Chasing Vermeer Activities

Our 4th grader just finished reading Chasing Vermeer  by Blue Balliett.  This is the perfect adventure novel for those who enjoy puzzles and a good mystery.  Try the following activities to enhance your discussion of this novel.

Book Report and Evaluation Ideas: 

• Type a traditional book report using Google Docs
• Create a video report using the iPad 
• Make a stop-motion animation of a favorite scene or have students create their own mystery movie
• Create an interactive report using Scratch 
• Recreate favorite scenes using the iPad app, Toontastic 

Enrichment Activities

• Discussion Guides
  • Scholastic 
  • Chasing Vermeer Discussion Blog by Blue Balliett
• Who was Vermeer?  Explore the following sites to research this famous artist and marvel over his paintings.
  • Essential Vermeer
  • Making Art Fun
  • Vermeer Art Gallery
  • National Gallery of Art
• Art Connections
  • How Very Vermeer by the Art Fairy
  • Girl With a Pearl Earring Art Activity
  • Girl With a Pearl Earring Watercolor Activity
  • NGA Kids
• Art Museums
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Getty Museum
  • Louvre
• Pentominoes
  • Play Pentominoes by Scholastic
  • Pentominoes by Game Scene
• Mysteries: Solve mysteries online as well as try her hand at writing your own!
  • MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries
  • A. Pintura Art Detective
  • FFFBI
  • The Mystery Spot
  • Writing Mysteries by Scholastic
  • Writing Mysteries: Tips for kids

As always, please share resources or ideas.  Happy learning!

I'm Back!

As a mom of four beautiful children, I feel incredibly blessed.  As a mom of four busy children, I feel incredibly stressed at times!!  As with everything in life, you have to make choices.  In order to maintain some sense of sanity in my crazy, hectic life, I chose to let go of a few things as I prioritized my time.  As a result, I took a break from blogging and focused any extra time on my family (and sleep!).

With this year's gymnastics season coming to a conclusion in a few weeks, I feel like I will have more time to get back into blogging while sharing our journey in homeschooling.  Travelling with two gymnasts around the southeast, going to soccer games with two boys, tutoring and homeschooling takes a toll on one's creative juices! I'm back, though, and ready to roll!  

We have been doing many exciting things around our house and I am eager to share.  In fact, in the next couple of weeks, our kids are joining with another homeschooling family to reproduce our version of the 1903 "World's Fair."  Exciting!  Our 6th grade daughter as been exploring graphic design using her new Bamboo art tablet.  Our 4th grade son is diving deeper into stop-motion movies.  He is currently producing reenactments of some of the great battles from WWI and WWII.  Wow!  Our 3rd grade daughter finally found an author she likes! Thank you Roald Dahl for your contributions to children's literature!  Last, but not least, our Kindergartner is reading and cruising right along in addition and subtraction

Christmas Cards 2011!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  I'm sure at your house, like ours, everyone loves the most "wonderful" experience of taking pictures for the family Christmas card. (This is where you here me coughing and snickering under my breath!)  Actually, this year, it was quite painless and we ordered them in no time from Shutterfly. Check it out!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

 

Merry Christmas!

Spectral Fingerprints

Today was an awesome science day!  For the past few days, we have been studying about atoms.  Our oldest daughter had read that elements can be identified by their spectral "fingerprint".  What exactly is this?  In short, an element releases energy when it moves from a higher energy level to a lower one.  The energy released comes out as different colors of light.  More specifically, the different colors of light correspond to the differences in energy between the energy levels.  For example, red light corresponds to a fall from the 3rd to the 2nd energy level.  Check out the following diagram from CPO Physical Science for more details.

Okay, you have to admit this is pretty cool!  We decided to take things a step further.  With the assistance of their dad, Dr. Rhett Allain, our children were able to use a spectroscope to actually see the "fingerprints" of different elements.  Needless to say, they were blown away!  Our oldest, age 11, decided to use her iPod Touch to take pictures of each element's spectrum.  Here are some of her images:

 Hydrogen

ArgonYou can view a full slideshow here.  

This was a wonderful opportunity for our kids to do "real science" at a very young age.  Our kids vary in age from 5 to 11.  Every one of them was engaged and having fun!!  For more resources check out these great materials:

• Phet Simulations
  • Molecules and Light
  • Bending Light
• Spectral Fingerprints Activity-- We used this as a follow-up activity!
• Spectra Database
• Spectral Lines

Negative Weather Math

Our family spends a great deal of time in the car.  Like any neurotic mom, I find "car time" to be the perfect place to practice basic facts.  I am always calling out capitals, math facts and spelling words.  Our kids seem to love it and it adds some fun to the tedious task of learning these basics.  

Last week, I had a rare moment alone with our Kindergartner. On our way to soccer practice he asked me to play a math game with him.  Music to my ears!  We began with basic addition and subtraction facts.  After a few minutes, he asked me if we could learn something new.  Again, music to my ears!  So, I thought I would push the envelope, negative numbers.  Here's how the conversation went:

Mom: Andrew, let's pretend we live in Barrow, Alaska.  Okay?

Andrew: Ooooh, it's really cold up there!  I'll need my fuzzy hat.

Mom: Yes, you will!  I am so glad you brought up the weather.  I want to ask you some questions regarding temperature.  Let's pretend the temperature outside is four degrees Fahrenheit.  

Andrew: That is so cold! I bet it's snowing.  I wish it would snow here!

Mom: Me too!  After the sun went down, though, the temperature dropped five degrees.  What is the new temperature?

Andrew: Let's see.  I start at four and go back five places. (Note: I teach addition and subtraction using a number line.)  So, that would be three, two, one, zero.  Zero!  Is it zero?

Mom: Well, let's see. If we start at four and go back to zero that's only four places.  Remember, the temperature dropped five degrees.

Andrew: Oh yeah, that's right.  Well, three, two, one, zero, negative zero.  No, no.  You can't have a negative zero.  Negative one.  Mom, is it negative one?

Mom: Wow, very good!  Yes, it is!  How did you decide on the answer negative one?

Andrew: Well, it can't be zero.  I knew it had to be below zero.  So, I thought about negative one.  Can we do another one? I like this negative weather math game!

Like any good mother we continued to do several more problems.  Andrew was so excited and proud of himself! He knew he was doing "big boy math" and couldn't wait to share the good news with his older brother and sisters.  As a math teacher, I was excited because a door has been opened.  

As I worked through several weather examples with our five year old, I began to wonder why we wait so long to introduce the concept of negative numbers.  Sure, he may not have an expert understanding, however, a foundation as been laid.  During our conversation, he mentioned that he had heard of negative temperatures on television.  When trying to solve the original problem, he was able to draw upon that prior knowledge and apply it to a new situation.  Very exciting!  As someone who works with many Pre Algebra and Algebra students, I know negative numbers can be a stumbling block causing hours of anguish.  With our children, I have chosen to introduce the idea early fending off future fears.  Hopefully, the forecast will be sunny and bright!

PS I am currently creating K-4 materials centered around our "negative weather math."  I'll share when finished.