Monday, January 16, 2017

2017 Plans for Munchkin ~ Brain Dump

Our official first day of school will be Wednesday 1st of February, so I think it is high time I started getting an idea of what I want to study with my boys this year!  I haven't done a brain dump for a couple of years, and I found it incredibly helpful the first time, so here we go again!!

A Special Note About Munchkin!!
When you homeschool in Australia you do not need to register your child with the Dept of Education until the year they turn six.  So technically Munchkin won't start school until Jan/Feb 2018 but he is ready for some Kindergarten work and thus I will be planning some structured work for him this year.

There is a lot of information here that is aimed at the older boys, but I'm leaving it in because often times Munchkin listens in.  He also takes part in the science experiments and the creative arts/music plans so he learns right along with the older boys, but at his speed and ability.

I will continue to add/subtract from his plans based on his ability and his interest level.

Monkey: 4 years old - Kindergarten

Math:
Maths Plus Kindergarten Textbook
  • Logic Puzzles and Brain Teasers
  • I am hoping to find some living books about mathematics in the library
English:

Spelling - 

Reading -
  • We have a Reading Eggs subscription 
  • I will continue to read aloud to Munchkin daily
Writing - 

Handwriting - 
  • Kindergarten Handwriting textbook - twice per week
Grammar - 

Literature - 
Some read aloud selections I hope to cover this year:
"Revolting Rhymes" by Roald Dahl
"The Classic Tales of Beatrix Potter"
"The Famous Gumnut Adventures" by May Gibbs
"Adventures of the Wishing Chair" by Enid Blyton
"The Wishing Chair Again" by Enid Blyton
"Olive Twist" by Charles Dickens
"The Swiss Family Robinson" 
**This is an adapted and abridged version so I will be looking for a full version**

Science and Technology:

Munchkin listens to all our read aloud books even if he is playing as well so I'll leave this list 
even though it is directed primarily at the older boys.

Science - (Earth Science)
  • Learn more about weather - specifically extreme weather/natural disasters
Read the following books:
"Ernie Dances to the Didgeridoo" by Alison Lester
"Earth's Cycle - The Seasons Cycle by Cheryl Jakab
**This book looks interesting because it compares/contrasts northern and southern hemisphere seasons**
"The World's Most Dangerous Places" by Paul Mason
**This book explores different places around the world based on extreme weather and natural disasters**
"Rainforests of Australia - Across the Forest Floor" by Australian Geographic Explorers
**Hoping there are more books in this series that discuss other environments**
  • Watch various DVDs and/or documentaries about weather and natural disasters
"Raging Planet Volume 2" by Discovery Channel (DVD)
**search online for videos of Mt St Helens 1980 eruption


Science - (Living Things)

So far I have "specific" topic I want to study with the boys as far as living things is concerned.  All three boys are SO incredibly interested in all sorts of animals and creatures that this is more than covered with natural learning.

Having said that - here are some titles I've picked up at the library in the past few weeks that we will read aloud.
"Australasia's Most Amazing Animal" by Anita Ganeri (we've read LOTS of her books and LOVE them)
"Smart about Sharks" by Owen Davey
"Topsy-Turvy World - How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers" by Kirsty Murray
  • Plan excursion to The Royal Botanical Gardens and specifically visit the Greenhouse in search of carnivorous plants
**This was an excursion we planned to make two years ago but sadly discovered that the Greenhouse was closed for renovations so I will be ringing them to see if it is open and if not when it will be!**


Science - (Physical World)

Investigate and Conduct Experiments Dealing with the Following Concepts
  • Heat
  • States of Matter (solid, liquid, gas)
  • Forces (movement, gravity, friction)
  • Magnetic Attraction
Books to Read
"Electricity and Magnetism" by Anna Claybourne

Learn more about electricity and and other energy sources

Begin to read and learn about scientists
Books to Read
"Mad Scientists The Not-So-Crazy Work of Amazing Scientists" by Sally Lee

Technology - (Information/Computer)
  • Learning to use the computer, keyboard and mouse through games and educational programs.


Humans Society and Its Environment:

Munchkin listens to all our read aloud books even if he is playing as well so I'll leave this list 
even though it is directed primarily at the older boys.

History and Geography - 

History:

Other Books of Interest
"Meet... The Flying Doctors" by George Ivanoff
"Ancient Wonders" by Clive Gifford

Geography:
Books to Read Aloud
"Unusual Wonders" by Clive Gifford
"Natural Wonders" by Clive Gifford
"The Seven Wonders of the Natural World" by Reg Cox
"Extreme Planet: Exploring the Most Extreme Stuff on Earth" by Michael Dubois
"The Cities Book: A Journey Through 86 of the World's Greatest Cities" by Livi Gosling

I also want to do a unit study on the continents - and this could lead us down so many trails with in-depth studies of specific continents and countries.  So we will start this unit study with one book (see below) and then see what happens.

Books to Read Aloud:
"Show Me the Continents" by Pamela Bell

Cultures - 

Environments - 
  • Research and learn about the different environments within Australia (desert, rainforest, beach, bush, wetlands, mountains, tropics) by looking at the different weather that occurs in these environments as well as the animals that depend on this environment.
  • Learn how people can care for these environments and the animals that live there.
Social Systems and Structures - 



Creative Arts:

Visual Arts - 
  • Artist Study - choose an artist and complete a full artist study
  • Make art work by using different techniques and using a wide range of materials (paint, crayon, water colour, oils, pastels, chalk, etc) and different tools (paint brushes, sticks, sponges, etc)
  • Look at different ways you can explore tone, shade, line, shape and texture
  • Visit art galleries and museums to read/talk/write about different artists and artworks

Music -

  • Composer Study - choose a composer and complete a full composer study about them 
  • Listen to music from selected composer
  • Listen to a wide range of music types such as jazz, pop, rock, classical, etc
  • Sing a wide range of songs
  • Learn about and explore different musical concepts such as pitch, tone, structure, duration, dynamics
  • Use different materials (found objects, instruments, body percussion, environmental sounds) to learn about beat and rhythm
Drama/Dance - 
  • Move his body to a variety of different music/rhythms
  • watch a DVD recording of a dance performance - The Nutcracker
  • attend a dance performance and/or drama performance during the year


Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
  • Weekly attendance of home school group
  • Weekly attendance of Sunday school
  • Daily outdoor exercise for a minimum of one hour (indoor option during bad weather)
  • Ride scooter
  • Personal Development and Changes - begin to discuss puberty and reproductive health
Along with the above topics which tend to be on-going from year-to-year (except for the puberty unit which is age specific) we will begin what I hope will be a YEAR LONG unit study on nutrition and health.  This has been sparked due to my husband's recent diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes and since there is a strong genetic component I want to help the boys put healthy habits in place now so that they can still be VERY healthy in their 40s and 50s.

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