They HATCHED!!!

The Triops actually hatched - I was get a bit concerned that they were not going to, but they did!

Now they might just look like specs, but they are there and they are swimming -

Prehistoric Study - Final Exam

We went to the Museum of Science in Boston today to do a "final exam" for our prehistoric and evolution unit!

We observed the Tamarins for quite a while and discovered that the female was predominately left handed while her father was right handed! We also learned they really like the light fixtures at the top of the trees for some reason!

We guessed and made faces to match the chimpanzees!

KM was amazed to discover how genetically similar we are to mice!

She did a fantastic job identifying the skulls and remembering facts from the Ape to Man History Channel feature that we watched on Netflix.
She matched all the skulls up correctly in order as well!



Then we sat and watched the chickens for a while - we have never seen one pop out before cause this exhibit is usually swarming and we don't have the patience, but we just happened to pick the right time and there were 4 little ones trying to get out!


We then headed over to the fish tank - again at JUST the right time to have the whole place to ourselves!!! We both made fish, but neither of them lasted for more than a minute before they were gobbled up by the big meanies!

Finally we ended our "final exam" in the dinosaur exhibit where we examined lots of different fossils and played a few more interesting games. We didn't take any pics in this area cause my batteries died and I forgot to recharge the second set ----oopsie!

All and all it was a really good day!
KM said it was the best "test" she has every taken!
Whoever said tests aren't fun -
just needs to meet more homeschoolers!

Nearly Done - Prehistoric Study

We have just about finished our prehistoric study...

KM is very proud of the lapbook that we created from various sources...

The bottom pocket holds this Pangaea puzzle which shows how the continents shifted.

This bar graph is on the back.

We have a HUGE map that I printed out from Owl & Mouse -
I love that you can print them in all different sizes, this one is 4x4.
We covered it with clear contact paper so that we can stick things to it
and use dry erase markers on it.

KM researched where the different fossils had been found and then posted them.

We got lots of printables from Learning Pages - their site is mostly designed for Pre-k to 3rd grade but you can tweak a lot of the cut-outs and murals to fit older age groups or to use with multi-age/level kids ~ which is what we did hear.

KM told SC a story as they placed the different species on the different areas of mural.

We will be ending this area next week with a special trip to the Museum of Science to spend the day going through their evolution outline. We are also going to spend a good deal of time that day studying the tamerians! I will let you know how it all works out!

Things have gotten in the way...

of everything lately! I am soooo sorry to all my faithful readers who have been popping by and finding that I have really not been posting anything in a while. I know I have had my regular crazy/weird/odd holiday postings and my Fitness Fridays, but I realized that I have not made an actual post in quite sometime! To everyone who has sent well wishes and thoughts for my family I thank you all so much! I have also not popped around to other blogs in quite a while and when I started to do that this afternoon is when I realized I need to sit down and do this! I always feel better when I have - it is my lack of taking time for me that gets me so crazy because I just let everything else get in the way. So I thought I would go through some recent pics and post a quick summary of some of the things we have been doing...

KM went out Jeeping with CJ and I got an entire day at my house with SC all to myself!!! So we baked...

she is very patient and listens so well!
she likes to look through the big book of recipes - I know she can't read, but for some reason she likes to look and look and look!
She even likes to help clean up!!

I love seeing her and KM interact with each other, but I really like having her all to myself sometimes as well!!!

We had a fossil dig when we started our prehistoric study...

It was not your average dig site, but I REALLY DON"T LIKE MUD!!!
and they REALLY got into it!
KM identified all the parts as she found them, what type of foods it would have eaten based on it's teeth...
guessed what it's ancestors may have looked like before the evolutionary stages.
and now has T guarding her "clicky" pencils, that SC seems to be stealing all the time!
SC spent the rest of the morning playing with the peanuts!

In preparation for spring...

We have been decorating!!!

These springs are so festive and easy to make! The kids paint them however they like and then they ~ or you ~ cut a spiral shape in them and ....

waalaa...instant spring!

I am not a huge fan of TONS of TV time, but it would be nice if every once in awhile SC would watch a little PBS or something for a few minutes during the day when we need to get something done. However she never wants to be in a different room either, but I have found the solution...

she LOVES my laptop and the headphones! Here she is watching Elmo, It's Potty Time!
She also really likes these story sites -
Story Place
Looky Book
Might Book
Silly Book
Storyline Online

That is a bit of what has been going on around here! I will be sure to hop around to some blogs and post more consistently again!

Prehistoric Studies Resources - all secular resources!!!

We are in the midst of a wonderful Prehistoric Study which is our first attempt at using real-life resources instead of a textbook or unit study put together by someone else. I went searching and searching trying to find a resource that we could use, but nothing really covered "EVERYTHING" that I could think of in one source. So I thought I would share our list of resources that we are using. We have used a very wide range of reading levels and some more graphic videos than others, so please be sure to check content before sharing some of these resources with younger kids. I have included some links for items going through Amazon, but I got most of them through our library networks.

Books

• Life On Earth the Story of Evolution by Steven Jenkins
• Usborne Internet Linked World Atlas of Dinosaurs By Susanna Davidson
• Plate Tectonics: Earth's Moving Crust By Darlene Stille
• Shifting Shores By Carole G. Vagel
• Incredible Earth By Nick Clifford
• The Beginning - Voyages Through Time by Peter Ackyrod
• The Human Story: our evolution by Christopher Sloan
• When Fish Got Feet, Sharks Got Teeth and Bugs Began to Swarm: A Cartoon Prehistory of Life Before Dinosaurs By Hannah Bonner
• Prehistoric - Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
• Usborne First Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Life By Sam Taplin
• Complete Book of Questions and Answers - School Speciality Publishing
• Who Are You Calling A Woolly Mammoth By Elizabeth Levy
• Plate Tectonics & Continental Drift By John Edwards
• Art and Civilization - Prehistory By Roberto Carvalho De Magalhaes
• Living With Dinosaurs By Patricia Lauber
• Charles Darwin By David C King
• Plate Tectonics By Linda George
• Our Patchwork Planet By Helen Roney Sattler

Video/DVDs -

• Walking With Monsters
  
• Walking with Prehistoric Beasts
• Prehistoric Park
• Prehistoric Megastorms
• Dinosaur George Live!
• Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Journey
• Prehistoric Earth

Websites -

• BBC Prehistoric Life
• Pangaea - Geology for Kids
• Tectonic Plates from Zoom School
• Earth Like a Puzzle
• Mountain Maker Earth Shaker - PBS
• This Dynamic Earth
• Dinosaurs for Kids
• Fossils for Kids
  
• HUGE LIST OF DINO RESOURCES
• Human Evolution - You Try It PBS
• Caveman Challenge - BBC
  

I will keep adding to this list as we come up with more great finds and PLEASE let me know if you have any great resource ideas as well!!!