Excited

I'm very much looking forward to this next unit of Moving Beyond the Page curriculum. We're done with the first concept of Interdependence, and now we're moving into Force and Power. The first book we're reading is "Ben and Me" by Robert Lawson, a historical fiction novel told from the perspective of Ben's good friend Amos, who just happens to be a mouse. The corresponding science unit jumps into magnets and electricity. We're touching on everything from Ben's inventions to the 13 colonies to even parts of the French Revolution. What does it mean to be an inventor? How do you start a new nation? What is diplomacy? The science kits with many kinds of magnets, the circuits and resistors, lighting a fluorescent bulb with a balloon.... What a fun filled next couple of weeks.

I know Shannon will be thrilled, Science is her favorite subject. In fact, she was very saddened last week at Girl Scouts because she was the only girl in the troop to say it was her favorite subject. "What's wrong with liking science, I ask you?" she demanded of me. I was worried, did anyone make fun of her for liking it? No, just apparently they all stared at her when she said it was her favorite. Ah, well. This will be a great hands-on unit, more exciting than the plants and ecology units we've been covering so far this year.

We'll be doing this three-week unit, then going on vacation. When we get back, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" will be waiting, as well as studies of the power of people, voting, and citizenship.

I'm still happy with this curriculum. It's working out so much better to have the notebooks in hand rather than the online version where you activate one unit at a time. I love browsing ahead late at night to see what's coming up. It makes such a difference to go into depth with these topics, I love the social studies and science units being inspired by the literature we're reading. Shannon is so sad to see our Native American stories go away, they really inspired her.