Ok, after a whirlwind Spring, culminating in the Abbey art show and STAR testing, I took a much needed mental Spring Break. Only to realize, yesterday, that in doing so I neglected giving you all the final details about our Author's Fair book project this year, "Our Big Backyard."
But I have a feeling most of you are like me, and are just now starting the project anyway. ; ) So if you have not started working on the project with your kids yet, it is not too late! But, um, you'd better jump on it now, since we are scheduled to have our binding party NEXT Monday at the April Old School Monday gathering. That gives you four days--so time to get busy! ; )
And please remember--this is meant to be a fun thing, not a huge hassle, so please keep that in mind as you help your kids with their pages. The art may not be amazing (hey, that's what the Abbey art show was for) and the riddles may or may not make much sense. ; ) But it's an opportunity for our kids to stretch their thinking, be creative, engage with words and ideas, and make art!
If you have not already read the first posts about this year's project, please start here and here.
Once you have read those, you know our theme and our writing style. Now let's talk details of art and format:
The ART
--The art can be in any two-dimensional style and medium your child chooses! I'm not going to direct my kids in a specific medium, but just encourage them to get out the markers and colored pencils. For our family, this is not the time to try to get all fancy.
--Your child's art must be made on a roughly 8" x 8" square.
The TEXT
--Please print out your child's riddle on a regular 8 1/2" x 11" piece of white typing paper.
--The text should be centered.
--The text should be approximately 16-18 pt. font (whatever fits and looks good).
--Your child is welcome to choose the color and font style, but please use boldface.
--The answer to the riddle should be printed out exactly the same font style and size and boldface, but on a separate piece of the same kind of paper.
(If you have several children submitting pages, you are welcome to print their answers on one page, as long as you leave lots of room in between them, as we will be cutting them out on Monday when we assemble the books.)
Does this all make sense? Am I forgetting something important? If you have questions, please leave them in the comments to this post, so everyone may benefit from the answers.
So, see you Monday, April 22 from 11-2 in the usual Vintage classrooms! *And bring your supplies! We will be using scissors, glue/gluesticks, and maybe pencils and markers.
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
More on Book Project 2013: Our Big Backyard Writing
Ok, everybody. I shared a few weeks back about our topic for this year's Author's Fair book project, Our Big Backyard. Now I'm excited to tell you that I have settled on the writing style for the book--riddles!
So each child/family who would like to participate in the project will come up with a topic--like redwoods, or sea stars, or the Sierra Nevadas, or constellations, whatever they are interested in or whatever you are already learning about as a family--and then they will write a riddle "poem" to accompany it.
Best of all, I found a great interactive online that will help in the riddle-writing process!
ReadWriteThink riddle interactive
Write your riddles using the interactive, and you will be set!
More details on the size of the art and how you should format your writing for the book will come in later posts. : )
Questions? Please leave them here in the comments so that everyone may benefit from the discussion.
So each child/family who would like to participate in the project will come up with a topic--like redwoods, or sea stars, or the Sierra Nevadas, or constellations, whatever they are interested in or whatever you are already learning about as a family--and then they will write a riddle "poem" to accompany it.
Best of all, I found a great interactive online that will help in the riddle-writing process!
ReadWriteThink riddle interactive
Write your riddles using the interactive, and you will be set!
More details on the size of the art and how you should format your writing for the book will come in later posts. : )
Questions? Please leave them here in the comments so that everyone may benefit from the discussion.
Friday, February 1, 2013
And now the Vintage Homeschool Kids' Book Project 2013: Our Big Backyard
If you read the last posts, you know we are starting the annual book project for 2014 a little early. But that does not mean we are not doing a project for this year! No, so many of you told me how much you and your kids enjoy this annual tradition of making a collaborative project and presenting it at the Author's Fair in May that I got up the gumption to do it again. ; ) (Seriously, though--thanks ladies for your encouragement. It is nice to know you are not just joining in the book projects because you feel like you would be a bad friend if you didn't, or because you would feel guilty or something. No one ever has to participate, but I'm glad to know those of you who do actually are glad to do so. : )
So here's the project for this year, to be completed in Feb and March and presented at the Author's Fair in May:
Our Big Backyard
The theme of this book will be God's grand creation. The world is our classroom! And it is also our big backyard, so your child can write about anything at all in nature--with one caveat: the child must be able to engage with that thing with his or her senses. So, this means your child probably should not choose to write about the Sahara desert. . . but of course he could write about Death Valley if he's been there recently and can remember it well. And exotic animals like Golden Lion Tamarins would not be the best topic. . . unless your family gets to observe them at a zoo. The best topics will be those that your children can experience as fully as possible, with as many of their senses as possible--tide pools, or banana slugs, or erosion, or mushrooms, or Salinas valley farms, or babies, or weather. . . you have so much room here to be creative with your topic, and choose a subject that fits your child's interests and experiences and your family's recent homeschool studies.
You can choose something you want to learn about with your kids for this project, or you can piggy-back this project with something you are already studying. Make the project fit with whatever works for your family and your homeschool schedule.
This year we will not do the art all together, so you and your child can decide what medium best suits his/her topic.
I'll write more on the specifics of the project later--this was just the heads up to get you all thinking about possible topics for your child's page.
But in the meantime, here are the important deadlines for the project, so you can figure those into your planning:
April 22, noon - 2:30: All pages complete, bring to Old School Monday gathering for binding party
May 4 : Author's Fair at Capitola Mall
Our Vintage Homeschool FAMILY Book Project 2014--A Book of Months
Some of you remember that I was brewing up a book project for the annual Author's Fair that could be completed by families or individual kids, but would not be a collective project as we have done in the past. Well, I have finally figured out how we can do it and make it logical, easy, a great learning exercise for the kids, and potentially a great keepsake! (Even a great Christmas present for a family member!)
Our project is a Book of Months. The idea is for your child/children to capture the rhythm of a year in your family. Each month will have one page describing what your family traditionally does in that month, with one page of illustration (or your child can make more than one page for eventful months--that part is completely up to them/you). Some things that could be included are holidays, birthdays or other annual family celebrations, typical weather, favorite activities for that season, whatever you and your child(ren) think best captures your year.
Since we are just now starting the new year, and have completed our first month, this is the perfect time to begin this project. So anyone interested can make a time in the next week or so to talk about January and what they did as a family that month, what is special about that month, etc. Then have your children write/draw about it while the memories and sensory elements are fresh. Then at the end of each month, look back and do the pages for that past month. If we all do a little at a time, the project should not really impact our other schooling, and the kids will have time to get as involved with the writing/illustration as they would like. Ideally, the project itself will end up being part of the rhythm of this year!
Of course this project does not have to be done so systematically. There is absolutely no reason why you can't just do it whenever you remember, when you have room in your school schedule, etc. I could even see someone doing this project in two weeks--completing one month every day. So I am just setting out the project the way it could most organically be done, and those of you who want to participate can do the pages and art however/whenever you see fit.
My gift to you will be a reminder here on this blog at the beginning of each new month to look back on the past month and write about it while the memories are fresh. : ) The final goal will be for all the books to be completed this same time next year, and we will have a binding party at one of our Vintage Homeschool gatherings!
Since each family will be doing this project on their own, but we hope to show them all together at the Author's Fair in May of 2014, there will be certain simple parameters we will use to give overall cohesion to the project.
--Each child's writing and illustrations should be completed on 8 1/2 x 11 inch white typing paper.
--Only use one side of each piece of paper.
--The text and its illustration will be on separate pieces of paper.
--I strongly urge you to figure out in advance if your child(ren) wants to have the pages horizontal or vertical--we have learned already from experience with this project the sadness that occurs when some illustrations are one way and some are the other! Your author(s) can choose which they want--either is completely fine for this project, as long as their whole book is done the same way.
--The text will be typed out in black ink (unless of course your child believes there is a need for colored text). You can choose the font, but the size should be 14 pt (as long as that fits well on your page--of course you can change it if you think the text length warrants it).
--The text for each page will be centered on the page (both L to R and top to bottom).
--The style of illustration used is entirely up to you and your child as well. You could even practice different mediums on different pages, if you choose; however, I would recommend you choose one style and use it for the entire book, to keep the months having the same visual "weight." So if your child chooses watercolor, encourage them to use watercolor throughout the book.
--You may choose to make the book as a family and have different children do different aspects of the project, or each child may do his/her own book. This too is up to you and your children.
--Be sure to have a safe place to store this project over the year, so the pages are not bent and damaged. Our family started this project about 8 months ago, and some of the pages that the kids were storing themselves have been creased, a little wrinkled. . . not really a big deal, but if this ends up being a beautiful "keeper" book, then in the long run they may be sorry.
Remember, you should not worry about binding the book--we will do that all together next March or April.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments below. I hope you are as excited about this project as I am!
Happy Writing, all!
Our project is a Book of Months. The idea is for your child/children to capture the rhythm of a year in your family. Each month will have one page describing what your family traditionally does in that month, with one page of illustration (or your child can make more than one page for eventful months--that part is completely up to them/you). Some things that could be included are holidays, birthdays or other annual family celebrations, typical weather, favorite activities for that season, whatever you and your child(ren) think best captures your year.
Since we are just now starting the new year, and have completed our first month, this is the perfect time to begin this project. So anyone interested can make a time in the next week or so to talk about January and what they did as a family that month, what is special about that month, etc. Then have your children write/draw about it while the memories and sensory elements are fresh. Then at the end of each month, look back and do the pages for that past month. If we all do a little at a time, the project should not really impact our other schooling, and the kids will have time to get as involved with the writing/illustration as they would like. Ideally, the project itself will end up being part of the rhythm of this year!
Of course this project does not have to be done so systematically. There is absolutely no reason why you can't just do it whenever you remember, when you have room in your school schedule, etc. I could even see someone doing this project in two weeks--completing one month every day. So I am just setting out the project the way it could most organically be done, and those of you who want to participate can do the pages and art however/whenever you see fit.
My gift to you will be a reminder here on this blog at the beginning of each new month to look back on the past month and write about it while the memories are fresh. : ) The final goal will be for all the books to be completed this same time next year, and we will have a binding party at one of our Vintage Homeschool gatherings!
Since each family will be doing this project on their own, but we hope to show them all together at the Author's Fair in May of 2014, there will be certain simple parameters we will use to give overall cohesion to the project.
--Each child's writing and illustrations should be completed on 8 1/2 x 11 inch white typing paper.
--Only use one side of each piece of paper.
--The text and its illustration will be on separate pieces of paper.
--I strongly urge you to figure out in advance if your child(ren) wants to have the pages horizontal or vertical--we have learned already from experience with this project the sadness that occurs when some illustrations are one way and some are the other! Your author(s) can choose which they want--either is completely fine for this project, as long as their whole book is done the same way.
--The text will be typed out in black ink (unless of course your child believes there is a need for colored text). You can choose the font, but the size should be 14 pt (as long as that fits well on your page--of course you can change it if you think the text length warrants it).
--The text for each page will be centered on the page (both L to R and top to bottom).
--The style of illustration used is entirely up to you and your child as well. You could even practice different mediums on different pages, if you choose; however, I would recommend you choose one style and use it for the entire book, to keep the months having the same visual "weight." So if your child chooses watercolor, encourage them to use watercolor throughout the book.
--You may choose to make the book as a family and have different children do different aspects of the project, or each child may do his/her own book. This too is up to you and your children.
--Be sure to have a safe place to store this project over the year, so the pages are not bent and damaged. Our family started this project about 8 months ago, and some of the pages that the kids were storing themselves have been creased, a little wrinkled. . . not really a big deal, but if this ends up being a beautiful "keeper" book, then in the long run they may be sorry.
Remember, you should not worry about binding the book--we will do that all together next March or April.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments below. I hope you are as excited about this project as I am!
Happy Writing, all!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
It's the Old School Monday FALL PARTY!
Photo credit
What: Homeschool Families Fall Party
When: Next Monday, October 22, 11-2
Where: Vintage Faith Church, our usual classrooms and the gym
We will start out with lunch, so please bring lunch for your families* and also one food item to share with everyone.
Then there are two special events planned:
--Share Displays. 12-12:30. Each child or family is welcome to create a display of something they want to share with the rest of us. It might be what they did over the summer, or something they have been learning about that excites them. All displays should have a writing element (which can be as simple as the child writing captions for photos, or as elaborate as descriptive paragraphs) and displays that utilize a math element (graph or chart, calculations, even simple addition that fits their topic) will receive special acknowledgement. Prizes will be given to all participating children! Children may set up their displays as they arrive, so families may look around and admire the kids' handiwork at any time, but we will set aside a half-hour starting at noon for the children to talk about their displays, if they wish.
--Fall Book Projects. 12:30-1:30. I will share our next book project for the 2013 Author's Fair so anyone interested can get a head start on it with your kids, and then I will lead the kids in a guided book project on the Bill of Rights. Any kids who are interested and who are school age are welcome to participate.
Throughout our time there, we will have plenty of time for chatting, catching up, sharing ideas, and letting the kids play! If any parent wants to lead a game in the gym before or after our other activities, please let me know!
This is all free, and any homeschool families are welcome to join us and participate. Please invite your friends too!
*Please remember to bring your own cups, plates, utensils, etc. We would like to make these events as waste-free as possible. Thank you!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Our Next OSM--let's finalize the day, please?
Hello Moms!
Our next OSM is scheduled to be at the usual 4th Monday of the month--but this month, that means we are scheduled to have it the day after Easter.
I would like some feedback, please! Will everyone be around and able to come that day? It is an important gathering, as it is when we will be assembling our "What's Above" books, AND learning more about Japan. At least, that's what we had said we might do--Laura, the books we will assemble immediately, so most of the gathering time will be available for learning. Do you want to finish sharing your Japan studies with us that day? If not, let me know!
So all you moms, please tell me if you would come Monday the 25th to OSM from noon to 2:30 or if we should reschedule. Thanks!
lisa c.
Our next OSM is scheduled to be at the usual 4th Monday of the month--but this month, that means we are scheduled to have it the day after Easter.
I would like some feedback, please! Will everyone be around and able to come that day? It is an important gathering, as it is when we will be assembling our "What's Above" books, AND learning more about Japan. At least, that's what we had said we might do--Laura, the books we will assemble immediately, so most of the gathering time will be available for learning. Do you want to finish sharing your Japan studies with us that day? If not, let me know!
So all you moms, please tell me if you would come Monday the 25th to OSM from noon to 2:30 or if we should reschedule. Thanks!
lisa c.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Our collective book project! The Instructions Post
Finally!
So sorry, ladies, that I took so long to post this. It was a C.R.A.Z.Y. week, and then I got sick! Now I have a whole day at home, finally, and my head feels good, so here you go!
As we were talking about at our special OSM last Monday, our theme for this year's book project is "What's Above, What's Beneath." The idea is to brainstorm things you have been studying this year so far, and come up with an idea that can be developed into a triptych. The three panels of the triptych will be the same size, and will be stacked horitontally. The fourth panel is for an accompanying haiku or senryu.
Here is the format of the overall page:
Your job until the next Old School Monday (on the last week of April) is just to have your child complete the art and poem that go inside the four panels. We will assemble the pages together at our next OSM gathering. **if you want to complete the colored border of the panels before we next meet, great! But the content itself is what you must bring completed to our OSM.
First, the triptych panels:
The top panel is for "what is above," the bottom panel is for "what is beneath" and the middle panel explains itself. ; ) So you and your child should brainstorm several good ideas, and talk about what you could put in the panels. I had my girls brainstorm three different topics, and then pick their favorite one, so we are confident in our ideas and have them planned out pretty well before we start the art itself.
Don't limit yourself/your child to thinking vertically. Think about all the different ways we can layer, even symbolic ones. Here are some examples we came up with at our OSM gathering:
If the topic is the human body, you could do:
ABOVE: head
MIDDLE: torso
BENEATH: feet
or
ABOVE: skin
MIDDLE: bones
BENEATH: organs
or
ABOVE: hair
MIDDLE: skull
BENEATH: rainbows and images and things to represent feelings and thoughts
As a class we also brainstormed ways you could do this with redwoods, and with a ship in a storm at sea. Think creatively, and encourage your children to look at things and layers from as many points of view as possible.
Suggestions:
*Each of your school age childen may make a page, or you can all work on one together. If your child gets really inspired, she is welcome to do more than one page! But let's encourage all the kids to do their best work, ok?
*Remember, ideally this project would support learning you have already done, or are in the middle of. We are finding it does not work as well to get a brilliant idea but not know about that subject, and then struggle with what do draw or say. (but then again, if an idea gets the kid wanting to learn about something, great! run with it!)
*Have your child sketch out his idea on scratch paper first, so he knows how it will fit into the allotted panel dimensions. obviously horizontal images will work best, unless your artist would like a lot of negative space in her panels. ; ) So encourage your kids to be thinking of this when they sketch their ideas.
*When it comes time to do the final art, I recommend the parent drawing out the rectangle (exact specifications below) on a larger sheet of paper, and then letting the child do the art, then cutting out the rectangle for the child so the lines are neat, and the child's art can easily go all the way to the edges of the panel. (In other words, I would not recommend cutting out the panels first and then having your child do the art on them. Unless of course you are gluing sand or something to the panel that you would not be able to cut through later.)
*The art medium the child uses for the triptych is up to him and you--as long as the paper is strong enough to hold it, it should be fine. So 3-dimensional art is fine, like a glued mosaic, but keep in mind this is to go in a book, so don't make the panels too heavy or have too much depth.
*Typically, the more detailed the art, the less emotion will flow through them. Encourage your child to think of how the "above" "middle" and "beneath" can be shown with simple images.
*Don't think of the triptych as a cross-section of something--encourage your kids to move past realism and into representation. For example, if you were doing the first idea of the human body given above, the torso would not continue where the head/shoulders left off, and the bottom section of the body continue from there. (your child is welcome to do this, but given the size considerations of each panel, they might just end up frustrated and their art cramped) Instead, let's say the child draws the crown of a head, with its artistic swirls of hair for the "What's Above" image. Then draws a tummy and bellybutton for the "Middle" image. And then draws feet for the "What's Beneath" image. Letting go the need for consistencies of perspective and literalness will allow for so much more creativity.
*As the latter example illustrates, consider with your child how a large subject can be broken down and conveyed clearly through small parts of it. The texture of bark would fill that middle panel beautifully for someone working with the topic of trees. Or the overlaying shapes and colors of leaves filling the top panel for the tree tops.
Then, the haiku or senryu:
Please take a few moments to look up both these terms online, to best familiarize yourself with them before starting the writing part of the page with your child.
But basically, both the haiku and senryu have the same three-line structure:
5 syllables in the first line,
7 syllables in the second line,
5 syllables in the third line.
Where the two poems differ is in their focus. A haiku is traditionally about nature, while a senryu is traditionally about people.
Suggestions:
*The poem should respond to the art, or help explain/illuminate it.
*Humor is welcome, if it fits your child's subject! In fact, many traditional haikus use the last line of the poem to bring the first two ideas together in juxtaposition, which is often purposefully humorous.
*Have your child write at least three poems, and then have her pick her favorite one for the page.
*Ideally the final poem would be written out neatly by your child's own hand. A good time to practice spelling and printing! Use marker or dark pencil or pen to make your child's words stand out.
Panel dimensions:
*Each of the three art panels should be approximately 8" x 2 1/2".
*The fourth panel should be approximately 3" x 2 1/2".
*If you choose to go ahead and glue your panels to the construction paper, that's great. The upper box will be appromimately 9" x 9 1/4" and the lower box will be approximately 4 1/2" x 3 1/2".
*I think it is appropriate for the parents to do the cutting and assembly, so that the art and poetry really get the focus of the page, but those who have older kids who want to cut out and assemble their own, fine! This should be a kid-focused project, and let's make sure the resulting works reflect them more than us. : )
I am excited about this project! Anyone who is a part of the Vintage Homeschool group is welcome to participate, even if you can't regularly come to OSM. Just contact me about how to get your child's work to me in time for to be added to our book before the Author's Fair.
So sorry, ladies, that I took so long to post this. It was a C.R.A.Z.Y. week, and then I got sick! Now I have a whole day at home, finally, and my head feels good, so here you go!
As we were talking about at our special OSM last Monday, our theme for this year's book project is "What's Above, What's Beneath." The idea is to brainstorm things you have been studying this year so far, and come up with an idea that can be developed into a triptych. The three panels of the triptych will be the same size, and will be stacked horitontally. The fourth panel is for an accompanying haiku or senryu.
Here is the format of the overall page:
Your job until the next Old School Monday (on the last week of April) is just to have your child complete the art and poem that go inside the four panels. We will assemble the pages together at our next OSM gathering. **if you want to complete the colored border of the panels before we next meet, great! But the content itself is what you must bring completed to our OSM.
First, the triptych panels:
The top panel is for "what is above," the bottom panel is for "what is beneath" and the middle panel explains itself. ; ) So you and your child should brainstorm several good ideas, and talk about what you could put in the panels. I had my girls brainstorm three different topics, and then pick their favorite one, so we are confident in our ideas and have them planned out pretty well before we start the art itself.
Don't limit yourself/your child to thinking vertically. Think about all the different ways we can layer, even symbolic ones. Here are some examples we came up with at our OSM gathering:
If the topic is the human body, you could do:
ABOVE: head
MIDDLE: torso
BENEATH: feet
or
ABOVE: skin
MIDDLE: bones
BENEATH: organs
or
ABOVE: hair
MIDDLE: skull
BENEATH: rainbows and images and things to represent feelings and thoughts
As a class we also brainstormed ways you could do this with redwoods, and with a ship in a storm at sea. Think creatively, and encourage your children to look at things and layers from as many points of view as possible.
Suggestions:
*Each of your school age childen may make a page, or you can all work on one together. If your child gets really inspired, she is welcome to do more than one page! But let's encourage all the kids to do their best work, ok?
*Remember, ideally this project would support learning you have already done, or are in the middle of. We are finding it does not work as well to get a brilliant idea but not know about that subject, and then struggle with what do draw or say. (but then again, if an idea gets the kid wanting to learn about something, great! run with it!)
*Have your child sketch out his idea on scratch paper first, so he knows how it will fit into the allotted panel dimensions. obviously horizontal images will work best, unless your artist would like a lot of negative space in her panels. ; ) So encourage your kids to be thinking of this when they sketch their ideas.
*When it comes time to do the final art, I recommend the parent drawing out the rectangle (exact specifications below) on a larger sheet of paper, and then letting the child do the art, then cutting out the rectangle for the child so the lines are neat, and the child's art can easily go all the way to the edges of the panel. (In other words, I would not recommend cutting out the panels first and then having your child do the art on them. Unless of course you are gluing sand or something to the panel that you would not be able to cut through later.)
*The art medium the child uses for the triptych is up to him and you--as long as the paper is strong enough to hold it, it should be fine. So 3-dimensional art is fine, like a glued mosaic, but keep in mind this is to go in a book, so don't make the panels too heavy or have too much depth.
*Typically, the more detailed the art, the less emotion will flow through them. Encourage your child to think of how the "above" "middle" and "beneath" can be shown with simple images.
*Don't think of the triptych as a cross-section of something--encourage your kids to move past realism and into representation. For example, if you were doing the first idea of the human body given above, the torso would not continue where the head/shoulders left off, and the bottom section of the body continue from there. (your child is welcome to do this, but given the size considerations of each panel, they might just end up frustrated and their art cramped) Instead, let's say the child draws the crown of a head, with its artistic swirls of hair for the "What's Above" image. Then draws a tummy and bellybutton for the "Middle" image. And then draws feet for the "What's Beneath" image. Letting go the need for consistencies of perspective and literalness will allow for so much more creativity.
*As the latter example illustrates, consider with your child how a large subject can be broken down and conveyed clearly through small parts of it. The texture of bark would fill that middle panel beautifully for someone working with the topic of trees. Or the overlaying shapes and colors of leaves filling the top panel for the tree tops.
Then, the haiku or senryu:
Please take a few moments to look up both these terms online, to best familiarize yourself with them before starting the writing part of the page with your child.
But basically, both the haiku and senryu have the same three-line structure:
5 syllables in the first line,
7 syllables in the second line,
5 syllables in the third line.
Where the two poems differ is in their focus. A haiku is traditionally about nature, while a senryu is traditionally about people.
Suggestions:
*The poem should respond to the art, or help explain/illuminate it.
*Humor is welcome, if it fits your child's subject! In fact, many traditional haikus use the last line of the poem to bring the first two ideas together in juxtaposition, which is often purposefully humorous.
*Have your child write at least three poems, and then have her pick her favorite one for the page.
*Ideally the final poem would be written out neatly by your child's own hand. A good time to practice spelling and printing! Use marker or dark pencil or pen to make your child's words stand out.
Panel dimensions:
*Each of the three art panels should be approximately 8" x 2 1/2".
*The fourth panel should be approximately 3" x 2 1/2".
*If you choose to go ahead and glue your panels to the construction paper, that's great. The upper box will be appromimately 9" x 9 1/4" and the lower box will be approximately 4 1/2" x 3 1/2".
*I think it is appropriate for the parents to do the cutting and assembly, so that the art and poetry really get the focus of the page, but those who have older kids who want to cut out and assemble their own, fine! This should be a kid-focused project, and let's make sure the resulting works reflect them more than us. : )
I am excited about this project! Anyone who is a part of the Vintage Homeschool group is welcome to participate, even if you can't regularly come to OSM. Just contact me about how to get your child's work to me in time for to be added to our book before the Author's Fair.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Author's Fair preview!
I just had to share some of these pages we made yesterday--so cute!
This week I will assemble the book and get it all ready for showing.
Thank you moms so much for your help yesterday! (and for chai. . . ahhhhhhh. . . thanks, Laura!)
And moms, since we did not finalize a time to meet at the Author's Fair on Saturday, how about we do that here? It sounded like 11 a.m. was good for some moms--if you want to come with your kids to present the book at the Fair, let us all know in the comments section for this post if that time works for you. If not, suggest a different time we can consider.
And we need help hosting the book table! Anyone who can help by signing up for a one hour shift, please also post a comment to say what hour-long slot you can help with. Thank you!
Times for hosting:
9-10 settting up (decorate the table, lay out the books)
10-11
11-12
12-1
1-2
2-3
3-4 (includes packing up the books and clearing the table at the end)
If you prefer to come on the half-hour (i.e. 1:30 - 2:30) that is fine too--just be specific about the times you can be there in your comment.
None of you are obligated to show up, and I completely understand if you cannot come help--but I promise you will enjoy the experience and will be inspired by the books you see on display at the other tables. Your kids will have fun too, and last year there was even a table where they could make a book. : )
See you there!
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Old School Monday BIG book about Important People in American History!
Hello Vintage Moms!
Lisa C. here. OK, so FINALLY I am feeling head-clear enough to write this post. (Darn cold)
I am very excited about this project, as you all may know from the intro I gave it last week. I got the idea from checking out the blogs of strangers who are "following" this blog. (Aren't YOU curious who these people are?) Seems like most of them are fellow homeschool moms in other states who must like what we do and check this blog for ideas and inspiration. ; ) So it was awesome to randomly visit a mom's blog and follow the link to her daughter's blog, and find this adorable project, which was the inspiration for this book idea!
The theme is Important People in American History! So each of your kids can select one (or more!) Important People whom you have studied in your family schooling this year. It can be an American who was/is important to America, or to the world, like Carrie Nation, Barak Obama, Henry Ford. It can be a non-American, like Christopher Columbus or Sacagawea, who were instrumental to the shaping of our country. Let the kids choose, and that will help them be excited about the project--give them some possibilities (great way to review the people you have learned about this year) and then ask them "Who do they want to be?" in this book.
Then each child--your family can do one page all together if you prefer--should gather facts about this Important Person:
MY NAME IS:
IT IS THE YEAR: (choose a date important to this person's role in history)
I LIVE: (say if the person is not from America, but also give the location(s) important to this person's role in history)
I AM: (here is where you briefly tell the person's role, or job, or what was going on around him/her at this place/time in history, and/or what he/she was doing about it)
I AM CHANGING AMERICA (or the world) BY:
ONE IDEA I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW IS: (talk with your kids about the beliefs and values of this person in relation to their role in history. Choose either a direct quotation of this person, or help your child summarize a belief or value that has come through in your studies.
Older kids can write more--that is up to you, Mom, but every American at least needs a completed facts sheet. *Don't make this part beautiful--we will be re-writing it on the book pages we make together--just get the facts, ma'am. ; )
Make sure you and your kids look at a picture of your chosen Important Person(s) before we meet to make the books.
Then when we come together, each child/family will get a big piece of paper for each Important Person they have prepared for. Moms, you will be responsible for cutting out a face hole in the upper center of the page, suitable for your child's face. (I will do my best to remember to bring a box cutter/utility knife, but if anyone else has one please bring it so this goes as quickly as possible.) Then your child/ren can draw/color/paint/glue stuff, etc. around the face hole to make it look like a portait of your Important Person that is just missing its face. We will put your "facts" about the Important Person on this side, probably at the bottom of the page, but how is completely up to you and your child/ren!
When all the pages are finished, we will punch holes in one side and use ring clips to hold all of them together in a book. The idea is that when we read the book, each child can open the book to her page, insert her own face in the hole, and narrate her page as if she were that Important Person!
But wait, there's MORE!
On the BACK side of your child's Important Person, we are going to do the same thing--except now the page features YOUR child!!!! Your child will illustrate that side as a portrait of him/herself--and complete "the facts" for him/herself! Do you see the message this sends, that Every one of us is/can choose to be Important to America, and the world? (those of you who are doing this project as a family. . . well, you figure out how to make it work. ; )
Is this not going to be cute or WHAT? And can you SEE the kids getting to all show their book together at the Author's Fair? Please everyone, let's!!!
We will all make the book together at the next OSM, which will be April 26, at our new time of 2:00 p.m.
Please bring the following:
1) your facts sheet for each Important American you would like to add to the book (and even better if you get the "facts" for your child too, for his/her side!)
2) your Monday box, including whatever medium your child will want to illustrate his/her page with. This is important, since we don't want to waste time with kids waiting to use supplies others are using.
*Moms, you can be as creative with this part as you want! Do you want to use buttons, fabric, yarn, etc? Bring it! Just be sure to bring your glue, too! ; )
*I will bring the big paper.* We will illustrate and assemble our pages while we are all together, and hopefully if we start right at 2:00 there will be time for glue to dry enough to do both sides.
Are you excited? (Ok, somebody please pretend to be!)
Questions? Please post them as a comment here, so others can benefit from it and my response.
Lisa C. here. OK, so FINALLY I am feeling head-clear enough to write this post. (Darn cold)
I am very excited about this project, as you all may know from the intro I gave it last week. I got the idea from checking out the blogs of strangers who are "following" this blog. (Aren't YOU curious who these people are?) Seems like most of them are fellow homeschool moms in other states who must like what we do and check this blog for ideas and inspiration. ; ) So it was awesome to randomly visit a mom's blog and follow the link to her daughter's blog, and find this adorable project, which was the inspiration for this book idea!
The theme is Important People in American History! So each of your kids can select one (or more!) Important People whom you have studied in your family schooling this year. It can be an American who was/is important to America, or to the world, like Carrie Nation, Barak Obama, Henry Ford. It can be a non-American, like Christopher Columbus or Sacagawea, who were instrumental to the shaping of our country. Let the kids choose, and that will help them be excited about the project--give them some possibilities (great way to review the people you have learned about this year) and then ask them "Who do they want to be?" in this book.
Then each child--your family can do one page all together if you prefer--should gather facts about this Important Person:
MY NAME IS:
IT IS THE YEAR: (choose a date important to this person's role in history)
I LIVE: (say if the person is not from America, but also give the location(s) important to this person's role in history)
I AM: (here is where you briefly tell the person's role, or job, or what was going on around him/her at this place/time in history, and/or what he/she was doing about it)
I AM CHANGING AMERICA (or the world) BY:
ONE IDEA I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW IS: (talk with your kids about the beliefs and values of this person in relation to their role in history. Choose either a direct quotation of this person, or help your child summarize a belief or value that has come through in your studies.
Older kids can write more--that is up to you, Mom, but every American at least needs a completed facts sheet. *Don't make this part beautiful--we will be re-writing it on the book pages we make together--just get the facts, ma'am. ; )
Make sure you and your kids look at a picture of your chosen Important Person(s) before we meet to make the books.
Then when we come together, each child/family will get a big piece of paper for each Important Person they have prepared for. Moms, you will be responsible for cutting out a face hole in the upper center of the page, suitable for your child's face. (I will do my best to remember to bring a box cutter/utility knife, but if anyone else has one please bring it so this goes as quickly as possible.) Then your child/ren can draw/color/paint/glue stuff, etc. around the face hole to make it look like a portait of your Important Person that is just missing its face. We will put your "facts" about the Important Person on this side, probably at the bottom of the page, but how is completely up to you and your child/ren!
When all the pages are finished, we will punch holes in one side and use ring clips to hold all of them together in a book. The idea is that when we read the book, each child can open the book to her page, insert her own face in the hole, and narrate her page as if she were that Important Person!
But wait, there's MORE!
On the BACK side of your child's Important Person, we are going to do the same thing--except now the page features YOUR child!!!! Your child will illustrate that side as a portrait of him/herself--and complete "the facts" for him/herself! Do you see the message this sends, that Every one of us is/can choose to be Important to America, and the world? (those of you who are doing this project as a family. . . well, you figure out how to make it work. ; )
Is this not going to be cute or WHAT? And can you SEE the kids getting to all show their book together at the Author's Fair? Please everyone, let's!!!
We will all make the book together at the next OSM, which will be April 26, at our new time of 2:00 p.m.
Please bring the following:
1) your facts sheet for each Important American you would like to add to the book (and even better if you get the "facts" for your child too, for his/her side!)
2) your Monday box, including whatever medium your child will want to illustrate his/her page with. This is important, since we don't want to waste time with kids waiting to use supplies others are using.
*Moms, you can be as creative with this part as you want! Do you want to use buttons, fabric, yarn, etc? Bring it! Just be sure to bring your glue, too! ; )
*I will bring the big paper.* We will illustrate and assemble our pages while we are all together, and hopefully if we start right at 2:00 there will be time for glue to dry enough to do both sides.
Are you excited? (Ok, somebody please pretend to be!)
Questions? Please post them as a comment here, so others can benefit from it and my response.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Exciting Stuff Happening!
Hello Vintage Moms!
Lisa here. SO SO SO much I want to tell you all, so I will just give a couple quick blurbs, then off to finish packing for visiting family this weekend.
First, a VERY VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
After polling the mommies present at the last OSM, and two mommies who would have liked to be, we have decided to move the time of Old School Monday from morning to afternoon. This will help some of our far-away familes to make it to OSM, and will open us up to inviting school-age friends and siblings too. : ) And will help those of us who are trying to be sticklers about official morning school time.
So this means that on April 26, our next OSM, we will be meeting at 2:00 p.m. and will go until 4:3o.
Those of us who attend Laird's Academy of Martial Arts can then go to the 5:00 class, making the most of driving time around town.
OK, THEN! THE NEXT IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENT:
At the next OSM, we are all going to be making a book together, which we will then show at the upcoming Author's Fair held at the Capitola Mall on May 1! I will write out the book project in detail after this weekend, but will say now it will be EASY, EDUCATIONAL, ADAPTABLE to your own current family studies, and SO CUTE! I hope everyone decides to participate! Here are the ways to be involved:
1) Prepare with your child before OSM so you are ready to illustrate and assemble the final work while we are together that afternoon. (very easy--don't worry, just say you'll do it!)
2) Come to OSM so we can "make" the book!
3) Help play hostess at the Ocean Grove book table at the Author's Fair, Saturday, May 1. I think my E.S. Terry Cleary is in charge of this, so I will ask her at what shifts they will need people to help. I did it with Gwynneth last year, and it was great! She and I got to hang out at the Ocean Grove table and talk to people who wanted to look at the books, and then we had plenty of time to walk around and look at all the other creative and inspiring books (click on the hyperlink to see the post I made about it last year).
4) I will try to find out a specific time when our kids could officially read their book to the audience at the Author's Fair! So even if you don't help with the table for an hour, you should come when we might be able to have the kids "present" their book to the world. : )
So, please plan now to be a part of this experience with your homeschool kids.
Oh--and if you have already made a book as part of your studies this year, ask your E.S. about showing it too! We made one in the Fall of 2009 about a visit to a zoo--you might remember it from our first "Back to School" Old School Monday last Fall--and it is not much, just colorful construction paper and photos and drawings and descriptions all bound with yarn. But I think it turned out well, and so will plan on showing it, if Terry says I can. (I just don't know if there is an official approval process--hopefully the E.S's will know, and if I find out, I will post the info here for you all.)
I think you are going to be as excited about the book project as I am--so stay tuned for those details next week!
Lisa here. SO SO SO much I want to tell you all, so I will just give a couple quick blurbs, then off to finish packing for visiting family this weekend.
First, a VERY VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
After polling the mommies present at the last OSM, and two mommies who would have liked to be, we have decided to move the time of Old School Monday from morning to afternoon. This will help some of our far-away familes to make it to OSM, and will open us up to inviting school-age friends and siblings too. : ) And will help those of us who are trying to be sticklers about official morning school time.
So this means that on April 26, our next OSM, we will be meeting at 2:00 p.m. and will go until 4:3o.
Those of us who attend Laird's Academy of Martial Arts can then go to the 5:00 class, making the most of driving time around town.
OK, THEN! THE NEXT IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENT:
At the next OSM, we are all going to be making a book together, which we will then show at the upcoming Author's Fair held at the Capitola Mall on May 1! I will write out the book project in detail after this weekend, but will say now it will be EASY, EDUCATIONAL, ADAPTABLE to your own current family studies, and SO CUTE! I hope everyone decides to participate! Here are the ways to be involved:
1) Prepare with your child before OSM so you are ready to illustrate and assemble the final work while we are together that afternoon. (very easy--don't worry, just say you'll do it!)
2) Come to OSM so we can "make" the book!
3) Help play hostess at the Ocean Grove book table at the Author's Fair, Saturday, May 1. I think my E.S. Terry Cleary is in charge of this, so I will ask her at what shifts they will need people to help. I did it with Gwynneth last year, and it was great! She and I got to hang out at the Ocean Grove table and talk to people who wanted to look at the books, and then we had plenty of time to walk around and look at all the other creative and inspiring books (click on the hyperlink to see the post I made about it last year).
4) I will try to find out a specific time when our kids could officially read their book to the audience at the Author's Fair! So even if you don't help with the table for an hour, you should come when we might be able to have the kids "present" their book to the world. : )
So, please plan now to be a part of this experience with your homeschool kids.
Oh--and if you have already made a book as part of your studies this year, ask your E.S. about showing it too! We made one in the Fall of 2009 about a visit to a zoo--you might remember it from our first "Back to School" Old School Monday last Fall--and it is not much, just colorful construction paper and photos and drawings and descriptions all bound with yarn. But I think it turned out well, and so will plan on showing it, if Terry says I can. (I just don't know if there is an official approval process--hopefully the E.S's will know, and if I find out, I will post the info here for you all.)
I think you are going to be as excited about the book project as I am--so stay tuned for those details next week!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Start Thinking of the End of Summer
I thought that title would get your attention!
This is just an idea I had: let's at the very first Old School Monday come September have a special day of "What I Did During Summer Vacation"! This means as you are planning your summer adventures, also in the back of your mind think about how you might want your homeschool kid to document it and then package it to share with the rest of us! It could be a scrapbook, it could be a journal, it could be a photo book, it could be a play acted out, or a diorama, or, or, or--you get the idea. But if you all like the idea, we can take parts of our summer adventures and make them into a book, with a "real" binding during our OSM get-togethers! (this would be a semi-serious project that would take more than one meeting and parental support at home) But it could be so cool!
So this was just a heads-up for the summer. I can't wait for our adventures!
This is just an idea I had: let's at the very first Old School Monday come September have a special day of "What I Did During Summer Vacation"! This means as you are planning your summer adventures, also in the back of your mind think about how you might want your homeschool kid to document it and then package it to share with the rest of us! It could be a scrapbook, it could be a journal, it could be a photo book, it could be a play acted out, or a diorama, or, or, or--you get the idea. But if you all like the idea, we can take parts of our summer adventures and make them into a book, with a "real" binding during our OSM get-togethers! (this would be a semi-serious project that would take more than one meeting and parental support at home) But it could be so cool!
So this was just a heads-up for the summer. I can't wait for our adventures!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Author's Fair!
I am proposing now that we as a group host a table at the Student Author's Fair on May 2nd at the Capitola Mall, representing Ocean Grove. It would be a chance for our kids to show their work to others (they can even read their books to those who stop by and are interested), which is great incentive for you and them to do a fun writing/art project. My ES, Terry, said that OG cannot yet do a table because they do not have anyone to host it. I said I would suggest it to you all--we have the bodies and it would be so much fun! So here is Terry's response, in an email:
Hi Lisa,
The Santa Cruz County Reading Association and the County Office of Ed. co-sponsor a Student Author's Fair each year. Schools can request a table and students can enter and display books they have written and created. If OG is registered, we will need students to participate and volunteers to set up and staff the table. I have a family that has participated through another school, and they want to continue. Here are links to explain the program.
http://sites.google.com/site/sccra2008/
http://www.santacruz.k12.ca.us/ed_services/student_authors_fair2008.html
Thanks for helping promote this,
Terry
We probably need to decide soon, to get the official gears in motion. So think about it, check your calendars, and let's talk when we get together at OSM. (Or you can post a comment here!)
Hi Lisa,
The Santa Cruz County Reading Association and the County Office of Ed. co-sponsor a Student Author's Fair each year. Schools can request a table and students can enter and display books they have written and created. If OG is registered, we will need students to participate and volunteers to set up and staff the table. I have a family that has participated through another school, and they want to continue. Here are links to explain the program.
http://sites.google.com/site/sccra2008/
http://www.santacruz.k12.ca.us/ed_services/student_authors_fair2008.html
Thanks for helping promote this,
Terry
We probably need to decide soon, to get the official gears in motion. So think about it, check your calendars, and let's talk when we get together at OSM. (Or you can post a comment here!)
Friday, January 9, 2009
Global Laundry
Hi Everybody!
I hope you are all doing well as we plunge into the new year. If you are like us, sometimes you think you are getting the hang of this homeschooling thing and other days you feel like everybody else MUST be doing much better than you are. We definitely have our share of ups and downs, but I think that's normal. Anyway, I am offering you the fruit of one of our good days from sometime before Christmas. If I've already gone on and on about this with you, please ignore the following. It was one of those wonderful things that just "happened" and took on a life of its own! We've "played" it twice now, with Katie and Claire leading the way both times. Here's how it goes:
1. Wait til' you've got a load of laundry to fold AND it's time to do school. Don't panic! You can do both at once! Start with a colorful children's atlas on hand if you have one, or a globe.
2. As you sort the laundry, have your little helper(s) find the tag and read where each item was made.
3. Together, locate each country you discover in the atlas or on the globe.
4. Make a stack for each country, labeled with a sticky note. If you have a little bit of room, lay out the stacks according to their general geographic location (Honduras is down there by the coffee table, China over by the television, etc.)
(You could just stop here and have done a great geography lesson... but here are some things we did that further incorporated social studies, writing practice, math, map reading, and responsible shopping).
5. We tallied up the final count for each country represented, and made a graph (math skill!) with a sticker representing each item of laundry. This makes a great visual of each country's representation in your load of clothes and towels. (Pakistan came out ahead in our first round).
6. I shared with Katie and Claire some parts of a magazine article i had just been reading on fair labor practices and responsible buying (Relevant Magazine 10/08). I can't find it online or I would share it with you. But you don't need an article to discuss the basic idea with your kids.
7. We then chose one company/location to investigate online, which was Fruit of the Loom in Honduras. (This is where they make the girls' My Little Pony underwear and Daddy’s T shirts ). We found out that they’ve closed the factory in Honduras because workers wanted to form a union, and now the entire community is suffering because of the loss of jobs.
8. I printed out an unlabeled map of the Eastern Hemisphere and one of the Americas, one for each daughter. http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/world.html The girls each made legends for their maps, designating a color for each country, and then filled in each country represented in our laundry. It's so educational (for me too!) to figure out which country is which. Could you find Cambodia on an unlabeled map? I couldn't either. Now I can! (Ali, you don't count!)
9. We have agreed that the next time we play Global Laundry, we will find a recipe and cook the "winning" country's cuisine for dinner :) There would probably be a zillion ways to become better aquainted with the people and places that produce your family's clothes -- and build an understanding of how interconnected our world really is. We have a great book by DK called Children Just Like Me about kids around the world that really fascinates Katie and Claire, and this is a great investigative tool!
Save the maps, charts and sticky notes, and put them in a Global Laundry folder. Next time, see how many more countries you can color in. Make a new chart and compare it to the last one(s). It really is amazing to see how many different nationalities have a hand in making the things we wear and use ... and disconcerting to wonder how many of them are underpaid or under-aged.
Anyway, I encourage you to try some form of Global Laundry . . . and the best part is, it evolved on a day when I was feeling so discouraged and disorganized and dis-everything, and it felt like God just wanted to give us a boost. I love those occasional days when school feels natural and easy and full of curiosity... and the laundry gets done at the same time!
I hope you are all doing well as we plunge into the new year. If you are like us, sometimes you think you are getting the hang of this homeschooling thing and other days you feel like everybody else MUST be doing much better than you are. We definitely have our share of ups and downs, but I think that's normal. Anyway, I am offering you the fruit of one of our good days from sometime before Christmas. If I've already gone on and on about this with you, please ignore the following. It was one of those wonderful things that just "happened" and took on a life of its own! We've "played" it twice now, with Katie and Claire leading the way both times. Here's how it goes:
1. Wait til' you've got a load of laundry to fold AND it's time to do school. Don't panic! You can do both at once! Start with a colorful children's atlas on hand if you have one, or a globe.
2. As you sort the laundry, have your little helper(s) find the tag and read where each item was made.
3. Together, locate each country you discover in the atlas or on the globe.
4. Make a stack for each country, labeled with a sticky note. If you have a little bit of room, lay out the stacks according to their general geographic location (Honduras is down there by the coffee table, China over by the television, etc.)
(You could just stop here and have done a great geography lesson... but here are some things we did that further incorporated social studies, writing practice, math, map reading, and responsible shopping).
5. We tallied up the final count for each country represented, and made a graph (math skill!) with a sticker representing each item of laundry. This makes a great visual of each country's representation in your load of clothes and towels. (Pakistan came out ahead in our first round).
6. I shared with Katie and Claire some parts of a magazine article i had just been reading on fair labor practices and responsible buying (Relevant Magazine 10/08). I can't find it online or I would share it with you. But you don't need an article to discuss the basic idea with your kids.
7. We then chose one company/location to investigate online, which was Fruit of the Loom in Honduras. (This is where they make the girls' My Little Pony underwear and Daddy’s T shirts ). We found out that they’ve closed the factory in Honduras because workers wanted to form a union, and now the entire community is suffering because of the loss of jobs.
8. I printed out an unlabeled map of the Eastern Hemisphere and one of the Americas, one for each daughter. http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/world.html The girls each made legends for their maps, designating a color for each country, and then filled in each country represented in our laundry. It's so educational (for me too!) to figure out which country is which. Could you find Cambodia on an unlabeled map? I couldn't either. Now I can! (Ali, you don't count!)
9. We have agreed that the next time we play Global Laundry, we will find a recipe and cook the "winning" country's cuisine for dinner :) There would probably be a zillion ways to become better aquainted with the people and places that produce your family's clothes -- and build an understanding of how interconnected our world really is. We have a great book by DK called Children Just Like Me about kids around the world that really fascinates Katie and Claire, and this is a great investigative tool!
Save the maps, charts and sticky notes, and put them in a Global Laundry folder. Next time, see how many more countries you can color in. Make a new chart and compare it to the last one(s). It really is amazing to see how many different nationalities have a hand in making the things we wear and use ... and disconcerting to wonder how many of them are underpaid or under-aged.
Anyway, I encourage you to try some form of Global Laundry . . . and the best part is, it evolved on a day when I was feeling so discouraged and disorganized and dis-everything, and it felt like God just wanted to give us a boost. I love those occasional days when school feels natural and easy and full of curiosity... and the laundry gets done at the same time!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Our favorite project thus far
I thought you all might like to hear about a project we are doing (almost done) that has been the absolute best experience. We have been studying Colonial America and the founding of our nation, and part of that was memorizing the Preamble to the Constitution (thank you, Schoolhouse Rock). But the Preamble is full of all kinds of lofty ideals and big (and outdated) words, so what does it really mean? We decided to break down the Preamble into short phrases; for example, "We the people" and "in order to form a more perfect union" and "establish justice" and "ensure tranquility," etc. Then we talk about what each phrase means, G looks up words in the dictionary (very useful skill!), she writes down the phrase on lined paper to practice her printing, then when that is correct she transfers it onto an unlined drawing page, and then we brainstorm what the concepts embodied in the phrase might look like in modern day, esp. in our home, and then she draws a picture to illustrate the phrase. So for "Promote the general welfare" she drew her mommy making dinner while her children happily learned and played. (the nicest compliment I could have received) So the illustrations each child comes up with will be unique, because he/she will have his/her own understanding of the concepts. In fact, we might revisit this idea later in life, when we study the Constitution in jr.high, for example, and they will do this same project again, with new ideas and greater understanding.
G is almost done, having colored the pages and is today working on the cover of our Preamble Book. I hope to laminate the pages so we can put the finished product on our bookshelves for years to come. : )
Next I want to try this same idea with a Psalm, probably the 23rd or maybe the 1st. Doing this project involves to many positive learning skills, but the best is feeling like they really understand what it all means.
G is almost done, having colored the pages and is today working on the cover of our Preamble Book. I hope to laminate the pages so we can put the finished product on our bookshelves for years to come. : )
Next I want to try this same idea with a Psalm, probably the 23rd or maybe the 1st. Doing this project involves to many positive learning skills, but the best is feeling like they really understand what it all means.
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