Mommio: The Lake

This week it got hot outside and the kids decided to hit the lake.  February 24th- probably the earliest lake date yet. It was still pretty cold but they had a great time.  It was also Franki's first time down at the dock and he loved it- but thought the water was a little too cold for him.

Gabe was the brave one to make the first jump...and get out really fast!

Mommio: Musical Tiles

We played with these at the Waco Zoo last week.  We want some at home!

Max: Story

The Monster Ctiy

By Max

My monster went to the scary Mc Donalds.  He got a big mint that was alive. The monster did not now that. There was a kid.  The kid found the monster. The kid ran and ran and ran supper fast.  The monster almost ate him. Then he put the kid in his mouth.  Then the monster chewed him up.  Then the monster gurbled and dumbled and fell on to the gound.  Then the kid was died. The kid was alive in the monsters tummy.  The monster lived happily every after.

The end

Kiki:Zoo

We went to the zoo and we saw monkeys and fish and then birds and turtles.We also saw flamingos.  We went to play at the park in the zoo.  Here are my favorite pictures.

Marney: The Zoo

We went to the zoo yesterday it was awesome.  The first thing we saw was apes they were so cool.  They had a super nice zoo. What was funny was that we were going to eat lunch and then when went all the way to the back but that was closed.  So we went all the way to the front.  We also saw tigers and lions and bears that was so so so so cool.  And we also saw birds and we saw elephants that was cool.  The best thing was that we got to see the loin like 20 times. I have cool pictures of the loin.  Here are some pictures of the lion. His name was Samjack. And here are some other pictures too.

This is an elephant.

He makes me smile.

It is like he is poses for me.

Mason: Blog Of The Day

In the Grand Canyon unit we learned how national parks are important. We built split tree park. We also saw a movie of tours on the Grand Canyon. We made maps of the Grand Canyon and we learned about John Muir. He went to learn about nature and taught everyone about nature.

Marney: Blog Of The Day

Crazy Guy

By Marney

One day there was a family of 4 going to the Grand Canyon.  The dad's name was Jame, the teen's name is Chelsea  and the baby's name is Gogo and the mom's name was Lolo.  They were half way there and Chelsea said, "Are we almost there?"  Then Lolo said, "Yes, just look at the map. We are at the lake."  Then they got there and said, "We're here." Then the girl said. "Dad get out I need to go to the bathroom."  So Jame got out of the car and said he was going to get a stroller and then he went on a hike instead. So he went so far he said that he needed to go across the south to the north.  He jumped from rock to rock and then on one rock he almost fell so he turned back.  Then they were all there and they lived happliy every after

Mason: Blog Of The Day

One day in the Grand Canyon there were two men camping. His friend dared him to jump over the canyon gorge.  He jumped and made it but he landed on his head a went unconscious.  He had a dream that he jumped and died.  He woke up to figure out that he was unconscious  for 100 years. The End

Avery: Blog Of The Day

Super Fail

By Avery and Lily

One day there was a man named Pee P. Mud. Everyone at school was making fun of his name and called him boring and lame. He tried to prove them wrong by trying to use super powers. He went to a machine that he made when he was three. He called it the Peeinater. It was supposed to give him the power to fly or teleport. He chose the ability to fly. The next day he went on a field trip to the Grand Canyon with his classmates and his teacher Mrs. Poo. When they got there Pee P. Mud tried showing off his power to fly. He ran to the two tallest rocks and they were eight feet apart from each other. He stood on the edge of on of the rocks. He put his arms in front of him and jumped. He tried to fly, but didn't do so well at all. He hit the rock with his hand and held on for his life. He hung on for six hours. He started slipping slowly. He fell off into the Colorado River and was never seen again. But people down stream saw a lot of blood in the water for a whole week.

THE END

Gabe: Blog Of The Day

The Amazing Jump

 One day there was a photographer man driving to the amazing Grand Canyon with his camera and tripod. He got to the amazing Grand Canyon and went to check in. He got the highest camp site and it was really, really really, really, really, really amazing! He started setting up his awesome camp site. He set up his really, really big tent, three huge bright  lanterns, a tiny cooler with lots of food in it and all of his camera stuff. Then he went to take pictures but he had to jump over a break in the rock so he tried but in the middle of his jump there was an earthquake. It only effected the canyon floor but a demon pulled him into hell and turned  him into a demon.

.The End

Connor: Blog Of The Day

The Canyon Of Death

By: Connor M. Jones (Mimir)

One fine day in the grand Canyon James was practicing karate.  Meanwhile an army of skeletons were preparing an attack.  The skeletons were commanded by a powerful deity known as Hades.  Hades screamed to his army "Now we make our attack on the living!  You will all be rewarded with an honorable place in my realm."  With that the few demons went up to check the soon to be battlefield.  They saw James preparing to jump off a cliff to reach the other side of a small gap.  The demons decided to make it more interesting by adding spikes to the small pit.  James saw the spikes and continued to try the jump.  James loved the thrill of danger and would never let danger stop him.  He made the jump and landed safely on the other side.  The demons were sure that he would cause no problem for the army and went back to tell Hades that everything was good.  Hades listened to the demons and then said "Now my army take over the land of the living!  While you do that I must slay my two brothers!"  The skeletons headed for the land of the living.  After what to them seemed like a few hours of walking they reached it.  The skeleton army looked around and noticed they were at the Grand Canyon.  James had now moved on to the Grand Canyon after all those practice jumps and noticed the army of the dead behind him.  He started trying to use his karate chop, but he didn't learn that yet.  While he was busy fighting the army the demons placed some giant spikes in the Grand Canyon.  James knew he wouldn't be able to fight the skeletons without dying so he ran and attempted to jump across the canyon.  The skeletons charged after him, nut stopped abruptly out of fear of the river and spikes.  James jumped and instead of reaching the other side he started falling.  He heard a voice in his head.  A rough voice full of hatred had started to speak to him.  It said "You really thought you'd make that jump!? HA you really are a foolish mortal It was a pleasure to watch you DIE!"  The voice started singing "I'm on a highway to hell."  The skeletons all started dancing as Hades yelled "Okay we failed to take control.  On the plus side we have a new minion!  Say hello with a capital HELL to James."  With that James feels his body turn to nothing but bone.  James had become a skeleton forever.  As he realized Hades was right he started dancing as well.  James also noticed that he had no control over his body any more.   Hades had taken control of something although it wasn't entirely what he wanted.  James was in fact on the highway to hell which is paved with the flesh of the dead.  The End

Kiki: Blog Of The Day

There is a person in the Grand Canyon that is right next to the cliff.  He tried to jump over the cliff but he couldn't.  He almost fell so he grabbed onto a rock and pulled himself up.  Then he tried jumping again and that time he didn't make it again and he fell on a stick that was hanging off the cliff.  So he climbed up again.  He tried jumping over the cliff again but he didn't make it.  He fell onto a big rock on the side.  So then he climbed up again and he made it over the cliff.

The End

Daddio: 2/25/11 Blog of the Day

Write a story about the following picture:

Gabe: Happy Birthday Mom

Connor and Kennedy: Blog Of The Day

Today we watched a second part of a movie.  The movie talked about a famous natural scientist named John Muir.  We know that the grand canyon's hotels were run by a man named Fred Harvey.  Harvey wanted people to enjoy good food and a good place to sleep while in the wild west.  Harvey hired girls to work at his hotels because the men he originally hired were always fighting.  We also found out how historians study photographs.  We made a model of a fictional National Park called Split-Tree Park.  The park was made completely with Hero-Scape pieces.

Avery: Blog Of The Day

Today in the movie we learned about a guy named John Muir. He wanted to learn about nature and what it feels like, so that he could teach people about all the things he learned. After the movie today we learned about the Harvey Girls. They were the only women that could go out into the "wild west" to work at a hotel and restaurant. Women back then were not aloud to leave home. They were supposed to take care of the house and cook and take care of the children. But the Harvey girls got to work for  a guy named Fred Harvey. Fred Harvey was a nice man. But he made very, very  strict rules for the girls. Like no make up or accessories. No stains on the clothes, they couldn't talk or flirt with the customers. Also they had to keep the silverware polished and the tables set, and the napkins folded. The girls thought it was worth it and their parents said that if they had those rules they could go. A few days ago we made Split Tree Park. We used paper, string, legos and Heroscape pieces. I had the idea of the zip line and the panda, bamboo forest.

Gabe: Blog Of The Day

In the unit the first day we talked about national parks and we watched the beginning of a movie about how national parks were made. Then we made the awesome Split Tree Park with panda bears and buffalo. The next day we watched a tour of the Grand Canyon. They talked about the North and South Rims. We are staying at the camp grounds at the South Rim. Then we did lots of mapping. We mapped the Grand Canyon , the Colorado River, the North Rim and the South Rim. This unit is really really really really really FUN !!!!!!!!!

Daddio: 2/24/11 Blog of the Day

Okay, by now you've already done several days of the Grand Canyon unit study.  So for today's blog of the day post, I want you to give an update of what you've learned.  What kind of stuff have you read, talked about and studied at unit study so far?  What are some things you know about now that you think would surprise people?  What's the coolest thing you've learned?

Nana' s Thoughts

 HAVE FUN AT THE ZOO.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMIO

Mason: Yoga

Today in yoga we did partner poses and relaxation. And played a game I couldn't play because my hip hurts.  The game was called Parents and it looked very fun.  The best part of yoga class was relaxation because it is a good time to relax.

Marney:Blog Of The Day

The Grand Canyon is awesome. It took 6 million years for it to be formed. Here are a few things I have learned about the Grand Canyon.  Well it is so cool because it is all made out of rocks and that is cool. We made our maps yesterday.  It was cool I got to learn about tours and that was fun.  If your on a mule it takes a day to get to the bottom.  We got to see the bus we are going to get on to go on a bunch of places. We made Split Tree park.  That was so fun. It took 3 hours it was so so so so so so so so so cool.  I love it. I hope it stays this way.

Mommio: Visit Our National Park!

For our first unit study lesson today we learned all about how/when/why the National Park system started and what it takes to create a National Park.  Then, the really fun part, we worked as a team to create our own new National Park.

First the kids decided where the park would be located- on the border of Nebraska and Kansas, so that it would be right in the middle of the USA and easy to get to.  Next they thought of the important natural features that would attract people to their park.  These included a very deep lake surrounded by bamboo forests and a large population of native panda bears, an equally large population of wild buffalo roaming in fields, a dormant volcano that is so huge it is all covered in snow and ice at the top and the most important part of the park- Split Tree.  Split Tree is the largest tree in the world with a trunk that is 7 miles in diameter and has two giant arms that split off from it.  It used to be the home to Native American tribes that lived within the tree making a complex cave system that runs through the branches, trunk and roots of the massive tree.  Visitors to the park can take tours of the cave system and look at the ancient art on the walls of the caves.  As an added attraction, Split Tree offers a seven mile long zipline ride across the top of the tree.  Creative, huh?  So after the planning stages the kids used our Heroscape map parts to build a map.

 After getting the land part the way they wanted it they added all the important things- campsites, bathrooms, trails, welcome center and more.  Here is the completed map- they decided the scale- one block of the map equals one square mile, so it is a pretty big park.  The buffalo live in the big open, grassy area and the pandas live around the lake in the bamboo forest.

The white strings are hiking trails, the blue and black legos are roads (they only allow golf carts in the park), the yellow and red legos are various buildings.  Each buffalo picture represents 30 buffalo, each panda picture represents a panda family and each tent is a campsite.  Here is a closer look at the features of Split Tree Park.

This is Split Tree.  Notice the zipline across the top and the cave entrance at the bottom.  And the strategically placed restroom at the base of the tree.

Here is the volcano with hiking trails up to the top for a great view for brave hikers, and another well-placed restroom.

This is the welcome center which includes a museum about the Native Americans who used to live in Split Tree and a gift shop/bookstore.  All ranger led programs also start at the welcome center, and of course there is another large bathroom to be found here.

In the distance you can see the dining hall- which is a 24 hour cafeteria style eating area open to all guests and employees with basic food like hamburgers and french fries.  There is also a very large bathroom/shower complex located near the dining hall.

Now for a closer look at the area surrounding the lake.  All along the shore there are campsites, each of the 44 sites is one square mile and can accommodate up to 16 people.  The campsites have access to the lake for swimming, fishing and boating.  They are also located among the dense bamboo forests (all those little toothpicks) so the sites are very private and campers will always see wild pandas surrounding them.  There are also plenty of restrooms and hiking trails close to the campsites.

That's what the park looks like.  After the map was complete we had to work together to answer some important questions about our park.

 

Thanks for visiting our park!

Mommio: Grand Canyon Travelin' Trunk

We are so excited to be starting our unit study on the Grand Canyon where we will be going for a week long family camping trip at the beginning of April.  The basis of our unit study is a really cool Human History of the Grand Canyon Travelin' Trunk that we were able to rent from the Grand Canyon Association for the next two weeks.  It is basically a big box that showed up in the mail filled with lesson plans, maps, books, cds, dvds and project material- enough stuff for nine full lessons and more. 

 We can use it for two weeks and then we mail it back for another classroom to use later. Here's a look at what we got in the box!  A teacher's guide full of plans, information and discs of printable maps, worksheets and powerpoint presentations.

 Lots of books- at various age levels.

 A mapping folder project.

 A twig figure project and the supplies to make our own.

 A DVD tour of the Grand Canyon and a music CD (not sure what that's for yet).

 Many large laminated pictures for the classroom.

 Historical timeline flashcards.

 We also found out that the National Parks systems has more of these cool trunks to borrow about other parks.  So we'll see how this one goes and try some more later!

Marney: Blog Of The Day

1
It is all rocky
it is so so deep to me
it's all tan to me
2
I want marshmallows
I want to hike a bunch too
With my family
3
I'm glad he's my dad
he's awesome when he's with me
he is so awesome

Mason: Blog Of The Day

The canyon looks great
the rivers look very great
there are pictographs

I will tell stories
I will explore the canyon
I will play card games

Daddio is cool
Daddio is super cool
Daddio is fun

Marney: Family Meeting Minutes

1- Clean up after any meal.
2-Drinks- if not you pay a dollar.
3-You need a healthy item after lunch.
4- Everyone gets DSI and DS back.
5-  No RPG but you get game night.
6- Do not fight over Franki.
7- Be nice to Gabe.
8- Write on the blog.
9- The week.

Connor: Blog Of The Day

Grand Canyon

Many rocks around.

Mined for many minerals.

It is big and deep.

What To Do

Look around the site.

Learn the history of it.

Travel around it.

Daddio

He is very funny

He is our dungeon master

I love him a lot.

Avery: Blog Of The Day

What The Grand Canyon Looks Like

Cliffs are in the sky

Rivers flowing on the ground

 And the heat is great.

What I Want To Do There

Build a fire BIG
Stand on the edge of a cliff
Go hiking a lot.

Dad
Dad is very grand
As grand as the Grand Canyon
I love him a bunch.

Gabe: Blog Of The Day

1

It is very  big.

It is a hole with water.

It looks really cool.

2

Telling ghost stories

I want to see the canyon 

And go on a tour.

3

Dad is super grand.

He likes to play RPG's

He is super fun

Daddio: 2/21/11 Blog of the Day

Today you started the Grand Canyon unit study.  In honor of starting our two-week program, I want you to write several haiku poems about the Grand Canyon.  The first one needs to be about how the Grand Canyon looks.  The second needs to be about what you want to do when we go camping in the Grand Canyon in April.  The third one needs to be about me, and how "grand" I am.

Remember that haiku poems are at least three lines and have a syllable count of 5-7-5.

Avery: Student Of The Week

Here is my school schedule for this school week.

 Joan's Academy

Here is my Kung fu! In this video I am doing the eight-chain punch! I have learned all the steps to it already.

Kung Fu-

Film-  In film class I am the screen writer and the director. Dillon, Mason and Sage are all actors. Max is the camera man. Gabe is the AD and the DP (assistant director and director of photography). Kai is in control of the boom mic.
Lewis and Clark- Last time we made journals out of paper normal paper. To put it together we sewed it in the middle. We also used pens where you have to did it in ink. I used a feather quill pen that I made.

Choir-  In choir we are learning about five songs. I didn't have a video up because I can't bring the songs home yet. Next week I will post up me singing a choir song that I'm working on.

Science- In science we learned about blood! we learned that blood actually isn't blue inside your body! It is still red. Our teacher brought a plastic heart. It looked real! But sadly it didn't smell like a potato like the plastic bones did.

Math

Here is my multiplication sheet. I know all my times, but I do still need to be checked up on to see if I can do all of it correctly. 

 Here, I am doing my math! Lately I have been dividing decimals by whole numbers. It's is actually kinda fun!

Here is me dividing 10s,100s, and 1,000s by decimals.

Here is my score for the first day! I only missed one!

 Spelling

Here are my spelling words. I do high school spelling. On the first day I have to write the words twice. On the second day I need to write sentences. On the last day Mom gives me a spelling quiz!

 Reading

Reading Comprehension- In our reading comprehension we learn about gods and goddesses. This time we learned about Thor and his friends going somewhere. They were stopped by a giant. The next day if they want ed to live in the giant's world they had to beat the giants at Running, eating, drinking.  The giants cheated at everything. They told Thor and then disappeared.

 History- I am really enjoying my history book! Last time I read about how women were treated. It was really unfair. Lots of them protested about it and some just deal with it. They could hardly ever leave the house. They had to take care of the house and children and themselves.

 Science- I read this article .
It's all about how poison was in dino's teeth.

DEAR- Right now in the book the kid's teacher went into the woods after it caught on fire so that she could get one of the student's inhalers. Now she is lost in the woods and no one knows what's going on.

Just For Fun- I like to read American girl magazine! It has advice, tricks, ideas and posters.

Spanish

This is me doing my Spanish. I have gotten pretty far in it. I am almost to the milestone
(the end of one of the parts)!

Recorder

These are the songs I am learning on recorder. Just last week I learned F sharp!

 Grammar

I have been doing "okay" at grammar. I've been rushing through it so I don't do too well.

 Photography

Reading- This is the book I am reading for my photography.This week I learned how to use a scanner. I had to be really creative. I also learned about pixels, megapixels and gigabytes.

Project- My project was to learn how to use a scanner. These ones Lily helped me with. The first is called food face. The second one is called french fry, cuz that's the name of the lizard.