Graphs

Number of strawberries picked from our garden for five days in June.

This month Ian practiced collecting data and interpreting graphs.  Ian counted the number of strawberries he picked from our garden each day for five days, and I graphed the data.  Ian can tell from looking at the graph, how many strawberries were picked each day, and which days the most and least strawberries were picked.

Temperature of water in the sun and water in the shade over time.

We also did the following experiment:  Two buckets were filled with cold tap water.  One bucket was put in the sun and one bucket was put in the shade.  Ian measured the water temperatures with a digital thermometer every hour for five hours.  I graphed the data.

This graph is more complicated, but Ian can see that the water in the sun was warmer than the water in the shade.  We also discussed increasing and decreasing lines on graphs.

Books:  Graphing in the Desert by Roy

Summer Solstice

Sun print Ian made with flowers and leaves.

Our summer solstice was hot and sunny.  A perfect day to track shadows, compare water temperatures in the shade & sun, and swim at the city pool.

Also this week, we performed the puppet show "Sun Power" (Hands-On Nature by Lingelbach & Purcell), modeled day & night with a globe and a flashlight, and made sun prints.  

Books:  Summer Solstice by Jackson;  Why Do Elephants Need the Sun? by Wells;  Under the Sun by Kandoian;  Swing Around the Sun by Esbensen;  Gift of the Sun: A Tale From South Africa by Stewart;  What Makes a Shadow? by Bulla

Sculptures

Eric creating a clay sculpture.

A sculpture that we visit often is a bronze statue of Lucy Lederer in Lederer park.  Park visitors decorate Lucy with flowers, grass, and pine cones.  This month we also discussed the Statue of Liberty, Northwest American Indian totem poles, and Alexander Calder's Lobster Trap and Fish Tail.

Ian and Eric have the most experience working with homemade play dough.  They enjoy making food and of course, transportation related sculptures.  We recently started working with natural clay.

Books:  Mount Rushmore by Doherty;  From Clay to Bricks by Taus-Bolstad
  
Reference Books:   What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know by Hirsch

Native Americans

Clay pinch pots Ian made.

Native American Activities:

• "Baby Rattlesnake" feltboard story by Te Ata in Travel the Globe by Webber
• Native American Picture Word Bingo game
• Made clay pinch pots (Art for Small Hands Pinch Pot Lesson).  We let the clay pots air dry.  We tried painting the dry clay with tempura paints but the paint did not stick very well. 

Books:  The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by dePaola;  The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Goble;  The Goat in the Rug by Blood & Link;  Many Nations: An Alphabet of Native America by Bruchac;  The Iroquois: Longhouse Builders by Koestler-Grack

Music:  Cleft in The Sky by R. Carlos Nakai;  The Earth is Our Mother by Music Together (Flutes Song Collection)

Videos:  American Cultures for Children: Native American Heritage

Lines, Color, and Stories in Art

Ian likes this painting, The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel.

Ian and I attended a workshop at the Palmer Art Museum.  We explored the Color My World: Color Photography from the Permanent Collection exhibition and then made a photo collage.  Also this month, we discussed how colors and lines are used in art, and how art can tell a story.

Pictures of the following paintings were used to discuss warm & cool colors, and emotions of colors.

• Hunters in the Snow by Bruegel
• Tahitian Landscape by Gauguin
• Blue Atmosphere by Frankenthaler
• Le Gourmet by Picasso

Pictures of the following artwork were used to discuss lines - thick & thin, patterns, and shape (straight, curved, zigzag, wavy).

• People and Dog in the Sun by Miro
• The Purple Robe by Matisse
• Tuning the Samisen by Hokusai

Pictures of the following paintings were used to discuss stories in art.

• Children's Games by Bruegel
• The Bath by Cassatt
• Snap the Whip by Homer
• Mother's Helper by Rivera
• The Banjo Lesson by Tanner

Books:  How Artists See the Weather by Carroll;  Lines by Yenawine;  Colors by Yenawine;  Shapes by Yenawine;  I Spy a Freight Train by Micklethwait

Reference Books:   What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know by Hirsch