President Day

Today the kids discussed U.S. presidents. What qualities would make a good one? What are some of the rules of becoming a president? What do you know about the 44 U.S. presidents?

They read a great book So You Want To Be President?, written by Judith St. George and illustrated by David Small. They played games and swapped facts.

Gargoyle Day

Today was about viewing Gothic Architecture:

• Gothic Architecture is characterized by use of the pointed arch. Other features include: ornate facades, large windows which are often grouped or have tracery, rose windows, towers, spired and pinnacles. 

And learning about gargoyles:

• Most all stone carvings are called gargoyles, however, real gargoyles are animal-like and people-like carvings with wide-open mouths that spit out rain. Gargoyle is an old French word for throat. Our English word “gargle” comes from the same root. Other stone carvings on the outside of churches are meant to scare away demons so people could feel at peace inside.
• It takes four different specialists to create a gargoyle. A sculptor, a model maker, a stonecutter, and a stone carver.

Then, we spent the rest of our time creating:

Color Day

Today the kids were exposed to much more than just the color wheel. They learned the terms tints and shades. They talked about complementary colors, hues, contrast, and saturation. They learned that monochromatic is a deceptive term as a monochromatic painting can be extremely colorful.
	After viewing many pieces that demonstrated different types of color palates, the kids had a chance to create their own. It was fantastic to watch the kids use only the primary colors, black and white to create the diverse hues, tints and shades.

Geo-Day

Where in the world is...? Today the kids did all things geography. They viewed maps that showed exports, maps that specialized in topography, maps that revealed weather patterns. They discussed similarities and differences between maps. They talked about how to read maps for information or directions. They played geography-centric games, placing locations on a compass rose and learning facts about different locations. They located places where they've traveled, where their ancestors are from, and where they'd like to go. And oh, the places they will go!