Home Learning Week 34: Castles, Planting Veggies, Long and Short "a", Butterfly Release, Banana Smell, Estimating Sum and Difference, Drawing v Colouring, Horrid Henry, Poppy Seed Pasta Salad, Pond Water 2, Trike Planter, Lush Gift Card, Beekeeping

May 22-26, 2017

Reading, Mind Map,Writing: Castles

Using encyclopedia to create mind map for sentence/paragraph writing; printing the letters on the line (no floating letters)

Melissa: We're going to learn about castles.

AZ: Woo! I would like to live in a castle!

Gardening

Planting Vegetable Seed

Removing rocks and sticks, marking a row, planting seed, covering with soil, watering, visiting with friend

The poisonous mushrooms are like, "Can I join in?" Well, no you can't, 'cause something is growing on top of you: beets!

Worm Composting, Hardening Off

Discussion, demonstration: worm composting, hardening off, rainwater

22! It's close to summer so we have both the windows down!
Summer lets everything grow. If you need lots of sun, no problem! The sun will do that for you!

Observing garden plants growing; watering; recognizing various types of seeds

We're going to have so much fun with this thing! I just got busted - thanks a lot, hose! It's a rainbow!
I'm excited to see what the seeds look like. Where did they got them?

Spelling: Short and Long "a"

Differentiating between short and long "a" sounds; applying spelling rule: adding "e" at the end of a word turns short "a" to long "a"

Science, Math - Butterfly Release

Using addition to calculate how many there were to begin with

9 are alive and 3 died. How many did we start with? 9 + 3 =
12! We started off with 12 of them!

Releasing butterflies; observing their flight and where they land

You kinda have to encourage them to fly!

Observing and investigating dead butterfly and half-emerged chrysalis; Internet research

What's this kinda dirty stuff? There's some dust. It's kind of soft-feeling.

What? They're cold-blooded? They are not reptiles! What group are they?

Butterflies and moth belong to the order Lepidoptera. Lepidos is Greek for "scales" and ptera means "wing". These scaled wings are different from the wings of any other insects. Lepidoptera is a very large group; there are more types of butterflies and moths than there are of any other type of insects except beetles.

Butterfly Classification- EnchantedLearning.com

www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterflies/Classification.shtml

Observing and investigating wasp nest, dead bee, dead wasp; Internet research
Discussion: stressed bees release pheromone with banana smell to alert other bees of threat.
Query: do stressed wasps smell like bananas, too?

Why are bees soft and fuzzy? To collect pollen!

Why do wasps have stingers? Why do they attack on purpose? 'Cause I honestly don't know what to do about that. We're going to complain if this is not working: "gently pushing it away if it is on you".

What happens if you smell bananas? If the neighbours smell bananas it's, like, get into the house! "But why?" Just get into the house! Bees will be like, "Oh no! That bee's in trouble! We're going to sting them!"

I think wasps make a banana smell. They have a chemical called a "pheromone" that tells other wasps there is danger. The other wasps come to help. How do they know where to not get lost?!!

Math - Estimating Sum and Difference

Rounding numbers, then adding or subtracting to estimate answer; understanding and reading number line; writing numbers correctly in columns; noticing, writing and doing correct operation (+ or -)

I'm trying to do this. It's taking an awful long time.

Estimating sum and difference; understanding and reading number line; writing numbers in columns, keeping ones and tens in their correct location; noticing, writing and performing correct operation (+ or -); understanding sums and differences mean the same thing written as a column or in line

Andrew is so kind - he didn't made me have to do the other thing!

Art - Drawing v Colouring

"Trusting instincts" re colour choice - not overthinking

Drawing is like - meh. But colouring is YAY! You have to think about what you're going to draw, but colouring already did it for you, so you don't need to do it.

Reading - Horrid Henry and the Soccer Fiend

Reading out loud for enjoyment and understanding

Vocabulary: bellowed, Ian, Mrs., athletic, athlete, referee, MVP, throttled, thought v though, penalty, hurl, aisle, protested, plaid, earsplitting, glare (v)

M-r-s is missus?
Wow, that's suspenseful!
The book smells nice! Smell it!

It seems like his mom and his dad doesn't agree with him. So, he's kind of a vampire, 'cause he kind of likes black and he kind of likes red.

How did you like this book?
It was fine. Not bad at all.

Who would you recommend this book to?
Owen? He might like it. For boys, I only think. (But) I recommend it for Adriana, 'cause it's a funny book.

Cooking - Poppy Seed Honey Mustard Pasta Salad

Making up a recipe, using what is on hand; adjusting ingredients according to taste

Poppy Seed Honey Mustard Pasta Salad

Mix together with dressing:
Pasta, cooked
Peppers, chopped
Kalamata olives, sliced
Feta cheese - not for AZ!

Dressing - whisk together:
1/4 cup olive oil
Large blob mustard
Large squirt honey or 1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vinegar (we used the juice from pickled onions)
1 tbsp poppy seeds (thanks Madonna House!)
Fresh oregano, chopped
Garlic chives, sliced
2 garlic chive flowers, crumbled
Parsley, chopped
Pepper and salt to taste
Tiny sprinkle of fennel frond, chopped (Let's try it!)
1 forkful pickled onions, chopped

Two thumbs up. Spoon or fork? I'll put a spoon on mine, and you can have a fork. Super good. I'm going to have a little bit more - not a lot - just a little bit more. That's all the amount I'm going to have. Mm mm mm! Fennel is so healthy for you!

Upcoming Field Trip - Maple Wood Farm

If you want to see the mama cow at Maple Wood Farm, go there when you can! There's a special show.

The bunnies are not shy, at all, are they? They're seriously not shy. You can even pick them up and have them in your lap. They say "do not let them out of the barn" - that's all what they said; bunnies are so active. The bunny area is full of poop.

If you're going to make me go to the billy goats, I'm not going there! They chew and they eat your hair - they're disgusting that way!

Science - Pond Water

Learning about freshwater organisms; using a magnifying lens; Internet research
Science Net resources: Virtual pond dip; Pond Life Identification Kit

Ew! Something's growing in there? Should we look it up? Type in "white swimmers".

I don't see anything - I only see pieces of poo. 

Gardening, Recycling - Trike Planter

Using moss from Grandma's garden, basket found in alley, twist-ties from new garden hose packaging and worn out trike to create a flower bed for last year's begonias

How are we going to plant a bicycle? Did you made it up, or is it true? Is this a crow's nest? Why are we using moss?

The mountain bike is my size. It's just a little bit enormously heavy. I probably need a strong person to help me with it, if I needed to carry it up a hill.

Real Life Math: Money - Lush Gift Card

Comparing and evaluating scent, texture, colour, design, function, purpose, ingredients; making a selection

I just like to smell stuff. Let's go straight to the boxes. This one!

Using Cuisenaire rods to figure out how much remaining on $25 gift card after purchasing gift box; finding a product the cost of the remainder; making purchase; reading package labels and lists of gift box contents; learning new vocabulary; sampling products

$25 - $23 = $2  What costs two dollars?

Smelling, comparing, asking questions and discussing answers with staff; sharing opinion/likes/dislikes
Discussion: toothpaste v tooth powder

Oh my god, this one's, like, bling! I want that - that one smells good! Will you help me do it?

Discussion: corn-based packing peanuts disintegrate in water; sampling products

You're environmentally friendly all over here!

Smelling! Comparing; sharing opinions, likes and dislikes; fine motor skills: removing and replacing lids of various types

Kids' noses never get tired of smells. That actually is really nice! I'm going to use a bath bomb tonight. I really want to head home right now.

Thank you, Christie, for the present!

Printing Practice: Symbols 

Practicing dots, circles, straight lines, curved lines and angled lines in various combinations to develop and use legible handwriting to communicate effectively; to develop facility, speed, and ease of handwriting

This is actually fun!

How does that work? How do people do this? It's like a circle, but the line interrupted it!

Science: Beekeeping

Introduction to beekeeping: setting up the beehive, learning to use the smoker, tasting and smelling honey and beeswax; trying on veil

It smells sweet! It tastes like beeswax! So, the honey's going to taste like honey, right? Or is it going to taste like beeswax? It kinda tastes like apple juice, doesn't it? 

***

Everyone has a sad story. Sometimes they're brave enough to tell it to some people.

Other Home Learning Posts

Home Learning, Day 1, Grade 4 - Smoothie, Recycling Rigid or Soft Plastic, Transfer Station, Compost

Home Learning - Week 2 Chai, Fruit Fly Trap, Garden Kiosk, Albinism

Home Learning - Week 3 Apple Taste Test, Gymnastics, Back Brace, Subtraction

Home Learning - Week 4 Subject/Predicate, Squash, Mint/Calendula Face Mask

Home Learning - Week 5 Slugs, Radish, Mushrooms

Home Learning - Week 6 Thanksgiving, Earthquake Kit, Soaring Eagle

Home Learning - Week 7 BC, +/- 1, Braces, Bees, Rain Water

Home Learning - Week 8 Pizza, Alberta, Halloween

Home Learning - Week 9 Dogs, Earrings, Adding White

Home Learning - Week 10 Christmas List, Cupcake Face Mask, Green Poodle

Home Learning - Week 11 Mango Lassi, Saskatchewan, 10 Partners, Cat

Home Learning - Week 12 Bees, World Book, Lip Balm, Seeds

Home Learning - Week 13  Memory, Sewing, Back Brace Adjustment

Home Learning - Week 14 Snow,  Salad, SPCA, Manitoba, Bison

Home Learning - Week 15 Christmas, Manure, Evil Sister

Home Learning - Week 16 Gerbil, Slime, Hummingbirds, Cocoa

Home Learning - Week 17 Ontario, Apple Taste Test, Denim Purse

Home Learning - Week 18 Thank You Notes, Math Without Help, Term Two Reflection

Home Learning - Weeks 19+20 Nerd Outfit, Quebec, Birthday

Home Learning - Week 21 Emotions, Ordering Numbers, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Soaring Eagles #4

Home Learning - Week 22 Valentine's Day, Science World, New Brunswick

Home Learning - Week 23 Worried, Adding Tens, Nova Scotia, Science World #2, DIY Lip Gloss Soap

Home Learning - Week 24 Real-Life Math, Nap, Lonely, Wolfdogs, Spring, Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Home Learning - Week 25 Schedules, Yukon, Pysanky, Bank Machine, Regrouping, Loved, Term 3 Reflections, Soaring Eagles #5

Home Learning - Week 26 Rotten Food, Embarrassed, Newfoundland and Labrador, Can Opener, Skating, Teacher Screecher, Rain Water, Slugs, Word Search

Home Learning - Week 27 Cheer, Fish, Digit Sequences, Spelling "ea", Sad, Spring 2, Matching Pictures, Butterfly Books, Math Review, Private Questions 2

Home Learning - Week 28 I Spy; Subtraction of Numbers Larger than 19, without and with Regrouping; Spelling "ee"; Frustrated; Ancient Greece; Nunavit; Quinoa Veggie Salad; Cat Whiskers; Dog Biscuit; Butterfly Cage; Baby Alive Food DIY

Home Learning - Week 29 Kitchen Scraps, Northwest Territories, Butterflies, Fort Langley, Bike Riding, Estimation, Helpful, Banana Orange Smoothie

Home Learning - Week 30 Watermelon, Money, Tired, Butterflies, Handsome Warren, Catnip, Water Measurement, OT Assessment 2, Rounding, Contractions, Silly, Soaring Eagles 6

Home Learning - Week 31 Ella Enchanted, Butterflies 3, Money, Story of Life 1, Watermelon 2, Sweet Pea, Tomatillo, Disappointed, Visual Memory, Adding Tens, Garden Beds, Muffins, Thank You to Carol, Contractions 2, Butterfly Cage, Ken

Home Learning - Week 32 Encyclopedia Brown, 41st Ave., Money, Chrysalides, OT Assessment 3, 600 Million Years, Mishka, Related Tens, Round-Offs, QE Park, Mother's Day Card, Acting and Dancing

Home Learning - Week 33 Butterflies, Estimating Sum and Difference, Thailand, Money Book, 600 Million Years 2, Library Holds, Mara the Meerkat Fairy, Soaring Eagle 6
Home Learning - Week 34 Castles, Planting Veggies, Long and Short "a", Butterfly Release, Banana Smell, Estimating Sum and Difference, Drawing v Colouring, Horrid Henry, Poppy Seed Pasta Salad, Pond Water 2, Trike Planter, Lush Gift Card, Beekeeping
Home Learning - Week 35 Money, 600 Million Years 3, Long and Short "e", Cirque de la Symphonie, Farm Visit, Sharks, Appropriate Questions, Microscope, Pandora, Telling Time, Estimation, Cheer

Leah's Good Notion: Polyester Double-Knit at OSF this Sunday, October 16, 2016

Best-ever selection of 100% easy-care, wash-and-wear, non-breathing, abrasive-textured, double-knit polyester from the time of the Beatles. In hopeful colours and prints.

$5/m

Sunday October 16, 2016
10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Our Social Fabric
340-1275 Venables Street
Vancouver, BC

To the New Owner - Knobs, Garden, Garage

Dear Mr. Cheung,

I hope the renos are going well, and you're able to move in before school starts.

I took the knobs from the kitchen cabinets - I hope that's OK. I wasn't sure what you were planning to do with them, but I figured they would likely be chucked. If they are wanted, please let me know and I'll return them. 

I hope you found the note on the wall from a friend who has use for some of the old cabinets. If you pass them along to her I will give her the knobs, as well.

 I ran out of time to find new homes for the swing set and playhouse, but I am still getting Craigslist replies and several people are interested. How should I respond? Are you OK with me giving them away, and if so, how should we arrange this?


You mentioned there was no rush to take the garage wood. I've got the Beaumont sign, seven floor boards, window and door, and I'll be back for more before the building is demolished; please tell me when that will be, and if you would like me to inform you before I come.

I'm glad to know you and your son are planning to work the garden. I hope you will look out your kitchen window every morning and smile: there's something new and good out there everyday.

Most of the plants are orphans from houses torn down in the neighbourhood, and some - like these evergreens - were nearly dead when I found them - but the big rhododendron, apple tree, and lilac are original to the house. 

I assumed you would want a double garage, and the apple and rhododendron would have to go; it's great this is not the case. They are very old, and both worth saving: the rhodi - which my family calls the "Shooting Tree" - gives a spectacular display of massive, shocking pink clusters in May that lasts for a couple of weeks. My children both loved to climb in it.

The apples are good for eating, but best for apple sauce, crisp or juice. This year's batch is excellent. The rest will be ready to pick within the next week. If you don't plan to use them, would you mind if I take them? I'd hate to see them go to waste. They can also be donated to the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project Society, who sends volunteers to harvest unwanted fruit, and shares it with community groups.

When the lilac is blooming try to be outside at 7 PM - it smells heavenly! Same thing with the phlox, near the kitchen window, which is flowering right now.

Another of the special plants is this Japanese Maple - a gift from my mother on my 40th birthday. I'll miss it the most. There was a pear tree in its place when we arrived, but I had it removed before I knew what a treasure it was. The maple makes up for it, though; I hope you will enjoy it. It is wonderful in the Spring and Fall, when the leaves are red or changing, and it gives the perfect amount of shade for a picnic. Give it a light pruning once a year to keep it off the house.

The foxglove pops up in different places each year, but only blooms the second year. Bees love it. I can show you what the babies look like, so you won't accidentally rip them out before they get a chance to flower, like I did until I realized they weren't weeds. There are several colours, and they self-seed freely; most came from the neighbourhood, but the best are the strawberry foxglove ("Merton's", above), from my mother's garden. They stay tidy even after they bloom.

The mop head hydrangea, near the kitchen window, practically glows in the evening - check it out just after sunset. This is the first year it has blossomed; it was rescued from a demolition site about four years ago, near Jericho beach, and is a stunner. It will fill in the whole corner, eventually. All four hydrangeas will need pruning in the Spring.

There are five beautiful rhododendrons, all different, including a rare purple dwarf. The one in the East garden (above) is healthy, but has never bloomed. I would love to know what colour it is, if you ever find out.

Nothing survives in the "Rincon of Death" except morning glory and campanula. Beware: if you don't keep on top of it, the morning glory will take over. Dig it out as soon as you see it, or it will be really hard to control. The garden also has horsetail, dandelion and slugs to watch out for, and the roots from the huge tulip trees on 10th will kill almost anything you plant in the front yard.

I gave all the plants a deep drink before I left; they will need to be watered again soon. You can find water restriction info here. Lawn watering is allowed only on certain days, but you can hand water plants almost anytime. Expect to water every second day in summer; it will take about an hour and a half. 

There's a watering can by the West fence - you'll need it for the clematis under the kitchen window. As well, you'll want a hose long enough to reach the back gate - that part of the garden gets very little rain.

Your garden is too shady for most veggies, but my new yard has lots of sun; I'm making raised beds with the floor boards from the old garage, and pondering where to place the hellebores (above) and ten other plants I removed, as per our agreement.

Your contractor may be right that no plants need to be removed for the new garage, but if past building in the neighbourhood is any indication, you will likely have to take out the lace cap hydrangea (above), sarcococca, Solomon's seal and some ground cover. Thanks for letting me know as soon as possible if this is the case so I can make arrangements to dig them out.

I hope you and your son will love this garden as much as I did. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact me, either for advice or for hire. I charge $45/hr and would be happy to help with maintenance, pruning, deadheading, finishing the front yard, or replanting near your new garage.

Yours truly and all the best,

Leah Price

Divorce: a Waste Audit 3 - the Art Show

Division of Assets - broken crayons, chicken pot pie packaging

From the chaos of divorce, Master Recycler Leah Price creates intelligent, offbeat art from the unwanted, unloved, discarded trash of life; a good-bye to 3642 West Tenth Avenue and hello to unlimited possibilities.

Thursday, July 28 

Friday, July 29

Saturday July 30

4-9 PM

3642 West Tenth Avenue
Vancouver, BC

Admission by donation
Proceeds to the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research

Refreshments will be served

Thought-provoking pieces made entirely from the waste created by one family over six months, during a relentless and slow implosion.

Not Sorry - discontinued medication, excess crayons, broken shoebox

Divorce: a Waste Audit 1 - the New Owner Wants to See the Property

Divorce: a Waste Audit 2 - Garage

Divorce: a Waste Audit 2 - Garage

Hello,

I have an old garage that is being removed to make room for something to keep a car in. It was built somewhere between 1929 and 1960. It is unpainted on the inside, with ancient, flaking, yellow and brown paint on the other. The roof is rotting, but the siding and wood floor are still good. I'll be keeping the door, window and some of the siding - possibly the whole North facade.

Is the wood something you or anyone else might be interested in having? It would have to be removed before the end of July.

Sincerely,

Leah Price

Sadly, he's knocking the garage down right away. I can't blame him - he's right that it's not fit to park a car in. But it is an absolute thing of beauty: the graceful way it slowly crumbles to the earth. The look on his face when I told him this... was I joking or insane?



It took me years to realize it, but I even love the ferns growing out of the roof, the wooden floor the skunks live beneath and the cobwebs. I love the rain pouring in, the paint peeling off, the chunks of roof - thick with wet, soft moss - slowly rotting. The ancient, brittle string still dangling from bent nails in the walls - what used to grow here, on the shady side of the garage, long before the hydrangea? Clematis, perhaps.



For years my husband's uninsured car lived here, thick with dirt and paw prints. When talk of separation began, I started photographing the wonky little building - anticipating the day his car would be gone and mine would be parked in its place. That's how the story would end, I thought; my garage would go on, quietly rotting, until it fell down completely - I only hoped my car wouldn't be in it when it happened.



Part of the sale agreement was that, when the garage was demolished, I could take the "Beaumont" badge, put there two owners before me, the portion of wall behind it, and any plants that would have to go. Mr. Cheung has kindly offered me the whole garage, so I am trying now to find it a home.



A friend wants some siding for an artist friend of his, but so far no one else is interested. If you have use for any of the wood, please let me know - there's plenty to go around.



I signed a lease this week, so it's official: I have a place to live. There's a huge - I mean huge - sunny back yard with an existing, jumbled up veggie garden I'm dying to get my hands on. But there's no shady spot to relax. What if I moved the whole North facade of the old garage to use for this, wouldn't that be cool? The old strings climbing with clematis, and the big lace cap hydrangea - which will surely be removed in the demolition - in its usual place beside the door. The view from my new kitchen window - a little piece of home.



More likely, I'll take the window and the door - and one last picture. The end of the story: a pile of splintered wood where there was once a building, an empty space where there was once a view from the house that was once my home. It's time to go, old garage - I'll smile when I think of you.

Divorce: a Waste Audit 1 - the New Owner Wants to See the Property

Divorce: a Waste Audit - the Show