As I steadily approach my curriculum planning deadline (tomorrow is my last day to work on it, before I work for 10 days in a row, then jump right into our school year on September 9), we all took a much-needed break yesterday at our favorite park with some new friends. I was taking a break from curriculum planning, J was taking a break from a sudden non-stop stream of self-directed projects. Here's a small example from today:
Building a scale model of the galaxy. He got the idea from a book about the galaxy that one of my clients gave the boys as a gift (with no idea how much of a hit it would be with them -- she couldn't have made a more popular choice!). We didn't have a piece of paper, or wall, long enough to make the model, so he just laid out the sun and planets (which he drew, colored and cut out) on the hallway carpet, using a tape measure to put them the appropriate distance from the sun. That's the sun closest to us (the yellow ball), and the planets string out behind it, all the way to Neptune down by the boys. (J is holding up the page of the book with the directions on it.) I was pleased to see that this book is up-to-date enough not to include Pluto on it's planet projects.
Ladybugs. Every fall we have a problem with hundreds of migratory lady bugs somehow making their way into our house. Apparently we're starting early this year -- this morning I was greeted to a dozen or so colorful ladybugs that J had created and distributed throughout the kitchen and dining room. Why? Um, well, I actually haven't quite figured that out yet. When I commented on all the ladybugs, he just said "yup!". Last I knew, he was working on creating an army of buzzing bees....
J's Project Central. Normally he does a lot of work at his seat at the dining room table. For some reason this week he's favored the floor of the kitchen. This is where the "Roo Racer" took form (and where it was subsequently taken apart, unfortunately before I was able to photograph it). I think he likes the texture that the linoleum pattern adds to his coloring. It's also easier to get on all sides of something when it's on the floor as opposed to being stuck just on one side if it's on the table.
Our group project, titled, as of today, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar Project". (My apologies to Eric Carle.) Our little Monarch caterpillar is not going to be little for very long at the rate he's eating. That's him at the upper edge of the largest milkweed leaf. You know, next to the holes. This photo was taken about mid-morning. By now, that hole has tripled it's size. It's pretty entertaining to watch him eat, mowing strips along the edge of the leaf. He eats, and eats, and eats, then crawls away from the hole and takes a nap. Right out on the middle of the leaf. I'm thinking it was lucky for him that we brought him indoors for observation, because I'm pretty sure a bird would have picked him off long before now. In case anyone is wondering how we're set up for him, we've got the top of a milkweed buried in gravel in a glass aquarium/terrarium, with enough water in the bottom for the milkweed to feel like it's in a vase. It should stay fresh for several days that way (as opposed to the leaves we'd been picking, that would wilt within half a day). We won't need much more time out of it than that, as our very hungry caterpillar will eat it's way to needing a new milkweed top within a week's time anyway.
As I steadily approach my curriculum planning deadline (tomorrow is my last day to work on it, before I work for 10 days in a row, then jump right into our school year on September 9), we all took a much-needed break yesterday at our favorite park with some new friends. I was taking a break from curriculum planning, J was taking a break from a sudden non-stop stream of self-directed projects. Here's a small example from today:
Ladybugs. Every fall we have a problem with hundreds of migratory lady bugs somehow making their way into our house. Apparently we're starting early this year -- this morning I was greeted to a dozen or so colorful ladybugs that J had created and distributed throughout the kitchen and dining room. Why? Um, well, I actually haven't quite figured that out yet. When I commented on all the ladybugs, he just said "yup!". Last I knew, he was working on creating an army of buzzing bees....
J's Project Central. Normally he does a lot of work at his seat at the dining room table. For some reason this week he's favored the floor of the kitchen. This is where the "Roo Racer" took form (and where it was subsequently taken apart, unfortunately before I was able to photograph it). I think he likes the texture that the linoleum pattern adds to his coloring. It's also easier to get on all sides of something when it's on the floor as opposed to being stuck just on one side if it's on the table.
Our group project, titled, as of today, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar Project". (My apologies to Eric Carle.) Our little Monarch caterpillar is not going to be little for very long at the rate he's eating. That's him at the upper edge of the largest milkweed leaf. You know, next to the holes. This photo was taken about mid-morning. By now, that hole has tripled it's size. It's pretty entertaining to watch him eat, mowing strips along the edge of the leaf. He eats, and eats, and eats, then crawls away from the hole and takes a nap. Right out on the middle of the leaf. I'm thinking it was lucky for him that we brought him indoors for observation, because I'm pretty sure a bird would have picked him off long before now. In case anyone is wondering how we're set up for him, we've got the top of a milkweed buried in gravel in a glass aquarium/terrarium, with enough water in the bottom for the milkweed to feel like it's in a vase. It should stay fresh for several days that way (as opposed to the leaves we'd been picking, that would wilt within half a day). We won't need much more time out of it than that, as our very hungry caterpillar will eat it's way to needing a new milkweed top within a week's time anyway.
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