Hawkeye learned about the nesting, breeding and eating habits of vultures, their physiognomy and quirks, and the speaker brought a vulture to the talk - which was fascinating!
********
We went on a field trip into Washington DC to The Phillips Collection, an art museum. There we had a tour with a docent, which focused on just half a dozen works of art; the children in the group had the opportunity to discuss the context of the pieces, how they felt while looking at them, drawing their own versions of the works and creating their own tableaus mimicking the art. It was wonderful!
While in DC, we made a quick stop to visit the Bird House at the National Zoo; this is Hawkeye's favorite part of the zoo, and we stop by whenever we are able. The highlight of this particular visit was a walk past the flamingo area, and finding a few flamingo feathers that had blown out of the enclosure! Such a wonderful addition to Hawkeye's feather collection!
********
Hawkeye's ecology class at our local botanical garden focused on plate tectonics and fossils. For both classes, the teacher created hand's on experiments to demonstrate the concepts.
********
Our monthly Wildlife Conservancy class this month was on geology; after a lecture given by a Federal Geologist, who specializes in out county's geology, with all sorts of specimens that the children participating were able to handle and examine. Hawkeye learned about rock types, mountain formation, rock identification and fossils. We then moved the class outside, to examine local rock formations, and spend time looking at the local landscape for a hands on lesson on geology and how to get clues on land formation from the rocks around us.
********
Hawkeye also began a monthly 4-H class electronics class, based on the Make: Electronics book. This class is very hands on and experiential, and a huge hit with Hawkeye! For this month's class he built circuits with electrical components, using pliers and wire strippers; the aim was to create a circuit able to turn a light on and off.
********
This month also saw the start of Hawkeye's annual involvement in Cornell Lab's citizen science Project Feedwatch, in which he does a bird feeder count two days each week from November until April. This project involves a myriad of skills, from bird identification, tallying bird counts, online research of the weather and imputing the collected data on the Cornell Lab web site. For this, Hawkeye also makes suet cakes for the birds each week.
As birds are an ongoing fascination for Hawkeye, this project always leads to much research and discussion, including bird identification, migration habits, physiognomy and feeder preferences, weather influences and patterns, and the stories of John James Audubon and Roger Tory Peterson.
We also attended birding walks with our local Wildlife Conservancy chapter, where amateur birders gave Hawkeye tips and guidance on using binoculars, bird identification and building a life list. Hawkeye's dedication to birds and birding shows in his willingness to get up before dawn, and trudge through nature conserves in the cold and dark for the opportunity of bird sightings!
Reading
We continued daily reading (Easy Reader, Level 1 books) and played on the Teach Your Monster To Read app.
Math
We are working our way through Life of Fred: Farming (we average two chapters each week). We have also been enjoying some of the We Love Math books.
History
This month we continued out study of the History of the Horse curriculum from Beautiful Feet, beginning to read White Stallion of Lipizza, by Marguerite Henry. Hawkeye learned about the breeding and characteristics of the Lipizzaner, and the differences between the Lipizzaner and the Arab. As the book is set in Vienna, Austria, we did some research on that geographical area. But, for Hawkeye the fascination was truly in the ballet of the Lipizzaners and how they are trained to perform such feats. We watched You Tube videos on the Lipizzans and a PBS documentary, both of which sparked a fascination.
Waldorf Essentials
Continuing our work in the WE curriculum, we continued reading Aesop's animal fables, with Hawkeye dictating his summaries of the fables to me, and then identifying the nouns and verbs.
We also learned about Saint Martin, in preparation for Martinmas, before moving onto the moral animal tales about Muster Bear by Thornton Burgess.
Ongoing Reading
Fifty Famous Stories Retold, by James Baldwin (completed)
- Casabianca
- Antonio Canova
- Picciola
- Mignon
The Tree in the Trail, by Holling C. Holling
- chapter 6
- chapter 7
- chapter 8
The Burgess Bird Book for Children, by Thornton W. Burgess (completed)
- The Pine Grosbeak and the Redpoll
- The Goshawk and the Great Horned Owl
The Burgess Animal Book for Children, by Thornton W. Burgess
- chapter 1, introduction
- The Cottontail Rabbit, Northern Hare and Marsh Rabbit
Among the Forest People, by Clara Dillingham Pierson
- The Wild Turkeys Come
- The Travelers Go South
- The Ruffed Grouse's Story
The Story Book of Science, by Jean Henri Fabre
- The Cows
- The Sheepfold
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths
- introduction
- Hera
- Hephaestus
- Aphrodite
- Ares
Chapter Books Read
The Burgess Bird Book for Children, by Thornton W. Burgess
Henry and Beezus, by Beverly Cleary
Little Town on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Poppy, by Avi
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, by Jennifer Trafton
Betsy-Tacy, by Maud Hart Lovelace
The Moffats, by Eleanor Estes
Skunked! Calpurnia Tate, Animal Doctor in Training, by by Jacqueline Tate
Fantastic Mr. Fox, by Roald Dahl
Non-fiction Books Read
Squirrel and John Muir, by Emily Arnold McCully
Thanksgiving Is ... , by Gail Gibbons
The Thanksgiving Story, by Alice Dalgliesh
Picture Books Read
On Meadowview Street, by Henry Cole
Black and White, by David Macaulay
Crow Boy, by Taro Yashima
Baby Brains and Robomom, by Simon James
Last Stop on Market Street, by Matt de la Pena
The Funny Little Woman, by Arlene Mosel
Night of the Goat Children, by J. Patrick Lewis
Round Trip, by Ann Jonas
Anna's Table, by Eve Bunting
The Great Day, by Taro Gomi
In November, by Cynthia Rylant
The Three Little Bears, by Paul Galdone
The Warlord's Kite, by Virginia Walton Pilegard
Apple Farmer Annie, by Monica Wellington
Come on Rain!, by Karen Hesse
The Little Red Hen, by Paul Galdone
Too Many Turkeys, by Linda White
Earl the Squirrel, by Don Freeman
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, by Alison Jackson
Over the River and Through the Wood, by Lydia Maria Child
Miss Suzy, by Miriam Young
Sharing the Bread, by Pat Zietlow Miller
Thanksgiving is Here!, by Diane Goode
Movies Watched
You Tube Videos featuring excerpts from The Magic Flute, by Mozart
Legendary White Stallions: The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions, Nature
Podcasts
Classics for Kids: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Child Prodigy Composers
- What's a Rondo
- Janissary Music
- Mozart's Opera
- About Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- The Magic Flute
No comments:
Post a Comment