Fall Week(s)

Well our study of fall has continued for several weeks. Sadly, this does not mean we have studied more on the subject but rather that we slowed in our subject studies in favor of some other projects that were happening. Instead of schoolwork we frequently found ourselves outside the house enjoying adventures in Crossfit workouts (mama tried a week free at the gym and tried to take as full advantage of the week as she could) and writing projects needing to be turned in to writing group.

This is not to say, however, that we got no schoolwork done. We went for walks in the neighborhood and the park in search of the very best fall leaves. As we walked we talked about what happens in the fall, how the weather changes (Jonas remarked that he felt like it was getting cold enough for snow soon), how the leaves change color and fall, how some trees’ leaves don’t change color or fall at all… etc. Arriving home the first time from our walk we left the leaves on the table with the intention of pressing them for keeping. Unfortunately we then forgot all about them and we learned about the science of how leaves change and become brittle when they dry out. This experience led us to another walk for leaves which we immediately followed up by pressing them in wax paper for the window. Jonas split his leaves into two separate window displays so that he could send one to Great Grammy. He has had a wonderful time lately describing this and that Great Grammy has done or taught him. His imagination creates some wonderful stories that we will have to share with Great Grammy.



With the leaves that he sent to Great Grammy he also sent a card in which he practiced some of his writing. He attempted to copy: To Great Grammy. Love, Jonas. Mostly he succeeded.

Also in the past couple of weeks Jonas has done several more fall math sheets including a maze (Ronan did one too), he has practiced the letters T, and R, and written the word Fall. He is now practicing the letter E and the sound that the letters ‘ee’ make together so that he can identify them later in his reading. I have decided to focus on no more than one letter a week. Jonas will, perhaps, write more than one letter but we will focus on the sound(s) that that one letter makes and find words that begin with that letter all week long. Then move on.

In movement we are working on tumbling and handstands (something mama recently rediscovered!). Also, the boys like the idea of Zumba so much lately that I thought I’d teach them the dance for one of their favorite Zumba songs “Hella Decale” by DJ Mam’s. It should be loads of fun for all of us. And what could be more “fall” than moving a huge pile of wood into the wood shed? Ronan came up with a great idea to help. He brought over his dump truck and used it to carry a few pieces at a time.

Our biggest scientific moment of the past two weeks had absolutely nothing to do with the fall. We went to the Seattle Aquarium with Kimberly for a special event involving sea stories/songs for small children. On the way there Jonas turned to me and said that he had a difficult question for me. He wanted to know how it was that starfish had eyes attached to their arms. I told him that that sure was a difficult question but that I thought perhaps he might be able to ask someone when we were there. So after our sea story about the unusual clam called the “gooey duck” (or the Geoduck as Wikipedia tells me) we went to see the starfish. Jonas asked a volunteer his question about starfish eyes and the man was blown away! He told Jonas he was absolutely right. Starfish do indeed have something like eyes at the tips of their arms. These eyes are really light/dark sensors that tell the sea star whether it’s night or day. He pointed out the “eyes” on a bigger sea star showing us that they were the tiny little pinprick of red at the very tip of the star’s arms. I never knew that!



We are not quite done with the fall yet as there is so much to study! So as we continue for the third week we are studying trees. After that it’s Samhain and other late October/early November holidays!