Week 11 Review

During week 11, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day.  Almost every year since kindergarten I engineer a leprechaun trap.  This year, I was given the assignment to create a leprechaun trap with my little brother.  This is what I came up with.

It's a shoe box, with a door cut into it, and a sign next to the door that says, "Disco ball with gold this way."  Then I taped a flashing green 4-leaf clover pin on the inside top of the lid.  On the floor was double sided extreme sticky tape, disguised with crystals and gold (the foil from my mom's expensive chocolate bar).  My idea was that the leprechaun would be enticed into the box and then stuck to the extreme double-sided tape.  But instead he left me rainbows and gold (Skittles and Hershey Nuggets).  I'm not complaining!

Also during week 11, I had 12 vocabulary words from two books I recently finished: George Washington's Spy and The Illustrated Tom Sawyer.  I decided to be festive and write a story about Leo the Leprechaun using my vocabulary words.  Here's my story:

LEO THE LEPRECHAUN

Leo was about to play a sneaky trick on this boy, when he noticed an edifice with gold inside.  He went inside, and no sooner had he, when the doors snapped shut and a very wily, snot-nosed kid grabbed him.  While the vane boy shouted for joy, Leo thought of his options.

One:  He could plummet to his doom.

Two: He could plea for the boy to let him go.

Three:  He could play dead.

It was very hard to think with snot all over him.  Leo wished he could decimate all that snot, but his conscience wouldn't allow him to.  Meanwhile, thought Leo, the village was dancing, having fun, and enjoying the balmy weather at the St. Patrick's Day festival.  

When the boy finally calmed down and came back to Earth, Leo tried plan 1, 2, and 3.  The boy caught him on plan 1; said no on plan 2; and just poked him a lot until Leo stopped playing dead on plan 3.  

Leo quickly asked the boy what he wanted.  "An x-box 1!" said the boy.  Leo gave him the gold to buy an x-box 1 and started running.  That was when a second snot-nosed girl grabbed him!  

Leo asked what she wanted.  "A barbie!" she exclaimed.  Leo gave her the gold to buy a barbie and then ran even faster back to where his village was celebrating.

When the whole village asked him where he had been, he told them his harrowing story.  At first they all thought he was crazy!  When he finally got them to believe, they were flabbergasted and then started laughing with frivolity.  Leo felt sheepish.

The End

Some other things I did during week 11, include:

• Learned about the Spring Equinox (it's officially spring y'all!).
• Started to learn about the Three Branches of US Government.
• Explored a new book about Ben Franklin and science.
• Learned about stocks, bonds, and investments with my Dad.
• Filmed 4 scenes in my stop motion book report.
• Completed a lot of iXL math and language arts.

Happy Spring!

Ollie and Mom - Out

Week 8 Review

Last week, at the end of week 8, we finished the HBO movie series about John Adams.  I am going to be writing and publishing a review on it soon.  I also finished my unit on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.  I'm glad to have that over with!

During week 8, my mom and I finished reading this book, Master George's People.  I was surprised to learn that George Washington owned slaves.  This book is about the people he enslaved at his plantation, Mt. Vernon.  You learn some of their names and life stories.  It also documents President Washington's changing views on slavery throughout his life.  I discovered by reading it that the people who worked on Mt. Vernon made enormous sacrifices so that George Washington could be off leading the Revolutionary War and being President.  Without them, he would not have been able to make a living and keep up his most beloved Mt. Vernon.

I also learned about the Culper Code and how it helped us win the American Revolution.  I wrote a secret message for you using the code:

553 193 74 KRETL

If you want to break the code, visit this link at Mt. Vernon's website with the entire Culper Code and the history about how the code helped us win the war:

Culper Code at Mt. Vernon

Another thing I did during week 8 was write a story using my vocabulary words from the book Sign of the Beaver:

Do You Have A Mean Coach?!?
Is your coach finicky?  If he is, please read more.  If he is, and you read this essay, you might find it easier to nonchalantly walk into your next game.  Is he trying to lie and act dumbfounded if you told your parents, and they talked to your coach, and he said he didn't do it?  I bet you felt contemptuous about that.  I'm pretty sure you glowered at him next game.  Remember your manitou and rise above this incomprehensible man.  When your parents find out they are going to be disdainful toward him.  He will act disgruntled, but he always has.  You and your parents have to be wary next year.

This is a picture of a storyboard I created last week for a stop motion animated movie I am making as a report for the book Sign of the Beaver.  I made ten storyboards that outline the props, scenery, and sequence of each scene I will film for my movie.  It might take us a few weeks, but when we are done, I will publish my first stop motion animated movie!

Some other things that kept me busy during week 8:

• An All About Frogs nature club at night at Reed Creek.
• A nature walk with my mom where we saw many signs of Spring.
• Learning and testing Newton's first two laws of motion (videos coming soon).
• Some IXL grammar and Code.org coding.

That's all for now.  Peace out - 

Ollie and Mom

Week 5 Review

When we write these weekly reviews, my mom and I are always amazed at how much we do every week!  I told my mom this morning that I keep having nightmares that she sends me back to public school.  I hope she never does.  I never want to leave homeschool, unless it's summer or vacation!

During week 5, I finished reading George Washington's Socks.  On a scale of 1-10, I give this book a 10.  I loved it because it was about a group of boys who time travel into history.  I learned a lot about The Revolutionary War by reading the book.

After reading the book, my mom gave me 10 vocabulary words from the book that I had to define and identify the part of speech.  Then I had to write a story using each vocabulary word.  Here's my story:

Samuel was indignant because his sister, Anna, hit him.  He went and told his mom, who told him to tell Anna to come here.  When she came, she conceded so she would not get in trouble for lying.  Her mom emphatically told her she was grounded.  Anna's friend tried coaxing her, but it did not work.  Instead, Anna was brusque with her friend.  Her mom said Anna was so vexed.   Anna tried to expedite her grounding by sleeping, but it still felt long.  When she calmed down, she wanted to exasperate her brother for revenge.  Then her mom told her she would not get any dinner!  Anna felt haggard.  When she woke up the next morning, Anna's mom was sick and became perplexed when Anna asked to play electronics.  In her state of confusion, she said yes.  Anna was happy.

Last Monday, the first day of week 5, was Groundhog's Day.  We watched Punxsutawney Phil on You Tube.  Apparently, on an overcast and rainy day, he somehow saw his shadow - which means 6 more weeks of winter.  YUK!  I learned some facts about Phil that I want to share with you:

• His first prediction was in 1887.
• He has seen his shadow 102 times and not seen his shadow 17 times (there are 9 years missing on record).  
• Accuweather reports that Phil is 80% accurate with is predictions.
• Groundhog Day celebrates the mid-point between winter solstice and spring equinox.
• A groundhog is another term for a woodchuck.

Another topic we spent a lot of time on during week 5 was Super Bowl science.  Unfortunately, my beloved Seahawks choked and lost the Super Bowl.  But, I got school credit for watching it because it was a real-world application of sports science and physics.  For our Super Bowl science, I learned about Roman Numerals, the physics of football, g-force, Newton's Laws of Motion, and concussions.

Here are some interesting facts I wrote down:

• The average defensive back in the NFL can produce up to 1,600 pounds of force when tackling.
• Virginia Tech studied the g-force (gravitational force) on players in the NFL by putting sensors and wireless transmitters into helmets.  They routinely recorded g-forces of 100Gs, and occasionally forces up to 150Gs.  
• An F16 jet roll produces g-forces of 9Gs.
• A concussion happens at 100Gs.

Here is a video I liked from You Tube that explains the g-force and physics of a football tackle.

Another big thing that I learned in week 5 was how to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators.  I spent a lot of time with my mom on Kahn Academy and IXL.  I got it down now.  Here is what took up the rest of the week:

• Continued reading Sign of the Beaver with my mom.
• Wrote my rough draft persuasive essay on The Revolutionary War.
• Added a bird to my Field Guide.
• Progressed on Code.Org.
• Went to Nature Club and learned about rocks and minerals.
• Read A Dangerous Crossing about John Adams and John Quincy Adams' journey to Europe.
• Watched John Adams on HBO.

Until next week -

Ollie and Mom

Week Three Review

I started off week three at an all day Junior Rangers camp learning several different ways to start fire.  This is a picture of me starting fire with flint and metal.  I also started fire with a battery, the sun, and a foil bubble gum wrapper.  It was a fun day, and I earned my Deer Badge as a Junior Ranger.

Later in the week, I went to my homeschool nature club at Reed Creek and learned about camouflage and adaptations.  I like the friends I am making in my homeschool group.

Also for science, my mom and I started reading a book about the physics of baseball, called, Why a Curveball Curves.

Here are some interesting scientific facts I learned from the book:

• An increase in bat mass will increase batted ball speed (BBS), but swing speed is a greater factor in increasing BBS.  
• Using Newton's 2nd Law of Motion, scientists have determined that the average pro swing imparts 4,145 pounds of force to the ball, with peak forces up to 8,300 pounds.
• A bat vibrates at multiple frequencies when it collides with a ball.
• You want to hit the ball in the "sweet spot" to transfer energy to the ball instead of down the bat and back through your body.  (That hurts!!!)  
• Scientists have discovered that the sweet spot is between two nodes on the bat.  Node 1 is 6.5 inches from the barrel end, and Node 2 is 4.5 inches down the barrel.  Hit between the two nodes for zero vibration. 
• A 90mph fastball reaches home plate in 400 milliseconds.  The batter has 100 ms to see the ball, 75 ms to identify the type of pitch, 50 ms to decide wether or not to swing, and 25 ms for the brain signal to activate the swing - leaving 150 ms to swing.  That's some quick thinking!

I wrote the rough draft of a report I am doing on Woods Runner.  More on that in Week Four.  Here is the story I wrote using my second round of vocabulary words from Woods Runner:

When I was writing a note, I looked up to find a mercenary staring at me.  When he saw me, he tried to run, but his injured leg abated his progress.  I chased after after him and flung myself on him, tackling him to the ground.  He screamed, "Ouch!  Me leg!"  Upon searching him, I found he was a covert spy intercepting my notes to George Washington.  A dirty scoundrel.  I found one note, and he said he had no others, but I figured he was in for a penny, in for a pound.  I searched again and discovered more notes.  The liar!  He ran away, fearing for his life, but I did not chase him because that horse was gone from the barn.  

I continue to progress on IXL, Kahn Academy, and Code.org.  I watched some more of John Adams.  I wish I could watch it EVERY day, but my mom says no :(  I also played two basketball games.  We won both of them!

Catch my next post about Martin Luther King, Jr., and my I Have A Dream writing assignment.  

Until next time - 

Ollie and Mom

Week Two Review

During week 2 of homeschool I accomplished the following:

• I progressed in Language Arts and Math on IXL and Kahn Academy.  I am reviewing parts of speech and fractions.
• I progressed to Stage 2 Module 7 on Code.org.
• I finished reading Woods Runner, a historical fiction novel about the Revolutionary War.
• I watched April Morning, a fictional movie about the Battles of Lexington and Concord.  I wrote a character review about the movie.
• I started watching John Adams on HBO.
• I continued to read George vs. George with my mom.
• I learned all about the Scientific Method and conducted an experiment with bubble gum.
• I spent a couple of hours as an ornithologist, observing birds in their natural habitats.
• I learned 5 new words and wrote a story about The American Revolution using the words.
• I began to research Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for a project I am working on this week.
• I planned a 3 course meal, did the shopping, and made the meal for my family and friend.
• I played in two basketball games.

Here is my character review on the movie April Morning, featuring the actors Tommy Lee Jones and Chad Lowe.  The movie can be found on Netflix.

I watched a movie called, April Morning, about the battle in Lexington that started The Revolutionary War.  My job is to write two character traits about the two main characters in the movie - Adam, and his father, Samuel.  I admire Adam because he is courageous.  When he saw his Dad shot down in front of his face, he continued to fight.  I also admire Adam's respect for life.  He would not kill people unless his life depended on it.  I admire his dad, Samuel, because he let his son go into war.  I thought that was courageous.  I also thought he was honest when he spoke to God.  

Here is my story about The Revolutionary War using my vocabulary words from the historical fiction book I read, Woods Runner.  

George Washington was a sensible leader.  His keen spies won the war with their tactics.  A lot of people suffered anguish during The Revolutionary War.  The Rebels had to contemplate life and death, and liberty and justice, during the war.  Marauding Redcoats and Hessians killed a lot of innocent civilians.  

Here is an updated log of the birds I have seen as an Ornithologist:

On Friday, I got to go the Savannah River and Augusta Canal with my Dad to observe birds.  I saw a lot of water and land birds.  My favorite bird I saw was the Great Blue Heron.  This next week in school I will have to learn about all these birds and add them to my Field Guide.

Signing Off,
Ollie and Mom