Co-op in Review: April 27, 2011

This week both Tapestry classes studied Imperial Rome in the context of being a secular backdrop to the development and growth of the early church. The classes learned about typical Roman cities during this time and the every day life of a Roman citizen during this period of peak Roman expansion and conquest. One of the best means we have today for learning about Ancient Rome in the first century A.D. is the preserved remains of Pompeii. Pompeii was a bustling Roman city, nestled between the sea and beautiful Mount Vesuvius. Then, in 79 A. D., Vesuvius erupted and literally buried the city alive. Archaeologists have recently uncovered the buried city and have learned so much about the Romans from these artifacts. The Lower Grammar class made model volcanoes and erupted them on the church lawn to learn first hand the power of a volcano. The Upper Grammar kids meanwhile made beautiful sand candles in jars representative of the Saturnalia candles the Romans would have used during their festivals. Downstairs, the Five in a Row class read the story, "Night of the Moonjellies". Seven year old Mark is on his way to help his grandmother run her hot dog stand when he discovers a jellylike substance and places it in a bag of sea water. That night, his grandmother takes him out into the ocean to discover thousands of moonjellies shimmering in the night. The class played a jellyfish game, practiced writing the letter "J" and then made hanging jellyfish out of coffee filters.

Co-op in Review: April 20, 2011

Co-op this week started out with an Easter Party! We celebrated and remembered what Jesus did for us on the cross. He bore the full wrath of God on our behalf, died, and then rose victorious three days later, conquering sin and death. Hallelujah! Mrs. Canode read the story, "The Tale of the Three Trees", a story about three trees whose dreams all end up coming true in unexpected ways as one tree becomes Jesus' manger, one become his boat, and one becomes the cross on which Jesus died. Afterwards, we made bookmarks with the jellybean poem attached and then enjoyed some Easter treats. In our classes, both the Upper and Lower Grammar classes learned firsthand just how amazing Roman architecture and design really was. They combined forces to construct and design aqueduct systems out of cereal boxes and paper towel rolls. The Five in a Row class read "Play with Me." It's the story of a little girl who goes into the meadow to play with the animals, but they all run away from her. Until she sits quietly by the pond and the animals slowly begin to approach her. The kids all discussed whether they would like to pet animals such as chipmunks, frogs, snakes and bugs. They also made cute little bug boxes.

Co-op in Review: April 13, 2011

Julius Caesar was the topic of the week for both the Upper Grammar and Lower Grammar classes. Caesar was Rome's first emperor and also a great general and statesman. However, his power frightened his political opponents and a group of them, including his best friend Brutus, assassinated him. The classes also learned about one of the most fascinating women in history, Cleopatra. Cleopatra was an Egyptian queen--known for her intelligence, charm, wit, ambition and ruthlessness. She loved and had marriages with both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, Caesar's successor. The Upper Grammar class made foil daggers like the one used to assassinate Caesar and they practiced and performed a read-aloud play about the death of Caesar. The Lower Grammar class made beautiful laurel wreaths like those worn by the Romans during the time of Caesar. Downstairs, the Five in a Row class read "Very Last First Time." It's the story of an Eskimo girl who has the unique experience of being able to walk beneath the ice of the frozen ocean, knowing she will never do it for the first time again. To celebrate this very special experience in the ocean, the kids learned and studied various shells, even making necklaces out of shells. They also made a cute book about tide pools and the animals that live in them.

Co-op in Review: April 6, 2011

War! In both Upper and Lower Grammar this week, the topic was war and the Roman army. The kids learned that the Romans had a great appetite for conquering lands and expanding their territory. They also had a very well trained and organized professional army. The kids learned about the Roman's great enemy, Carthage. As well, they learned about the weapons and armor used by the Romans. To bring life to these lessons, the kids in both classes made catapults out of tissue boxes, pencils and rubber bands. At the end of class, the Upper and Lower Grammar armies faced each other for a battle, and a chance to use their catapults with marshmallows! Downstairs, the Five in a Row kids read When I was Young in the Mountains. It's a book about a girl who remembers her childhood with her grandma and grandpa in the mountains. They read about going to the country store, swimming in the swimming hole, getting baptized at the Sunday church service, going to the Johnny house and Grandma killing a snake with a hoe. The kids then went on a walk to visit some places like that: the commons cafe, the worship center and baptismal, the restrooms and the kitchen at church. They even found a "snake" in the grass and killed it with their pretend hoes. The kids finished up by making green play dough snakes! So much fun!

Co-op in Review: March 30, 2011

This week, the two Tapestry classes focused on the time of the Roman Republic. During the Roman Republic, the Romans developed a form of government that was unlike anything the world had ever seen before. They actually allowed the people to choose their leaders! The Upper Grammar class focused on the government and laws of the Roman Republic. They learned how a Republic is structured and about how the laws were made. They had a guest speaker, Mr. Keller, who helped the kids compare how laws were made in Roman times to how they are made in the United States today. Then the kids made some scratch drawings, like the wax tablets the Romans used. The Lower Grammar class focused on the every day life of the Romans during the Republic. To learn first-hand how the Romans dressed, the kids had a blast making their very own togas. Then the boys used clay tablets to learn and practice their Roman numerals. The kids agreed that they are glad we don't use Roman numerals in our math assignments today! Downstairs, the Five in a Row class read Caps for Sale. It's a story of a hat peddler whose hats are stolen by a bunch of monkeys in a tree. After reading, they did a worksheet where they counted various items in a picture from the book. Finally, they went BANANAS by eating banana pudding with bananas, whipped topping and vanilla wafers. Yummy!