Geronimo!

Will unveiled his latest painting on Saturday, in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who.  Fantastic!

Learning To Fly

Last weekend, several pilots from Wisconsin and Minnesota volunteered their time and fuel to help local Scouts earn the Aviation Merit Badge.  Each boy went up as co-pilot, actually taking the controls, and flying their planes for portions of the 20 minute flight.  It was a thrilling day for all the boys, and the generosity of the pilots was greatly appreciated. 

Here's Will's plane. 

And Will with his plane's owner and pilot, a member of the Osceola community, Jim Kirvida.

 

Steve, Charlie and I were invited along as Will's passengers.  Charlie was absolutely enchanted by his first airplane ride!

 Each pilot asked the boys where they lived, and then flew them over their neighborhood so they could see how it looked from above.  We pinpointed our property and our pilot circled it so we could snap some photos.  Here's the aerial view of our place. 

And here's a shot of Ben doing the pre-flight safety check on his plane. 

 Ben took no passengers, so it was just him and the pilot.   He was given control of his plane for most of the flight.  He said the pilot was really friendly and told him he was a great student!  He is absolutely enchanted with flying now, and dreams of building a high-tech flight simulator.  Hmmmmm...

Such fun things these boys get to do!

Model Wigwam Project

 We aren't the biggest hands-on-crafty kind of family, but I do like to throw out the option for a couple projects each school year if I find things that seem worthwhile.   This post is about Will's project during our Native American studies.

            

Ben didn't choose to work on any projects during this time, as he had sewed some moccasins not too long ago for a merit badge requirement, but Will and I really enjoyed working on a model wigwam project together, which I found directions for here.  

We used materials from our property such as willow twigs and birch bark (rather than basket reeds and felt as suggested in the instructions) to give a more natural look to the project. The birch bark was conveniently on the ground so we didn't have to peel any trees.

Some of our supplies

Will created a paper template for the footprint of the wigwam and transferred it to our base, which was a large piece of heavy, corrugated cardboard.  He then measured and marked off the positioning of the willow post holes.

 Adding in the willow posts was a task done over the course of a week, as we needed to let glue dry in one section before moving on to the next.

Once all the posts were tied, Will cut and began to add pieces of birch bark to cover the frame.  We found that hot glue worked best to hold the pieces in place.  

 

No trees were harmed in the making of this wigwam.

Here it is completed and with a bit of landscaping. 

And a peek inside...

Will and I were both pleased with how well it turned out!  It was a great companion project to his St. Croix Dalles landscape from this year's science lessons as well.

First North Americans-Ben and Will's Studies

Continuing from an earlier post, I want to document the older boys' history studies from this year.  During the first weeks of our school year, Ben and Will spent time reading about Native Americans, with a focus on local tribes.

 Our organizing spines for history this year were Joy Hakim's A History of US, which was mostly for Will and Charlie, and K12's American Odyssey, for much of Ben's reading.

After reading topics from the texts, the boys dug into various sources for in-depth information.  Will began by choosing articles of interest from Cobblestone Magazine's Ojibwe of the Great Lakes issue.  The area in which we live is one of the traditional homeland areas for the Ojibwe, or Anishinabe Indians.   He combined this reading with info from  Life in an Anishinabe Camp.

Ben also started off with some magazine articles from one of our long-time go-to publications, Learning Through History magazine.  

To tie his learning in with local history, Ben read from An Account of the Battle of St. Croix Falls, by Rosemarie Vezina Braatz.  

From the introduction:

The Battle of St. Croix Falls dealt the decisive blow to the Fox Indians, who thereafter gave up the fight against the encroaching Chippewas (Ojibwe, Anishinabe)...and it reduced the strength and prestige of the Sioux in this river valley, so that they retreated to the open country to the west.  So great was this slaughter, that for years afterward, the Indians referred to this battleground as "The Valley of the Bones."

The wooded crags on the Dalles of the St. Croix, where this battle was fought, is right in the back yard of our favorite state park.  As we walk the trail there, it is chilling to think of the story of this fight.

 

 During this time our read alouds were Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruhac, and several Native American stories from Keepers of the Night, also by Bruhac and Michael J. Caduto. 

Next up, Will's wigwam project.

A Familiar Landscape

Will's most recent unit in his science curriculum, Elemental Science- Biology for the Logic Stage, focuses on habitats.  The hands-on element for this topic is the creation of a diorama of one of the habitats in the study.  Rather than doing the ol' shoebox and construction paper project we're all so familiar with, Will expressed a desire to make a more elaborate landscape box, depicting an area of our favorite local state park. He remembered his brother doing a similar project years back, and wanted his chance to do it, too. 

 The area he chose is a view of the St. Croix River gorge.  

 More than 10,000 years ago, great glaciers covered much of the northern United States, including most of Wisconsin. As the glaciers melted, forming glacial Lake Duluth and overflowing its banks, torrents of water tore through the river valley carving out the gorge we see here today. 

 Dalles of the St. Croix River, formed by the meltwaters of the Wisconsin glacial period.

To make the landscape, Will started with a 12x16 disposable roaster pan which we purchased at our local grocery.  Other ideas we considered were building a wooden frame/box or using a low-sided cardboard box.  The roaster seemed like our best bet  because it was easily movable and moisture-proof.

After deciding on the container, Will went out to the yard and took up a portion of sod/top soil and sub soil to fit his container. First he put in the sub soil to support his landscape.  He cut his river gorge down the middle of his land, and lined it with large basalt rocks. Basalt is the dominant rock in our area, and it lines the Dalles of the St. Croix.

To make the river water, Will melted some paraffin wax in a coffee can set into a pan of water.  He wanted his water to be have a blue tint, so he laid a piece of blue cloth down before he poured the wax in between the rock walls.  He also added a few "boulders" to the wax before it cooled to add interest to the water.  

Then he added the top soil and sod to the sub soil, and trimmed down the grasses and weeds.

 

He then collected cuttings from pine trees to line the river.  

As part of his project he also reviewed facts about animals found in our area, and sculpted a few for his landscape from modeling clay. 

Adult Deer

Fawn

Fox

Squirrel

The Animals in their "Kitchen Table Habitat"

 I love the creativity that came with this project, and the fact that Will chose it himself makes it that much more enjoyable. 

Ready For Grade 6

Two down, one to go!  I've got Charlie's plan in place already, and now I think Will's is a go as well!  Here's what I have planned for Will's 6th grade year...

For math we are sticking with Teaching Textbooks.  Like I always say, if it is not broken, do not expend the energy trying to make it unbrokener.  Both Ben and Will have enjoyed using this program for a few years now.

Language arts subjects this year will also be in the familiar vein for us. 

Spelling Power is the family choice for easily implemented testing and study techniques.  

For writing, we are continuing with Susan Wise Bauer's series which began with the Writing With Ease books.  Will has completed that set of books, and will now move on to Writing with Skill.  We're both looking forward to starting Level 1.

This will be my second time through Junior Analytical Grammar, which I found to be no-nonsense and quite effective for teaching grammar and sentence diagramming at this age.  While I'm sure William will complain bitterly all the way through it, it has to be done! 

For continuing practice in cursive,  A Journey Through Learning's America's Presidents CD will come in handy.  As I did for Ben at this age, I will print out these pages and have a book bound for Will to use daily.  This is helpful for reading cursive as well as being good handwriting practice.

Poetry at Tea Time, once weekly, will continue as it has for years.  Will can revisit poems that are familiar to him as Charlie learns them for the first time; I plan to use one of our favorite series of books to highlight Robert Frost or Lewis Carroll, along with seasonal selections from Poetry Speaks to Children and Favorite Poems Old and New.   Also during the course of the year, we'll read some meatier selections from Anne Bradstreet, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poe, and Longfellow, and tie them in with our American history studies.

On Will's literature list this year are Gulliver in Lilliput, Robinson Crusoe, Tom Sawyer, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Rip Van Winkle.

 I really want to fit in this linguistics study from Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop as an elective for Will.  He has shown an interest in the origins of the English language recently and I think this might just fit the bill.  And I would love it as well, I'm sure!

You know what is so great?  I shopped all the above math and language arts items from my shelves! Can you hear the sign of contentedness?  Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Now for a something I don't yet own...

For science, I'm hoping that  Pandia Press will release their Biology Level 2 in time for the school year.  I wouldn't even mind starting it late.  I have my heart set on it, so not sure what we'll do if not this.   

ETA: Just found out that the release date for the Pandia Press Biology course will be February 14th, 2013.  Later than I hoped, but maybe I can still make it work???

As far as Nature Studies go, WISE Kids, a local nature and hiking group, has been a part of Will's summers for the past three years, and this summer was no exception.  I consider this to be an important component of our science studies.  So far this summer they have:

*Hiked various park trails. All types of terrain, rain or shine.

*Canoed the St. Croix River from St. Croix Falls to Osceola.

*Taken a fish hatchery tour (rainbow trout) and participated in a raceway cleaning service project.

*Heard historical stories of the St. Croix River from St. Croix: Midwest Border River by James Taylor Dunn.

*Listened to the book  If You Find a Rock. Shared rock collections and told stories of personal "memory rocks".  Charlie brought in Madeline Island rocks, and some Wishing Rocks, which were mentioned in the book.

*Created personal photo journals from various hikes.

*Took part in a Tree study with a local naturalist.

A couple more weeks and this will end for the summer, but there is always a fall and winter outing to look forward to as well.

History.  The perfect curriculum for me is ever elusive.   I love researching and planning, but wish there was something I agreed with that totally set it up for me.  Wishful, wishful thinking.  I'm sure we're doing early American history this year with Story of the world 3 worked in for world events, but I can't seem to organize myself as far as getting a schedule put together.  I need something to follow or I'll forget to cover stuff.  Yes. Stuff.  I'll get back to you when I figure it all out.  I'm considering History Odyssey level 2 Early Modern.  Maybe

Art appreciation?  Music appreciation?  I'll try to weave this into our history study as well.  So, mostly complete, yes?  Just waiting on that science and hoping a last-minute, new, exciting, secular history curriculum that uses History of US and American Odyssey as spines, that can be used with a variety of ages, comes out tomorrow!

{this moment}

Rope Swing

Turning it up to 11

Early fall is a busy time for us, full of last hurrah vacations, preparations for school, and birthday cake after mouth-watering birthday cake.  William was the cause for our latest celebration/chocolate baked good as he insisted on leaving behind the world of 10 to turn things up to 11.

Happy Birthday William!  You are my Brave and Kind Boy!  We are so proud of all the work you did this past year and are watching for even more good things to come!

Navajo Camp

While Ben was at Sioux camp, Will and I were also at Tomahawk Scout reservation in Navajo.  Steve usually has been the camp guy for the boys, so this was the first time I had gone to a scout camp with Will. Oh my-they do keep them busy at this age!  Our schedule was full with really, really fun stuff from early morning until lights out at 10:00!!

Will and his Den Leader.  Yes, I know. It is a lovely blouse.  Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

I really had so much fun, and cannot speak highly enough about the staff at this camp.  All college age kids from about 19-24 years old, and so full of energy!!  They were always patient with the kids (a tough job when you're there with a new group every week all summer long!), smiling and encouraging.  Top Notch, absolutely! 

And did I mention that there was coffee available for parents 24 hours a day?  Really tasty piping-hot coffee.  In real mugs, people.  Not styrofoam.  Every morning I would wake up by 5:30 and stroll up to the mess hall to get my cuppa which I would enjoy whilst sitting quietly by the lake.  I'd make sure to be back to our camp to wake the boys by 7:00, and that little bit of calm coffee time really set the day off right for me. I love you and miss you Camp Coffee!! Ahem...

Here's where I whiled away the evenings, listening for approaching bear.

No bear showed up, thankfully, and the time I spent listening was filled with loon calls from the lake just beyond my tent.  Score!

Aside from a chance to earn activity pins for advancement in scouts, the kids had plenty of fun stuff to keep them happy and busy every day.

B.B.  Gun shooting.  I got a chance to do this, too.  First time I shot a gun by the way.  Yay for me!

Will on the Climbing tower

Me on the climbing tower.  Yay again for me!

The Merry-Go-Round of Death at Scout Craft.  There are all sorts of dangerous-looking boy things at Scout Craft.  A mother's nightmare, a boy's dream...

Archery

Ginormous flag ceremonies

Polar Bear Swim  6:30 AM

Brave souls at Polar Bear Swim.  I did not do this : )

Ben, Steve and Charlie came to say hello to us after they checked out of their camp.  We tucked into a little Scout Craft cabin for a group photo.

And I think Charlie missed me the 4 days we were apart, because he didn't want to let go of my hand throughout his visit.

Charlie looks so exhausted!  He held my hand even as I filled out my check-out paperwork.

I have to say, I was skeptical about going to camp.  I wasn't expecting to have half as much fun as I did.  I am soooo happy I went and count this as one of the most fun one-on-one times I have spent with Will.  Priceless.