Sam recently decided she wanted to learn about the Body! What an exciting unit! It has been lots of fun to plan. Ideally, I would have liked to have waited until school started back to start her unit, just because my little brother will be back in school and we can focus better, but Sam was so excited about this unit, she couldn't wait...So....(This was typed back in July.)
Tonight was filled with fun and laughter as we began our Journey toward getting know How The Body Works. To offset the fact that it is hectic in the day, we decided to do some more in depth activities at night when it is just her and me. (And Jessie when he is in the room.) And then save the cool projects and such for the day when I have my little brother.
Week one is just an introduction. Sam skimmed some of her library books and colored a labeled picture of the body while we were at the Center. (Center days are usually days for us to talk in the car. She helps me volunteer. And she just kind of dabbles once she gets bored. She plays computer games, colors, reads, ect.)
Tonight we read a few books and talked about all her questions and played pretend while we talked about our senses. We also listened to songs about the body and read poems.
After tonight, Sam already knows her senses and how they function. She also knows the basics of many organ systems. And is super excited to know more. Of course she has learned a little here and there, especially about her bones, because I Love Anatomy. I think that is a big part in what sparked her interest.
Week 1-Introduction:Books:
My Bodyworks
Activities:
We talked a lot about the body and its basic functions. I answered questions they had and put emphasis on the fact that God made our bodies and our bodies work together for our benefit. We also played Doctor.
Body Coloring Sheet
Activities:
We talked a lot about the body and its basic functions. I answered questions they had and put emphasis on the fact that God made our bodies and our bodies work together for our benefit. We also played Doctor.
Body Coloring Sheet
I Know How My Cells Make Me Grow
Activities:
We talked a lot about how cells are tiny units of us and that there are different types of cells and they replicate themselves, but the coolest part was the spontaneous decision-Sam's idea-to talk about how babies are made and how they start out as cells. We watched several YouTube videos on conception, fetal development, and even homebirth. Her favorite was this one that shows beginning to end. Sam was in awe. By far, I think that will be her favorite part of the unit. She keeps talking about it!
Cell Coloring Sheet
Watched Magic School Bus Goes Cellular
Week Three-Bones:
Books:
"Bones: Our Skeletal System"
"The Skeleton Inside You"
"The Skeletal System"
"The Big Book of Bones"
Activities:
Our big activity for the week was the life sized skeleton I printed out. We taped it up on the wall and the kids colored and labeled some of the bones. They colored on it all week. We are leaving it up for them to continue coloring and labeling it for the rest of the Unit Study. ( I wrote this weeks ago. Samantha is STILL coloring on it from time to time.)
Guessed How Many Bones We Have
Moved Our Joints
Looked Up XRays Online-Normal and Broken Bones
Talked About Types of Bones and Names
Watched The Bone Song by Animaniacs on YouTube
Week Four: Muscles
Books:
"Muscles: Our Muscular System"
"The Mighty Muscular Skeletal System"
Activities:
We spent all week talking about exercising and using your muscles. We ran and did push ups and jumping jacks and talked about which muscles we were using. We exercised until our muscles hurt and then talked about why they were hurting. We talked about the muscles we use throughout the day. Felt our muscles move. And measured them.
Watched Magic School Bus: Sports Fun
Week Five-Nervous
Books:
Activities:
We talked a lot about how cells are tiny units of us and that there are different types of cells and they replicate themselves, but the coolest part was the spontaneous decision-Sam's idea-to talk about how babies are made and how they start out as cells. We watched several YouTube videos on conception, fetal development, and even homebirth. Her favorite was this one that shows beginning to end. Sam was in awe. By far, I think that will be her favorite part of the unit. She keeps talking about it!
Cell Coloring Sheet
Watched Magic School Bus Goes Cellular
Week Three-Bones:
Books:
"Bones: Our Skeletal System"
"The Skeleton Inside You"
"The Skeletal System"
"The Big Book of Bones"
Activities:
Our big activity for the week was the life sized skeleton I printed out. We taped it up on the wall and the kids colored and labeled some of the bones. They colored on it all week. We are leaving it up for them to continue coloring and labeling it for the rest of the Unit Study. ( I wrote this weeks ago. Samantha is STILL coloring on it from time to time.)
Guessed How Many Bones We Have
Moved Our Joints
Looked Up XRays Online-Normal and Broken Bones
Talked About Types of Bones and Names
Watched The Bone Song by Animaniacs on YouTube
Week Four: Muscles
Books:
"Muscles: Our Muscular System"
"The Mighty Muscular Skeletal System"
Activities:
We spent all week talking about exercising and using your muscles. We ran and did push ups and jumping jacks and talked about which muscles we were using. We exercised until our muscles hurt and then talked about why they were hurting. We talked about the muscles we use throughout the day. Felt our muscles move. And measured them.
Watched Magic School Bus: Sports Fun
Week Five-Nervous
Books:
The Astounding Nervous System (Hyperlink)
The Brain (Hyperlink)
-----
Activities:
This part was a lot of fun because we found dome neat activities in the back of one of her books. We talked about the senses and why We have them, what they do. And then we went on with lots of sensory games. We covered each other's eye's and less each other around the room and touched things, guessed what they are. We closed our eyes and listened to sounds. Smelled foods. Tasted them.
Watched Magic School Bus:
Week Six-Circulatory
Books:
Circulatory Story
The Heart
Activities:
This was a fun topic because at first Samantha was like...EW BLOOD! Now she is like, "Cool! Blood!" We were going to do this heart model, but for the life of me, I could not figure it out. Neither could Jess. So we did this one. We also measured our heart rates at rest and after being active for 1 minute. Sam took a "blood bath." Just red food coloring, and it surprisingly didn't dye her. We also measured out how much blood we have in our bodies. We used water and poured it in the sink. Last minute I decided to dye it red and put the same amount of blue water in the other side. (To Symbolize Oxygenated and Deoxygenated Blood) We threw in some marshmellows for a nice touch of White Blood Cells. Samantha played in the sink the rest of the day talking about oxygenated blood and deoxygenated blood and making the cells talk. Even her plastic jungle animals joined in the Science talk.
Week Seven-Respiratory
Books:
The Remarkable Respiratory System
Lungs
Activities:
This week we learned about the Respiratory System. We measured our respiratory rate at rest and after being active for 1 minute. We measured our lung capacity using a paper bag. And did a lung model which ended in failure. But that's okay. You win some things and lose others.
Week Eight-Digestive
Books:
What Happens to a Hamburger?
The Dynamic Digestive System
Activities:
Sam looked forward to this one from the beginning. We did a few hands on things, chewing our food and spitting it out to see how it looked, made a model stomach in a zip lock. And even played a printable board game where you move through the digestive system.
We did two more small lessons, one on eating healthy and organic. (We will be visiting an itgsnic farm in November.) And we touched more in fetal development. We ended with a trip to the Bodies Exhibit in Atlanta, and just in time because now she wants to learn aboyt the ocean.
Resources:
We bought a poster off Amazon.com. It was VERY FAIRLY priced-less than $5.00 with shipping, and it had all the systems on it. We hung it up in Sam's room, and she Loves to look at it and ask questions.
I also bought Sam a 3D torso model, very small, from the Homeschool Expo. It is just something hands on she can use to explore the organs inside the abdomen.
Resources:
We bought a poster off Amazon.com. It was VERY FAIRLY priced-less than $5.00 with shipping, and it had all the systems on it. We hung it up in Sam's room, and she Loves to look at it and ask questions.
I also bought Sam a 3D torso model, very small, from the Homeschool Expo. It is just something hands on she can use to explore the organs inside the abdomen.
No comments:
Post a Comment