Visiting a vet

Our homeschool group, Little Urban Explorers, headed over to the Lake Harriet Vet Clinic for a tour in November. We got to step inside and see the inner workings of the clinic, from the X-Ray machine to where the animals hang out to the surgical table -- where there was a cat getting a in-depth tooth cleaning! Plus, the vet brought her own dog and let all the kiddos hear her heart. Wow! That was cool. Thanks so much!

Ever since, the 5-year-old has been play-acting at being an animal doc. That's the kind of learning and play that warms a mama's heart!

Before the tour, we brought the sleds over to Lyndale Farmstead and enjoyed the fresh snow! I was too busy to get any photos. Maybe next time.

Learning philanthropy as children

Have you ever packed a shoebox headed for another part of the world? One that will brighten up the face of a child you've never met likely in a place you've never been?

We joined with our church four and five-year-old Sunday School class to pack up shoeboxes earlier this month for Operation Christmas Child. If you're looking for a way to get kids involved in giving to others, it's a great option.

Gift Suggestions include

• Toys: Include items that children will immediately embrace such as dolls, toy cars, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, balls, toys that light up and make noise (with extra batteries), etc.
• School Supplies: pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons, markers, notebooks, paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
• Non-Liquid Hygiene Items: toothbrushes, bar soap, combs, washcloths, etc.
• Accessories: t-shirts, socks, hats, sunglasses, hair clips, jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries), etc.
• A Personal Note: You may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. If you include your name and address, the child may be able to write back.
• Do Not Include: Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans.

FIAR: Inspired to learn about human anatomy by Madeline

Madeline's appendix surgery was a excuse to delve into human anatomy.

We learned about germs on the day we stayed home sick. Taking a cue from Totally Tots, we used a spray bottle, klenexx, cocoa powder, and bread to see firsthand how germs spread and why soap is so important!

We made our own digestive systems using a paper bag, straws, plastic bags and a few printouts of organs. I was super impressed when the Kindergartener turned hers over and added a spine and rib cage. She's been paying attention to our anatomy books! And it showed. Awesome to see learning in action.

We watched:
- The Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie
-  Germs

Our handouts:
- Eating
- Parts of the Human Bod

We read:
- Coughs and Colds by Jillian Powell
- How Do Cuts and Bruises Heal by Gary Frick
- Moving and Grooving: The Secrets of Muscles and Bones by Melissa Stewart
- The Circulatory System by Mary K. Corcoran
- DK Eyewitness Human Body by Caroline Stamps
- Human Body: Lift the Flap by Susie Brooks
- Under Your Skin: Your Amazing Body by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom
- Play and Find Out About the Human Body: Easy Experiments for Young Children by Janice VanCleave
- Survive Inside the Human Body Vols. 1, 2 and 3 by Gomdori Co.

We Listened To:
- The Body Rocks: Songs About the Human Body by Mick Manning
 I can't listen to this CD very long because the songs all sound the same and they don't rock. But we did enjoy it here and there in the car.

FIAR: 'Madeline' and our study of France

Learning about other people and places is something I feel strongly about. I want my kiddos to know about more than their own place. And so we threw ourselves into a study of France when we read 'Madeline' by Ludwig Bemelmans.

We visited:
A new French restaurant had conveniently opened near us. And so one night for supper we headed over to Le Town Talk Diner. I had recently interviewed the owner for the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger and knew she was originally from France. Plus she spent years as a chef at the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. How cool is that?!

We cooked:
- French onion soup
- Gluten-free crepes with ham and cheese

We watched:
- French Greeting Song for Children on YouTube
- Alloutte French Nursery Rhyme with Basho and Friends on YouTube
- Numbers in French with Basho and Friends on YouTube
- Inside Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris
- Paris with Kids - Eiffel Tower
- 10 best places to see in Paris
-  Learn French - French in 3 Minutes - Numbers 1 - 10
And other videos in French that I could find so we could practice learning the language, as well as travel videos on Paris.

PLUUUUSSSSS
We discovered you can find lots of tv episodes of Madeline on YouTube. The first ones follow the original 6 books pretty closely. The week we were sick, these episodes really came in handy.

We did:
We spent a bunch of time learning about France, using the both the France Lapbook and Madeline Lapbook over at Homeschool Share as our jumping off point. We also did the Family in French worksheet over at education.com. I dug up the French national anthem, but stopped reading the subtitles after a few minutes. It's rather bloody!

Using our laminated map, we figured out just where France is on the map. Then we figured out what time it is in Paris when it is 10:20 a.m. in Minnesota. The Girl colored a flag of France and then made a bracelet on her Rainbow Loom using the blue/white/red order combination. We discovered how the population of France compares to the USA and made a graph of the two numbers. We asked what the capital city and official language is and learned the answers. We also answered a number of questions about the geography of France. My favorite parts were doing the Sightseeing Guide (I printed off lots of photos of various parts of France) and the Tour de France accordion book. We also did the French Greetings handout and the Eiffel Tower Facts - The Girl practiced her handwriting with both.

We mixed and matched the Agricultural Products and Industries of France.

I write the words on the chalkboard and she copies them out.

We love painting! I put down painters tape on paper, the kiddos went crazy with colors and when we removed the tape it created a cool effect. These are treasures.

FIAR: Monet and the Impressionists (art in 'Madeline')

Our row of Madeline included the study of Monet -- and so we had to seek out local paintings of his. There are three at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Two are in the room with other Impressionists, while the other is in the post modernist area (a bridge painting from when he was losing his eyesight).

We saw:

Monet's Grainstack, Sun in the Mist

The Seashore at Sainte-Adresse by Monet

The Japanese Bridge, 1923-35, by Monet

And a Van Gogh!

We read:
- Linnea in Monet's Garden by Christina Bjork and Lena Anderson
Such an amazing book! It's sure to inform and inspire you.
- Monet Paints a Day by Julie Dannesberg
- Claude Monet: The Painter Who Stopped Trains by PI Maltbie
- Claude Monet: Sunshine and Water Lilies by True Kelley

We painted:
Of course, after learning about a painter we needed to pull out the paints, paper and paint shirts to paint ourselves. Using painters tape and lots of colors, we made our own Japanese Bridge in Monet's style.

FIAR #3: Rowing through Madeline

We fell in love with "Madeline" by Ludwig Bemelmans from the first few lines...

“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines
Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines
In two straight lines they broke their bread
And brushed their teeth and went to bed.
They left the house at half past nine
In two straight lines in rain or shine-
The smallest one was Madeline.”

How could you not love her?

This book was a great jumping off point to learn about Monet and the Impressionists (art), human anatomy (science) France (geography and social studies), and more.

We did:
 We spent a bunch of time learning about France, using the both the France Lapbook and Madeline Lapbook over at Homeschool Share as our jumping off point. For more about our study of France, click here.

We learned about symmetry by looking at various fallen leaves.

Using garbanzo beans, we counted out two groups of 6, three groups of 4 and four groups of 3 = all to make 12.

We talked about the order of our day and marked in on clocks.

We did Rhyme Time with these words: Lines, Zoo and Sad. This was a favorite game of ours at dinner that whole week - adding to our lists.

We learned lots about human anatomy. Click here for more.

For more on what we learned about France, click here.

We got up close and personal with Monet's paintings and tried some of our own! Click here for more.

We read:
- Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
- Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans
- A Madeline Treasury by Ludwig Bemelmans
This book includes all 6 of the Madeline books
- Madeline Says Merci by John Bemelmans Marciano
This book on manners was written in 2001 by Ludwig's grandson
- Linnea in Monet's Garden by Christina Bjork and Lena Anderson
Such an amazing book! It's sure to inform and inspire you.
- Monet Paints a Day by Julie Dannesberg
- Claude Monet: The Painter Who Stopped Trains by PI Maltbie
- Claude Monet: Sunshine and Water Lilies by True Kelley
- Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
- The Glorious Flight by Alice Provensen
- Cool French Cooking by Lisa Wagner
- Adele and Simon by Barbara McClintock
- Coughs and Colds by Jillian Powell
- How Do Cuts and Bruises Heal by Gary Frick
- Moving and Grooving: The Secrets of Muscles and Bones by Melissa Stewart
- The Circulatory System by Mary K. Corcoran
- DK Eyewitness Human Body by Caroline Stamps
- Human Body: Lift the Flap by Susie Brooks
- Under Your Skin: Your Amazing Body by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom
- Play and Find Out About the Human Body: Easy Experiments for Young Children by Janice VanCleave
- Survive Inside the Human Body Vols. 1, 2 and 3 by Gomdori Co.

Trick or Treating in downtown Minneapolis

This year our Halloween excursions included a trip to see the Wiggle, Jiggle and Jam show at the Central Library in downtown Minneapolis. Then they brought the whole group over to the Marquette Plaza across the street for some trick or treating!!

Learning about electricity at Bakken Museum

The kiddos were introduced to electricity at the Bakken Museum. While most of the stuff there was a bit too old for our preschoolers and kindergarteners, there were still some great hands-on activities they could do. I chatted with an employee while we were there and she noted that most of their visitors are between 3rd and 5th grade because that's when Minnesota schools typically cover electricity. I plan to take the kids back then they're older.

Generate electricity! This hands-on activity is right near the entrance and was a big hit with our kids. The other highlight for the 2 year olds was the instrument that makes music when your hands wave near the metal!

This was a great interactive game. The ball moves if you have brain activity. If you can slow your brain you'll win!

Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for kids and those under four are free. They set up classes for folks but they need a minimum of 20 students.

A few groups of school children arrived when we were there, but the staff and volunteers helped situate us to that we went through easily without bumping into them.

As always, the kiddos loved the outside of the building the best, running wild through the herb gardens.

HISTORY OF BUILDING
I was fascinated by the building that houses the Bakken Museum. Its simply gorgeous. The Bakken Museum was named after Earl Bakken. Bakken was born in 1924 and grew up in Minneapolis. In 1949 he co-founded Medtronic, helping develop the first wearable, external, battery-powered, transistorized pacemaker. Once his business was established, Bakken pursued his interest in the historical antecedents of using electricity for therapeutic purposes. In 1976, the museum collections were moved into a mansion located on the west shore of Lake Calhoun in southwest Minneapolis.

The house, called West Winds, was designed by Carl Gage for William Goodfellow and combines English Tudor, European Gothic Revival, and other architectural styles. It was built in 1928–30 and had been a private residence until it was acquired by Bakken.