Quick Overview and Catch-Up

Over the last few weeks, we have written, studied Independence Day, Celebrated Shark Week, and made our second visit to the Community Garden! Below are pictures and explanations for each of these activities.

Independence Day (July 3, 2015)

We learned a few Independence Day Facts. Ask your kids these questions to see if they remember!

1. What was the war for our freedom called?
2. What's the name of the letter our country sent to England to tell them to leave us alone?
3. When was that letter signed?

There may be other facts they remember, but these are the basics.

Shark Week (July 6, 2015)
Wow! We learned some cool stuff about sharks. Here are some photos from the activity!

This taught us about pollution. The oils, chemicals and garbage from us humans gets in the ocean- nasty! Nobody wants to live in that!

 This is our awesome spyglass. We used it to peek into the ocean bottom to see some amazing things!

 We made origami sharks... And boats... And all sorts of things. It was a fun day.

Community Garden Visit (July 13, 2015)
More weeding! The plants grew tons!! It was so cool to see how big they got. :) Once I figure out where the pictures have gone, I'll post them, too!

Catching Up

Phew! Between moving, holidays and school coming up, we've all been busy! I don't think I've seen your kiddos since our World War One activity last Friday. I'm super excited to see them today and do some Science!
Here are a few photos from the WW1 activity. Enjoy!

 This rice bowl was a representation of how many people were killed in World War One. Each grain of rice represents 100 people.
One of the most shocking things about this visual for me was that in World War Two, the amount of deaths was four times this many.

 Showing them where WW1 took place.

 They went home with little bags of rice (that hopefully didn't explode) to remind them of the magnitude of the war. With eacf grain representing 100 people, this pile of rice is 1\15 of the people who died in the war.

 They built scenes from the war.

 Wondering what a rice plant looks like?

We also learned about many types of animals used in the war. Here are a few:

See if your kids can tell you what they were used for! Thanks again for letting me borrow your amazing kids. I have a blast with them and I'm learning tons!
Keep up the good work!

On Friday...

Note: Somehow I didn't post this when I wrote it! This was Friday, June 26th.

We started our books! We spent most of our time writing and had some tired brains by the end. We're learning that writing a full-length story is harder than we thought!

Lola and her cousin. You can see Harli poking her cute head out too!

Sofia was practicing the letters of the alphabet. We love her!

Roman, furiously taking notes on World War 2 to use in his writing.

I think they might have had a sleepy brain episode halfway through.

Lola sharpening her pencil.

Klowbug spied out the window while she wrote about 'something suspicious'...

Hannah barely stopped for 'breath' writing about the last tiger on earth... The suspense is killing me!

We made a list of her favorite things and which letters they start with.

Jared was deep in thought writing about the kittens at his house.

Zach's story about Kings and dragons was very enthusiastic.

Harli worked hard writing about her dog, Mookie.

This cutie wrote all about her dog, too- named Lucey! She's a dog lover for sure.

So much fun! We saw some stories begin to take shape today. Loving this journey!

Our Last Days

Hello there!
     As I mentioned briefly on the event description on Facebook, we won't be dedicating any more full days to writing. Some of the kids no longer wish to go on with the writing of books, and as I promised they could opt out of any activity they wished, I have decided to use our last few activities in the ways the kids have requested. These activities are listed below.
     Those kids who do want to keep writing will absolutely have the opportunity to do so. They may write during activities, or they can set an appointment with me to come and have some one-on-one writing time. (The sign-up sheet for this will be available on Friday, or you can email me what time out of my available times would be best for you. Available times will be emailed out shortly.)

Friday, July 17th: World War One. This request was put in by Roman and echoed by quite a few. I think it's going to be pretty darn cool!

Monday, July 20th: NO ACTIVITY. This day is our moving day, and we won't be able to host anyone.

Friday, July 24th: Lego Day! A day dedicated solely to Legos. We'll have ideas, instructions, and plenty more exciting Lego activities. We will also take a short time to learn about the 24th of July and why it's a holiday.

Monday, July 27th: Klowi's Science day. Klowi has volunteered to make a list of the science experiments she tries at home, and show us here at Nurturing Genius. (Don't worry, she will have help.)

Friday, July 31st: Minecraft Day! Mr. Joe has requested that we have not one, but two Minecraft days as he has plenty to show us. (Keep in mind that those who don't want to play Minecraft will be able to join Miss Jenica outside for some bug, plant, and possibly small animal study.)

Monday, August 3rd: Bees*! I am attempting to set up an appointment to visit my neighbor, who owns a beehive, and see her bees. If we are unable to visit a beehive, we will have some awesome activities at headquarters.
I would love to try some honey on this day, whether or not we can visit- let me know if that is a concern!
*We will need seven seats in addition to our car, which seats three.

Friday, August 7th:  Pet Day*! This is a day when everyone brings their pets! Keep in mind, pets are limited to the outdoors, (pets aren't allowed in the house,) and I am requesting that no one bring cats, as Roman is allergic.
If there are any other animal allergies or concerns about this activity, please let me know!
*Large pets, such as dogs, will need adult supervision. Any pets in a cage will need to stay caged unless an adult is present to supervise the petting/holding of the animals.

Monday, August 10th: Community Garden*! This will be our last visit! We will get to help weed, harvest and possibly visit the food pantry to see where the food is donated. We will also take our plants home.
*We will need seven seats in addition to our car, which seats three.

Friday, August 14th: Minecraft! Second and final LAN party, Me. Joe will be teaching more Minecraft skills (and secretly teaching life skills too! Don't tell the kids!) Bugs, plants, etc. will also be available.

Monday, August 17th: Show-and-Tell*. We will show books, projects, or whatever we have to show.
I understand that this is a busy day; thus, this activity will begin at 3:00 and end whenever the kids are finished showing their work. I will also hand out information pages detailing the future of Nurturing Genius, so please make sure you each receive one!
*You'll need to be present in order for your child to show you their work.

Please let me know at least a week in advance if your kids cannot make it to any of these activities. I will be sure to make an event on Facebook and invite each of you. 

     I have placed an asterisk (*) next to those activities that will require drivers and/or volunteers, and details are listed underneath the activity description.
     Thank you for letting me borrow your kids! They've been a blast!

         Miss Jenica