Co-op in Review: January 24, 2013

This week, we are on the brink of war.  James Buchanan is president and he finds himself in the unhappy position of seeing seven states secede from the Union.  Things are not good in the United States.  People are angry and many doubt whether the country can survive.  One bright spot in this week's study is the Underground Railroad.  Which the kids learned was not a railroad and was not underground.  Freedom loving Americans rejoiced that some slaves were able to find freedom and escape bondage by using the secret and informal trail of hiding spots known as the Underground Railroad.  However, others were angered further as they felt like the slaves were stealing themselves away from their masters.  The Dialectic class started a three week simulation of the Civil War.  The kids drew sides, picked their roles and started their adventure.  The Upper Grammar kids made drums out of coffee cans--much like the ones young boys would have used as drummer boys in battle.  The Lower Grammar class talked about what life was like for young slaves.  They didn't have many possessions or free time.   But they were able to play with simple dolls--like the Ahwaba Dolls that the kids made out of clay.  The Five in a Row class read the book "Owl Moon."  It's the story of a father and child who take a nighttime walk through the snow to go owling.  The kids then made adorable owls out of pinecones and cotton balls and went on their own owling adventure!

Co-op in Review: January 17, 2013

Our main topic this week was the short but significant Crimean War, which was fought from 1854-1856 in the Black Sea region.  England and France teamed up against Russia, to limit their growing power and influence in the Baltic region.  This war was the first that used railroads and telegraphs and the first to be photographed.  The war however has become famous for military incompetence on both sides--with both sides eventually withdrawing from active involvement in European affairs for years.  The Crimean War made a young nurse, Florence Nightingale famous.  Florence's work during and after the war led to the introduction of modern nursing methods and sanitation procedures that became very important in America just a few short years later.  The Dialectic class made beautiful scrapbooks about the life of Florence Nightingale.  While the Upper Grammar Class and Lower Grammar class listened to a guest speaker--Diane Kuefler--a retired nurse.  She described what it is like to be a nurse today, and then took questions from the kids. She taught the kids a lot about cleanliness and how to clean your hands thoroughly.  Then the kids did an experiment where they could see firsthand how good a job they do at washing their own hands!  The Five in a Row class read The Snowy Day.  This is the classic story of a little boy who wakes up to discover that it has snowed!  The kids made cute snowflakes out of coffee filters and made cut out snow angels!

Co-op In Review: January 10, 2013

Happy New Year!  This was our first day back to co-op after a long Christmas break.  It was good to get back in to the normal swing of things!  This week, our history classes took a trip to Asia and learned about things going on in China and Japan.  These countries are quite content with their cultures and were not seeking trade relationships with other countries.  However, Western countries were very interested in some of the things they had to offer them--silks, porcelain and tea.  Eventually, the Opium Wars opened up trade with China and the US Navy, under the command of Commodore Matthew Perry pressured the Japanese to once again open their ports to Western traders.  The Dialectic Class did not spend much time discussing China and Japan--they were busy finishing up their Oregon Trail simulation that was left hanging at the end of 2012.  The pioneers made it to Oregon, suffered some losses, but had many successes along the way as well!  The Upper Grammar and Lower Grammar kids both started class with a Chinese food feast.  The kids loved sampling the dishes!  Then the Upper Grammar boys made Chinese Peasant hats, while the Lower Grammar kids made Chinese lanterns.  A big thanks to Mrs. Lee, who was a guest speaker for both classes.  She answered questions from the kids about life in China, and taught the kids how to hold and use chopsticks!  The Five in a Row class read the book Katy and the Big Snow.  Persistent Katy never gives up as she digs out the city of Geopolis from a big snow storm that buries the entire town!  The kids then had a blast making yummy snowmen out of marshmallows and frosting!