Heart of Dakota: Bigger Week 25

OK, I know you all are asking why I got this post out so late!  I just got real lazy this weekend and did not feel like typing or anything. Truth is, as most of my longtime readers know, I have migraines and this week was just a real bad week for them. I had 3 migraines this week, so when Sat came along, i had no intention to stare at a computer screen.

Anyhow, getting back to work with school was tough this week. But once Tuesday hit we were really on track and enjoying our week. We learned about a couple people I had actually never heard of. Dame Shirley and Kit Carson. Well, truth be told, I thought Kit Carson was a TV character. Oh, don't laugh!!! 🙂

The History activity was fun. Because I was battling pain all week, I did the activity on a smaller scale. We did it table top with mini stuffed animals. We staked claims in the gold mine, or at least our school desks. My son claimed all the right spots. My poor daughter came out broke and in debt! Poor baby! But they really got the concept of how the price of things was NOT regulated but priced out all by how much Gold you received from your claim. "Not Fair" as my son said when he had to pay $.50 for the same piece of bread my daughter got for $.03. And of course, staking a claim was first come first serve.

Reading "By the Great Horn Spoon" has been a wonderful look into California Gold Rush! Now they both want to go to San Francisco and stake a claim. Too funny! It would not be that long of a drive, a half day, but I think they would be seriously disappointed!

Hopefulness! What a wonderful character trait this week. To have hope in a person or belongings and possessions will get us no where. We certainly cannot take the STUFF with us! But to have hopefulness in Jesus we have eternal life. What a wonderful message and hope! I really enjoyed learning about hopefulness this week with the children!

We just HAD to do art this week. OMGosh! We had so much fun with art and playing and chasing each other around in our masks. We made a bear mask to remind us about Kit Carson and his fighting off a wild bear and what a good hunter, tracker and woodsman he was. Just wait till you see the pictures. They look so CUTE!

Science this week was all about fishing and water. We learned how to catch a fish with our bare hands as well as how to watch fish without scaring them off. We also had the opportunity to learn how fish hear so well under water. The experiment for that was a little hard for them to get, but they kind of got the idea. Saturday night I had them take a bath and that is where they finally understood how the particles in the water vs. air work to make the fish hear so well.

In Geography we mapped out the states once more, but this really is nothing new to us. We have been doing this each week anyhow. Somehow, I missed out on learning where each state was when i was in school and I vowed that my kids would be able to mark a map and get at least 45 out of 50 states correct. Until currently, I could not do that. Now I get about 48 out of 50 states right. a couple months ago, I would not have been able to do that! An they are getting there too.

My son is about 35 out of 50 and my daughter (6) is about 25 out of 50 correct. And that is without me helping them. Yes, proud Mama! The other thing we practice almost everyday is running through the Presidents. We are up to Lincoln right now. I just want them to know who each of our presidents are and so far they are actually doing better then I am. I still have to cheat and look at the cards. LOL!

Well as I always say, we ended with our timeline and notebook pages. I liked our notebook page this week. We routed the three Gold Rush routes to California. OK, we cheated a little. We traced out USA and South America form a black outline map. But they both figured out where New York was and traced the routes to California. Man I do not know how these people did it. The children and I have a new appreciation for all the wonderful and easy life things we have. We are very grateful that we do not have to live in the pioneer days.

OK, so now we are off to watch Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone DVD's. Oh yea, it is the old TV series you all remember. My kids love it. OK, here is a big blast from the past…"Land of the Lost." I know you all remember those from your childhood, well, maybe not those of you who are in your early 20's. My kids LOVE those DVD's too. Oh and they are soooo bad. The green screen and the studio scenery etc, but they really love them. And there are some (little) educational value to it. Better the Power Puff Girls! LOL!

Anyhow, you all have a great week and we will catch you on the flip side of next week.