Back to PEP, Back in the Classroom

The spring semester for our enrichment group started on Friday.  I am teaching a Botany class this semester - of course I committed to teaching it almost a year ago not knowing I would be pregnant, but I think it will work out ok.  I should be moving into the 2nd trimester in a couple of weeks and I made it through the first class! 

The Botany class is based on the book Exploring Creation with Botany published by Apologia.  They publish a series of science books and I am really impressed with both the thoroughness and the clarity.  Although it is suitable for a classroom, it is easy to use in a home learning situation with students at multiple ages.  Some of the material is meatier for the older kids and some if very simple.  We have been going through the lessons at home (i.e. class prep for me) and even Natalie finds the lessons interesting.  She loves to find a leaf or petal and bring it to me "for Botany".  There are lots of fun projects too.

In our first class we defined botany and decorated our notebooks, discussed classification (played the shoe game*), observed moss with magnifying glasses, and found leaves from vascular plants.

A decorated Botany Notebook.  Annalise helped me cut out the pictures.

First entry in our notebook.

I had been anxious about both running out of time and running out of things to do!  But it worked out perfectly.  I was also worried they would think it was boring!  But they all liked gluing pictures on their notebooks and using magnifying glasses and running onto the playground to find a leaf.  One girl was so attached to her mossy rock, she asked to take it home!

The class is for 3rd and 4th graders and I have not taught a class at PEP with such old, sophisticated students!  It is nice that they can all read and write!!!  And that they don't need help with simple things.  Teaching the K4-K5 class is a test of your endurance and patience, let me tell you! 

*In the shoe game, all the kids take off one shoe and then work as a group to classify the shoe types.  I brought some extra shoes from home to give more variety.