Geography: We found Asia, stamped the passport with the flag of China, located China on the world map, colored China and the flag of China and learned about what the flag symbolizes. We also made some fans:
Science: We learned about temperate zones and deciduous forests and how the tilt of the Earth causes the seasons and longer and shorter days for different places. We made a model of this, an idea I got from Science Around The World, and I think it really helped show how it works and why our days are getting longer now that we passed the winter solstice. The Earth is the blue circle, connected with a brad so that it can tilt. The sun's direct rays make the other side shadowed. The lines on the Earth show how some parts get a lot more or less sunshine because of the tilt. We will line it up on the axis when we get to the Spring Equinox to show how the days and nights are equal.
Literature: Our favorite stories about China were Miss Frizzle's Adventures in Imperial China, The Story About Ping (we discussed FIAR ideas about this one), Tikki Tikki Tembo (I remember this one from my childhood), Daisy Comes Home, and all of the Panda and Gander stories.
Phonics: This week we finished lessons 131-135. The focus was on the 'long o' sound, and words with 'o' and 'silent e'. The reader was Rose The Mole, a very funny stories once again. The week ended with the Unit 3 Test, making sure everything from the past few months is retained. Govinda got them all right! We are starting the last quarter of McRuffy Kindergarten, and I am very excited and pleased with how it is going. I'm amazed at how much he can read now!
Math: We did lessons 96-100. The focus was on counting by 5's and counting nickels, and distinguishing the difference between counting by 1's, 10's and 5's. We also reviewed reading time to the hour and simple word problems with toy counters for addition and subtraction preparation. Next week starts written addition practice, and I think he is ready for it now thank to all of the gentle introductions he has had with manipulatives.
Looking ahead, I plan on spending two weeks on every country we learn about. The first week will be focused on geography, maps, flags, culture, and history. The second week will be focused on the environment and animals of that country. So, next week will be all about Pandas, ducks (to go with Story About Ping), and other animals in China. I just got Draw Write Now, a drawing book for kids that looks great, so we will soon be adding art to our study of animals.
I'm so thankful to get to homeschool and I appreciate everyone who helps and supports us! God Bless!
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