Adding on

Well, Egypt can definitely carry a unit.  Ancient Mesopotamia? Not so easily.  There was so much to do for Egypt that I really felt like we could have spent another week on it and still have stuff left over.  But we moved on to Mesopotamia last week and things got a little slow.  So this week, as we move into Ancient China, I'm moving away from focusing on just one unit at a time.  We added Chemistry this week and we are splitting our Unit Study time between the two.  It went very well.  We started on the study of matter and I had planned a few simple experiments about the states of matter.  The boys took off from there, wanting to see water go through the cycle of all three states.  So, out came the ice and the saucepans and we played with water for a good 30 minutes.

Then, we studied the properties of matter and played with gases.  Here they are making carbon dioxide in a measuring cup and trying to light a candle in it.

We'll be finishing up Ancient China this week.  Then we'll see if Chemistry can hold it's own for a week or two, because next up in Ancient History are the Greeks and the Romans.  That could take a whole month!

Also, three of my other main goals for us are more movement, more time outside, and volunteering.  It was 53 degrees today in January and we live right on the edge of one of the largest municipal parks.  So we grabbed Sanga and out we went for a hike.  It was gorgeous.  We stopped in at the nature center and after a short chat with their education specialist, we now have a weekly gig.  We'll be feeding the birds in the morning and checking the paths for obstructions before the school groups start arriving!

Here was our First Period today: