Harry Potter Science Day

By far the coolest science event we have ever attended was Harry Potter science day.  Hosted by the University in the city 2 hours away, the kids were suddenly transported to Hogwarts.

The sorting Hat putting I into Slytherin

C was placed in Griffindor

H was a Hufflepuff

A was a Slytherin

First Class Potions.  Using a cabbage juice indicator the kids determined acids and bases

Owlery class.  They created homemade magnets to determine north while learning how Owls use the poles to determine directionality.

Care of Magical Creatures 1 involved learning about real live animals.  This Macaw was waving hello.

Defense against the dark arts, the children had to learn who put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire.  They did finger print analysis and chromotography

A doing chromotography

H listening to instructions

C ready to solve the mystery

Other courses completed Muggle studies.  In that test tube is the DNA extracted while they learned about dominant and recessive genes as well as the mutations that can create a magical child from 2 muggles

Care of Magical creatures II taughts about how modern day animals led to the myths of magical creatures.  THe horn of a Narwhal led to tales of unicorns, an elephant skull gave way to cyclops stories etc.  In Herbology the kids made their own tea bags and secret messages

At the end of the day each child was awarded a diploma from Hogwarts as well as a sticker and Harry Potter trading card.

When we arrived, each child was given a marauders map to guide them through each class. When they completed 1 they got a stamp, after 6 stamps they could graduate.

A's secret message from herbology class.

Field trip to the EMS station with the beavers/cubs/scouts

As many know I am a Beaver scout leader, H is a cub scout and A is a scout.  We had a fieldtrip to the EMS station as a troop and the boys sure learned a lot.

Fun in the Snow and Chinese New Year

We finally have snow!  It is amazing since normally we have snow starting no later than Halloween, but for some reason this winter the snow has held off.  The kids have had great fun playing in it.  We also celebrated Chinese new year.  We painted chinese dragon pictures, read the story of the chinese zodiac and best of all ate homemade fortune cookies.

I making snow angels

snow angels are great fun

H working hard shovelling the back patio

C working hard shovelling front patio.  Not seen A is shovelling the main sidewalk and driveway

Trying to make a snowman, the snow was too powdery to work

yummy fortune cookies

I watching the cookies bake

New learning space

I decided to move furniture around and make our learning space work for us better. Here is the new set up.
We still do school around the kitchen table but needed a bit better way to be organized.

Behind the sofa these are the school books currently being used by all 4 kids

Toy shelf, has regular toys plus educational ones

My desk (ignore the mess).  I moved it from the kitchen into here.

This cabinet holds construction paper, all coloring, writing, cutting etc tools needed, science kits, estra supplies, trays etc

Kitchen wall, this is one location I showcase art work, I have tacked up a cardboard strip with paper clips to hang pictures and not ruin the wall.  This is where the calendar corner is.  That chalkboard is propped ont eh garbage can for the picture I only pull it out when needed.

Our AAS white board under the kitchen window.

Big white board on wall opposite the one that had the calendar on it.

These shoeboxes are kept on a shelf in the front entrance.  They hold a portion of our math and language arts manips.

Update continues...January 1-22/2012

The New year started full throttle, the big kids came home from their dad's house, I started watching a new full time child. We have been adjusting to the changes of having a very active 2 year old in the house while we try to accomplish our school work.  We found a new "hidey hole" to hang out in when it is not too cold.  It is the trout shack at the trout pond in the provincial park in the next town over.  It has space for the kids to run and play, tables to use, and a wood stove for heat.  They loved it here.  In the last few weeks I have created a new color matchinig game for the 2 yr old, taken the kids to appts with Dr's and therapists.  Talked with a psychiatrist for well over an hour in preparation for A beginning neurofeedback.  We paintewd sun catchers and made tamborines, and finished our study of the water cycle with a couple experiement kits.  THe kids loved launching the pop bottle rocket from the mythbusters water cycle kit. H did an experiment of changing the color of the carnations with colored water.  Much fun has been had by all these first 3 weeks of the new year.

Home made "marbles" science kit

First 4 "marbles" he made

Webkinz movie maker has taken this boy to barely sounding out cvc words to actually being able to read (though no fluently yet)

Holy cow that shoots off fast, I thought I was going to get hit by it

A trying his hand at launching

Misfire

set up again ready for launch

See that thing by the eves, yup that is our rocket

water filtration set