End of Unit 3 Celebration

On March 20, our co-op held it's third End of Unit Celebration of the year!  Since we studied Plymouth and the very first Thanksgiving this quarter, we decided to make this Unit Celebration a Thanksgiving Feast!  And, wow, did we ever have a feast!!  Turkey, ham, potatoes, yams, stuffing, cranberries, rolls and many yummy desserts filled the buffet table.  After feasting together, the kids performed their memory work for the quarter--the older kids recited a quotation from William Bradford, while the FIAR class showed off the Bible verses they had memorized.  Then the Upper Grammar class took center stage.  All quarter long, they have been working on a play about Jamestown called, "Who Wants to Be a Colonist."  It was a hilarious game show where two contestants competed with their knowledge of the Jamestown colony.  Finally, the kids had a chance to show off the work they have completed all quarter long, as the families visited with the kids at their tables filled with projects, books and completed assignments.

Co-op in Review: March 1, 2012

Hooray!  It's the last week of co-op before Spring Break!!  And, while we all love our time together at Co-op, nobody has any objections to the upcoming 2 week break!  This week, both the Upper and Lower Grammar classes studied a mixed bag of topics relating to Colonial America.   They learned about the French colonies and how they differed and conflicted with the British Colonies.  They also learned about a specific colony, Georgia and it's founder, James Oglethorpe.  Oglethorpe requested a charter for a new colony from King George II to form a charitable colony.  The colony, which would be controlled by trustees, would provide farms and a new start for poor Englishmen and persecuted Protestant Christians from throughout Europe.  The charter was granted and the colony was then named for the King.  Idealism in Georgia didn't last long and the colony was soon a failure.  Soon, Georgia became the land of large plantations and was home to much slave labor.  Last week, the Lower Grammar kids made tomahawks, like the Iroquois Indians would have used.  This week, it was time for the Upper Grammar kids to get in on the tomahawk action by making their own!  The Lower Grammar kids made a variety of Colonial Games.  They made a board game called Nine Mens' Morris, a Cup and Ball tossing game and an Ox Yolk brainteaser puzzle.  Downstairs, the FIAR class read the book, "Just in Case You Ever Wonder."  It's a wonderful bed time story that communicates not just how much parents love their children, but how much God loves them!  The kids then made adorable mobiles with a verse on them exclaiming how God created the sun, moon, stars and THEM!