I'm teaching in a volunteer position at our enrichment groups this fall. It's only a 6 week class and it only meets on Fridays, so really it's only six lessons. I submitted about 5 ideas, but the coordinator liked the idea of studying Alaska the best by a mile. It took some whittling to get it down to 6 manageable topics. There are way more than 6 interesting animals! I decided on:
Week 1 - An overview, of sorts.
Week 2 - Native Americans in Alaska
Week 3 - Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun
Week 4 - Sled Dogs
Week 5 - The 3 Bears of Alaska
Week 6 - Alaskan Salmon
The only one I haven't figured out is the Sled Dog lesson. I am really stumped on a craft or activity to round that one out.
Here is how I have it planned out:
I have some books about sled dogs and I wanted to let the kids look at them, then tell them the story of Balto and tell them about the Iditarod. I have a picture book called Painter and Ugly, which is a fictional story about two dogs in the jr. Iditarod (which is real). It's a sweet story and C & A loved it. I wanted to break things up with either a teamwork sort of game or a craft. I just can't find a craft I like or a teamwork game that kids that little will enjoy. So if you know one help me out! I kind of like the idea of a relay game, I just don't have something specific in mind.
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P.S. the camera battery charger is still AWOL. Rob found a reasonably priced one online, so hopefully that will come soon. So no pictures, but I do have two quotes:
Natalie has started signing please and thank you. Today I gave her something and said "say Thank you!" and instead of signing it, the child ACTUALLY SAID, "THA OO!" She is going to talk our ears off I think!
Annalise came up to me a couple of days ago and very seriously said, "They don't call me Annalise for nothing!" No, they don't!
I don't know of a sled dog craft, but you should definitely get in touch with Jen Stegmann... she's a park ranger in Alaska now and works with sled dogs sometimes (I've seen her pictures) along with hosting hikes, lectures, etc. She might be a great resource! Maybe she'd even meet you online for a Q&A with your class or something!
ReplyDeleteShe's on facebook... let me know if you don't use it and I'll be your middlewoman. :) We start homeschooling on Monday... I'm trying not to freak myself out, but to be honest, I am freaking myself out. What if I do a terrible job? I'll ruin her future forever! ETc. (I know. Crazy.)
Idea for your craft: Strap the kids up to each other and have them haul themselves around the room. To make it realistic, turn the air conditioner on full blast and add a couple of fans. (See, this is why we don't have kids). But Dad? Where is the lamb for the burnt sacrifice??
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