Today at the Zoo

Since it’s Spring Break I took the kids to the Knoxville Zoo!! We had a GREAT time!

Aaron’s favorite animal was the Rosette Spoonbill from Central America because its bill truly looked like a spoon.

Daniella’s favorite was petting two baby camels and a huge bullfrog.

Bethany’s favorite was the bamboo. Once she climbed on the fence to get closer inside.

She loved the cute Red Pandas who ate the bamboo too.

I enjoyed the atmosphere – not the smell, but the clean, free feeling of being outside in a beautiful place with lots of things to see. Also, I was truly amazed at a huge angora rabbit!

I’m looking forward to going back to see the new butterfly exhibit that opens in a few weeks!

Thanks Mom and Uncle Paul!

Asteroid Lapbook

Here is a picture of today’s lapbook page, with the instructions for my Astronomy students:

Starting at the top left Matchbook: Define “hypothesis”

Underneath: Famous Asteroids. If you cut off the name of an asteroid prematurely you may not remember its name. You can google “asteroids,” then click on “images” at the top. You have images of Ceres, Gaspar, Ida, Vesta, Eros, and Kleopatra.

Upper Middle Shutter Fold : Planets that are inside the asteroid belt and closer to the sun are called the inner planets. (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars)

Planets that are outside the asteroid belt and further from the sun are called the outer planets. (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)

Lower Middle Matchbook: An asteroid is usually larger than a … football field!

Top Right Tri-fold with two windows: The Exploded Planet Hypothesis. On the card inside write all you can about this idea. Try to fill up the card.

Lower Right Flap: I trust Jesus with my life because…

In this unit we talked briefly about meteorites hitting the earth. We talked about how the atmosphere and God’s sovereignty protect us. Now it’s time to make a personal declaration of trust in Jesus. No matter what happens in life, He can be trusted!

Many thanks again to Dana C. for her advice.

Meteorite Lapbook Page

There is a great Venn Diagram comparing comets, meteoroids, and asteroids at http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/educators/resources/astronomy/module5/lesson2.asp. Number 2 can be rephrased by adding “Many ‘Old Earth’ scientists believe…”Once again I need to say that without Dana C.’s ideas, this page would still be an idea in my head. Many thanks to her!

Beginning on the left write “asteroids” on the top circle. On the green circle write “meteoroids.” The words on the arrow say “fall to earth” and on the inside yellow circle write “meteorites.”

Where would you find 10,000 meteorites? Antarctica, of course. Students dipped a pencil eraser in brown ink then sprinkled gold embossing powder on while the ink was still wet. Mrs. Rock helped with the hot air gun to complete the embossing process. Fold this in half before you glue it on as it will fold better when you close the Lapbook. I used this map: http://www.map-of-antarctica.us/antarctica-map.gif

Moving to the right is the phrase “come in all sizes.” Tear two shapes from a brown paper bag, squish them into a small ball, fold them and glue them down. You can move the edges of the larger shape towards the middle and make it pooch up. (Interesting word “pooch” since we normally use it to talk about a dog.) Underneath is a rectangle. I prefer that being purple, which is what we used in class. I also prefer the large circle on the left being red. Sometimes it’s hard to see how the colors work until it’s finished. So, on the purple card write “The largest found meteorite was the size of a …” When you open the card there should be a picture of a whale. I chose a funny picture from http://www.abcteach.com/free/w/whale_m.pdf You can draw it or past it in a Word file and shrink it.

I found the link “How to Draw a Cartoon Meteorite” and used it: http://www.drawingtips.net/how-to-draw-cartoons/meteorite.html

Finally, the best part is the scripture, listed below. Each verse is mounted on a green card. If you can think of a more interactive way to use the scripture here it might be better. More discussion at home about falling meteorites and crises in general is in order.

God is a safe place to hide,

ready to help when we need him.

We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,

courageous in seastorm and earthquake,

Before the rush and roar of ocean,

the tremors that shift mountains.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,

God of angel armies protects us.

Psalm 46: 1-2 (The Message)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under

God’s mighty hand,

That he may lift you up in due time.

Cast all your anxiety on him

Because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Happy Lapbooking!

Sorry about the photo – looks like it didn’t load properly.

Edgar Degas and 5th Graders

In Art this week we learned about Edgar Degas and discussed his paintings of ballet dancers and horses.  I asked if everyone knew what jockey is.  The quick answer from our “peanut gallery” was, “Underwear!”

Comet Lapbook

Below is a picture of my first attempt at creating a Lapbook from scratch. My dear friend Dana C. gave me some excellent ideas. Our 5^th grade Astronomy students started this project today and it went very well. Here is the email prayer from Peter B. that made a difference to me: “Lord Jesus, please manifest Your presence and oversee the Lapbook project, which Mrs. Steele is doing as a daring faith adventure intending to enhance both the interest level and the learning of the class. Please cause this to be a success as she fulfills it to please You and bring honor to Your name.”

I hope this section and the two upcoming sections will be meaningful to the seven 5^th graders and help them see God’s hand in the heavens and in their lives.

Since others may be interested in reproducing something like this, here are the words from left to right with colors listed for identification purposes only: Famous Comets (green), What is a comet made of? (purple & orange circles with brad), fingerprint smudge with embossing powder to show parts of comet (change to using white paper inside a brown card), comets can have long, elliptical orbits that are far outside of the planets (blue, metallic yarn around picture of solar system), “shooting stars” are meteor showers (purple), Myth: to the ancients, seeing a comet was a terrible omen (orange/yellow with scriptures inside), the best known meteor shower (green) with info inside, sun on the right (red/yellow or orange) to show the comet’s tail facing away from the sun.

Shooting stars/meteor showers:

Color a white piece of construction paper with a thick layer of crayon. Paint with black tempera paint. After drying, scratch in lines representing a meteor shower.

The best known meteor shower:

The Perseid meteor shower appears to radiate from the border of Perseus and Cassiopeia, peaking on August 12^th every year. The comet responsible for this display is called Swift-Tuttle. This meteor shower is also known as “The Tears of St. Lawrence.” Laurentius was a Christian deacon who was martyred on an iron outdoor stove by the Romans near August 12, 258 AD, at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.

Myth: To the ancients, seeing a comet was a terrible omen.

Inside Truth: Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. Proverbs 3:25 – 26

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 37 – 39)

Happy Lapbooking!

Encouragement For Our Children

The first thing I want you to do is pray.  Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.  Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.  This is the way our Savior God wants us to live….

Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray….

You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching.  Now pass on this counsel to the Christians there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus.  Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion.  Exercise daily in God – no spiritual flabbiness, please!  Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.  You can count on this.  Take it to heart….

Teach believers with your life:  by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.  Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching….

Cultivate these things.  Immerse yourself in them.  The people will all see you mature right before their eyes!  Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching.  Don’t be diverted.  Just keep at it.  Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.

Selected verses from 1 Timothy 2 & 4 in The Message

Why Easter is Early this Year

Easter is early in 2008. Easter is the fulfillment of Passover, so it must occur after Passover. The lunar calendar of the ancient Hebrews determines the date of Passover. We use a Roman calendar, but nevertheless Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox.

Vernal (Spring) Equinox – March 20, 2008

Full Moon – March 21, 2008

Easter Sunday – March 23, 2008

Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22), but that is rare.

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2160. The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you’re 95 or older, you are the only ones who were around for that!).

The next time it will be a day earlier (March 22) will be in the year 2285. The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.

This year is the earliest Easter most of us will ever see!

See http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?p=516075 for info.

Faux Pas at the Theatre

Last night Bill and I took Aaron to see a live Agatha Christie murder mystery at our beloved community theatre. We spent most all of our total budgeted amount for entertainment for the entire month and it was worth it. First we watched the play, and then we got our money’s worth.

Surprisingly, the lead male actor didn’t know his lines! As the third act began he had a script in his lap and kept looking down, eventually reading lines straight off the page. He skillfully slid the paper off his lap onto a side table so he could continue reading the lines as he stood. He was able to do the last act without the script, but waved his hands each time he spoke.

We felt the temperature falling dramatically within the audience. The cast took brave bows at their curtain call, but the applause was short and unenthusiastic. We shook hands with the actors on our way out, but the lead man was not standing with them. Two friends were talking to him separately and he looked fine, but unavailable.

We left and ate doughnuts at Krispy Kremes (as Daniella calls it), and had a great conversation that we’ll remember forever. First, Aaron said how much he enjoyed the play and truly liked it. We agreed and appreciated the actors, the mysterious staging and startling effects.

I suggested that the actor who didn’t know his lines maybe just got the part last week.

Bill said, “I would have come out at the beginning and said, ‘Mr. Blank will be using his script during Act Three. We appreciate his willingness to take on this part.’”

“He may have a learning disability, or a family crisis,” I thought.

Bill said, “That’s something the director would not know until it was too late to make changes. Even so, I would tell the audience at the beginning that Mr. Blank would use his script. If the audience knows what to expect they are okay with it.”

“That’s right!” I said. “Then the cast could support him and overlook the missed lines, being enthusiastic about the good work he was able to do. Then the audience would understand and probably rally around him. That is called GRACE!”

Daniella’s Geometry

“Mom, did you know there is a hexagon in Washington, D.C.?”

Our Lunar Eclipse

We saw it! It was cloudy, but the clouds broke at totality for a gorgeous view! We sat on our cold, back steps and drank hot chocolate. I even found my old Russian hat to wear, which got some laughs from the kids. We didn’t see the turquoise color that is possible at the beginning and ending of totality. We also had trouble seeing “Jack,” but now I see he’s turned so far upside down that I thought his leg was the Sea of Crisis. Maybe I need to get new lenses.

I want to remember:

How Bethany put her head on my shoulder when she looked up

When Daniella called Mamaw, who said she would run outside and check on the eclipse

How Aaron talked with Bill about something he learned at his Blender class earlier

How Bill explained where to find Saturn and Regulus using a clock face

The picture below was taken last night by Jayme Hanzak in Cedar Grove, North Carolina (spaceweather.com). It is exactly what we saw too (of course). I’m thankful someone got a picture from our view so I can ask Mom to put it in the scrapbook for the kids (hint, hint).

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

[Just like the sun] The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple….They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19

I love the Lord Jesus; he is awesome!