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 But the Preamble is full of all kinds of lofty ideals and big (and outdated) words, so what does it really mean?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.