Vive la France!

Well, we've been "traveling" again and this time we've been visiting the country of France!  Did you  know that France is the most visited country in the world?  I didn't either, until I started doing research for this unit.  One of the things I love about teaching is the fact that I never stop learning!


We began our unit with a general overview of the country of France.  We read the book, If I Lived In France.  It is a book I have had for many years, and it is out of print, but can be obtained through Amazon by clicking on its title above.  We located France on a map, and discussed the countries which border it. 

Our first phonics chart focused on the /fr/ blend.

We made a French flag and learned about what each color represents.

We learned that Paris is the capital of France, and did a silhouette painting of the Eiffel Tower at sunset.

We discussed all the beautiful French architecture, and focused on the gorgeous churches and cathedrals.

We made our own stained glass rose window!  First, we shaved crayons and sprinkled them all over a circle of wax paper.

We chose colors that resembled those found in pictures of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Next, we covered our circle with another wax paper circle, placed under a towel, and then I ironed over that to melt the crayons.

We glued the wax paper onto the back of a black frame, which I had cut out in a manner similar to paper snowflakes.

Voila!  Our beautiful stained glass window!

 Next, we learned about famous French people, such as Joan of Arc, Jacques Cousteau, Marcel Marceau and, of course, the French Impressionists such as Monet, Manet, Renoir, etc.  We even created our own Impressionist painting of the Japanese Bridge in Monet's garden at Giverny.

We began by using masking tape to create a bridge across the middle of the paper. (I did this part.)

Next, we painted the water using two shades of blue.To give the Impressionist effect, we dabbed the paint on, rather than brushing it.

After the water, we used two shades of green to paint the surrounding trees and plants, as well as the water lilies floating in the pond below.  We used our fingerprints to add flowers to the lilies.

After the paint dried, I carefully peeled the masking tape away to show the bridge.  I think it turned out rather well! 

How can you do a unit on France without mentioning (and sampling) their amazing food?  You can't!!!

The first things we tried were a baguette and some French cheeses.  We sampled Brie and Camembert.

(We liked Brie the best.)

Of course, we had to try a croissant and, just to be sure he'd like it, I added melted chocolate to the middle.  Pan au Chocolat is what I ate for breakfast many mornings when I visited France many years ago!

Yum!  This was definitely a hit!

Another hit?  Chocolate Eclairs!!!  Delicious!

We probably each gained at least 5 pounds with this unit!  

 

 We also made an interactive booklet about the things we learned about France. 

The cover is made with a single sheet of construction paper, folded in half, with the title glued to the front.

Page 1.....This opens up to reveal the world map pictured below.

We located France on the map and colored it in.

Next, we colored and learned about the French flag.

The flag can be glued into the booklet with the top tab, so that it can flip up to reveal whatever you wish to write about it.

Liberty!  Equality!  Fraternity!

Each of the four tabs lift to show what we learned about regarding each category.

We learned about Joan of Arc, Jacques Cousteau, Marcel Marceau, and many French Impressionist painters!

For reading this week, I created a series of non-fiction passages about France, complete with comprehension pages. 

This one was about Mont St. Michel, but others included passages such as: Welcome to France, French Foods, Famous French People, and Paris.

Finally, the centers we worked on this week were French-themed and included practice with Subject & Predicate, as well as Odd/Even Numbers.

He had to read the sentence and determine whether the part written in blue was the subject or predicate of the sentence.

A recording sheet provides great accountability.

Well, folks....that's it for our "trip" to France!  It was a fun one for sure!  Many of the craft ideas were found on Pinterest.  (You can "follow" me by clicking the "P" apple at the top right corner of this page.)  If you are interested in the reading passages, centers, and/or interactive booklet, they are available in my TPT store.  Click HERE for instant access.  Thanks for stopping by!  Have a blessed day!

Human Body

     Okay, so keeping my blog current is apparently not my greatest strength!  We have done all sorts of units since the last post on Australia!!  Two that I really wanted to highlight were the units on Tall Tales and Woodland Animals, but I did not have the time while we were doing them.  Maybe I can go back and do a post on them later.  For now, I thought I'd share some things we've been doing in our study of the human body. 
     The first day we studied the body, we read Inside Your Outside,  a Cat in the Hat Learning Library book.  It provided a good overview of the main body systems.  We talked about our body being made up of tiny units called cells. Then, we used a microscope to examine epithelial cells from inside our cheek.  (We used a toothpick to scrape the inside of our cheek, rubbed it onto a slide, and added a drop of iodine to stain it for easier viewing.)

      While the microscope activity was interesting, the biggest hit of the day was when I unveiled a model of the human body I recently purchased in anticipation of this unit.  It is actually meant to be a toy, but is a fairly authentic representation of the body and I knew it would not only serve as a wonderful visual aid, but would also allow my son the opportunity to take it apart and reassemble it, thereby learning through hands-on experience how our organs fit together and what belongs where.  He loves it!  It is called Squishy Human Body, in case you are interested.

Fully-Assembled Squishy Human Body

Taking "Mr.Squishy" apart

Putting it all back together....could he be a future surgeon?

     Day two was also full of adventures as we learned all about our blood.  We read A Drop of Blood
  which was a wonderful introduction to the blood and its primary components and functions.

Our phonics focus was on the /bl/ blend for blood.

 
     Next, with a small prick of my finger, we examined a real drop of blood under the microscope at high power and were able to see thousands of red blood cells with their characteristic "donut" shape.

     We made a model of the blood as well.  I found this idea, in many variations, on Pinterest.  For our version, we used Karo syrup for the plasma, Red Hot candies for the red cells, mint (white) Mentos candies for the white blood cells, and round sprinkles for the platelets.  Everyone said to use Karo Syrup for the plasma, but I found it to be a little too thick! I had to add a little water to the mixture just so the candies could move around in there a little.  Should I ever find myself making this concoction again, I believe I will try cooking oil instead.

Blood Ingredients

Mixing the blood

 

Completed Blood Model

     

Finally, we used the same candies to make a paper model of a drop of blood.

Red blood cells, white blood cells, and yellow platelets.

    Next, we learned about the heart and circulatory system.  I borrowed a medical-grade stethoscope from my cousin, who is a physician, and we listened to our heart beating and learned about how the heart pumps blood through our bodies!

When we studied the skeletal system, we used more candy to build a model of our backbone!  We used a pipe cleaner as a "spinal cord" and strung life saver gummies (vertebrae), alternated with Cheerios (discs) to see how the discs protect the bones from grinding against one another and allow us to move in many different directions!

Making the spinal column

Completed spinal column

 Finally, we learned about our digestive system.  We used a piece of bread and some Sprite to simulate how the stomach acid, plus some active churning, breaks our food up into tiny particles and creates a sort of "soup" of all that we've eaten.

Breaking the bread into small pieces simulated the chewing process.

Adding Stomach Acid (Sprite)

                

Stomach (bag) churning (squishing) the contents into its digestive "soup"

                    

One more thing we've done is a flip booklet on the human body.  I purchased this off TPT.  It is by Stephanie Trapp, and is really cute and inexpensive!

Click HERE for the link to this cute product!
This was a two week unit and really engaged my son!  If you plan to teach a unit on the Human Body, I would definitely recommend these activities! 

Blessings,
Laurie

The Land Down Under

So, we spent last week "visiting" the Land Down Under!  I have to tell you that a REAL visit to Australia has always been on my bucket list, and this study just made me want to go all the more!  What a unique and interesting country!

On our first day, we located Australia on the map, and learned about some of the famous landmarks there such as the Outback, Ayers Rock, and the Sydney Opera House.

For our craft that day, we used a quarter-sized piece of poster board,  some paint, and paper plates to create the famous architectural wonder which stands in Sydney Harbor.  This is an idea I found on Pinterest.  Thought it turned out cute!

The next day, we learned a little Aussie slang.  It's fascinating to hear all the different ways the Australians have come up with to refer to common people, places or things!  For example, a male is a "bloke," a female is a "sheila," and a friend is your "mate."  If you want some chewing gum, better ask for some "chewie" instead. 

 It was really fun to listen to a little Australian music as well!  The Waltzing Matilda is Australia's unofficial national anthem, but it has absolutely nothing to do with dancing!  It's actually a ballad about a homeless man "waltzing matilda" (backpacking) through the "brush" (Outback) who chances upon a "jumbuck" (sheep) drinking at a "billabong" (pond) and catches it for his next meal.  The "squatter" (land owner) catches him and brings the "troopers" (authorities) in to arrest him, but the "swagman" (homeless man) will have none of it.  He jumps into the billabong and drowns, preferring that outcome to being imprisoned. According to the song, his ghost can still be heard when you pass by that billabong, singing, "You'll come a waltzing matilda (backpacking) with me!"  If you'd like a charming version of this song to show your children, try this link on YouTube: Waltzing Matilda by Slim Dusty.

As you might expect, we spent a good portion of the week learning about all the unique and amazing animals Australians enjoy! 

     This koala craft was made by painting his hands (minus the thumbs) gray and white, and adding a gray circle with a face.  Cute, but blissfully simple!

The next day, we learned not only about kangaroos, but also about Haiku poetry.  If you are not familiar with Haiku, it is a Japanese form of poetry in which the first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third (and last) line has five syllables.  Most Haiku poems are about something in nature. We wrote a "Kangaroo Haiku," which fits neatly into the kangaroo's little pouch!  If you are interested in this item, the pattern and form are available in my Australia Unit on TPT.

  

We also learned about the native Australian Aborigines.  They are famous for their dot paintings, so we attempted to copy that idea with this fun kangaroo:

                            
Our centers this week consisted of a color by the sum page (addition practice),  clothespin clip cards in which he had to add three numbers together, making sentences with Australian words, and this center, in which he had to read a sentence and determine the part of speech of the underlined word.  All of these activities are included in my Australia Unit on TPT.  If you are interested, click HERE.

Well, that's pretty much our week.  It was a fun one!  (Any unit filled with that many cute animals is a fun one for me!)  : )   

I hope you are having a great day that's full of joy!  Thanks so much for visiting!

Blessings,

Laurie