Co-op in Review: October 3, 2013

The 1920's were roaring, but the good times were about to end.  They actually came to a screeching halt at the end of the century, as the economy began to collapse, most notably with the stock market crash of October 1929.  Banks closed, factories closed, jobs were lost, people became homeless and hungry.  We are on the brink of a depression--The Great Depression.  The Dialectic class studied the Stock Market.  Guest speaker, Pastor Bill Meiter did a great job teaching the lesson on stocks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and principles of investing.  The kids are excited to begin their own pretend stock investment simulation, where they will invest pretend money in real stocks and watch them grow (or not!).   The Upper Grammar class and Lower Grammar classes both studied the life of Walt Disney and the development of animation techniques.  They both made cartoon flip books, which was a lot more work than they thought it would be!  The Lower Grammar kids also made adorable Mickey Mouse ears.  The Five in a Row class read the book, "The Little Island."  It's a book about a little island that changes with the seasons and over time.  Different creatures visit the island and it is hit by storms, too.  The kids made an adorable and delicious craft!  They made islands out of fruit and other food.  They loved making their islands, and they really loved eating them!

End of Unit One Celebration

On Tuesday night, October 1, our co-op gathered to celebrate the end of a great unit of History Study!  Unit One of Year Four is complete!  The kids loved getting a chance to show off their memory work and the work they did throughout the year, both at co-op and at home.  The Dialectic kids also performed a reenactment of a pivotal scene from the Scopes Monkey Trial, where attorney William Jennings Bryan takes the stand and Clarence Darrow questions him about his faith in God and belief in the Bible.  What a great night, what fantastic kids and families!

Co-op in Review: September 26, 2013

Play Ball!  Our grammar classes both studied the rise of baseball in America during the 1920's.  And, they learned all about one of the greatest to ever play the game--Babe Ruth.  Babe Ruth had a rough child hood, was difficult to control as a player but was the king of home runs and America loved him and filled stadiums to see him at the plate.  The Upper Grammar kids made awesome baseball plates, painted to look like baseballs.  The Lower Grammar kids painted baseball jerseys, just like the Yankees jersey that Babe Ruth would have worn.  The Dialectic class read all about the sensational Scopes Monkey Trial, where the teaching of evolution was on trial in Tennessee.  The kids worked on a reenactment of a scene from the trial and made evolution vs. creationism posters.  The Five in a Row class read the book, "Somewhere in the Ocean."  It's a counting story about ocean mothers and their babies!  The kids then made adorable octopi out of fun foam!

Co-op in Review: September 19, 2013

Again, this week, the kids studied the culture of post-war America.  They learned what made the 20's roar!  It was a time when people felt good, had money and wanted to forget the horrors of war.  A new style of music was gaining popularity.  It was uniquely American, highly improvisational and was called Jazz.  The kids learned about one of the biggest names in Jazz--Louis Armstrong.   The Dialectic kids made scrapbooking pages about a Jazz great--either Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington.  The Upper Grammar class learned about the popular and pervasive art form, Art Deco.  They made fun posters using this style.  The Lower Grammar made jazzy guitars out of tissue boxes.  They turned out great and the kids loved jamming with them!  The Five in a Row class read the book, "Hello Ocean."  It's a fun story of ocean exploration using all five senses!  The kids made fun fish out of tissue paper and they also made crafty sand castles!