Twister House

We have some storms headed this way... I hope they pass over us.  We saw what a twister can turn your house into, and I do not want to see that in real life =)

The Lorax

Have you been out to see The Lorax at the movie theater yet?  This is a movie you just MUST see!  The animation is awesome, and the story can't be beat! 

Before you go, pick up a copy of the book at your local library and read it first!  It is by Dr. Seuss.  I love all of his books, and this one is one of the best!

UNLESS

This movie fit right in with our Girl Scout event coming up in April for Earth Day.  The girls will be doing a bunch of fun projects with other Girl Scouts, including planting a tree to take home with them.  That means both girls will have a tree seedling to plant in our yard!! 

Since the event is not until April, we picked up a bush to plant.  We picked out this willow, and the girls did a great job getting it into the ground.  While planting, Morgan said that she was so happy to be planting because she is helping the community.  =)

This is what we did as a "homeschool project" for this movie:

1. we read the book

2. we discussed the book

3. the girls did activity pages I found online at Seussville.com

4. we saw the movie

5. we went planted a bush (and will later plant a tree!)

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better.  It's not."

One week after seeing this movie, we went to a library event and had the opportunity to see 3 more Dr. Seuss books in animation!  "The Cat in the Hat", "Green Eggs and Ham", and "Horton Hears a Who".  Turn your Lorax-movie-watching experience into an event! 

GEMS Service Project~ Assisted-Living Center

The GEMS girls did their semi-monthly service project at the assisted living center this week.  They sang to all of the residents, and then, they sang "Happy Birthday" to all of the people with March birthdays.  They have a special happy birthday song they sing.  It goes like this:

"Happy Birthday to you,

We thank God for you,

May the Lord bless and keep you,

This happy year through!"

After the birthday song, it was time for cake and juice.  The girls ran around to all of the tables to make sure everyone received a piece of cake, and then cleaned up afterwards. 

We sat around chatting with the residents, and then a few people hit the dance floor while a resident played the piano.  Great times!

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 6

Never miss an opportunity to include events- movie, exhibits, festivals, etc. in your home school or girl scout events!  We are anxiously awaiting the release of Chimpanzee!  It is coming out on April 20th, so we will be there =)  In the meantime, we have been learning about primates and the professionals who work with them. 

Also, if you are an Amazon prime subscriber, you have access to National Geographic, Animal Planet, and other great instant videos for FREE!!  These can be educational or just for fun.  You may, also, purchase videos to watch.  One of our favorites that we watched this week was "A Dolphin Tale" and "Escape to Chip Eden". 

In addition, I have found magazines to be an invaluable resource!  National Geographic Kids and Zoobooks are ones we are using for Zoology and learning about animals in a fun way. 

As part of Morgan's Daisy adventure, she has been taking care of her chihuahua Chica.  She has fixed Chica's bed, fed her, given her fresh water, and playing with her to give her exercise. 

This was a fun Daisy journey~ So glad you could join us!

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 5

These are some of the animals we saw at the Fort Worth Zoo on Homeschool day.  They had zookeeper chats that we took advantage of as well.

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 4

These are just a few of the animals we saw at the Dallas Zoo on 2 seperate visits.  We fed some of the animals including the goats, birds and giraffes.  Many of the trainers were available, so both Jaden and Morgan were able to ask them questions about the animals.  The trainers of the big cats, elephants, giraffes, birds and goats were all available.
They tried to figure out on their own whether a particular animal was a predator or prey. 
They took note of what the animal eats and how they live at the zoo. 
Overall, the two visits were rewarding academically.  Many of the things that they learned led to further discussion at home in their Zoology class.
I was surprised to hear Jaden talking to the keeper of the goats on both trips.  Jaden noticed that there were some young kids helping out at the zoo- feeding and cleaning up after the animals.  It turns out, they are volunteers.  The keeper told Jaden that you have to be 11 years old to volunteer, and some days you may clean up poop during your whole 4 hour shift.  Jaden was excited, and she asked me if she could be a volunteer when she is 11. 
Later in our Zoology class, the text told us that there are only a few veterinary schools, so it can be difficult to get into them.  However, if a potential students has experience working with animals there is a higher chance they will be accepted.  =)

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 3

                                      (Jaden took all of the photos above)
Looking for wonderful animal advetures, we found a great spring break animal camp.  Here the ladies of the animal museum did a 1 hour presentation on a few local animals.  It was interesting learning about the owl, opossum, rabbit, and snake.   
Both girls grabbed and soaked up a bunch of facts!!  This was very important, not only for the Daisy journey, but, also, for adding to the homeschool science class- "Zoology: Animals of the 6th Day"
At the end of the field trip, they each filled out a field trip form about what they learned, what they saw, and their favorite part of the trip.  I enjoyed hearing them recall the facts and the good times they had! 
There is another spring break animal camp presentation tomorrow, so we will be at that one as well. 
This will be a fun year of learning about animals!