Week 29: The Renaissance! A Time to Explore the Arts and Science
Isaiah is pictured here focusing intensely on his science project. This type of focus happened all over the programs this week, as the Oaks conducted experiments, the Seeds concentrated on a “Mona Lisa” project and the Garden kids continued their study on bees and especially…honey (yum!).
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe debuts this Thursday and Friday, April 23 and 24.
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The Garden
During worship time this week, they heard the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus showed His love by dying on the cross to forgive our sins. “Jesus was innocent but died for us.” He was placed in a tomb, which was then sealed with a large stone and guarded by soldiers. On Sunday morning, women found the stone moved and the tomb empty, and an angel appeared to share the joyful news that Jesus was alive. Jesus then appeared to His friends to prove that He had conquered death and was alive. The sad part of the cross lasted only a short time, because it was followed by the happy part—His resurrection. You can read about it in Matthew 27 and 28
At Circle time, we learned what you call a person who works with bees. They are called beekeepers, and in Spanish, it’s “apicultor.” They got to see pictures of the special clothing they wear to protect themselves from being stung. They also learned C is for caterpillar, the caterpillar song and some facts about caterpillars.
Did you know caterpillars are not worms? They are insects because they are baby butterflies. They only have six real legs, and the rest are stubs that help them cling to surfaces.
For Activity time, Mrs. Doreen brought a real honeycomb for us to see, touch, and taste. We also spread honey on crackers using wooden honey dippers, they each had one. The children were very excited and enjoyed this activity very much. We were also able to use playdough to form caterpillars and used cookie cutters to create beehives, bees, and honeycomb hexagons.
Story: The Bug Hotel
The Seeds Program
This week during worship, we began learning the second part of 1 Corinthians 13. Mr. Jared led the students in acting out skits to demonstrate what love is and is not. The children enjoyed acting out the stories for ..."love is patient, kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not rude." We also worked on the new memory verse in Philippians 2: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves." Finally, we used our new wooden sticks to practice our "corito” medley.
History was our main focus this week, where we spent two days learning about the Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, the Mona Lisa. Mr. Jared led the children through a step by step drawing lesson while talking about different art techniques like chiaroscuro and shading. He also discussed how another empire, called the Ottoman Turks led by Suleiman I, rose to power during this time of history as well.
In Studio Time, the kids were so excited to unbox some new games and resources donated by our beloved Mrs. Aleyda, one of the first assistants in the Seeds program. Mrs. Aleyda always enjoys blessing the children even from a distance. They came up with some great creations from towers to sombreros! The marble run was another hit and a wonderful opportunity to work on teamwork and problem solving.
Finally, although the rain prevented Mrs. Michelle from teaching the full class, she gave a great introduction to muscles and the muscular system using exercise balls. This was an integrated Science and Physical Education course. We will resume where we left off next week.
Regarding the Astronomy project, the topics have been assigned to each student over the chat. Make sure you look over it and let us know if you have any questions.
New Seeds Memory Verse
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
The Oaks Program
SCIENCE
In Chemistry, the students finished up their study of viscosity with their presentations of their first complete lab reports. They all did a wonderful job! On Thursday, we started discussing the topic of electrolytes--what they are and why they're important in the human body. First, we learned about the first ever oral hydration drink--Gatorade--and how groundbreaking of an invention it was! It was important not just for the sports world but the rest of the world, particularly for the impoverished world that deals with diseases like Ebola and Cholera, which can cause severe dehydration. We also discussed the main electrolytes in the body and what their functions are.
In Marine Science, since we have been learning about bony fish, the students did their first dissection of the year--on a yellow perch! Although the specimen was quite petite, the students were about to visualize and identify several key anatomical features such as the stomach and the heart. On Thursday, we discussed ocean floor geology--the different features of the ocean floor such as the continental shelf and the abyssal plain. We also viewed a couple of short videos by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) that shows how they map the ocean floor using sonar waves. One of the videos showcased how NOAA mapped the waters around Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to help manage fish populations and commercial fishing.
HISTORY
The Oaks students also studied about the Plague of the Medieval Period and traced the spread of it by labeling a map. In fact, the students learned that between 1343 and 1358, the spread of the disease was widespread, seemingly traveling up from the south and moving north over a decade. Some areas were hit harder by others and as this was caused by a bacteria, the impact of the disease was more severe in warmer climates.
SUGGESTED READINGS
The Story of the World
P. 215-218; 223
P. 253, 257
Streams of Civilization
P. 393-395
P. 385-386
