Ok.. science.

Forget the "Note to Self: no science" thing.  I'm planning science for Savannah/4th grade.  Here's what I've got:

Since she is interested in birds, and I have these awesome Elementary Apologia Science books sitting around, I thought I would assign her Zoology I: Flying Creatures this year.  I want it to be an independent study.

I'm making her a notebook/assignments.  Here is what is in it. 

REQUIREMENTS

There are 14 lessons in Zoology 1.  You will have two weeks to complete an entire lesson.

Requirements:

·         Read entire lesson.

·         Write all vocabulary words and definitions.

·         Complete two nature journals.  Each journal must contain a paragraph of at least 5 sentences and an illustration/diagram.  You can write a summary of what you have learned, answer the questions listed in the “What Do You Remember?” section, or do the “Notebook Activities.”  You may use the blank back if you need more space for drawing/writing.

·         Experiments are optional.  If you do an experiment you must fill out the Lab Report.  Write the title of your experiment, page number, and date at the top.  List the supplies you will be using.  Under “Introduction” write about what you will do or did.  Under “Procedures and Observations” list what you think will happen and why, what actually happened, and what you learned.

Next, I have the Table of Contents of Zoology I.  She will use this page to plan her own objectives for each lesson.  I want to give her the opportunity to make her own goals and plan her own schedule.

Behind the lesson's Table of Contents, I printed out this page (filler paper #30) for her to write the lesson's vocabulary words and definitions.

Next is the Lab Report.  The experiments are optional, but if she does one she has to fill out a lab report.  Knowing Savannah she will most likely do almost all of the experiments.

Finally, two printouts of Nature Journal pages, which she must fill out with at least 5 sentences and an illustration.

The Sun is a Mass of Incadescent Gas...

Above is Charlotte's notebook page showing the earth rotating around the sun.

This is Savannah's notebook page.  (Oops, I just noticed she didn't start with a captial and she spelled "solar" wrong.  I'll have to have her correct that)

Maddy drew a beautiful picture of the sun as well.

Our science experiment: we are melting chocolate. 

We also decided to set our dead grass on fire.  It works really fast!

Our burned piece of chocolate.

Cleaning up afterwards is the best part!

Solar System

This is our solar system that we painted and hung up today, to accompany our astronomy study this year.  It was a fun project.  Even Maddy helped.  She painted the Sun and Neptune.  She is so proud of her work.

The Bigs really wanted to pose underneath it.  They think they're soooooo funny.  And they are.

They're modeling their new backpacks.  This past week we've done school at the park.  We go from 8 am to 10 am.  Savannah and Charlotte usually get math and phonics done, and sometimes writing.  They take 10 min. breaks on the playground between subjects.  Zach and Maddy play well together, they let me teach, and they're much happier the rest of the day.  It has worked out really well for us so far. 

Exept for the last day... we got eaten by mesquitos, it was hot and muggy, math was difficult, and Zach was ready to go home early.  THAT was a bad day, but the other days were good!

In Maddy's backpack is her Walmart pre-school workbook, a framed picture of Jesus that she has claimed as her own, and an assorment of toys that she is careful NOT to play in the sand with anymore, since she lost two toys in the sand the first day.