Vacation Education

We are spending this week in South Carolina on Hilton Head Island. This is the first time I have been here. I've been very pleased with the area. The beaches, the pace, and the general atmosphere is great for taking time away from regular life.

While here, we've had the opportunity to do many things that have been good for fun and education.

On Sunday we visited Coastal Discovery Museum. There were many things to be done at the museum. The best part, of course, was that the admission to the museum was 100% FREE. I love FREE stuff that provides entertainment AND education.

We played dress up and pretended we were colonial kids.

We looked at a really large skeleton of a sea turtle. Seriously, we could have used that turtles shell to build ourselves a really awesome cave.

We walked through the butterfly pavilion and saw "flying flowers" and the caterpillars that make them. (Translation: We saw monarch caterpillars and swallowtail caterpillars, along with a handful of butterflies.)

We walked out on two different boardwalks that stretched out over the salt marsh. This, by far, was my favorite part of our visit. I thoroughly enjoyed walking out over the marsh. It was low tide when we made our visit, so the water was way down. We were blessed by visions of thousands of fiddler crabs as they went about the business of life. It was absolutely amazing. I really could have sat and watched those crabs for hours. Marisa was with me on this one. She would have gladly sat and watched the little crabs going about their business for quite a long time. Unfortunately, Kira and Daddy were way too impatient for that. They figured that twenty minutes of fiddler crab life was plenty enough for them.

When we were making our way back to the car, I came across an interesting creature. It appeared to be a caterpillar, but it was shaped like a scorpion. I couldn't see any type of stinger and whenever I touched it with a stick it would curl up like a grub worm.I did find some photos and learned that this was, in fact, a caterpillar. It's the caterpillar for a tussock moth. The one we saw was red/black fur and a red head with black antennae and tail.

Booth Western Art Museum

Yesterday we took the girls to the Booth Western Art Museum. I decided to make this visit because Kira has recently become enamored with pioneer life. As a way of expanding her exposure, we decided to go to the local Western Museum. Of course, it didn't hurt that the museum has a monthly FREE day that just happened to be yesterday.

We started with the American West Gallery where we saw sculptures and paintings and a real stage coach. We also visited the Cowboy Gallery that was filled to the brim with pictures and sculptures of horses. This was probably Kira's favorite art exhibit because she adores anything to do with horses. We moved on to the Heading West Gallery where we viewed paintings of the westward expansion and played with the "touchables" that are set out in the various galleries for the kids to play with.

Our final stop was the Sagebrush Ranch. The Ranch is an educational playground where the children can play and learn. There is a dress up section filled with western style clothes. There's a library section with about 50 different books to read, complete with comfortable bean bag chairs to lounge on and a loft bed to climb into for reading privacy. (We're definitely going to build a bed like that in the girls' bedroom so they can have separate beds in that tiny space.) The Ranch also has two different computer stations where the kids can play games.

The highlight of the ranch was the stage coach replica that bounced along with a TV screen that shows a wild west scene as you "ride" in the coach. Marisa was in that coach a few dozen times before we finally left the room. In fact, the girls would have gladly stayed another hour or two had the adults not demanded that dinner was much more necessary than spending yet another hour at The Ranch. This alone would be worth paying the normal admission price. I'm glad they have a FREE day, though. It's nice for families to be able to visit even if they don't have the money to pay. Trust me - when you have multiple adults and multiple children making a visit to the museum, that admission fee can add up really quickly.

I believe we will make every First Thursday of the Month our Booth Museum day. Even though we spent more than two hours in the museum, we still missed a few of the exhibits. We definitely have to go back to play at the Sagebrush Ranch, too.

Phonics

I've been spending the last few days teaching Marisa her letter sounds. We make a fun game of the whole process.

I ask her what the letter "A" says.

She tells me that the letter makes some off the wall sound that is completely not what that letter says.

I tell her in a voice that is incredulous that that is NOT what the letter says.

Then I tell here exactly what the letter says.

She repeats what I say about the letter, then we carry on to the next one in line.

We do this for the entire alphabet.

This is the same method I used for Kira two years ago. Kira, however, preferred to tell me that her letters said "nothing" instead of providing me with nonsense sounds. At any rate, Marisa is learning the letter sounds and having fun being obstinate about it. Who knew that "MY" Marisa would enjoy being obstinate and difficult??? (Never saw THAT one coming...)

Preparing for Worms

Yesterday afternoon, after the initial dismay at being presented with pet worms, I gathered the girls to help me prepare the new worm bed. We ripped up newspaper into shreds to provide good bedding for the pet worms. Then we shook in a little bit of their dirt so they would have some dirt to wander through. I used a colander to sift the big pieces and the rocks out of the mess of dirt. Kira and Marisa had fun observing how the fine soil went through the holes while the bigger pieces of soil and rocks and roots stayed in the bowl. I used this opportunity to help them understand the process and purpose of sifting.

After we found the worms - they were rather small - we placed them in their new home with some bread to make them happy.

Today, Grandma Janet added a couple of worms to our collection.

I'm really looking forward to this lesson. I already explained to Kira that the worms will eat our leftover food so we won't have to throw it in the garbage and send it out to the landfills. I also told her that the worms will make their own soil... and how they make it. She was only slightly disturbed by the concept of her worms creating their own soil... I wonder if she realizes that she's been playing in the creations of their bodily functions all this time?

Mushroom Hunt

We took the girls to a local state park today to hunt for mushrooms. The extra rain we've been having has caused a massive explosion of mushrooms in our area. Today I decided to take a photo journey through the woods to capture the wide variety of mushrooms that can be found here.

I have not made any attempt at this point to identify these mushrooms. I'm not sure that the girls' fascination goes beyond the general observance that there are so many different mushrooms to be seen. I did take lots of pictures, though. I want to share the photos here. If you happen to recognize any particular type of mushroom, please feel free to enlighten me.

Keep in mind that all these mushrooms were found within an area along a trail that was less than a half a mile long. We did not have to go very far to find a huge variety. (The very last picture looks like just a pile of leaves. If you look really closely, you will see the tiny little mushrooms that are poking up through the mass of dead leaves.)

Sandbox

We're at the sandbox again today. We spend a lot of time here. The girls get to make new friends every time we come, plus they've learned a great deal here. They have both learned some very important problem solving skills because they like to take buckets of sand up to the top of the play area, but there are no steps to get to the top - only ladders. Both girls have learned how to carry their sand buckets to the top by moving the bucket one rung at a time.

It's fun here, too. They get to expend their excess energy while I get to do some much needed work on my websites.

I'm sure we'll also begin studying measurements soon. This is a wonderful place for that particular discovery.

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The Park

Feed the Worms

Hearing is Optional...

We gathered the pots. We gathered the bowls. We chose some wooden spoons.

The music began. (Okay - it was more like banging...)

The spoons weren't enough. We needed pencils. We needed metal spoons. We need dinosaurs.

The music began again. (More banging...)

The kids explored the various sounds that each "drumstick" would make on each "drum."

Lucky for me, the experiment only lasted a short while before they were bored and moved on to some other - less noisy - experiment.

I'm sorry, did you say something? Speak up. I can't hear you.

Skeleton

I had an appointment with my chiropractor today. I've been talking to him for a while now about borrowing his skeleton for a bit of show and tell. The skeleton model he has is child sized, which is just perfect for a lesson in bones. Well, both girls happened to be with me today so I had Kira ask the doctor if we would be able to look at his skeleton before leaving. Of course he said yes. Kira is very hard to resist, and the approval was already there from previous conversations.

While he was working on my back, his wife pulled out the skeleton for me. When I was all done she told me where it was so that I could give a bit of a lesson.

Marisa was a bit afraid at first. After all, skeletons can be bit scary if you've only ever seen them in the capacity of Halloween. She quickly warmed up, though, and came over to explore this new toy. We sat in the floor and discussed the different parts of the skeleton and what certain bones were responsible for. Both girls enjoyed touching the model and bending the different parts.

When we were done, I demonstrated how a skeleton could give a hug. Kira, though a little leery, allowed the skeleton to hug her. Marisa flat out refused.

Slugs and Such

I spent a few hours away from the house the other day. In my absence, Daddy was in charge of the girls. After about an hour of being gone, I received a text message informing me that my children were covered in slugs. Apparently the girls decided to round up all the slugs that live in our fairly wild yard for the purpose of having a nice visit with them. I think my girls may have even offered up a bit of cakes and tea for the slugs to enjoy while they visited. One never can be sure...

At any rate, I heard the tales of all the slugs that were plucked from the yard. Both girls had several slugs on them crawling all over their hands and arms. Daddy hates slugs and finds them to be quite disgusting, so this particular fascination of the girls seems to make life for Daddy a bit difficult.

So what are the girls gaining from this experience? What value is there in allowing an army of slugs to march parades over your body?

Well, I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps the girls are learning to interact with nature, or observing the way these creatures use their bodies to move along their chosen path. I haven't really asked the girls what they learn from the slugs. Perhaps I will ask them tomorrow when they are awake.

I can tell you this, though:

I AM NOT GOING TO LET THOSE SLUGS HAVE THEIR PARADES ON MY ARMS JUST TO FIND OUT WHAT THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE BEHIND SUCH EVENTS MAY BE!!!!

Digging for Worms

The girls were outside this afternoon with their Grandma Janet when I came home from a trip to the library. They both promptly ignored my arrival, afraid that I would call them home and spoil their fun.

I did stop by the gate for a bit to see what it was that had such rapt attention from them.

I watched for a bit as Marisa gently held something in her hand. I asked her what she had, and her reply was swift and assertive.

"MY worm!"

One of the favorite pass times of my two girls is to dig in the garden for pet worms. They are blessed to have plenty of worms to dig for. The garden overfloweth with worms so finding one or one hundred worms is not such a daunting task. This digging is a great learning experience for the girls.

I sometimes feel sorry for the poor, defenseless worms that are destined to become the momentary obsessions of my girls. The worms rarely suffer more than a time of frustration before they are returned to their homes in the soil, but it must be somewhat unsettling to be held high above the ground while you wriggle around seeking the freedom and safety of your burrows, only to find yourself suspended in the open air where any bird or predator can clearly see you. (poor little worms...)

On a side note, while I was out today I had to stop by the bank. The sidewalk in front of the bank was littered with a few dozen worms that had been forced out of the ground by recent rains. The worms, of course, were no longer among the living. I was silently grateful that my two girls were not with me to witness this mass carnage, for I'm certain that my four year old - a sensitive soul - would have been quite distraught at the sight of all those dead worms laying on the ground. If I had possession of a broom at the time, I would have swept the walk clean of the worms to protect the innocence of any unsuspecting children who might have passed that way. Alas, a broom is not something I happen to carry in my car on a regular basis.

Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away

Kira and Marisa are playing in the rain today. I'm not quite sure what they are learning from this, but they are intent on their games.

They both have a bowl, and take it to the drain pipe off the side of the house to fill it with rain water. Then they empty their bowls into a bigger bowl.

Marisa tried to take a much bigger bowl and put it under the drain pipe only to find that the bigger bowl wouldn't fit.

Kira insists that they are just playing, but I'm convinced that there is quite a bit of thinking going on out there.

Let There Be Fire

As a part of our fire studies, we performed an experiment this evening with fire.

I gathered the following objects:

1 old swimsuit that nobody wears anymore
1 handful of dryer lint
1 handful of dry twigs
2 pieces of paper
1 unraveled newspaper
1 plastic bag
1 small rope
1 pair of scissors
1 lighter

I took Kira out to the driveway where all our materials were gathered.

I discussed safety with her regarding the experiment and playing with fire.

I took one of the twigs and tried to ignite the end of it with the lighter. The twig caught on fire, but only burned briefly before going out. I discussed with Kira the need for more heat before the fire could take hold. We had the fuel and the air, but the heat was insufficient to maintain a fire.

I took the dryer lint and explained the word "flammable" to Kira. I told her that dryer lint is very flammable and burns really hot, really fast. I stacked all the twigs on top of the dryer lint in a typical tepee formation. Then I carefully lit the dryer lint. We observed the lint as it went up in flames and discussed how the fire was behaving. We observed the twigs as they also caught flames and watched as they subsequently burned out when all the lint was gone.

I took the old swimsuit and ignited it using the seam. Kira observed that the swimsuit was "dripping fire" onto the driveway. We discussed the fact that clothing is usually very flammable and will stick to the skin if it catches on fire while being worn. We also discussed the reasons to avoid playing with fire because of the inherent dangers to one's self and others. It was really kind of cool watching the fabric as it burned and melted into a puddle.

We tried to burn a plastic bag. I pointed out to Kira that the bag would not burn, but melted instead. We discussed the fact that plastic is not as easily ignited and needs a higher level of heat to actual burn.

We burned one piece of paper that was twisted into a tight wad. We discussed the amount of oxygen that was getting to the paper and the rate at which the paper was burning. Then we burned another piece of paper without twisting it. We laid the flat piece of paper on top of our fire pile and watched as it quickly dissolved into flames.

We took the newspaper and rolled it into a tube. We discussed the oxygen level that would reach the various parts of paper and tried to guess how quickly the paper would burn. After our discussion, we lit the edge of the paper and watched as the outside layers burned away and left the inner layers untouched. We also observed the chimney effect of the tube as the smoke spiraled out the ends of the paper instead of rising straight up into the air.

Finally, we discussed the proper method for extinguishing our fire. Kira procured a glass of water with the assistance of her Dad and slowly poured the water onto the burnt objects. The objects were still smoking, so Kira determined that we needed more water. After the objects were completely extinguished, Kira went to tell her Dad all about our fire experiment.

From this experiment Kira was able to study the behavior of fire with various types of fuels and conditions. An experiment of this nature requires a great deal of supervision and discussion regarding safety procedures, but offers a chance for a child to gain a real understanding of the way fires react to different objects.

This was a huge success!!!