Today we added this film about the outer planets of our solar system to our work for the day. We
really enjoyed it. The kids were excited to see Van Allen interviewed in the film. My daughter (8) was very inspired by the segment on Saturn - she developed a theory about gaps in Saturn's ring and she drew a picture of Saturn. She asked to use some of our school books to study it more! The film aired in 1999 and mentioned hoping for results soon from the Cassini mission.
We have been using Sonlight's science curriculum in which DK's Eye Wonder: Space is a resource. Space is a huge and fun topic, so I decided to take a few detours. One of the tangents we are on is the life of Neil Armstrong.
We started with an excellent little biography called Who Was Neil Armstrong? It had a lot about the man of course, but a lot about the space program, and the history of the US at the time, too. It was just right for kids - informative, straight-forward, and yet insightful, too. We ended up talking about the Korean War, JFK, the Cold War, and Communism.
I'm so glad I went this route instead of just showing the kids a video of the moon landing. The historical, emotional, and cultural context made a huge difference in their interest level!
3) Here is a cute little game about planting and growing seeds. And here are a bunch of other online games and activities with a Spring theme.
4) The Travel Channel has an article about Spring Festivals around the world. "Spring is in the air, and so are these lively festivals: From the White
House Easter Egg Roll to a spring equinox party in Mexico, these
celebrations of the season will put a spring in your step."
6) Here is a rather high-brow video about English country gardens. It would be great to put on at quiet time and shows some very pretty gardens.
7) Here is the History Channel's page on Easter. It has articles, videos, and more. "The exact origins of this religious feast day’s name are unknown. Some
sources claim the word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess
of spring and fertility. Other accounts trace Easter to the Latin term
hebdomada alba, or white week, an ancient reference to Easter week and
the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time.
Through a translation error, the term later appeared as esostarum in Old
High German, which eventually became Easter in English. In Spanish,
Easter is known as Pascua; in French, Paques. These words are derived
from the Greek and Latin Pascha or Pasch, for Passover.
Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection occurred after he went to Jerusalem
to celebrate Passover (or Pesach in Hebrew), the Jewish festival
commemorating the ancient Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt.
Pascha eventually came to mean Easter."
8) Here is a list of read aloud books for Spring from Scholastic. "Celebrate the season with these refreshing read-alouds."
9) This page offers a wealth of information on the science of plants. It includes ideas for experiments and science projects as well!
10) Here is a Spring walk scavenger hunt list I made. My kids love looking for things when we walk! We often do things like count things painted blue, butterflies, or birds on the walking path. Sometimes we look for silly stuff just to shake things up. Anyway, I made you a list to get you started. If you want you can offer prizes like, each kids gets a cookie or gumball if you find X number of things.
11) Finally, don't forget Spring kicks off conference season! I love going to conferences - I feel so "normal" and encouraged at them! Check out my list of conferences for one near you.
Today we added this film about the outer planets of our solar system to our work for the day. We
