when they are done saying the fact, they race accross
if they get accross without dropping the ring they get to count it as a point
if they drop the ring they take it back to the back of the line
first team to get all four rings accross wins
The game comes with little line markers or you could use masking tape. I'll probably use masking tape as it is easier for everyone to see, and wont get kicked out of it's spot.
I like these twister games because they are physical. Another great point to the games is that it doesn't single any person out to say memory work on their own. Sometimes when you have a class ofveteran CC kids and a few newbies, the newbies feel inadequate to compete. Make sure to team up newbies with vets when possible.
If you have a class full of veteran CC kids go ahead and give them opportunities to say memory work alone.
So, this is my version of the second game available with Twister Hoopla. The game is called Toss in the Twister box. We will change a few things to fit our class of eight. I will have two teams of four. One person from each team will be designated the catcher first. The other three will be in line at the throwing end. (might have to add some pictures so you are sure to catch my ramblings) I will ask a memory fact question and have everyone recite the answer. The first person in line at the throwing end will pick up a ring, I'll spin the spinner labeled with an orange ring and the words "twister disperso". It will tell the catchers how to catch: with their right or left hand, or right or left foot. The spin also tells which color ring to toss. If they catch it they get to keep the ring. If not they take the ring and go get in the throwing line. The person who just threw is now the catcher. The rings are a type of score keeper. So count up the rings and announce the winner (if your group is good with winners and loosers ;).
How far will the $20 I spent on this game go???? stay tuned...
So, here I am with another review game using the Twister Hoopla.
This is my CC version of Twister Hoopla Glue. Using the rings and spinner...
I'll split the class into teams of two giving each team a ring of each color. I'm going to spin. Tell the kids "put a green ring between your ____" . They have to keep the ring between their knees, ears, elbows... whatever, while they answer the next memory work question. Then I'll spin the wheel and they put another ring wherever the spinner dictates. If we've got a red ring between our elbows and the next spin says red ring between our knees, we'll just move the red ring ;)
I think they'll have a blast working in teams to keep the rings in place, and we'll be sneaking in review. WOOHOO!!!
I have a feeling this game is going to "spin" off lots of ideas (punn intended, okay it's late and I'm getting cheesy).
Well, I'm excited! I'm excited for a few reasons. In two days I leave for a missions trip in Burkina Faso, Africa. I'm excited because I get to take my oldes daughter, Claire, with me. I'm also excited because CC starts as soon as we return. So, as I've been readying for Africa, I've also been readying for CC.
I thought I wouldl let you know about another thing I'm a bit excited about (excitement is relative, right?). On our way home from our fishing trip (a gift from my dad) in Alaska my kids introduced me to Twister Hoopla. A five in one game. All of the variations we've tried so far have been fun. The one we had access to belongs to my parents, so I went to Amazon and found my own. I'm planning to use it in CC for various review games.
For week one we'll divide into groups of two and each group will recieve a ring. Here I show a blue ring from the game set. There are also yellow, red, and green rings, four of each color. On the spinner you'll notice on the outside ring there are several ways to carry the ring between the two players. I'll spin the wheel, tell the kids how to carry their ring (between elbows, ears...), the first team to carry it successfully from start to finish line will get a chance to say the memory fact. We'll keep score with talleys- I'll have a mom, or two, help with this.
For our Drawing lessons this firsst week, I'll start with sectioning a piece of paper in four quadrents. In each sections we will practice one of the OILS elements. Then I found these drawing instructions online and thought they were great ways to use our new OILS skills.
The page on the left is from Art Projects for Kids. I had found it on pinterest and the link was no good. I ended up just searching on the site for faces and found what I was looking for. The page on the right is from the same site. Here are the web addresses for your search bar (I don't have time to link them)
For history sentence this week I think I'll have Native American feathers on head bands to represent the how the colonists dressed as Mowhawks.
Then I'll have paper cups, two for each kid. One labeled British East India Company and one labeled Boston Harbor. There will be a tea bag in each of the BEIC cups that they can dump I to the Boston cup. They can "pour" the bag back and forth as we sing.
How cool is it that the science for this week fits to "Achey. Brakey, Heart" since we're talking about the heart muscle!
Okay and for some reason I labeled these as week two on you tube. I don't know how to fix that, oops! At least here they can be found as week three and if you search for "three kinds of muscle" or "past participial" on you tube they should come up. Hey, better yet just follow my blog and you tube channel and you'll be sure to get all the videos regardless of my inferior labeling. :)
Well, I started this post already... And it somehow didn't save... So here goes again :(
I thought I would do some props this week for history.
Pilgrim: I'll print out a hat and put it on a craft stick photo booth style.
England: British flag
Mayflower: a fake flower
Compact: makeup compact (though I'll explain it stands for compact as in promise)
Plymouth:
I think I'll do flashcards again for geography (as long as they go over well wk one, which is August 26). I went ahead and made the flashcards already since they are fast.
Montpelier: banana PEEL
Vermont: Mountain=mont
Albany: bunny
New York: sparkle =new and the girl is being a "dork" (no, we don't advocate name calling, but you could explain that as well)
Trenton: tent
New Jersey: sparkles =new, and it's a sports jersey
Harrisburg: meet my hairy pet monster named Harris
Pennsylvania: pencil
Don't know why this is sideways...
Dover: a dog named Dover instead of Rover
Deleware: what to wear?
Take note that you can use these with the pictures showing for a while, then cover one up, and eventually cover them both. I wouldn't say we should use these alone, I will always use them with our cc black line map. Having them point to the state as they say the name. Doesn't do as much good to identify a card, when for memory masters and real life they need to be able to locate the state.
Also, don't always do them in the order of the song. After they get the order of the song well known, mix the cards up to challenge them.
I like the song Classical Conversations has for memorizing the states and capitals. I also like the fact that we are starting out just going down the east coast. But there can never be too many memory helps.
I put together some "flashcards" with the outline of the state and two picture "helps". One picture for the capital, one for the state.
Here's how you can do it, too. Real simple, real quick.
Google " Maine outline map image" and you get several to choose from. Click on one. Click "view image". Hold a piece of printer paper in front of the screen- presto quickest light table for tracing. I did it this way so I could make it my own size and right on the paper where I wanted wihout messing with sizing and layout... Took a couple seconds and I didn't waste time or paper. You could simply print. But I'm also trying to print as little as possible, and don't we encourage our students to trace maps ;).
Then I did print some little images for the helps underneath. Cut them out, and tape them to a large construction paper. I thought I would do each week in a different color paper. In a couple weeks they can use the large flashcards for a review game/activity. Also great for my kids to trace at home.
Here are the pencil outlines of the states, one per half sheet of paper, and the little memory help images.
Augusta- a gust of wind
Maine - horses mane ( I think that the stat of Maine looks like the profile of a horse head, mouth pointed north and the mane going down the coast. That's how I taught my three yr old to find it on a map)
Concord- electrical cord
New Hampshire - new hamster (lol)
Boston- work boss
Massachusetts - chewing
Providence- hands praying, God's leading (this was hard)
Rhode Island - this is a road in a circle I drew waves around. A road island.
Hartford- heart
Connecticut- scissors
I plan to show the large map provided by my director. Point to the states and say the names and capitals. Then have them locate the area on their map. I'll get out my large flashcards, explain the helps. Then I'll hold up a flashcard and have the kids point to it on the map and say the name and capital. We'll squeeze the song in, too.
We'll see how it goes week one. My kids thought the pictures were funny and seem to have held onto their meaning. If it works, I'll probably do it again, though some states or capitals might be harder to come up with helps.
Well, we have moved. Yes it was in November, but moving takes so
long. The unpacking, settling things in their place, creating an
"organized" home. We are still running around like chickens with our
heads cut off... Speaking of chickens... Not only did we move to a small
acreage, but we gained two cats, two ducks (a gift), and twelve hens
(actually we think one may be a rooster). We raised the ducks from one
week old. The chickens we hatched. Originally there were 18, but we are
just wanting hens. We gave the roosters back to my sister-in-law's
dad, he was the one who lent us the incubator and gave us the eggs. We
have also been busy with a huge garden and a bunch of berry bushes. I
still don't "have time" to be posting, yet... But I'm doing it anyway.
Maybe out of excitement for the new Classical Conversations year
starting so soon. Yes, we have more than a month before our community
will meet for week one, but I will be gone for most of August. Because
I'm not busy enough already, probably like most of you. I hope you will
forgive me for my long absence thus far, and that I'll be MIA in August.
My
dearest dad is taking my sister, myself, and our husbands on an Alaska
fishing trip. This is wonderful for many reasons. Time with family,
fishing, first time in Alaska, and... I have gone fishing with my dad
every summer that I can remember (save one). Mostly on lakes where we
used to live in Wyoming. I didn't think I'd get a chance to go with him
this year. Instead, he's taking us to Alaska. Yipee!! My mom will be
watching my girls since she's not as big on fishing as she is
grandmothering.
Then my oldest daughter, Claire, age 9 (just
barely) will be going to Burkina Faso, Africa to help some missionary
friends of ours. What!?!? I get to go to Africa! with my daughter! On
a missions trip! A.maz.ing!!! The Lord has been great in
accomplishing this trip, but that's another post.
Let's get week one of cycle three kicked off with some fun memory work.
BTW-
we have our first day of CC less than 48 hrs after we get home from
Africa. What!!?! Not sure how I'll pull it off, except for planning
and prayer... And probably coffee. Though I just got some homeopathic
stuff that's supposed to help with jet lag. Maybe I'll review that
product since I'll definitely be putting it to the test after being in
like seven time zones within three and a half weeks.
But I digress...
For
English I may have heard this on c3?? I downloaded a bunch of mp3s and
may have heard it when I did that. However, I can't remember. I'll try
to find out so that I can give credit if it's due to someone. But I
also want to get it up on the blog while I can. I looked on c3 and
couldn't find this chant. So apparently it may be one I made up. This
is the brain of someone who's always singing and making up songs... I
never know where they come from. Our home is sometimes like a musical
;).
This is a step clap back and forth with a chant. The girls decided to do the crossed arm pose at the end.
For science memory work we added some motions and a little tune. This is originally from the youtube channel Remole Reels. They do a great job. I hope she doesn't mind I just removed the intro and end. Just to make it more concise for my class- we are always running short on time. But this is her song. She's got lots of great videos you should check out!
Actions: blow your nose with the word tissue
Link fingers for connective
Rub arm for epithelial
Flex for muscles
Give shaky scratching-chalkboard- type hands for nerves. As in it gets on your nerves.
Latin is a made up song. With each time you repeat, you take the song up a half step. Also, get a little faster each time as they learn the words. Get so fast you get tongue tied and giggle. Which means you may want to save it for last if your class is hard to reign back in. Though you may not know your class on week one ;).
I have plans for some pictures to help remember some of the geography. But I'll hopefully post them tomorrow. I will be using the song on c3 I believe by Classical Conversations for the geography.
Trying to get these posts on as early as I can, seeing as how we've had several snow days and maybe you haven't. Which means we might be behind some of you and I want these to be up for as many people to use as possible.
This is our definition of a VERB song. To a good ol' Nick at Night show's theme song- I dream of genie. Now you can dream of verbs (sorry, kinda cheesy).
In line with Mickey... Here is Newton's First Law song.
So, Sorry. I have had this post ready for two weeks. Thought I posted it... saw today I just made it a draft >( hope some of you can still use it.
I found a great song on You tube by Angie Sparks called Kinetic and Potential Energy. I wish we could use it all in our CC time because it describes the types of energy so well and gives great examples. However, since tutors are not supposed to teach during memory work, I can't use it :( I will use it at home, for sure. I suggest others show their students, too. For our very limited time during New Grammer at CC we need to stick to drilling just the memory work. So, here is my shortened version
Hope you find these helpful. We sure had fun with them :)
I like how this gives the title of what we're learning "Northern European Countries"
Then it repeats the countries twice
and the little pneumonic device at the end "NO FINish DINner SWEetie"
The pneumonic device was something another tutor had mentioned, smartie.
I may not give you such detailed plans as I did for the first twelve weeks, but we'll at least try to post the songs we make up for material that doesn't have them already :)
Thanks for being patient as we were getting settled and getting through the holidays.
