Nevertheless, the underlying premise works on surface tension, and this simple milk experiment with food colors sent everyone into joyous delight - and we did it twice today! No matter how often I do this with my kids it never gets old! Got to love the looks on their faces!
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| literally leaping off his chair to see another swirl across the table! |
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| such wonderful delight! |
- We attempted to make money grow with this magic coin and paper plate dish - the first time I did this with them they were well and truly fooled - that is, all except a certain up and coming magician!
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| Aragorn showing off his secret panel with the soon to be Magician in the background! |
- This other trick worked like a charm on almost everyone, except those moms talented in the art of identifying lines! My boys have enjoyed doing it over and over to family - so simple and yet so effective - take a look at this card trick and try your hand at kidnapping the queen.
Magic, miracles and wonder!
Tag :
Wonder Workshops,
Wonder Workshops #8: Moms of Wonder
Seeing as May is the month in which Moms are celebrated, it seemed only fitting to me to celebrate moms at Wonder Workshops too!
So we began by talking about our moms, and what we loved about them, what made us feel full of wonder when we thought about them. After some serious silent pondering, a few offered up , "Auntie Karen, that's too hard, we think everything is wonderful about her!" Some sweet ones mentioned how much they loved being cuddled and helped close, or there moms laying with them at night before they got into bed...
Then I told them that although human mothers were completely full of wonder, I had become amazed at how amazing animal mothers were. and so we embarked at looking at what it took to become a mother, the gestation periods of animals compared to a human mother. I had marked each animal and the length of their gestation period in days on pieces pf paper, which each child had to draw out of a hat and keep secret! They then had to break down the days into hundreds, tens and ones, and then had to build the number using the pieces of paper I had prepared. (I had worked out a fairly accurate scale with the strips of paper I had cut). Once they had built it, we stood back and looked at each one and tried to guess what the animal was!
Then we got to work on the serious business of the day - I had loved these heart garlands (excellent tutorial, adn thankfully the great photos mean it doesn't matter if you can't speak the Asian language!) I had seen on Pinterest, and so gathered the supplies and we got to work. I was so impressed with how well the kids, did, considering many of them had never touched a sewing machine before! And I'm even further impressed that I only had one bird's nest in my machine to untangle after 7 kids had sewed! Whilst some were sewing, others were decorating their brown paper bags which were going to carry the Mother's Day gift home in secret! Thankfully, we finished it before any mom's returned!
And finally, a bit of drama. Children got to pick an animal picture from my hand (I used the amazing resources at Animal Planet and Time Photos), show it to the others, listen to the amazing way in which it mothered, and then, they had to act like that animal! It provided much amusement at the end of the day!
Hearts of wonder!
So we began by talking about our moms, and what we loved about them, what made us feel full of wonder when we thought about them. After some serious silent pondering, a few offered up , "Auntie Karen, that's too hard, we think everything is wonderful about her!" Some sweet ones mentioned how much they loved being cuddled and helped close, or there moms laying with them at night before they got into bed...
Then I told them that although human mothers were completely full of wonder, I had become amazed at how amazing animal mothers were. and so we embarked at looking at what it took to become a mother, the gestation periods of animals compared to a human mother. I had marked each animal and the length of their gestation period in days on pieces pf paper, which each child had to draw out of a hat and keep secret! They then had to break down the days into hundreds, tens and ones, and then had to build the number using the pieces of paper I had prepared. (I had worked out a fairly accurate scale with the strips of paper I had cut). Once they had built it, we stood back and looked at each one and tried to guess what the animal was!
Then we got to work on the serious business of the day - I had loved these heart garlands (excellent tutorial, adn thankfully the great photos mean it doesn't matter if you can't speak the Asian language!) I had seen on Pinterest, and so gathered the supplies and we got to work. I was so impressed with how well the kids, did, considering many of them had never touched a sewing machine before! And I'm even further impressed that I only had one bird's nest in my machine to untangle after 7 kids had sewed! Whilst some were sewing, others were decorating their brown paper bags which were going to carry the Mother's Day gift home in secret! Thankfully, we finished it before any mom's returned!
And finally, a bit of drama. Children got to pick an animal picture from my hand (I used the amazing resources at Animal Planet and Time Photos), show it to the others, listen to the amazing way in which it mothered, and then, they had to act like that animal! It provided much amusement at the end of the day!
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| Can you tell the boys much preferred the drama to the sewing? :) |
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| Aragorn was being a killer whale eating the "seals"! |
Hearts of wonder!
Wonder Workshop #7: Shapes
This wonder workshop was inspired by Fibonacci's numbers - a friend had reminded me of the concept over Christmas and it is something I really look forward to exploring with my children...one day, when I, not a Mathmetician, can grasp it more deeply in order to teach it!
But as I was researching it, I began to think about how amazing shapes are.. and thus the idea was born!
We started off with a bit of Shape Sudoku in a sense. I had cut out as many shapes in as many colours as there were children (so in this case there were 9 different shapes, in 9 different colours). They all went into a pillowcase which was passed around the table and then the children had to draw out 9 different shapes. Then came the tricky part. The kids had to try and make sure they had one type of every shape and one of every colour!
This was challenging, no doubt about it, and rather tricky to administer as well - who shares first, how to help the kids to share what they have two of whilst not giving away the shape/color they need to make it work etc. In hindsight, I think it would ahve been better simply use 5 shapes/colours, and to get them to work in teams.
Then it was time to make our own shapes. Our first was a 3D ball, that would look lovely for parties or Christmas. Simply, cut strips, put a thingy (those things you punch through paper and bend those legs over on either side? Sorry, it's been a long day on my computer!) in the top. Let me show you:
Stunning hey? And then we made another shape out of home made plastic! It was incredible to watch what vinegar did to milk - and what my imagination did with that knowledge! Had I ever eaten vinegar and milk together? Had I inadvertently made plastic in my gut?!
I'd highly recommend doing this outside, as the making of the curdled milk, the pouring and straining can be quite messy. It was full of wonder as the curdles formed so quickly, and I was full of wonder at how smooth and supple the girls managed to make theirs, whilst the boys were somewhat bobbly! They then cut their own shapes out of the plastic.
And finally, a bit of FUN! Building towers out of toothpicks and mini-marshmallows. The challenge was to see who could build the tallest tower, after talking a bit about how engineers use shapes to increase the strenght of structures. Despite mentioning how triangles are stronger than squares, many squared structures were built - and quite tall as well!!!
Happy days of wonder!
But as I was researching it, I began to think about how amazing shapes are.. and thus the idea was born!
We started off with a bit of Shape Sudoku in a sense. I had cut out as many shapes in as many colours as there were children (so in this case there were 9 different shapes, in 9 different colours). They all went into a pillowcase which was passed around the table and then the children had to draw out 9 different shapes. Then came the tricky part. The kids had to try and make sure they had one type of every shape and one of every colour!
This was challenging, no doubt about it, and rather tricky to administer as well - who shares first, how to help the kids to share what they have two of whilst not giving away the shape/color they need to make it work etc. In hindsight, I think it would ahve been better simply use 5 shapes/colours, and to get them to work in teams.
Then it was time to make our own shapes. Our first was a 3D ball, that would look lovely for parties or Christmas. Simply, cut strips, put a thingy (those things you punch through paper and bend those legs over on either side? Sorry, it's been a long day on my computer!) in the top. Let me show you:
Stunning hey? And then we made another shape out of home made plastic! It was incredible to watch what vinegar did to milk - and what my imagination did with that knowledge! Had I ever eaten vinegar and milk together? Had I inadvertently made plastic in my gut?!
I'd highly recommend doing this outside, as the making of the curdled milk, the pouring and straining can be quite messy. It was full of wonder as the curdles formed so quickly, and I was full of wonder at how smooth and supple the girls managed to make theirs, whilst the boys were somewhat bobbly! They then cut their own shapes out of the plastic.
And finally, a bit of FUN! Building towers out of toothpicks and mini-marshmallows. The challenge was to see who could build the tallest tower, after talking a bit about how engineers use shapes to increase the strenght of structures. Despite mentioning how triangles are stronger than squares, many squared structures were built - and quite tall as well!!!
Happy days of wonder!
Tag :
Maths,
Wonder Workshops,
Wonder Workshop #6
For our final workshop in the first term, I chose to focus on a country: Japan. To begin with we talked about places we'd been to, or that our moms or dads had been to. Then we found Japan on a map, and talked about its flag and the symbolism there - Japan actually means "land of the rising sun". And as Japan forms part of the ring of fire (there is a ring of volcanoes that circle the Pacific Rim due to the nature of plate boundaries), it made sense to me to do some volcanic experiments!
Now, as homeschoolers we do endless ones using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. This one that my niece told me about uses coke and mint Mentos sweets!
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| got to love the wonder! |
The kids drew coloured toothpicks to see who would be responsible for what as I only bought three small bottles of coke.With this size coke bottle, we only used half of one sweet per bottle. There's an interesting explanation for the reaction here.
Warning: to make this work at home, make sure the coke is ROOM TEMPERATURE. It doesn't work at all if the coke comes out of the fridge! I used regular coke not diet or coke zero. And it has to be MINT Mentos sweets.
Then the others who weren't involved in the coke experiment made eyedropper volcanoes inspired by a pin I'd seen for this site:
Then we talked about Children's Day in the far East - an idea I'd often thought about when I was a kid - there was Mother's Day and Father's Day, but what about Children's Day? Turns out that there is a part of the world that does celebrate it - and because Brent and I had been in South Korea for one, I quickly recalled the crowds of parents and children EVERYWHERE we went on that day!!
We made Koi Nabori for the kids - fish kites, inspired by this site,(do cross on over, they have loads of nifty ideas!) and they worked beautifully!
Then the highlight of the day - candy sushi! (my inspiration came from these wonderful sites Mommy Knows, Mom Start, Taste of Home and Domestic Charm - but I have one question - how did they get theirs to look so professional??!). But my kids did a mighty fine job and had much fun!
Wonderful wonder!
Tag :
homeschool,
Wonder Workshops,
Wonder Workshop #5
This Wonder Workshop took place over a month ago, but it's taken me a while to post about it! We started By talking about what we'd learnt at the last Wonder Workshop, and what we'd like to perhaps one day invent. We spoke a little about what Life was like before electricity (having watched Downton Abbey (season 1 for this illustration) and Cranforda few months ago, it was fresh in my mind! If you are a period drama kind of person, or someone who likes Gaskell I can most strongly recommend these series!), and then I asked them what they knew about candles.
Another great use of candles is the ability to write secret messages, and I'd prepared little clues on pieces of paper as to what the day would hold. Each child had to try and figure out what word was on their paper, and then try to arrange the words by working together into a sentence.
Trying to decode the messages using sunlight...
using a flame to bring out the wax (much better then sunlight but SUPERVISE closely :))
The result!
We did this twice - they said : "Today we will make rock geodes",
and "Today we will make sugar crystals".
So we set to work on the geodes. This WW required the crystals to grow at home over a few days, so a great lesson in patience!
We mixed a glass of alum powder solution and a glass of Epsom salt solution. I chose two different substances because in my prep I had managed to grow two compeltely different types of crstals, and hoped the kids would be able to see that. (A note here - I'm so thankful I'm taking the time to prep, because often what I see on Pinterest or other websites just does not seem to work at all :(. I highly recommend it if you can find the time!)
I had been inspired by a Pin on Pinterest, which let me add at the outset has been mighty deceiving. In my prep for WW, I used some Alum powder from the chemist which produced a pleasing geode (with interesting angular crystals), though nothing like the one Martha Stewart made! But as I needed greater qunatities, I bought a bag of alum powder from the pool section of my local Pick N Pay - well the results after a few days were very disappointing. I've since tried to buy the powder I used originally, and am now waiting for them to order it in.
Once those were ready and beginning to grow, we set to work on making sugar crystals, again inspired by this tutorial I'd seen pinned. (Note: it uses LOADS of sugar!)
Well, thankfully they were more of a success, and one mom told me how her children had used them to stir their tea resulting in different shades of coloured tea!
Then to tie what we'd learnt about crystals into understanding the rock cycle, we made this delicious fudge. Shannon Watson has created this incredible lesson plan naming the ingredients that go into the fudge different parts of the rock cycle, as well as illustrating the different processes. The kids responded to it well, and I think we could have done a whole Wonder Workshop on this edible rock cycle lesson alone!
Tag :
homeschool,
Wonder Workshops,
