Monday, May 30, 2011

Restructuring School

Recharge, Reflect, Restructure. 


This week we continue to restructure. I've been doing couch school with the three younger ones. We've been combining Lower and Upper Grammar. I thought this was a good plan, but it actually ends up taking all students more time as they listen to the other level.....so today....Nolan (6th grade) took all the upper grammar books, a list of what is expected and branched out on his own. 


This will allow the younger two to read books which appeal to them, speed up couch school, allow me more time for phonics and math, and allow us to begin to double up through the next month.  We read Velveteen Rabbit today instead of Hakim's history and  The Railway Children. ::snort::   I was in my "combine mode" - combine as many students as possible for couch school.....and forgot it really doesn't MATTER with Tapestry of Grace. The older ones can go at their own pace and we'll all still be on the same topics! I simply didn't want to admit that couch school is shrinking and Nolan is more than ready to be an independent learner.  I'm going to need a smaller couch soon....remembering fondly the days when we needed TWO COUCHES for couch school. ::snort:: 


We even had time for a science experiment.....


M/M's equal animals.....sort by colors.....and then make sure all groups have the same number....


Choose 3 colors and cut and crumple up 7 sheets of each color. Put in the laundry basket. We're making  a habitat for our animals. 

Guess how many of each color animal you will find in the habitat. 

I had 1/2 the paper I needed - so I gave them 1/2 the time to find the animals camouflaged in the habitat. 

Our found animals....our theories on camouflage didn't work - could have been two working at once or 1/2 the paper jungle.....but it was a bit deflating....though we're VERY use to our science experiments not working and had a blast playing predator and eating the animals.... ::snort:: 

We did have a great impromptu lesson on Natural Selection....this is the moment the kids figured out what would happen in year 3 - predators have been picking off animals...that poor red one is vulnerable and doesn't have a mate.....

We made a little booklet for our notebook. 

Thanking God for two little ones to enjoy as my independent learners become more independent. LOL  


It should be noted that an upper grammar and dialectic student somehow knew JUST WHEN to join us to play predator roles.....and they mentioned this was a better experiment than theirs requiring a bacteria growing kit.....but hey what are you going to do that would be this much fun when you're studying bowels. ::snort::


Lunch is over....the m'ms have become elephants and "flying creatures" and my living room is now full of cages and habitats.....yep, this was a good restructuring move. LOL


Choosing Joy!
©2011 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

3 comments:

Renee said...

It is hard to lose the kids on the couch but as the kids get older and more independent it also means you have more time for other stuff....but not lose focus. kwim?

Jen said...

That experiment didn't work great for us either. The paper and the m&m's are not close enough to the same color, plus it seemed that the m&m's just fell to the bottom for the most part. But, it was still fun to do.

Sarah said...

I like the idea of "couch school"--I really should get a big comfy couch for our downstairs living room, one we can all snuggle up on and read..."floor school" just doesn't have the same ring to it, but that's what we mostly do these days :-)