Renaissance Man

Leonardo and the Flying Boy is our unit focus this week.  We started out with the book Angelo, a Five in a Row unit, last week which took us to Rome.  Now we're going to learn about Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance.  
I love the books by Laurence Anholt because they bring famous artists to life for kids.  In the past we read about Van Gogh in Camille and the Sunflowers, and Monet in The Magical Garden of Claude Monet. 
Elizabeth is excited because she is going to get to do her own research on da Vinci.  In addition to the standard library fare, we are using Brain Pop (brainpop.com).  This site (which we paid for through a homeschool group), has short animated lessons on a variety of topics, as well as quizzes and other activities on your topic.  It also has a few free lessons if you just want to check it out.  
So, off to the Renaissance!

Outside School

 Earlier this week, Elizabeth and I went on a field trip with some other home schooling families, to the Alabama Nature Center in Millbrook.  The directors had planned four activities:  fishing, digging, canoeing, and wading.  E would not get in the canoe, so we just took pictures for our friends who did.  Her favorite was wading in the stream, even though her rain boots were practically useless in protecting her feet from getting wet.  In fact, she loved it so much because she got to get wet and muddy.  Unfortunately, that was our last event right before getting into the car to go home!  Fun is fun, and I love when learning is fun, too.  

 Baiting her hook with hot dog pieces

 Caught:  a little grimmie or sunfish (one of three)

 E and her friend Zoe discovered a centipede under some leaves.

 Time to empty the water out of these galoshes AGAIN!

Digging up some all natural Alabama clay. 

Movie School?

Somehow I found out about this group called the Homeschool Movie Club (http://www.homeschoolmovieclub.com/)  online.  It is promoting a home school day to go see the new movie Dolphin Tale.  The purpose is to support family-friendly movies, especially if they are even educational.

In addition to just encouraging us to go see the movie when it opens on September 23rd, the site has a curriculum unit to go along with the movie.  It was written by one of the authors of Apologia Science books!  And it's free on their website.

Elizabeth and I did the first lesson on density and buyoancy today.  We poured water, oil, and honey into a jar, added various items, and noted where each went.  It was fun.  I'm the first to admit that teaching science is not my forte (pretend there's a french accent on that e in forte and say "fortay;  thank you.).  So I am happy to have a relevant experiment to do with her that even works!

Even if you aren't interested in the lessons, you may still want to see the movie.  Let me see if I can copy the preview here.  I like cool things like that.  It makes my sister-in-law jealous!

Why School?

If you follow my family blog then you already know that Zachary is now going to school.  If you know Zachary,  you are not surprised.  He is always looking for the best beat to march to.  I suppose he takes after me a little - always looking for the best this or that.  
If you know anything about Montessori, you may not think he's really going to school at all; more of an extended field trip.  Charles would say it's more like a hippie school with its focus on nature study and lack of homework  (though there is some homework).  I think it's more of home-school away from home.  The kids have tables they can use, but no desks.  They work at their ability level, not their age level. His class consists of 20 kids between 6 and 12 years old.  They are adjacent to a working farm where they spend at least 2 hours a week.  They encourage healthy lunches from home - no junk food please!  The only thing not so "hippie" about it is that isn't free.

Here's a link to their facebook page where you can find some pictures of Zachary at his school.  

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.258534840845710.76736.220056948026833

Now, I have not changed my mind about the greatness of home-schooling my kids.  I still think it's my obligation to them and to God.  But for now, my son needed something different, and I think I have found the best place for him to get what he needs while still obeying the Lord in my obligations.