BIO: EYH Ecology - The Genius of Graeme Base #2 and a Refreshing Final Project

At first glance, you probably won't know how the following three items go together.

These three items did come together nicely, however, for a fun lesson. 

Odzala is a national park in the Republic of the Congo. The video we watched centered on a water hole within Odzala, which they call a bai. I had purchased Graeme Base's The Water Hole at the same time I purchased his other books and had been saving it for this unit. With the video using the word bai repeatedly, I wondered if that's where the name for the "new" Bai drinks came from. We'd never had Bai drinks before, so I purchased some to sample as a nice Eat Your Homework addition.

It turns out that bai is the Mandarin Chinese word for "pure" and it's also an acronym for botanical antioxidant infusions. That's what Bai, the company, has to say about it. The drinks are an interesting thing to learn about in and of themselves, and they fit right in with our ecology unit because a main ingredient of Bai drinks is coffeefruit--the part of the plant normally tossed as waste after coffee beans are taken out of the middle of the fruit. 

Anyway, this is how things went:  We watched the video and talked about our thoughts and reactions (because there are some unexpected things you learn relating to some animal's behavior).  A couple of days later we reviewed some things, including the word bai. The bai in Odzala is of course a very important source of nourishment for the animals there, and not just because they need water but because of what is growing in and around that water for food. I pulled out the Bai drinks I'd purchased and told them about my word association and what I'd learned about the drinks. Then, while sipping our nourishing, refreshing Bai drinks, I read aloud The Water Hole.

The Water Hole is, first and foremost, a visually delicious picture book. Base is a wonderful artist and a genius with clues, mysteries, and hidden pictures. The Water Hole is also a counting book, but we of course didn't need to use it for that. I used the book as a little test. We were nearing the end of our unit and in the background of each two-page spread is a geographical clue. My test for the kids was to see if they could name the biome and the location on the planet that each of these pictures represented. It was a fun little activity and they passed with flying colors. (They later examined the book individually, looking for the hidden animals.)

This segued into my assigning them their final project for the unit. Each was to choose a country--any country--and create a PowerPoint on that country from an ecological view. What biome(s) make up that country? What makes up the wildlife? How does it affect agriculture, industry, economy? What are people's lives like as a result? I required a minimum of 10 slides. Later, after each did the research and made their slide shows, they presented them to the family.

BIO: Ecology - Creating Mini Biomes

It would be awesome to have the budget to travel to every single biome in the world during a unit on biology/ecology. You can fake that with a trip to some top notch zoos or aquariums (14 thumbs up and a van-full-loud "Huzzah!" for Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in Nebraska in that respect--plus, it's just our favorite zoo).

You can also get up close and personal with identifying and matching plant and animal life to their proper biomes by creating miniature ones at home. 

For our unit, we created two:  a desert and a rainforest. Our local Walmart had an impressive variety of plants from all over the world, many of them identified by country. I had my kids go through all their old toys to find plastic animals and separate them into like ecosystems. (There were a few that we weren't sure exactly what they were so that made for some bonus research.) 

For the desert we used an old, large glass bowl. We put a layer of rocks on the bottom for drainage, then used some soil especially for cactus and succulents. No one wanted to chance touching the cacti, so I got to sacrifice for science. Lo and behold, some cactus plants have spines even in their roots, so this proved trickier than I thought. I did end up with bits of spine stuck in my fingers, but I lived.

The cool thing about creating a mini rainforest is that if you do it right, you get to watch the water cycle in action and you really do have a rainforest. I purchased a medium-sized, inexpensive glass aquarium to do this in but you could use anything clear that you can seal off, including a soda bottle. I just wanted it on a larger scale. Select your plants based on type, but also find varying sizes to represent the forest floor, the understory, the canopy, and an emergent tree. Again, we put a layer of rocks on the bottom for drainage, then I used just regular potting soil with fertilizer in it. We planted our flora, placed the fauna, and then thoroughly watered the soil. After that we put the cover over the aquarium. (Depending on the type or fit of your cover, you may need to use packaging tape to help seal it better.) We put it near a sunny window.

We didn't have to wait long for evaporation and transpiration to begin. That was followed by condensation... and "rain."

After a few days it's a good idea to take the top off and let some fresh air circulate. When you do this, let your kids get their faces and hands inside. It will smell and feel like being in a jungle!

Look! Raindrops on our plants!

We let ours air out for a while then we put the cover back on and watched it happen all over again.

BIO: Ecology - For Little Learners

One reason I have stuck with unit studies over the years is that it allows our family to "be on the same page," as in studying the same topic together, while adapting for different ages and stages. 

Regarding the topic of Ecology, Animal Friends is a great introduction for younger children. They will easily see how each animal has its own habitat and diet needs and it will segue beautifully into learning about habitats, ecosystems, and biomes on an elementary scale.

BIO: Ecology - Current Events

Newspapers are another great resource for unit studies.  In just the course of a couple of months there was an abundance of current events directly related to our unit and I shared them with my kids, following that up with a discussion when the topic led to one.

New Tiny Frog Species Found in India

New "Ant-Like" Bee Species Only in Western U.S.

"Feral Hog Apocalypse" in Texas

Wisconsin Hunter of Feral Cats a Target

Hundreds of North American Bees Face Extinction

Rusty Patched Bumblebee First to Be Endangered

Want Ad for Python Killers in Florida

Federal Cyanide Trap in Idaho Injures Boy, Kills Dog

Family Speaks Out After Cyanide Bomb

Cyanide Bombs Common in Utah and West

Group Asks for Idaho Ban on Cyanide Bombs

Utah Prairie Dogs Have Their Day in Court

China's Massive Pollution Problem

China Exports Pollution to Western US

(These last two aren't as current as far as publication goes. I looked them up, having remembered reading about it before.)

BIO: Ecology - Resources

I am often asked how I put my unit studies together, or what they look like. In an effort both to share that information and to keep better personal records on resources we've used, I've put together a fairly comprehensive list of the books, videos, and websites we used in our latest Ecology unit study. There is a good chance I have missed a book or site or two, but I've kept track of probably 95%.

These first three books we learned from together as I read them aloud. It's a good idea for every unit study to have at least one read aloud. The Last Egret is a true story from the journals of Charlie Pierce, written in an adventurous chapter book.

As you'll see later, chapter books/read alouds are accompanied by stacks of nonfiction. This particular unit was geared toward kids between the ages of 12 and 17. Some things were a bit over the 12-year-old and I adapted them. I did use some picture books; I value them and they work. Assignments and discussions then are tailored to ages and capabilities, obviously going deeper and expecting more from older kids.

We are so blessed in this era to have easy and free access to fabulous video content. YouTube has enhanced unit studies tenfold! Though not everything of value is there (like Planet Earth, which I highly recommend) there is a wealth of goodness to be found there, such as the video below.

Colleges and universities have put a wealth of information and educational resources on the Internet, along with high school teachers, museums, foundations, etc. They often have pages for children with games, video, worksheets, experiments, slide shows, and more. I definitely like using those. I was super excited to find ProCon.org, too, and will probably use it for critical thinking, debate and discussion on other topics. For this unit, we discussed at length the arguments ProCon had on Climate Change.

Without further ado, here is the full list of  Ecology resources we used.

Books

Ecology from DK Eyewitness Science

Ecology and Plant Life, A Prentice Hall Illustrated Dictionary

Water, a Natural History by Alice Outwater

Wetlands (Learning About the Earth) by Holly Endres

Biomes - Wetlands by Duncan Brewer

Welcome to Everglades National Park by Nadia Higgins

Let's Take a Trip--The Everglades by Cheryl Koenig Morgan

Everglades by Jean Craighead George

Deadly Waters:  A Mystery in Everglades National Park by Gloria Skyrzynski **

Last Egret:  The Adventures of Charlie Pierce by Harvey E. Oyer III **

The Great Salt Lake by William Lee Stokes

Seductive Beauty of Great Salt Lake by Ella Sorensen

Forest (FL Inside Guide) by David Burnie

There's an Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead George **

The Book of North American Owls by Helen Roney Sattler

Biomes Atlases Tropical Forests by Tom Jackson

Animal Homes by Tammy Everts and Bobbie Kalman

DK Animal Homes by Barbara Taylor

Who Really Killed Cock Robin? An Eco Mystery by Jean Craighead George **

The Amazing Honey Bee from Reading Discovery Nature Series

The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons

Several various pamphlets on pollination and properties of honey from local honey specialty store

The Water Hole by Graeme Base

A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry

National Parks Coloring Book by Peter Copeland

Rangers Activity and Sticker Book from the National Park Service

The Story of Smokey Bear by Robin Bromley

**Fiction/Chapter Book based on ecological principles

Video

Planet Earth from BBC

Nature Works episodes from New Hampshire Public Television

Nature Boom Time episodes from National Geographic Kids

Burmese Pythons in Florida

Eden at the End of the World - National Geographic

Odzala:  Islands in the Forest - National Geographic

USEPA videos

We're Even Polluting Space

Websites and Online Articles

Instant Hawaii - Meddling with Mongoose

Silent Spring information

History of DDT

Polychlorinated Biphenyl information

Monocultures and Affect on Bees

How a Bee Sees Flowers

Rainforest Foundation

Rainforest Alliance for Kids

Missouri Botanical Gardens - Biomes

Biology Junction Ecology Unit

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences - Environment & Ecology

Pro & Con Arguments of Climate Change

Graph of Earth's Temperatures for Past 2000 Years

History of the Environmental Protection Agency

Illegality of Beekeeping in Utah

What To Do Guides for Kids' Problems and Emotions

A big shout out to my friend, Audrey, for telling me about these books!

There is actually a whole series of these books written by Dawn Huebner, Ph.D., a "clinical psychologist in Exeter, New Hampshire, specializing in the treatment of children and their parents." (Because parents are part of the equation!) While the books say they are written for children ages 6-12, I've found the simple, straightforward, honest presentation good for older kids and myself as well. It is written in a way that children totally understand the concepts and it gives parents a vocabulary to have in common with their children in trying to help them (and themselves!) overcome challenges.

There are drawing activities inside that are probably helpful for younger children but feel too elementary for older ones. Some of these things we skip over because they are super obvious, some things I adapt into more of a writing exercise, and some things we just talk about. Because there are truths in these books, they lend themselves to coinciding with scripture, also, which we find to go along. I feel like I've been able to have some very good one on one discussions with family members as a result of reading these books together, and I've also had some introspective moments reflecting on my own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Daily Morsels - Idioms and Mnemonics

So, it's past the middle of April and we are finally wrapping up a unit that was supposed to be over and done months ago.  What can I say?  Missions, holidays, a wedding, illnesses, and the beginning of baseball season thwarted my plans coming and going. And yet, I think we ended up with a much better "final product." Our unit never stopped, it extended. When I couldn't fight the interruptions, and when time constraints in the middle of interruptions forced me to come up with additional things to not waste what time we had (and, I admit, as I found new resources that intrigued me in my search), the result was a longer but deeper, richer, more comprehensive unit. So, while we are "behind schedule," I'm not going to complain because I'm happy with what we did.

Now, however, with the changing of unit studies, I'm revamping our whole day. (That comes with baseball season as well because our school day hours are fewer. Still plenty, but every afternoon and evening is full.) Today I began a new daily morning routine that sees the addition of idioms and knowledge mnemonics.

As a never-to-recover bibliophile I purchase books faster than I can read or use them. I do get frustrated when I come across a book I either forgot I had, or that I meant to use and didn't get to. These are two books that have been collecting dust on my shelves for years and I do value them and want to put them to use, thus the now daily morsels. Bit by bit we'll consume these and I think it will be perfect because we can savor each little bit. We won't be overwhelmed with information, our daily routine will be enriched, and taking it one little thing at a time will help us remember.

There is also daily reinforcement:  Each idiom will need to be used in a sentence three times to demonstrate understanding, and depending on the information in the mnemonics, a writing or recitation exercise will follow up each day. 

Today's idiom was "ace up your sleeve" and the mnemonic was how to spell accommodate (always remember, you must accommodate two Cs, two Ms, and an O after each.) I guess you could say that I forgot I had these aces up my sleeve and now I will accommodate them and we'll all be winners!

Learning the Ways of Jesus - Pictures for Primary

The Primary Sharing Time theme for April this year is "Jesus Christ Teaches Me to Choose the Right." Choristers are to choose a song appropriate to the theme. I will be teaching "I'm Learning the Ways of Jesus" by Janice Kapp Perry. This is a song published in the Friend magazine in 2010. You can find sheet music here. 

I love this song! As nice as "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" is, I prefer this song for this year as it recognizes and mentions choice in the lyrics and that fits so well with the "Choose the Right" theme of 2017. Further, this song is much more specific in how to be like Jesus and what His ways are.

Here is a video of the song from the Church's website:

To teach the song to my Primary children, I've prepared two banners per verse with pictures and lyrics. Using a roll of banner paper from Walmart, I cut four lengths and put four pictures on each banner, writing the words that accompany each picture with poster markers below. (I do like to mix things up with flip charts, banners, posters, actions, chalkboard drawings, etc. for learning words to songs. Sometimes flip charts frustrate me, though, because the printed words are often not big enough for children sitting in the back to see.) For the final "I try every day to give love away. I'm learning the ways of Jesus" lines, I didn't reprint; I will just point back to the previous pictures and words.

I spent a long time hunting for just the right pictures to use so I thought I'd share them here in case anyone wants to teach this song to Primary children or their own children, whether as a part of homeschool or in Family Home Evening or whatever.

I'm learning each day to be caring and kind.

I think of good deeds in my heart and my mind.

I try every day to give love away.

I'm learning the ways of Jesus.

So if I see someone who's lost or afraid,

I'll offer to help. That's a choice I have made.

Or if I see someone who just needs a friend,

I'll speak to them kindly and spend time with them.

I try every day to give love away.

I'm learning the ways of Jesus.

I'm learning each day to be friendly and fair.

I try to help others; I willingly share.

I try every day to give love away.

I'm learning the ways of Jesus.

So if I see someone who can't walk or run,

I'll think of some ways I can help them have fun.

Or if I see someone who can't see or hear,

I'll tell them that I'll be their eyes or their ears.

I try every day to give love away.

I'm learning the ways of Jesus.