Cicada + Silly Sight Sandy Stories

September 15, 2013

Cicada + Silly Sight Sandy Stories

Cicada Metamorphous -  it is not just for Frogs!  Cannon examined the Cicada sent by our gardening friend.  We took a closer look through our big magnifier to see the intricate and iridescent patterns on its wings and the different green colored patterns on its back and head.  When we turned it over we could see the segments in the white colored abdomen and all six legs curled up underneath.  We watched a time lapse video of the complete metamorphous process.  We are adding the cicada to our curiosity cabinet.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/watch-a-cicada-metamorphose/276253/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Origami Cicada

Cannon and I made an origami cicada.  I positioned the paper and Cannon pushed and pulled the “folding bone”  to make the sharp creases.  The result was a somewhat abstract pink and white cicada.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mastering Sight Words

Cannon has demonstrated understanding of 12 of the 95 Level One Sight Words.  He can accurately select the words from the selection of similarly configured words.  He can identify the words in the context of a story.  Only 83 to go!

 

want                 was                  we                    well                  went                 what

where               white                who                  will                   with                  word

yellow              yes                   you

 

Silly Stories

Cannon was eager to open the miniature lunch box full of  playing cards with pictures of  all kinds of nouns, (places or things).  We made a list of proper nouns to choose from – Cannon, Miss Beth, Avalon, Mr. Dan, Mom and Dad and pronouns.  Then we made a list of verbs/action words, adverbs and other parts of speech.  Cannon selected 5 of the picture cards and then added the other parts of speech to make silly sentences to make up a silly story.

 “One Day Miss Beth jumped around the milk carton and used an ax to cut            the door down.  Avalon said, 'give me the ax.  I will chop the door down.'              Miss Beth and Cannon chopped the door down with the ax and flew           away in an airplane.”

 

Sand Castles

“Moon Sand” is great for squishing and squeezing and exercising both righty and lefty and for building things.  Cannon used the blue-green colored “sand” material to fill molds – just like you would use a pail on a beach.  After he built a tower he happily smashed it down and made another.  What a fun way to exercise!

 

 

 

Story Time

Cannon used the sign for frog and toad to request a story. The title of the story was Shivers.  The word Shivers is also in the title of one of his new books from school. Frog and toad gave themselves the shivers when frog told a scary story to toad late at night.

 

Communication

Throughout the morning Cannon would tease me by signing “hear/listen bells”.  Then we would stop and be very quiet so that I could hear the bells….then he would laugh and shake his head “no” to tell me he was teasing me.

New signs today:  dirty and happy

http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 8, 2013

Whee! Last Sunday Cannon was busy exploring and experimenting with the concepts of centrifugal force and the laws of gravity and other aspects of physics.  His laboratory – roller coasters and other constructions in an amusement park.  Great fun and some time down the road we will explain and discuss the scientific explanations for such great fun. But for now it is just plain fun!

 

 

 

 

A Curiosity - a Fungus or as Daddy says a fun guy.  Is that a pun?

 

 

Popping out of the ground at Miss Chery’s house were these beautiful examples of a shelf type fungi. This type of fungus is also known as Bracket fungus.   The ones we found were close to the ground and were living on the underground roots of an old tree that had been cut down. They are a type of mushroom. Some types of this fungus are edible but they are not the kind Cannon likes to eat.  We will be asking lots of questions about this fungus – how does it grow – how is it different from other types of plants and other types of fungus – so many questions.

 

 

 

 

Where in the World is Cannon Hoops?

We played the game and found ourselves in Antarctica – a place Cannon says he

 

would like to visit to see the penguins

and at the Taj Mahal in India.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cannon reviewed the continents and oceans. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We came back to the USA

… and looked at some states four ways – coin search – quarter coins with state information and clues on the back, the state silhouette flash cards, matching to the talking map puzzle and then finding the sate on the large USA map. Cannon is getting very good at recognizing and finding states on the map.  Of course his favorite two states are California and Washington.

We read a chapter from Frog and Toad All Year and Cannon readily identified some sight words within the context of the story.



Word Searching and nibbling and sipping
...yum, fresh cinnamon rolls.

 

This Sunday we reviewed sight word vocabulary using the new flashcards found a couple of new words – choose and deviate and we added the ASL signs for choose, later and out. Cannon used his signs to offer me a cup of coffee on my arrival and helped make my latte.

August 25, 2013

Where in the World is Cannon Hoops?

Cannon enjoys maps and he is becoming quite the armchair traveler.  The new board game (based on the game Where in the World is Carmen Santiago) is revised and made just for Cannon.  We had lots of fun exploring the game and increasing his general knowledge and geography skills.  Mr. Dan and his wife even joined us and sang God Bless America for Cannon.  Did you know Irving Berlin was born in Russia?

 We also used the “States” flash cards to match the shape of the state on the card with the state on the large US map.  We focused on the middle region of the country and found Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan. 

Cannon tried out the new modified sight words flash cards. He had to find the right word to fill in the blank in the sentence on the back of the card. The words to choose from had similar beginnings and similar configurations.  It took sharp eyes to choose the correct word.  He identified all twelve words correctly.  His reading skills are growing.

We also did our Dictionary Search and found: take (there are 15 definitions for this little word), incandescent, spelunking, spend and spin.

 

The Mysterious Disappearance of the Tadpoles

They vanished without a trace.  Mom is sure they did not go down the drain…she checked every possible place in the environment but no tadpoles or tadpole remains were found.  Hmm, it is a mystery.

Coffee Time – Reading Together

Cannon used the sign for frog and the sign for book to tell me he wanted to read one of the stories from the Frog and Toad books.  It was time for a break to eat one of the yummy cinnamon rolls mom left for us.  Cannon offered me another cup of coffee using the sign for coffee and then he made it for me himself. What a treat!

 

 

It was a fun and full day we were so busy we forgot to take pictures.  So we will have to use our mental pictures to remember the day.  

August 18, 2013

Amphibians, Water Lilies and Words Oh, My!

This past week Cannon and family have been figuring out the best way to care for the ten tadpoles fished from my friend’s pond last Sunday.  Mom learned how to how to siphon off stinky pond water and to add fresh water for everyone, humans and tadpoles alike, to enjoy.

We watched part of the Eyewitness video on Amphibians and then completed a Venn diagram on the similarities and differences between the Frog and the Toad.  Cannon learned the sign for Frog and he learned that President Ronald Reagan had a frog named Jelly Bean. 

On the tadpole expedition Cannon helped feed the goldfish in the larger pond.  Gold fish of every size and color combination rushed from under the water lily pads to the edge of the pool to nibble on the pellets Cannon threw out to them.  The pond reminded us of the water lily paintings by Claude Monet.  So we took another look at his paintings of water lilies.

 

Then Cannon looked at the photograph of my friend’s water lilies and goldfish.  Cannon selected the colors for his pallet and began work.  He worked in layers again putting in the blue green first then adding highlights and at last some bright orange brush strokes to indicate the goldfish rushing to feed. Cannon learned the sign for fish.

 

Words, Words, Words!

Between layers of paint we played with words. Cannon showed me the spelling words he was working on and we played with the new word family flashcards.  Then it was time to get out Cannon’s new dictionary and go on a “word hunt”.  Cannon opened the book to a random page and pointed out a word. Then we read the definition and discussed the word before highlighting it and adding it to our list.

 

 

We got out the map of the United States and Cannon was challenged to match the outline of the state on the flash card he drew out of the pack to the state on the map.  Cannon always wants to go to Washington to visit friends and California to visit family.

 

We read The Letter, Story from Frog and Toad Are Friends.  It is one of our favorites.

 

Words Captured on Today’s Word Hunt

Pandemoniem



At the end of our day Cannon likes to cross off
the activities on our list and erase the board.

Knight

Tape dispenser

Canopy

Catbird

Castle

 

New Signs

Frog/toad

Fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field Studies – The Great Tadpole Expedition

Sunday August 11, 2013
We have been waiting all summer to get word that tadpoles had been sighted in my friend’s garden. They were seen darting about in the little pool in the formal garden in late July so we started planning the expedition as soon as Cannon returned from his holiday and work session up north.  

While Cannon researched the life cycle of the tadpole I searched for a good habitat for them to live in while

we observe their growth over the next few weeks. I settled on a 2.5 gallon aquarium and found some food just for tadpoles and frogs and toads. I even discovered that Pet Smart sells live crickets, which frogs and toads prefer.

 

 

Cannon is ready to go!

 

My Friend’s Garden




My friend waited for us by the tadpole pool.

We met at 9:30 at my friend’s garden and after brief introductions headed straight for the small pool in the formal garden where the tadpoles are located.

 

 

When we looked into the small round pool we could see hundreds of tadpoles swimming among the water lily pads and then we could see tiny frogs.

 

They were so small they could sit on the nail of Cannon’s little finger.  They were hopping about and even hopped out onto the grass next to Cannon. 

 

 

After the aquarium was filled with pond water we were ready to capture the tadpoles. Cannon got into position over the pond and dipped his net into the water.  He lifted it out and counted the number of tadpoles in the net then transferred them to the tank.  Then he went back for more. Our limit was ten since that is the number that can be supported in our environment.

 

 

Sister was eager to help catch them

and practiced dipping the

fish nets into the water.

Cannon counts the number of
tadpoles he has caught. Ten is
the limit.

 

Cannon show off his

dirty hands.

 









Then it was time to feed the goldfish in the large pool.  Both Cannon and Avalon enjoyed throw the fish food into the water and watching the different kinds of gold fish rush to gobble it up. 

 

We continued our tour of the garden stopping to look at all the different blossoms. In the hydrangea bed Cannon enjoyed touching the big round blooms.  He discovered they were made up of lots of tiny flowers.  He even saw a Daddy-Longlegs climbing among the leaves. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we stopped at the Zen garden to ring the large bell.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sampled raspberries and black berries from the garden.  

 

 



Raspberry Red Tongue

Sister helped pick some sun-kissed grape tomatoes and popped them right in her mouth, then she shared one with brother.

 

Cannon and Avalon enjoyed a giggle and a little rest in the hammock. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time leave my friend’s garden and go visit the Sunflower Room.

 

 

 

 

A Visit to 930

 

 

 

 

Cannon was eager to visit 930 and to see my house and garden. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was some quiet time

in the Sunflower Room.  

 

 

Cannon has been tracking the growth of the sunflowers over the past three months. They have now reached their full height.  The tallest one is over 12 feet tall. He and Avalon each explored a large blossom and sat quietly and watched a bee gathering pollen from a blossom hanging over our heads. 

 YUM!

Then it was time to come inside and cool off. While sister explored the “Africa room”, Cannon and I mixed up a batch of blueberry scones for our lunch. 

 

3 Cups flour

½ cup sugar

5 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoons salt

¾ cup butter

1 egg beaten

1 cup milk

 

400 oven / lightly greased sheet

 

§         combine flour, sugar, powder, salt

§         cut in butter

§         beat egg and mix with milk in small bowl

§         make a well in dry bowl, pour in milk and egg mix

§         stir just until moistened and all dry ingredients are incorporated

           

 

Turn dough onto floured surface

Knead briefly - Handle dough quickly – over working will make scones tough

Roll or pat into 1/2  inch thick round or rectangle

Cut into wedges or squares

Place close together on baking sheet

 

Bake for 15 min or until golden brown on top.

 

Yum, cheese, blackberries, melon and scones! We sipped lemonade and nibbled our way through the rest of the visit. 

Between nibbles we added some water iris roots to the tadpole environment – tadpoles like to nibble on the roots and play hide and seek in them. We also added a little island so that little frogs would have a place to rest on. Too soon it was time to say goodbye to the day and head for home.  Nap time for sister.  

 

Cannon can be so silly.

 Time to help the tadpoles get comfortable

 in their new home.

What a special day. A day to tuck away in our memory to visit again and again.

 

 

My Summer Vacation

August 4, 2013

9:30 Sunday morning…a knock on the door…inside laughing and footsteps…Cannon opens the door. With a big smile and sparkling eyes he greets me. He is eager to share his summer adventures, his new skills and to start another year of learning adventures. We put the cover over the table, gather our materials, the white board and markers and begin to make our list of activities for the day.  Now we are ready to unpack the rolling cart.

Mining for Words

First, bright colored tissue paper peeking out from a gift bag, Cannon pulls each piece of paper out of the bag until he finds a very heavy package.  It is a very large heavy book of words, dictionary with 1,000 illustrations.  A word mine!  Cannon is eager to find some words.

 

He opened the book to a random page and put his
finger down.

 

 

 

 

 

 Our first word is “file”.  We find five different meanings for that little four letter word. I write the word on his forehead to “put it in your brain” and then we find the next word.  We collect six words: file, aircraft, paddle wheel, pansy, panda, and sweet potato.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunflowers

Next we take out the vase of sunflowers from my garden.  Cannon gets out his magnifying glass for a closer look. 

 

Then we look at a dried sunflower seed head.  Cannon explores each flower with his fingers and compares the two. There were lots of textures to explore from the “hairy” stem to the tiny individual flowers packed together in the center and finally the bumpy feel of the dried seeds.

 

He used his left hand fingers to pry the seeds from the seed head while his right hand held the stem.  When Cannon was finished there were sunflower seeds everywhere.  Maybe he can take them to the parrot that lives in the store across the street.

 

 

 

 

 

A New Language!

 This year, I explained, we are going to start learning a new language.  ASL! American Sign Language.  We are going to use total communication!  Cannon will use his spoken words, his own gestures and signs, written words, his talker, and now his ASL signs.

 

We started with “my summer vacation”, the title of the little book he was writing for his first day of school.  We learned signs for other words or phrases as we went through our session. I couldn’t write them down fast enough.  When mom got back from the store he told her the title of his story about his summer vacation.  He used the sign for coffee and asked mom to make a cup of coffee for me. Later when he heard the church bells he learned to sign “hear bells”.  At the end of our session he told mom he was hungry.  Cannon makes very close approximations of the “signs”. They are very “readable”.  

 

Note

Here is a link to the ASL website.

http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi

You can see the signs Cannon learned and learn them yourself.

 

 

Captain Underpants

We took a break and enjoyed reading two chapters in the new Captain Underpants book. The title is Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds).  Then we started making a Captain Underpants board game.

 

In between all of these activities Cannon put on his painting apron and created his impression of the sunflower.  He selected the colors and applied the acrylic paint using an easel brush and his apple core.  He used long and short brush strokes.  He worked in layers separating the colors and allowing one layer to dry before applying the next layer.

 

It was a very full and fun day. Cannon wipes the white board clean and we put all of our materials back in the closet and fold up the easel and the table cloth. Next week a field trip! 

 

ASL words

My

Summer

Vacation

Forgot

Know

Hear

Bells

Hungry

Coffee

Rollercoaster

Water

 

Vocabulary from dictionary search

Aircraft

File

Paddle wheel

Pansy

Panda

Sweet potato

 

 

 

 

June 2, 2013

Stopping to Smell the Roses

 

After a long month apart Cannon and I reunited for more creative adventures. There were big smiles at the front door and we wasted no time in getting started. We had exchanged pictures during the month and Cannon explored real life samples of some of the images.

First the yellow roses from the abundant yellow rose climbing outside my window. We smelled carefully so that no prickly thorns were encountered.  The thorns are the way the plant protects itself. We found  a bud (baby), a toddler sized flower, a child sized, an adult sized one and a fully opened one – fully mature one. 

Cannon was eager to see what else had been gathered into the basket from the garden.
There was a handful of golden oregano which Cannon crushed in his right hand to release the fragrance of the herb – just right for one of mom’s special dishes.  We took a close look with the magnifying glass at some blue gray mushrooms that had come up overnight in the grass.  We also looked at the “wings” from the silver maple tree and a few of the pine tree seedlings that had started to grow between the patio stones. From the cherry tree we looked at one small yellow cherry beginning to form where a blossom had been. 

Making Something Special

 

Cannon looked at the index of the book The History of Beads and independently found the chapter dealing with African beads.  Then we spread a bag full of West African beads brought back from my time in Ghana all over our red shallow work tray. Cannon enjoyed running his hand over the bead of all sizes, shapes and colors. We found pictures of some of the beads in the book. Then he began picking out those beads that he wanted to use to make a necklace for mom. He picked out one special bead for the center. He wanted to used lots of different kinds of beads so he picked three more different ones. He picked up each bead and put it into my hand to add to the design tray. Then he chose beads to use as spacers between beads.  When we had the design the way we wanted it Cannon assisted in the stringing of the beads.  Then we attached the clasp and next week we will wrap the package.

Paste and Stamp

Two special cards were made using our special stamps and papers. First Cannon selected collage papers for each card and covered the papers edges with glue from the glue stick.  Then he used the Red Baron to smooth the paper down, next he selected his message (not Boo! What a sense of humor he has) and then inked the stamp and placed it on the card. He added some finger prints for a personal signature as well as his name stamp.

 

 

Fun and Games
We played a short round of math slam, read a couple of chapters from Captain Underpants vol. 2, and put the continents and oceans map together reviewing the names of the continents.

Knock, knock!  Who’s there?  Mr. Dan – Bye, bye Miss Beth

So good to be back working together again.