Burning Things! (don't worry, it's science!)

For the past two weeks, Hunter has been learning about the sun! To end the week we did a little outdoor project

~

What better way to exemplify one's ability to concentrate sunlight than to burn things with a magnifying glass on a sunny day! (science lesson + good old fashion fun = an awesome Friday afternoon!)

We started with a fun-size Hershey bar, which was not super gratifying to watch. It was definitely melting, but it wasn't amazing to watch...

~

Enter... the dried leaf!

~

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! The dead leaf was great because it heats up very quickly, gives off a significant amount of smoke, and smells awesome!!

~

Next, Hunter wanted to know what would happen if we tried to burn a green leaf. Now, we don't routinely go around destroying living things, but in the name of science, I was willing to sacrifice a leaf from the bush in our yard.

~

So, thanks to Hunter's awesome question, I got a chance to explain to him why the green leaf didn't react to the concentrated heat the same way they dried leaf did.. (three cheers for homeschooling!!)

~

And then, because, why not? We burned a marshmallow...

~

And yes, Hunter got to eat it :o)

~

Pyramids, Treasures, and Mummies, OH MY!

To wrap up our week on mummies and pyramids (no pun intended haha), Hunter experienced an archaeological dig right in our dining room :o) I found this Dig and Play Egyptian Tomb kit on Amazon, and was saving it for the perfect time - Friday was that time!

~

I hid the box, and just presented Hunter with the plaster brick and digging tools. We talked about archaeologists, and what it might be like to find a Pharaoh's treasure!

~

This was the first glimpse of treasure:

~

Hunter's face was so cute, because he didn't have a clue about what he was expecting to find!

~

~

Brushing away the dust!

~

~

All kinds of treasures!

~

And of course, a mummy! (Hunter was VERY excited about this!)

~

How awesome is Hunter's surprised/excited face?? I love that I get to experience moments like this, in the middle of a Friday afternoon :o)

~

The Caterpillar (memory work!)

One of the components of the First Language Lessons curriculum is memory work. Every few weeks, Hunter sets out to memorize something, whether it be a poem, a Bible verse, or a list of important people!

His first memory task of the year was a poem called 'The Caterpillar'

Here is is final performance :o)

'The Caterpillar'

by Christina G. Rosetti

Brown and furry

Caterpillar in a hurry;

Take your walk,

To the shady leaf or stalk.

May no toad spy you,

May the little birds pass by you;

Spin and die,

To live again a butterfly.

Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 History Projects

We are having a great time working through 'Story of the World'! For Chapter 1 (The Earliest People), Hunter made an awesome cave painting! He used a crunched up brown paper grocery bag, and some dark paints - I am so thrilled with how it turned out!

~

~
Last week, we worked on chapter 3 (The First Writing). Hunter learned all about stone and clay tablets, hieroglyphics and cuneiform, and papyrus. On the last day of the week, Hunter made his own cuneiform tablet using FIMO clay.

~

~

Roll the clay out into a tablet shape (I only picked up one square of clay, and our project came out a bit small. If I had it to do again, I would use to squares).

~

Poke two holes in the top of your clay, for hanging after the project has hardened.

~

Using the cuneiform guide in the activity book, spell out a message! This one says 'HWB' (Hunter's initials)

~

Justin had an unexpected afternoon off, so he joined us for this project :o)

~

When the design is done, bake the tablet at 230 degrees for 30 minutes, and let it cool completely.

~

I hung the tablet using some leather string and a 3m hook - it looks great hanging under Hunter's cave painting - I'm looking forward to seeing this wall fill up with more history projects as the school year moves along!

~