Project 235: The Weather 2

This project ran from Monday 23rd of May until Sunday 29th of May. 

The project was prompted by a weather workshop at the local country park, and it was our second weather project for Solomon as we had explored the topic in his first year of home education (see Project 45: The Weather). At the workshop the children made a kite, an anemometer, and an octogrid for looking at cloud cover.

They also made another anemometer at home, using the instructions from the Weather Watcher book, although it didn't work very well.  

Using a number of books from the library, as well as online resources, we explored types of weather, where weather comes from, and the different layers of the atmosphere, as well as climate change and greenhouse gases. 

Next project: The Queen and the Royal Family

Project 234: Numeracy

This project ran from Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd May. 

We picked numeracy for this project as we were having some building work done in the house and we wanted something that wouldn't require a lot of space or equipment. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to keep focused on numeracy and it turned into a bit of a damp squib of a project which just included some general maths work. 

The lesson to be learned is: The greater the distractions, the more rigid the project need to be. 

Next Project: Weather

Project 233: The Sun

 

This project ran from Monday 9th May until Sunday 15th May. 

The Sun was picked as a project as it was a fairly sunny week, and it provided the opportunity to do a few projects outside. 

They created sundials:

They created sunprints:

And they attempted to toast a marshmallow (although this unfortunately was not successful):

And, of course, there were plenty of Twinkl worksheets. This included one on designing a solar light, which they completed after learning about solar panels through PowerPoints and videos. 

Next Project: Numeracy

Project 232: Hedgehogs

 This project went from Monday 2nd May to Sunday 8th May 2022.

We chose the project on hedgehogs as there was supposed to be one nearby. 

The children learned about hedgehogs through some Twinkl worksheets and a PowerPoint.

We went on a hedgehog hunt, and set up a motion-sensor camera and some hedgehog food to capture the hedgehog. Unfortunately the hunt was unsuccessful and although the food was gone the camera didn't capture the hedgehog. 

A couple of days later there was a dead hedgehog in the road. 

Next Project: The Sun

Project 231: Soil and Worms

This project went from Monday 25th April until Sunday 1st May 2022, and was picked because there was a home education workshop on it at the local country park. 

The workshop involved taking soil samples from four different locations and identifying the type, finding and identifying worms, and making a wormery. 

They followed a mud and worms edible sensory recipe from Twinkl. 

They also used a Twinkl worksheet for making worm puppets:

And filled in some more academic worksheets:

Next Project: Hedgehogs

Project 230: The Netherlands and Belgium

This project went from Monday 18th April until Sunday 24th. 

The project was inspired by the week's food theme at the local supermarket. 

We used some worksheets as a starting point for exploring Belgium and the Netherlands, making use of books and the internet to find the answers.

The children also learned about the picture The Night Watch by Rembrandt, making use of a video and some other resources, and doing some work on shading and tone.

Next Project: Soil and Worms

Project 229: Easter V

This project ran from Monday 11th April to Sunday 17th April.

This was our fifth year of home educating at Easter, so unsurprisingly there was a repeat of many activities from previous years. 

We made a simnel cake: 

They made cards and chocolate nests:

And they did an Easter trail at Peterborough Cathedral:

The children also made a last supper diorama with an egg box after getting the idea from a Ministry to Children video:

Next Project: The Netherlands and Belgium 

Project 228: First Aid

This project ran from Monday the 4th April to Sunday 10th.

We picked First Aid as a project this week as there was a workshop by Mini First Aid in Crowland. 

Amongst other things the children learnt about CPR, burns and bandages, and putting people in the recovery position. The children all enjoyed it, and as it was a small group it was easy for everyone to have a go and get feedback 

As well as attending the workshop the children explored the family first aid box, and we discussed what all the items were for. They watched relevant episodes of Operation Ouch!, and did worksheets from Twinkl and St John's Ambulance. This also included creating a first aid information sheet: 

Next Project: Easter