Boyce Thompson Arboretum Field Trip

On Wednesday, February 23, the Tapestry of the Desert Co-op had a field trip to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. It was the perfect day to gather together and take the Plants of the Bible Tour. We met at 10am, and the tour lasted for about an hour and a half. We divided into two groups, third grade and up, and second grade and under. We saw sycamore trees, gopher wood trees, rose of Sharon, lilies of the valley and even a frankincense plant! Afterwards, we had a picnic lunch together and the kids hiked (and some even got lost!) in the mountains. Thanks to our expert search and rescue team, all wayward hikers were found unharmed and were back with their families by sundown!

Co-op in Review: February 16, 2011

Athens vs. Sparta. These were the two major city-states during the Golden Age of Ancient Greece. The kids in both Upper and Lower Grammar spent their time together comparing and contrasting these two very different groups of people. They learned that the Athenians were artistic and lovers of literature and theater. They sought after beauty and knowledge. While, the Spartans were war-like conquerors. They trained their boys at young ages to be loyal Spartan soldiers, tough as nails and wishing to die for Sparta, as that would be their greatest honor. The Upper Grammar kids celebrated the beauty and artistry of Athens by making cool body art on themselves and their friends. While the Lower Grammar boys paid tribute to the toughness of Sparta by making fierce Spartan shields and swords. Meanwhile, downstairs, the Five in a Row kids read the classic story, The Carrot Seed. It's the sweet story of a little boy who plants a seed, cares for it and it grows into a carrot! The kids then made paper carrots, combining yellow and orange tissue paper to make orange. They also planted their own carrot seeds!

Co-op in Review: February 9, 2011

We LOVE our co-op friends! And, this week, we celebrated our friendship with a Valentine's Day Party. The kids exchanged valentines, decorated treat bags, ate cupcakes and had a super-fun game, where the kids competed to eat red vines without using their hands! The winners were Cameron, Josh and Alyssa Cervantez. Way to go, kids!!! After the party and the accompanying sugar rush, the kids divided into their classes. The Upper Grammar kids made scrolls of the Book of Esther. Afterwards, they acted out a short play about Esther. At the end of class, they even performed their play for the Lower Grammar class. In the Lower Grammar class, the kids learned about the Persian Empire and the role it played in the history of the Jewish people. They learned about Queen Esther and her brave appeal to the king which saved her people from destruction. They made Purim Graggers or noisemakers. These graggers are used during Purim, the Jewish holiday celebrating the deliverance of the Jewish people from Haman's plot to destroy them. The LG kids then watched the UG play about Esther where they used their noisemakers and "booed" every time Haman's name was mentioned. Down the Five in a Row class, they read Miss Rumphius. Then the kids played some color games and did a cute flower art project.

Co-op in Review: February 2, 2011

This week, the Upper Grammar and Lower Grammar classes combined to learn about the Babylonians and the Babylonian conquest and deportation of the Southern Kingdom. They learned about the Godly men who were taken from Jerusalem when the Babylonians invaded. They worked in the Kings courts and stood up to the Kings when they asked them to disobey God's law. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel refused to worship anyone but the one true God and God protected them for their faithfulness. The kids learned about the city of Babylon and specifically the architecture of this ancient land. They worked hard to make replicas of the famous Ishtar Gate out of juice cartons and cereal boxes. Downstairs, the little ones read the story, The Snowy Day. It's the tale of a child who ventures out into the snow and has a great time exploring. The kids had a snow day of their own, making snowmen out of marshmallows, Oreos and frosting and then having an indoor snowball fight with marshmallows!

Co-op in Review: January 26, 2011

During our large group time, the kids all worked together to make a banner for a local nursing home for Valentine's Day. They drew pictures on the banner and inscribed it with Bible verses about Love. In their individual classes, the Upper Grammar kids talked about the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom. They played a guessing game to decide which Northern and Southern Kings were wicked or good. Then they had a blast making Assyrian Siege Towers out of sugar cubes. Siege towers are a war machine the Assyrians used to distract their enemies and knock down their city walls. The Lower Grammar boys were learning about the relief sculpture art form of the Assyrians. They decorated many of their building with this type of sculpture. The kids then made their own relief sculptures out of bars of soap! Downstairs, the preschoolers read "All Those Secrets of the World." It's the story of a little girl who tries to understand why her father must be away at war. She learns that things that are far away aren't really that far away after all. It's all in your perspective. To learn perspective and distance, the kids released a helium balloon. They also made watercolor landscape paintings.