Boyce Thompson Arboretum Field Trip

On Thursday, February 19, our co-op had a field trip to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, AZ.  We took the "Plants of the Bible" tour.  It was fascinating.  Our guide, Mr. Rich, was knowledgeable, kept our tour moving at a brisk pace and loved answering our questions.  We learned a lot about plants, the Bible and the importance of plants in the Bible.  It was a great day together and a lovely day to spend outside learning about and enjoying God's creation!

Co-op in Review: February 12, 2015

The last few weeks, we've learned about two powerful empires that God has raised up to punish the Israelites--the Assyrians and the Babylonians.  Now, there's a new force to be reckoned with--Persia.  The Persians take over what was Assyria and Babylonia.  In fact, their territory eventually expands from Egypt to India and all the way up to modern day Turkey and even creeps into Europe.  In addition to reading about this powerful and expanding military and political force, we learn about a Bible story that takes place in the middle of the Persian Empire--the story of Queen Esther, a Jewish girl who stands up to the wicked Hamman and boldly approaches to the king to save her people.  The Jewish people still celebrate this brave woman, Esther, today with a feast and celebration known as Purim.  The Dialectic class discussed the Persian expansion and the royal succession of Persian monarchs in great detail, while continuing to plan their Greek vase project by using balloons and recyclables to construct their vase forms.  The Upper Grammar class celebrated the joyous holiday of Purim with one of our favorite guests, Mr. Joe Simon.  Joe answered the kids questions about Purim while the class proceeded through the four parts of an authentic Purim feast.  The kids enjoyed learning about the holiday, dressing in costume and eating the traditional Purim treats--hammantashen.  They also made spoon puppets of the four main characters in the book of Esther.  The Lower Grammar class had a great time making beautiful celebratory noisemakers like those that Jewish children enjoy playing at their own Purim feasts, as Purim is one of the only Jewish holidays that is happy and even a bit rowdy at times.  The Five in a Row class read the book, "Mr. Gumpy's Outing."  It's the story of Mr. Gumpy who heads out in his boat, and is soon joined by so many others that there is no where else to go but overboard!  The kids then had fun going over board doing activities and crafts about Mr. Gumpy and his overflowing boat full!!

Co-op in Review: February 5, 2015

This week, we focused our studies on the southern kingdom of Judah.  Like the northern kingdom, Israel, Judah fell into sin and idol worship.  And, as always, God showed mercy to His people, even as he judged.   He provided prophets, such as Jeremiah and Isaiah to warn and inform His people.  And,  he provided safety and refuge--even in captivity--to a remnant of Israelites who were held captive in Babylon.  Prophesy was fulfilled, Jerusalem fell, Solomon's temple was destroyed--and yet, God's power, mercy and providential wisdom can be seen at every turn.  The Dialectic kids dove deep into discussing these important events.  And, they learned about, and sketched designs of their new long-term project--constructing a pot or vase in the classical Greek style.  The Upper Grammar class learned about the oldest known board game for two players--backgammon.  They were taught the rules, made their own board games and then played some tournaments.  In Lower Grammar, the kids put on their painting shirts and got messy making beautiful Ishtar Gate mosaics, to remind them of on of the most famous Babylonian landmarks--the Ishtar Gate.  The Five in a Row kids read the book, "The Hat Maker's Sign".  It's a historical fiction book about Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson--where Franklin consoles the hurt Jefferson as his Declaration of Independence is picked apart by the Continental Congress.  The kids then made darling Thomas Jefferson figures out of toilet paper rolls and then they made folded paper hats!

Co-op in Review: January 29, 2015

This week, we learned about the Assyrians,  who God raised up to punish Israel for their sin of idolatry.  It was the Assyrians that conquered the Northern Kingdom.  We learned about their culture, economy, government and religion.  But, most of all, about their almost barbaric military practices.  The Dialectic/Rhetoric class discussed the Assyrians and the prophets that God raised up at this time in history.  They also took time in class to present their projects on the historical figure they were assigned to research for the past several weeks.  The Upper Grammar class made Assyrian frieze or relief sculptures out of clay. The Lower Grammar class got messy and creative as they painted Assyrian banners.  And, in Five in a Row, the class read the book, "Mirette on a High Wire."    It's the story of a little girl who lives in a Paris boarding house and is taught how to walk a high wire by a famous high wire artist.  But, it is really Mirette who teaches the lesson on how to conquer fear!  The kids then made three dimensional street scenes of Paris, with cut-outs of themselves walking on the high wire above the city!