Water Cycle Activities

Well we are officially all moved in now (I even have internet connection again - YAY!)
I still have shelves to put up in the school room and boxes to unpack. Even though we have enjoyed the break, the kids are eager to get back to work now (but we have taken it easier than normal this week to try and ease them back into a routine).

We have been enjoying lots of rain this week : ( on the news they reported 150 flood warnings in England. The girls decided they wanted to look at why we have so much rain in England.

So we started by looking at the water cycle, we watched a great video on Brainpop then made a water cycle poster each. 

we learnt a great water cycle song from The Techy Teacher (to the tune of she'll be coming round the mountain) which the girls made a poster for.

We looked at each stage of the water cycle in more detail - we used hot water evaporating onto a pan lid to show evaporation,

made a 'cloud in a bottle' to show condensation, made rain in a bag (sealed plastic bag with wet mud in the bottom, tape to a window and wait for the rain to form), 

'rain in a cup/shaving foam clouds' ,

rain in a jar (hot water in the bottom of a jar and ice on a plate over the top of the jar - the difference in temperature cause the stean from the hot water to condense),

and 'cotton wool cloud's' to show precipitation.

We discussed how as an island we are surrounded by water so are much more likely to get rain. We also looked at the position of our house (bottom of a major hill range) which explains why we get more rain than most. (the air rising over the hills cools and condenses)

Hopefully next week we'll spend some time looking at how clouds are formed and different cloud types.

Ice age cave trip

We went on a trip to Cresswell Crags on Monday with our local Home Ed group to look at some cave paintings/carvings.

Our guide also showed some great examples of stone age tools they had discovered at the site including flints, spears, axe heads etc.

We also did an ice age survival course with them - building shelters and learning how to start a fire.

You know Home Ed is working when .....

...your charming children are no longer disgusted by road kill but instead want to take it home to dissect and explore its guts : )

Piper Reed Forever Friend - Book Review/Giveaway

We've had a great opportunity to review a book by Kimberly Willis Holt - it's the latest in her Piper Reed series called Forever Friend.
The Piper Reed series explores ten year old Piper's adventures with her family, their moves to new towns (her Dad is in the Navy), the friends she makes along the way and the lessons she learns. Her latest book focuses on their move to Norfolk, Virginia and Piper learns the importance of believing in yourself, spotting new opportunities and the benefits of individuality.

This book was well written and thoroughly enjoyable, we couldn't put it down and the girls were  eager to find out what happened next, so much so that they read the book in two days. They loved this book so much that the earlier five in the series are all on their wish lists for Christmas - though I probably won't be mean and make them wait that long : )

Not only did we get to enjoy this book but Rose and Sunflower were able to put together a couple of questions for Kimberly.

• What made you start writing?

When my second teacher read my story about a family of bunnies to the class, I felt proud.           I'd always loved reading and my mom always made me feel good about my writing. Then          in junior high I had some wonderful teachers (including a science teacher) who encouraged me to keep writing. But it wasn't until 18 years ago that I made a commitment to become a writer.

• How do you feel when you have written a book? 

It's a mixed bag of emotions. I question if it's good enough for the world to see. And I miss           the process of writing it.  So there is joy and sadness together, a bittersweet feeling. 

• Is it hard to finish writing about your characters – does it feel like a friend has left? 

Absolutely! But when I visit schools or libraries, I usually talk to audiences that have read         my books, and I get to visit my characters all over again.

• Why did you make Nicole allergic to chocolate? I am allergic to chocolate but I’ve never met anyone else that is. 

I'm sorry that you're allergic to chocolate. I've heard of people who are allergic and I put myself in their shoes. I wanted kids who had food allergies to have a character they could relate to.

• Did you get your inspiration for Sam and Tori from your own family? 

Yes, and Piper, too. Piper is inspired by my middle sister. My baby sister inspired Sam.          And yes, I admit it. I'm a lot like Tori. (Only I'm not so mean and bossy. At least I don't think so.)

• Will there be more Piper Reed books? 

I'm afraid the sixth one is probably going to be the last. But you never know! I'm certainly willing to keep telling stories about the Reed Family.

If you are looking for a fun read full of inspirational learning experiences I would suggest you check this series out. MacMillan also have some free downloadable lesson plans and activities available to go alongside the series.

As a special treat for you we are hosting a giveaway for three signed Piper Reed books - Piper Reed Forever Friend, Piper Reed Navy Brat and Piper Reed Rodeo Star.
Entry is simple - leave a comment below and like Kimberly Willis Holt on Facebook. Three winners will be drawn at random and sent one book each, if you have a preference for a specific title please leave a note in your comment below. 
The giveaway will close on Sept 14th 2012 and winners will be contacted by email - please ensure you leave a contact address.

Disclaimer - I was provided with a free copy of the book so I could provide an open and honest review.

Costumes with Character - TOS Review

Rose is currently enamoured with history novels (her favourite being Lady Grace set in Tudor times) and every couple of sentences I hear - 'can I make a bum roll' , 'what is a kirtle' etc. so this review has come at the perfect time for us. Costumes with Character by Golden Prairie Press is all about fashions through history and includes the patterns to sew them. The real plus are the history pages for each era, describing what people of that time wore and why (great for sneaky History lessons).

Periods covered include:

• Colonial - Pilgrim & Puritan 1620-1700
• Quaker 1681-1860
• American Revolution 1775-1783
• Young Republic 1800-1820
• Romantic Era 1820-1848
• Pioneer 1800s
• Civil War 1861-1865
• Sailor 1865-1905
• Victorian 1880s
• Victorian 1890s
• Turn of the Century 1900-1910

Each costume consists of accessories to add to a basic dress - things like cuffs, collars, aprons, petticoats, bonnets, collars, vests, etc. Most just require basic sewing skills. I love the concept of having a basic dress and creating all the costumes around it - it makes it very easy to have multiple costumes without a massive outlay.  

The patterns are all included in the book but they are on a grid and need to be enlarged. Luckily we also received the new pattern e-book with the patterns already enlarged. They are sized for a 16yo so need to be adjusted for your child's age (the adjustment formula for this is included) 

This is a fantastic concept - the costumes combined with the historical information really brings it all to life. Rose has loved sewing these costumes, loved learning all about different eras and thoroughly enjoyed herself - in her own words 'These are the best sewing lessons, ever'. Sunflower can't wait until I unpack my sewing machine from the move so she can have a go too.

I will admit that resizing the patterns took a bit of thought as did printing the patterns off onto A4 paper and sticking them together but overall this is a wonderful product that will be the basis of many history lessons and  it's already a firm favourite in our house.

This product would be suitable for most ages, as long as you have basic sewing skills (or know someone who does). The ebook is available for $21.95 or you can opt for a printed version at £37.00. There is currently a 20% off offer through to the 1st September. 

You can see what my crew mates thought over at the TOS Blog where they also reviewed a number of other historical products from Golden Prairie Press.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of the ebook so I could provide an open and honest review.