What's the Weather?

Lately, the kids have been asking a lot of questions about the weather (the biggest being: How does the weatherman know what the weather is going to be?), so I decided to do a unit on weather.  I pulled out all my science experiment books and my folder of weather of activities and checked-out a few books from the library and started learning with the kids. 

We started by making a graph of the daily temperature.  Unfortunately the weather didn't change much and our graph stayed right around the 75 degree mark.  We also made our own thermometer.  The idea behind it is that as the water in the bowl and the bottle get hotter it expands and goes up the straw.  The card taped to the straw has a "ruler" to measure how high the water gets. 

We also made a barometer.  I'm not sure how accurate it was, though, but it was fun to watch it go from high pressure to low pressure and back.

We also made some tools to test the direction of the wind and the strength of the wind.  Too bad that I didn't get a picture of the other one--it was pretty neat looking.  It would spin around and you were supposed to count how many times it went around in a certain amount of time.  We were lucky to have one windy day and got to see it work. 

Then we talked about clouds and made little cloud cards to try and learn the different types and what type of weather they will bring.  There are a lot of different types and we didn't do too well at remembering them, but at least we can refer to the cards if needed. 

We also learned how rain is made and tried to make it rain inside.  We got a few drops.

And we talked about how a meteorologist "guesses" what the weather will be and how important it is for him to know what the weather is all over the country.  He uses his knowledge about cold fronts and warm fronts and high pressure and low pressure systems to predict the weather.

We enjoyed doing the experiments and learned a little more about weather, but I don't think any of the kids wants to be a meteorologist when they grow up.

Nature Scavenger Hunt

For art this week we talked about how artists use nature in their art.  Our art book suggested going on a nature walk and drawing specific items.  I figured this was a great opportunity to use our Christmas present (a pass to the White Tanks).  We loaded my backpack with art supplies and water and headed for the trails. 

The book gave us a list of items to find and draw: seed pot, interesting leaf, stick or twig, feather, something soft, something stiff, bird, tree, cloud shape, wild grass, neat rock, thorn, wild flower, insect, broken egg, bird next, water, fish, animal.  We search and discussed and drew.  We didn't find anything and some of the stuff we found was boring, but some was neat.  We found some huge thorns, a cactus skeleton, some lizards and a few hummingbirds, rocks with petroglyphs and some neat seeds.   

For the most part we drew while we were walking, but at the end of our hike we sat at the tables and put finishing touches on our pictures.

United States--Iowa

Iowa was kind of boring--nothing but corn fields!  We learned everything we could about corn http://urbanext.illinois.edu/corn/ then did a corn craft.  We did learn about something besides corn, though.  The state rock of Iowa is a geode and we were fortunate to see a giant one at my parents house tonight. 

CTR Buttons

I like the idea of the birthday gift/handout that the Primary kids receive follows the yearly theme.  Our theme in Primary this year is Choose the Right.  I'm so proud of the idea that I came up with that I thought I'd share. 

I found these cute, "do-it-yourself" buttons at Oriental Trading.  I figured I could decorate them with the CTR symbol and the kids could put them on their backpacks or jackets or shoes or whatever.  It could be something different than a ring.  So, I found some cute CTR clip-art, borrowed my friend circle punch (so that the clip-art was the same size as the button) and then mod-podged the symbol to the button.  Super simple, super cute.  Now I hope they are a hit with the Primary kids. 

Using Our New Presents

Part of the deal with Braedi for Christmas was that she would ask for rollerblades if I got rollerblades too and taught her and Corbin how to use them.  (Remember, Corbin got a pair for his birthday.)  I said it was a deal. 

Because Christmas was on a Sunday we didn't get to try them out, but first thing Monday morning we loaded the van with our rollerblades and scooters and headed to the park.  It's been a long time since I've rollerbladed and I wasn't ever very brave--I have memories of avoiding hills because I would go too fast and I was afraid of crashing.  But, I was able to give Braedi and Corbin a few pointers.  Someone recommended using a stroller to maintain balance and we tried it.  They've been getting better.  Dyllan, Ephram and Faythe just went around and around on their scooters.  It was a fun morning and we've gone back to the park several times to get some practice and enjoy the nice weather. 

United States--Indiana

"Racers, start your engines!"  Get ready for the Indy 500.  Indiana is know for lots of other things but we wanted to have a car race so we skimmed all the other facts. 

We watched a few Indy 500 races and looked at the cars.  Then we found a tutorial to make our own balloon-powered cars and had a race.  http://sciencesquad.questacon.edu.au/activities/balloon_powered_car.html  Braedi and Dyllan and Corbin came up with ways to make their cars better and faster.  This was a fun project to watch them do. 

the creation

the race

United States--Illinois

Illinois has a lot -ests.  The first skyscraper was built in Illinois.  Illinois has the tallest skyscraper in North America.  The O'Hare airport is the busiest airport in the world.  Illinois has the oldest zoo in America. Illinois also has the 3rd biggest city--Chicago. 

Another thing Illinois is remembered for is the great Chicago fire allegedly started by a cow.  Of course when we learned that we had to sing the old camp song:  Late last night, when we were all in bed, Old Lady Leary left a lantern in the shed.  The cow kicked it over and winked it's eye and said, "It will be a hot time in the old town tonight.  Fire! Fire! Fire!" 

For our activity we talked about skyscrapers.  We looked at some of the worlds tallest buildings, built a skyscraper and drew pictures of skyscrapers. 

Happy New Year!

I am not a night person, so the idea of staying up until midnight to welcome in the new year doesn't appeal to me.  Especially since Jonathan usually works New Year's Eve and Day.  But if you'll remember, I said that I would try to have a little more fun on the holidays with my kids.  I had to come up with a compromise.  In my random blog searching I came across a fun New Year's Eve activity and decided I could tweak it and make it my own. 

I made hour-by-hour countdown cards.  The compromise was that it started at 3:00 and ended at 8:00.   Each hour the kids got to read and do the activity on the card that matched the time. 

3:00 Make Snowman Brownies

3:00 is usually our afternoon snack time so I picked an activity that we could eat.  I actually used a mix, but did everything else the same.  Braedi made a tree instead.

4:00 Dress the Snowman

There's a bit of a winter theme to a lot of these activities. . .I found a printable snowman with funny clothes and body parts.  I helped cut out the little pieces, but the kids dressed their snowman how they wanted. 

5:00 Dinner and a Craft

I wanted something the kids could do on their own while I made dinner.  I made an outline of the new year and they decorated it with glitter and noodles. 

 

6:00 "All About Me" Time Capsule

I got this idea from the original website and used their printable.  I put the completed sheets in the box of Christmas decorations so that next year we can look at them and see how much we've changed.  This activity made me realize how "in the now" kids are.  They could hardly remember what happened in the month of December let a lone the whole year of 2011. 

7:00 2012 Goals

Another idea form the website.  The kids were encouraged to come up with 4 things they wanted to work on in 2012. 

Braedi: Memorize all 50 states and their capitals, learn how to lead music, learn how to cook more meals, and become better on my Rollerblades.

Corbin: Learn to play a new song on the piano.  (only 1)

Dyllan: Learn to sew a skirt, learn to sew better, and learn  my addition facts.  (only 3)

Ephram (in his words/spelling): Less cande, tryig to not hrte, and not plaing in the mud.  (only 3)

Me: No eating after dinner (5 out of 7 nights), cardio 2-3 nights and weights 2-3 nights, 4-5 mornings of school time, and read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. 

8:00 Stories and Bedtime

The least favorite of the kids!  They were in bed and asleep by 8:30 and I was in bed around 10:30.  Happy New Year!

Advent Calendar--Day 25

The last day of our advent calendar--Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Garrett's.  Christmas Eve is for the Mecham's, Christmas morning is ours and Christmas afternoon/evening is for the Garrett's.  After church and the baptism we headed over to my parents for dinner, the nativity and presents.  My mom bought some super cute costumes for the kids to dress up in for the nativity.  Braedi was an angel, Corbin was Jospeh, Dyllan was a wise man, Ephram was a shepherd, Faythe was a wiseman then a dove then an angel (she changed costumes 3 times), and Jonathan and I were village people. 

My parents tried to find a new slide for our swingset for the kids, but had no luck.  So the kids got legos and a pass to the White Tank Mountains as a group gift.  They also got an individual gift.  Braedi got a crochet kit, Corbin got a science kit and Dyllan, Ephram and Faythe got nerf guns.  I got a docking station for my ipod and some new clothes and Jonathan got an inflatable kayak.  It was a fun evening. 

Advent Calendar--Days 16 & 17

Day 16--Ward Christmas Party.  (Actually the ward Christmas party was back on day 9, but some how my days got mixed up so I'm adding it in.)  I love Christmas parties that don't include Santa Claus.  This was a nice dinner and a program.  I was asked to narrate the program--YIKES--but, I practiced speaking slowly and clearly and I think I did a good job. 

 Day 17--Make Christmas Granola.  I found a super yummy looking recipe, but we never got around to making it.  Luckily, Lola made and gave us some of her yummy granola.

Christmas Morning

Growing up, our parents blocked our view of the living room and the presents and made us all go out together.  I like to do the same thing, too.  The kids came into our room as they woke up (a couple of us still look half asleep).

Then we went out into the living room.  We checked out the stuff in our stockings first.  There's always some fruit and a toothbrush and chapstick and usually a couple of small toys. 

We got the kids rollerblades and scooters this year for their one gift.  We've been doing a lot of activities at the park and they have been wishing for something else to do besides the playground.  I got a pair of rolleblades, too, so that I could help them learn.  I also got some speakers for the computer!  Jonathan got some accessories for his [wished for] kayak.  I only took this picture of the scooters/rollerblades.

Braedi, Corbin and Dyllan also gave gifts.  Braedi did handmade gifts, Corbin gave old toys and Dyllan did a mixture of both.  They were well thought out and well received (mostly--Corbin got an empty container of bubbles that he thought was weird). 

Another tradition of ours is puff pancakes for breakfast.  We only have them 1 other time during the year and the kids really look forward to it. 

Our Christmas morning also included church and a baptism.  I was asked to sing in the ward choir--a bit of a shock to me, but a good experience.  When I'm in a different phase of life, I would like to take voice lessons.  I don't think I'll continue with the choir, though,there is too much on my plate right now.   Merry Chirstmas!