Thanks for the help I received in identifying my mystery bird. It is a Loggerhead Shrike.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Loggerhead Shrike - Vicious Predator???
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Health, Snow, and Bird Identity
lex and I are still both recovering from our health problems of the last few weeks. Alex started a second round of antibiotics tonight for her sinus infection. My back/neck/arm are still getting back to normal after a week and a half of pain. The doctor thinks it was a pulled muscle, though I'm still not sure how I pulled it. Especially as it has hurt so bad for so long.
Our weather has been crazy. It was 70 degrees on Sunday and today (Tuesday), we are seeing another rare Houston SNOW!!! We've just had some snowflakes mixed with rain here, but other places are getting actual snow!
Alex and I went on a nature walk with the Family Nature Explore Club on Saturday. It was also a history field trip and I'll try to post about it in the next few days. I took over 100 photos! But, for now, I'm wondering if anyone can help me identify this cute bird!!! My bird books don't have a good match for him, and I'm hoping someone can help me. So, if you have an idea, please let me know! Thanks!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Symmetry...and Book Burning (or, subbing at our co-op)
Yesterday, I substituted for an art class at our co-op. There are only 4 children in the class; they're between the ages of 6 and 10. The teacher usually gives some kind of art demonstration and then lets the children do whatever they want with the supplies.
I decided to do a lesson on symmetry that I'd found at mathwire and used with Alex several years ago. I enjoyed creating several examples and sharing them with the students. Only one child used my lesson. He created a shield. (I also made a snowflake and one student had me show her how to do that.)
The art room has TONS of supplies, and the kids really have fun doing their own thing. (Below is just a small portion of the supplies.)
I'm substituting next week for a history teacher. They are talking about the library at Nineveh (from Story of the World 1). She wanted me to talk with the students (4th-6th graders) about book burning. She gave me copies of several articles, but I'm not sure where to go with this. And, as I did further research, it sounds like the Nineveh library was partly destroyed just because of war. It had nothing to do with book burning.
So, I'm trying to figure out what I'll teach next week. As a sub, I can follow the teacher's plan, or come up with my own ideas. My thoughts...
I could go with book burning - if so, any ideas?
I also thought about the Dewey Decimal system (this class incorporates Language Arts into SOTW) and/or the history of libraries... or other famous libraries???
The students are also talking about the next chapter which covers Nebuchadnezzar's Madness and The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, so I could teach something about one of those
Anyway, I was just seeing if anyone had any great ideas. :-) And, I'm sure some of you have used SOTW and might have some ideas from something you did with one of these chapters.
Thanks for any ideas!!!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Zero as an Exponent
Today we were discussing exponents in math. One of the problems had "0" as an exponent, and the book didn't explain why the answer was "1." After thinking about it, I realized I didn't know "why" it was "1", either. I just knew that was a rule! So, I started looking for an explanation on the internet.
Basically, you can understand why a number with zero as an exponent is 1 by looking at the pattern. If you look at the pattern, you see you are dividing by 10 for each step. So, when you get to the last step, you get an answer of 1. So, 10 to the 0 power is 10 divided by 10, or 1. I think the photo explains it better than my explanation. Anyway, you can try it with any number as a base and you always would find that any number with an exponent of 0 is equal to 1.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Valentine's Day Ice Skating Party
The kids also decorate their own boxes to exchange cards. I waited until the last minute, so I just bought Alex a premade box, but some of the kids got really creative. We always have a contest for the "best boxes", too.
And, someone noticed this hawk sitting right outside of our window!!! He sat there for quite awhile. The white spot is a reflection of one of the lights in our room. I jokingly suggested we turn out the lights for a minute so I could get a better photo. But, with 60+ kids, it probably wasn't a great idea.
Monday, February 15, 2010
10 Trivia Facts You Probably Used to Know
I came across an article by Caroline Taggart titled "Ten Trivia Facts You Probably Used to Know." I thought I'd use her list, which covers a variety of subjects, to see how many of the 10 I have taught Alex. Here is her list and my reponses:
1. Language Arts What is the difference between a phrase and a clause? We covered this last year in Classical Conversations as part of our memory work.
2. Biology: What is photosynthesis? If we've covered this, it has only been in picture books and briefly. But, Alex is taking a Botany class at our co-op this semester using Exploring Creation with Botany. So, I'm pretty sure she'll cover this!
3. History: What was the War of 1812? We learned a history song about it in Classical Conversations last year. And, we also read the Mackinac Island trilogy by Gloria Whelan (great books) which were set during this time and talk about the war.
4. Literature: Where does the expression "It just growed?" come from? First of all, I don't recgonize that expression. But, it came from the character Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin! So, we haven't studied it, but we are becoming familiar with Uncle Tom's Cabin.
5. Math: Who was Pythagoras? We've read What's Your Angle, Pythagoras?
6. Geography: What were the original 13 colonies? We've talked about them, but haven't memorized them.
7. Chemistry: What's the Periodic Table of the Elements? We've talked about this quite a few times and really enjoy our poster by Theodore Gray.
8. Physics: What are conduction, convection, and raditaion? No, we haven't covered these!
9. Art: Who was Jackson Pollock? We studied him this year and Alex has recognized his artwork at various musuems we've been to.
10. Music: Why should I care about Johann Sebastian Bach? We haven't studied Bach, but I play some of his pieces on the piano and Alex recognizes them. I would like to study him, though!
So, how are we doing? Overall, I'm pretty happy with what we've covered. I know this is only 10 questions, but it shows that we are covering quite a varietly of subjects. I think it shows me that I do need to concentrate more on science, which I've been telling friends for quite a while. And, although I don't think it is of utmost importance, I would like to cover more about music and composers.
How about you? How many of the 10 have you covered?
1. Language Arts What is the difference between a phrase and a clause? We covered this last year in Classical Conversations as part of our memory work.
2. Biology: What is photosynthesis? If we've covered this, it has only been in picture books and briefly. But, Alex is taking a Botany class at our co-op this semester using Exploring Creation with Botany. So, I'm pretty sure she'll cover this!
3. History: What was the War of 1812? We learned a history song about it in Classical Conversations last year. And, we also read the Mackinac Island trilogy by Gloria Whelan (great books) which were set during this time and talk about the war.
4. Literature: Where does the expression "It just growed?" come from? First of all, I don't recgonize that expression. But, it came from the character Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin! So, we haven't studied it, but we are becoming familiar with Uncle Tom's Cabin.
5. Math: Who was Pythagoras? We've read What's Your Angle, Pythagoras?
6. Geography: What were the original 13 colonies? We've talked about them, but haven't memorized them.
7. Chemistry: What's the Periodic Table of the Elements? We've talked about this quite a few times and really enjoy our poster by Theodore Gray.
8. Physics: What are conduction, convection, and raditaion? No, we haven't covered these!
9. Art: Who was Jackson Pollock? We studied him this year and Alex has recognized his artwork at various musuems we've been to.
10. Music: Why should I care about Johann Sebastian Bach? We haven't studied Bach, but I play some of his pieces on the piano and Alex recognizes them. I would like to study him, though!
So, how are we doing? Overall, I'm pretty happy with what we've covered. I know this is only 10 questions, but it shows that we are covering quite a varietly of subjects. I think it shows me that I do need to concentrate more on science, which I've been telling friends for quite a while. And, although I don't think it is of utmost importance, I would like to cover more about music and composers.
How about you? How many of the 10 have you covered?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's...from my back...while watching birds
I'm lying here on the couch watching the birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Actually, the reason I'm lying here on the couch is because I've pinched a nerve... or something. Wednesday night I had some pain in my back & neck and thought it was a stiff neck. I took some Aleve Thursday morning and was fine. I even went ice skating. It was quite a bit worse Friday. And, yesterday it was pretty much unbearable. I had to sit and walk around with my arm straight up in the air.
I can't really upload my photos right now, but here is a photo of a mockingbird I took a couple of years ago. And, here is our list of birds we've seen over the past 3 days. It isn't too late for you to count birds, too! GBBC goes through tomorrow!
Well, today I realized that if I lie down - either on my back or side - I'm pretty good. But, almost immediately upon standing...ouch!!! So, I'm lying down. And, I've been watching and counting birds for GBBC.
- 2 cardinals (male & female)
- 10 white wing doves
- 1 black vulture
- 2 red-bellied woodpeckers (male & female)
- 2 blue jays
- 1 goldfinch
- 1 mockingbird
- 1 crow
- 1 house finch
- 2 black-capped chickadees
- sparrows - lots, but I'm not good at identifying which kind they are, so I'm not including them
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Compromise of 1850... IEW Style
I'm planning on switching to IEW for composition after Alex's writing course is over next week. We were talking about the Compromise of 1850 in her history class today and I decided to try using an IEW outline to recreate an essay about it. I found an article at PBS that I liked and used it to create my outline.
After creating the outline, I used it to rewrite the essay in my own words. I understand the Compromise much better after this exercise! What a wonderful way for children (and adults!) to understand a topic better...by creating an outline and rewriting an essay yourself!
So, here's my essay:
The Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay was determined to find a solution to the slavery issue. In 1820, his participation in the debate over the issue led to the creation of the Missouri Compromise. Thirty years later, the issue surfaced again at the Capitol. This time, the stakes were higher. The unity of the nation was in jeopardy.
There were several points that needed to be considered.
First of all, the Union had recently acquired a vast amount of new territory from Mexico. Should they be allowed in as a slave state or a free state? Or should the inhabitants be allowed to decide for themselves?
Secondly, California had recently had a population explosion as a result of the gold rush. They were petitioning to be allowed to enter the Union as a free state. But, ever since the Missouri Compromise, the number of slave and free states had been held in balance. Should California be allowed to enter as a free state and upset this delicate balance?
A third issue to be considered was the dispute over Texas’ claim that their territory extended all of the way to Santa Fe.
And, the fourth issue was that Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, had the largest slave market on the North American continent.
So, in 1850, Henry Clay offered a compromise. For eight months Clay debated with Daniel Webster and John J. Calhoun. With help from Stephen Douglass, the compromise was presented.
As part of the compromise Texas would relinquish some of its land, but they would also receive ten million dollars which they could use to pay off some of their debt to Mexico. New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah were organized with no mention of the slave issue. The slave trade was abolished in D.C., but slavery would continue. And, California was admitted as a free state. To pacify this imbalance between the number of slave states and the number of free states, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed.
The Fugitive Slave Act was the most controversial part of the Missouri Compromise of 1850. This Act required citizens to assist in the capture of escaped slaves. Escaped slaves were denied a jury trial and the commissioners in charge of the trials were given more money if they returned the slaves to the South. Also, the Act made it easier to file claims against escaped slaves. And, it guaranteed more federal help in enforcing these laws.
For slaves in the North, the Fugitive Slave Act was a disaster. Many of those slaves fled to Canada. During the next 10 years, about 20,000 blacks fled to Canada. Many slaves were captured and returned to the South. And, even free blacks were captured and taken South. Blacks had no legal rights.
The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act increased the resolve of abolitionists. The Underground Railroad reached its peak from 1850 to 1860. This also brought the topic of slavery to the forefront in the nation. Many who had been ambivalent about slavery were now against it.
The Compromise of 1850 had set out to keep the country united. And, it accomplished this goal, but only temporarily. A decade later, the country was further divided. The rift between the North and the South continued to grow until it finally divided.
After creating the outline, I used it to rewrite the essay in my own words. I understand the Compromise much better after this exercise! What a wonderful way for children (and adults!) to understand a topic better...by creating an outline and rewriting an essay yourself!
So, here's my essay:
The Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay was determined to find a solution to the slavery issue. In 1820, his participation in the debate over the issue led to the creation of the Missouri Compromise. Thirty years later, the issue surfaced again at the Capitol. This time, the stakes were higher. The unity of the nation was in jeopardy.
There were several points that needed to be considered.
First of all, the Union had recently acquired a vast amount of new territory from Mexico. Should they be allowed in as a slave state or a free state? Or should the inhabitants be allowed to decide for themselves?
Secondly, California had recently had a population explosion as a result of the gold rush. They were petitioning to be allowed to enter the Union as a free state. But, ever since the Missouri Compromise, the number of slave and free states had been held in balance. Should California be allowed to enter as a free state and upset this delicate balance?
A third issue to be considered was the dispute over Texas’ claim that their territory extended all of the way to Santa Fe.
And, the fourth issue was that Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, had the largest slave market on the North American continent.
So, in 1850, Henry Clay offered a compromise. For eight months Clay debated with Daniel Webster and John J. Calhoun. With help from Stephen Douglass, the compromise was presented.
As part of the compromise Texas would relinquish some of its land, but they would also receive ten million dollars which they could use to pay off some of their debt to Mexico. New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah were organized with no mention of the slave issue. The slave trade was abolished in D.C., but slavery would continue. And, California was admitted as a free state. To pacify this imbalance between the number of slave states and the number of free states, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed.
The Fugitive Slave Act was the most controversial part of the Missouri Compromise of 1850. This Act required citizens to assist in the capture of escaped slaves. Escaped slaves were denied a jury trial and the commissioners in charge of the trials were given more money if they returned the slaves to the South. Also, the Act made it easier to file claims against escaped slaves. And, it guaranteed more federal help in enforcing these laws.
For slaves in the North, the Fugitive Slave Act was a disaster. Many of those slaves fled to Canada. During the next 10 years, about 20,000 blacks fled to Canada. Many slaves were captured and returned to the South. And, even free blacks were captured and taken South. Blacks had no legal rights.
The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act increased the resolve of abolitionists. The Underground Railroad reached its peak from 1850 to 1860. This also brought the topic of slavery to the forefront in the nation. Many who had been ambivalent about slavery were now against it.
The Compromise of 1850 had set out to keep the country united. And, it accomplished this goal, but only temporarily. A decade later, the country was further divided. The rift between the North and the South continued to grow until it finally divided.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Great Backyard Bird Count
I have had good intentions of participating in The Great Backyard Bird Count the past few years, but we've never done it. Today, I printed out a checklist from On Just A Couple Acres, and we are ready to count! I wish I'd picked up some suet, but I do have food in one or two feeders (I'll have to check). And, I hope to get out today or tomorrow and buy some for the rest of our feeders.
If you are not familiar with the count, it is really easy to do. Just run over to GBBC's website, or even view the video at On Just A Couple Acres. Robin and her son at martinzoo have participated for several years and I always enjoy reading about their peaceful morning oberving the birds!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
We Bought Our Tickets...
...last night to San Francisco!
(free clipart)
Although there are many things we want to see in the area, our number one objective is to see the giant redwoods! We are also looking forward to exploring the tide pools as it was one of our highlights in both San Diego and Scotland.
(more free clipart)
We will be gone about a week and hope to spend time in San Francisco and the surrounding areas. I'm busy researching hotels and all of the places we might go. This is a little more complicated than most trips I plan because we won't be staying in one location the whole time. Usually, we pick a large city and go to a hotel and then visit the sites from there. For this trip, we will probably stay in at least 3 hotels. So, there is a lot more research to be done! But, tripadvisor is a wonderful place to get help! I love reading the reviews of people who have actually stayed at a certain hotel or went on a certain tour. It really helps me to decide if it is something we should consider doing.
I know several of you live in the San Francisco area, so I might be asking for some advice in the weeks to come. And, I'm so excited to be planning another trip! (You do know I love to travel, right?)
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