Complementary Color Monsters

Following our foray into the world of spectrums, Joey is still enamored with color. So, we've been savoring some basic concepts of color theory in our little part of the world.

Joey showing the color wheel - Ezra, all smiles.  senk 2013

As you know from reading a previous post ("Try, try again..."), we explored the primary and secondary colors during our look at how a rainbow is formed, which also involved Newton's study of spectrums and the color wheel. Joey created three different magnets - on each, he smeared paints on notecards to discover which primary colors produced which secondary colors. His delightful oohs and aahs were well worth the experiment. Seeing firsthand that red and blue combine to make violet in pigments was a joy not only for him, but for me too as an observer of Joey's experiment.

Mr. Blue and Mrs. Orange Monster.  senk 2013

We made good use of recycled materials and donated craft supplies (thank you, Grandma and JoEtta!) to create quite a parade of monsters, most recently. But, these are monsters with a meaning. The challenge? Joey and Ezra had to help me create monsters that display complementary color pairs. We studied four main ones - three based on Newton's color wheel (red - green, orange - blue, and yellow - violet) and white - black. The end result was an array of Complementary Color Monsters, constructed from toilet paper rolls and paints and myriad add-ons (glitter, goggly eyes, etc), that remind my little tykes of a basic color theory concept.

Although I did not get into the more complex ideas of subtractive vs. additive complementary colors, for an older audience, you can easily adapt and add to a unit on basic color theory. I found Ian Sidaway's "Color Mixing Bible" to be particularly helpful in providing illustrations for my Kindergartener and toddler. This book incorporates different mediums in art, too, which is great for showing how color looks with different textures resulting from various artist's tools.

Joey & Ezra, good playmates.  senk 2013

But another fabulous component to the Complementary Color Monsters exploration was the concept of complementary, itself. According to Merriam-Webster, "complementary" means: "completing something else or making it better; going together well; working well together." The very idea of complementary colors includes enhancing the color opposite on the color wheel. Thus, this lesson also includes concepts of ethics and relational matters. The boys saw the monsters as being complementary to one another in terms of being good "playmates" or being kind to one another. And, we were able to talk about how the boys could be complementary playmates, too - using kind words and actions toward one another.

There are so many ways to apply color theory in our day to day adventures. Hopefully you'll find some, too, and add a comment on how complementary colors enhanced your day.

Complementary Color Monsters.  senk 2013

It's not quite what you think: exploring Native American life

The boys squat in a woven wigwam.  senk 2013

I looked at the paper-and-stapler-based strategy More Than Moccasins: A Kid's Activity Guide To Traditional North American Indian Life by Laurie Carlson (1994:13-14) suggested for a wigwam and frowned. "Surely we can do a little better than that," I thought. So, we donned boots and sleeved-shirts and headed to the harvested corn rows in our garden. Then, together, we bent, tied, and wove corn stalks, Johnson grass, small okra stalks, large gourd leaves, and clumps of grasses to fabricate a wigwam, which the boys could play in rather than just hold.

Bugs swarmed, dust stuck to our sweaty arms, and our hands, hair, and faces were browned from dirt and crumbled fronds. It was mid-morning and the sun was just about the get hot. If Joey had been in a public school, the teacher would likely have chosen the simpler paper-and-stapler-based craft, which would have been constructed at his table and in air-conditioning while surrounded by tons of other friendly and happy Kindergarteners. But, in our homeschool setting, we mucked outside and created something life-sized that two brothers could enjoy for days. And, we needed a shower.

The Virginia History SOLs for Kindergarten includes knowledge of Indians - more specifically, Powhatan and Pocahontas. But, our family lives in the Shenandoah Valley, not along the coast, where colonists would have met Powhatan Native Americans. Here, Souian-speaking Native Americans inhabited. I want Joey to learn about Native Americans, but I want him to learn about those that lived where we are - or at least as close to where we are as we can get - in addition to other tribes that inhabited the areas coinciding to the United States of America. But, how do we do that when there was so little written about them?

I've pieced together a curriculum from what I can find. It's non-traditional and pulls from myriad resources: books to a living village to Internet sources. I try to pull together activities and learning that are as closely connected to what might have been going on in this area as possible. Of course, the Shenandoah Valley was prized foremost for its rich hunting grounds, which even yielded elk at one time. But, in the surrounding areas what would life have been like in a small village? Although my list of resources is by no means complete, it gives a springboard that may be helpful to other families looking for resources on Native Americans (beyond those encountered by the early settlers).

"Journey to 10,000 B.C." - Paleo-Indians were the first place to start after we briefly covered the history of the Earth (which will be revisited over and over). Russell actually found some fascinating videos on the history of the earth (one a time-lapse video; another an addictive music video). While there is so much more for Joey to learn about the Clovis culture, we have just started exploring information that will be helpful in his understanding of this culture. We're fortunate to live near the Thunderbird Archaeological Site in Warren County, which is a wealth of information - but, now to figure out how to tap into it.

A majority of our focus, though, has been on Native American groups more contemporary with the first European settlers. There are a variety of books I'm consulting. Some provide a broad conceptual idea of Native Americans in Northern America, such as Villages of the Algonquian, Siouan, and Caddoan Tribes West of the Mississippi by David Bushnell (1922:43-44), The Siouan Tribes of the East by James Mooney (1894), and a plethora of Archaeology books. Indian America: A Geography of North American Indians by Marian Ney (1977:4-5, 48-49) provides a a geographic distribution of North American Indians and, to my joy, of the Indian confederations of Virginia (including Manahoac, which was likely nearest the Shenandoah Valley). Other resources have provided activity ideas, such as More Than Moccasins, which I mentioned earlier, and History Pockets: Native Americans (which correlates to state and common core state standards). Yet other books have given a voice to Native Americans for our family: a huge handful of children's books surrounding legends, American Indian Myths and Legends edited by Richard Erdoes & Alfonso Ortiz, and Great Speeches by Native Americans edited by Bob Blaisdell.

Monacan Village at Natural Bridge.  senk 2013

Other useful resources have been on-line or in-person. That is, we visited the Monacan Village living museum at Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, VA. The Monacan Indian Nation provides a good resource for historical and contemporary information on the Monacans, who constituted a second of the three confederations of Virginia (yes, you've probably guessed the third already: Powhatan). Virginia Tribes from Manahoac to Tutelo is an on-line resource with basic information on Virginian tribes.

With all that I pulled together, Joey and Ezra have been able to engage their senses as we explore the culture and history of Native Americans. They've worn clothing indicative of cultural attire. They've snacked on corn popped and drizzled with maple syrup, sun-dried raisins, and roasted sunflower seeds. We fabricated a wigwam in our yard. We've listened to stories and music indicative of Native American life. We've toured a Monacan village and made Native American games from shells, pottery, and sticks. And we continue to explore these fascinating lifestyles. Throughout the entire process, we've all learned that authenticity (or as close as we can make it) enhances learning.

There is so much to learn and so much richness in exploring Amerindian cultures. So, instead of just talking about Powhatan and Pocahontas, dare to explore more of what Indian America was (and is) like. Please feel free to add a comment about other resources you have found to be useful in studying Native American culture, history, and life.

Try, try again...

From Noah to Descartes to Newton, rainbows have fascinated people for years. And no less do they fascinate Joey and Ezra. During our prior-to-school's-start brainstorming sessions, when the boys revealed some of the topics they wanted to cover during their school exploration times (like volcanoes and bugs), the rainbow was second on the list. But, how do you cover such a complex topic of physics with such young children?

Recently, a line from Walter Lewin's For the Love of Physics has been resonating in my mind. He says, "What counts, I found, is not what you cover, but what you uncover" (2011:2). He continues, "Uncovering the laws of physics and making them see through the equations,... demonstrates the process of discovery, with all its newness and excitement..." His observations apply to any subject at hand. It's the passion, the discovery, and the applicable meaning that we harbor in our hearts during learning. And for young children, that means hands-on and up-close.

Obviously, I employ manipulatives in my teaching. The more experiments and activities (beyond worksheets and the ordinary), the better. But, any scientist-at-heart will tell you that experiments and trial-and-error go hand-in-hand. So, in order to cover rainbows, I turned to some great books* with experiments on light, prisms, and refraction. Some of these were major failures (yes, homeschoolers have those), but that's where the best parts of learning come in: perseverance and creativity. We worked together to brainstorm ways to make our experiments work and tried again, and even again. That's where the successes occurred (yes, homeschoolers have those, too).

Joey w/ his snap circuit color wheel.  senk 2013

We began our exploration on how rainbows are made with bending light. I wanted Joey to see how light bends, because that's how it happens inside a raindrop. So, we followed Science Lab: The Ultimate Science Pack and completed "Laboratory 6: Which Way Does Light Go?" This experiment worked really well and Joey had a splendid time using multiple mirrors and using his imagination to explore bending light. The next obvious step was to experiment with a prism and allow sunlight to create a spectrum on the floor, on the wall, on our hands. The boys were delighted to look for spectrums and Joey wanted to draw one. So, I introduced him to Roy G Biv, that scintillating character many of us learned about in Art Class. We combined paints so Joey could see how secondary colors were created from primary colors (here, I'm referring to the pigment-based primaries: red, blue, and yellow; and yes, we also explored the primary colors of light - red, blue, and green - too); and, we talked about Newton and explored Newton's color wheel. It took three attempts before we finally got the colors to vanish into the all-inclusive white, indicative of sunlight.

A closer view of his set-up.  senk 2013

With "Laboratory 5: Vanishing Colors" of Science Lab, we focused on the concept of white light being a combination of many different colors. But, this experiment was based on creating a top that would spin to blur the spectrum into white. While it's good in theory, in actuality, we could not spin the top fast enough for white to result. So, I spearheaded another experiment from The Optics Book: Fun Experiments with Light, Vision & Color by Levine & Johnstone (1998). The idea was to create a Rainbow Wheel that twisted on string between your fingers. Another good idea in theory, but we just couldn't twist the wheel fast enough to see white from the spectrum. So, what could we do? Then, the Eureka moment came: Joey's snap circuit set! Using the red rotating wheel, Joey set up a circuit that would allow the rotator to turn really fast. I taped our color wheel to the rotator; Joey placed it just right; then, he flipped the switch. The rotating wheel was spinning so quickly we easily saw a spectrum of color zip into white light. How dazzling!

Of course, Joey was thrilled and so excited. And, while I was thrilled the experiment finally worked, I was more excited that Joey saw how (even over the course of a few days) it pays to persevere. I know there are going to be moments of frustration, exhaustion, and confusion in homeschooling; however, I also know that we never have those feelings without their opposites. So, let's toss a little courage into the mix and see what happens.

* Examples of books we read or used for these lessons (nota bene: this is just a sample; there are other competent resources - this is by no means an exhaustive list):

Arvetis, Chris & Carole Palmer, "What Is a Rainbow?" A Just Ask Book. 1983.

Barton, Chris. The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors. Watertown: Charlesbridge, 2009.

Burnie, David, "Light." Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Books. 1992, pp. 28-33.

Carle, Eric. Hello, Red Fox. 2001.

Levine, Shar & Leslie Johnstone. The Optics Book: Fun Experiments with Light, Vision & Color. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc, 1998.

Lewin, Walter. For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics. New York: Free Press, 2011.

Science Universe Series, 1984."Sight, Light and Color," pp. 18-19, 26-27, 34-35, 47.

Stewart, Melissa. Why Do We See Rainbows? New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2009.

What are you doing?

Roof tiles fell and shattered to the floor. Lightning brooded in the plume of Mt. Vesuvius. And people remaining in Pompeii on August 24, 79 AD, fled as far as they could before the pyroclastic flows and ashfall finalized the fate of the Roman city. It was no better in Herculaneum and several other small towns near the base of the volcano. Museum Victoria in Australia provides a fabulous recreation of the experience of this natural disaster. Both Joey and Ezra were amazed by the visual effects. We all ducked when the pyroclastic flows proceeded on the screen!

Joey and Ezra pouring vinegar into the volcano.

Joey's first few weeks of homeschooling have included learning about volcanoes. He loves science and seeks for its inclusion in every day of the school week. As I mentioned in the previous post, A priceless picture, we investigated how pressure and heat are important to a volcanic eruption. Joey also got to simulate his own volcanic eruptions, from stratovolcanoes to shield volcanoes, via Discovery Kids' Volcano Explorer. And, smiles erupted as much as vinegar and baking soda in our paper mache volcano, complete with their model dinosaur toys.

In addition to how a volcano erupts, Joey was also curious as to where volcanoes are found. A globe, atlas, and maps were vital in showing Joey the location of The Ring of Fire, Italy, Indonesia, as well as myriad other site names associated with volcanoes. We read "Volcanoes" by Franklyn Mansfield Branley (1985), watched "Fire & Ice: Hawaii & Alaska" made by Adventures in America's Western Parks series, and perused geography books for pictures of volcanoes. And, for volcanoes associated with Virginia, I sifted through a website with tons of information, especially on Mole Hill in Rockingham County and Trimble Knob in Highland County. We discovered that the columnar basalt we always visit near Limberlost Trail in Shenandoah National Park are from ancient volcanic activity in the Blue Ridge Mountains (myriad other trails also provide glimpses at volcanic rock). It's always great when the boys can have a tangible experience related to their learning - so a hike was a must!

To round out Joey's first project exploration, we investigated the volcanic eruptions of Krakatau and Anak Krakatau. Again, Joey got to see where in Indonesia the volcanoes are (or in Krakatau's case, was) located, learn how other natural disasters (like earthquakes, tsunamis, etc) are often associated with volcanic eruptions (especially when they're really powerful and near water), and - throughout the entire few weeks - has applied terminology relevant to volcanoes (like lava, magma, crater, vent, et cetera). During play time, Joey took a break to draw in one of (actually my) journals.

"What are you doing?" I asked, a bit bewildered at his lines at first.

"Oh, I'm drawing Vesuvius about to erupt." Joey replied nonchalantly. 

"See, here's a theater with lots of seating. And, here's a house." Joey pointed out the buildings sprawled about the base of a volcano looming in the background.

"Oh, and here's the eruption!" Joey used his pen in powerful strokes to show the violent upheaval that would have resulted from a volcanic eruption.

As Joey's mother and his homeschooling teacher, it's extraordinary to see him connect his learning to everyday life. I have an unprecedented position to mold his education in a way that not only enhances his interests, but also builds on his knowledge base by incorporating life experiences that connect his learning in ways sometimes not noticed by the often disjointed reality of public education. Our family can maximize on the learning and on the fun - together! How does your family have fun learning? Share in the comments section.

A priceless picture

Joey (5 yrs) on his first day of school.

Opening envelops and reading words of encouragement on the cards we received from many family members and friends, Joey delighted in the love and support that surrounded his first day (and week) of Kindergarten. Although we did some basic assessment the first week of school, such as ascertaining his knowledge-base of the alphabet, numbers, writing his name, blending phonemes, rhyming, etc, Joey (and Ezra) had tons of fun amidst the learning.

No, the first day of school did not entail my son, loaded with a backpack, standing at the end of the sidewalk and waiting for a big yellow bus to appear on the horizon. No, the Pledge of Allegiance was not the first recitation of the day (or even a part of his day). No, my son did not experience the climate of a large-class environment.

Instead, he prepared for the day (even wearing a beaded necklace that he threaded over the weekend), helped clean up after breakfast, and then started the day with our usual morning worship service. He recited the Lord's Prayer with me, did a scavenger hunt to discover his Bible verse for the week, and then learned about the importance of volcanoes in creating the atmosphere for our planet in the early stages of Earth's history. Over the course of the first week, we compared the creation story with the geological time scale; and surmised from this highly-constroversial topic that God created the earth and all that is in it - regardless of how scientists and theologians hash it out. We made a paper-mache volcano (thanks to an Amazon packing box, Elmer's glue, shreds of Northern Virginia Daily, a recycled Stonyfield yogurt tub, and an empty spice container), painted it, and plan to "erupt" it as close to August 24th as possible (yes, I'm a classical archaeologist at heart). Joey learned that heat and pressure are two important necessities for a volcanic eruption to occur. We used the "Fountains of Fun" activity in Laboratory 13 of the "Science Lab: The Ultimate Science Pack Laboratory Manual" (1997:28). The experiment requires filling an empty plastic bottle 2/3 with water, shoving in a drinking straw, sealing the opening around the straw with modeling clay, and then blowing air into the bottle through the straw. The boys were delighted to see the jettison of water result when they moved their lips from the straw. This was a good way to illustrate pressure's importance in a volcanic eruption. To illustrate heat, I plan to melt red wax in a water-filled beaker - but, that's week two.

Ezra, the robot - up close and personal.

Amidst the science fun, the boys reviewed numbers, played Sequence Letters, learned the concept of one less and one more, and became more familiar with a globe, magnets, levers, and a balance. Joey is enjoying the beginnings of German, piano, and has art-infused into each day. But, there is still so much time for them just to have creative play. For example, during the second day of school, the boys claimed a larger Amazon packing box for the basis of a robot costume they wanted to make. I helped them by cutting out holes with an exact-o knife, but otherwise, the ideas were their own. They each had fun wearing the costume around the house and decorating the box with creative shapes and colors.

I had no idea what to expect for the first week. I definitely did not expect quite so much creative play and demand for learning. The boys are so inquisitive - and, I have to try to keep up with their yearning to know more. It was an exhausting week. And, I felt my public-school-learned self pushing against the more liberal way of homeschooled learning with less rules and more freedom. The best advice I received from an inspiring friend was to have patience with myself. Perhaps I have much more to learn than my boys do!

July is almost over

A jumble of activities and adventures have filled the summer! As Joey gears up for his first official day of school, I am busy working on preparations. But, so are the boys.

I have spent the last five years sometimes fretting, sometimes sweating over our family's take on schooling and the "right" way to homeschool. As a product of public education, schooling has meant: uncomfortable desks, no talking, no getting out of your chair without permission, cookie-cutter subjects, and did I mention no talking? So, the idea of homeschooling has felt a bit overwhelming. But, as I've studied and read and contemplated the subject, I have come to realize that there is no "right" way to school. Homeschooling is malleable in terms of how. The important thing is that the child is learning not only personal responsibility, but also a responsible way of life. 

So, as we prepare for Joey's first day of Kindergarten, brainstorming is a key component of the process. Joey is developing ideas for what he wants to know (a lot of it is about the life cycle of bugs, how a volcano erupts, and various science experiments). My job is helping to guide him through project-based learning that incorporates basic educational principles that he has to learn (like reading and writing, safety in conducting science experiments, and, for our family, spiritual formation). I also want to be sensitive to, but not bounded by, national and state-wide standards; so, I have familiarized myself with these (which are accessible by searching for your state's or for national standards in education). Virginia's SOLs are listed according to subject and then grade-level. National Common Core standards are especially easy to find for English and Mathematics. So, if you want to be mindful of these standards as you start your homeschooling endeavors, see what these links have to say - but, do not become overwhelmed by them or limit yourself by what they suggest. For example, in the Kindergarten standards, Virginia encourages its students to learn about Betsy Ross's involvement in creating the first American flag, when there is a tenuous link to her doing so. There are myriad better examples of ways to serve - and I would argue fellow man even more than one's country - such as Mother Teresa or Dorothy Day. Maybe you can research local philanthropists that have made an important contribution to the community. Or, look through newspapers or on-line news media for the names of women, in this case, but also men that have made positive differences with even small steps.

There are so many ways to form education to fit the needs of your child. Consider the strengths that your family can offer. For example, Russell plays bagpipes and has a lot of experience with Geology and Astronomy. We can incorporate these aspects of education into our children's lives, especially through an appreciation of music and scientific or natural observation. I have background in pottery and drawing, Classical Languages, Archaeology, basketball and softball - so, we can incorporate an appreciation for the arts, an understanding of other languages and cultures, and the importance of moving his body (not that he needs help with that) into his educational experiences. The Anglican tradition is an important aspect of our family life - so, faith and spiritual formation will be a part of everyday life and not just left up to Sundays.

Joey & Ezra at Frontier Culture Museum.  senk 2013

But, Joey's education won't be an amalgamation of what we know - it will rely strongly on what he wants to know, too. Children need to learn so much, but they especially need to learn the concept of love. When we harbor Christ-like love at the center of their learning, their growth is so much greater. May the upcoming educational pursuits of your children this year balance on just such a thread.

Creative Construction

Joey & Ezra designing a marble chute. senk 2013

Joey loves to construct. From Legos to blocks, recyclables to Lincoln logs, he follows diagram sheets to build or creatively designs his own constructions. Sometimes, his creations are circuit panels (using his set of snap circuits); other times, blankets and chairs and pillows become a Joey-sized tent or a rocket for blasting into outer space. Often, he invents a new contraption with Legos - such as a hover-craft lawn mower, complete with toilet; then again, he loves creating new wooden train track sets sprawled like a town across the floor. He has even sat in a box with a metal cookie sheet filled with movable gears - exclaiming, "Good bye, Mommy! I'm off in my boat to save a friend lost at sea." And outdoors, he often builds homes for caterpillars he finds.

Joey with one of his caterpillar homes. senk 2013

Some of my favorites, though, use recyclables from our pantry bins. He builds boats and submarines using straws, lids, and Joey-drawn paper flags. Then, either at bath time or using a large bowl of water in the shower, he tests their buoyancy or ability to go underwater. Gathering an assortment of quart jars, he's made his own water xylophone (similar to, but not quite as elaborate as the one created by the Tulga family). And, he's even written his first book - a copy of a handmade book his friend, Natalya, made for him - but using different recyclables to show opposites (such as hard vs. soft).

The boys' creative construction play spills over into ideas, too. We often play concept games at meal times or throughout the day. One of our favorites is brainstorming new ice cream flavors (yes, the boys inherited my love of ice cream). Some are interesting: cheese ice cream (I think of sweetened mascarpone cheese on chocolate chip scones, when they say this), gummy worm ice cream, chocolate pie ice cream, chocolate-bottom pumpkin pie ice cream; others are not palatable, but creative: electricity ice cream, lightbulb ice cream, train track ice cream, and then an assortment of really gross flavors which reminds me of Bertie Botts every-flavour jelly beans from Harry Potter.

Crayons from a diner. senk 2013

Providing time and access to an assortment of manipulatives and recyclables are key to creative construction and creative play. These are essential to any successful learning environment - whether in the home, at a school, in a community, or at special museums. It's important to realize that resources do not have to be expensive. A trip to a local children's museum at free admission times; cleaning and saving bottles, non-harmful scraps, and other recyclable by-products; visiting libraries, friends' homes, and gathering freebies wherever they're offered - these are all great ways to enhance the home (or any) learning environment.

What creative constructions do your kids come up with and where do you get the materials for those activities? Take a moment to share in the comments section.