Rainforest

Well, once again, plans thwarted by real life.  I spent two weeks (about 8 hours/day) working on the house to get some ongoing (think seven years) projects we’ve had undone DONE.   

School got pushed to the side during these two weeks which completely interrupted our rain forest study.   We had two weeks in, then two weeks off, then one final week.  We used our final week to tie up loose ends and to study sloths and manatees (we were fascinated by both!). 

This notebook is huge.  Really huge.  I don’t think we will be doing another themed study in a notebook that’s this size.  I don’t like it when it seems that fillng the notebook seems more important than the actual learning.   This is not the goal!  Even though the notebook has three blank pages and is without a pretty cover, Elijah has learned a TON.   Beyond the pictures of his notebook, he has read dozens of books about the rain forest and rain forest animals.  

Here you can get an idea of just how huge the notebook is

Inside cover

First Page

Layer Puzzle Pieces

Misc. Animals Matchbooks

Close-up of Elijah’s Rhinoceros Beetle (love the drawings kids do in their lapbooks!)

Cats of the Rain Forest

Who Am I?  Close-up

I am a… JAGUAR!

Lepoard Draw Write Now

Plants of the Rainforest

Blue Morpho Butterfly and Vine Poem

Opened Butterfly

Poem

Birds of the Rain Forest

Toucan Draw Write Now

Birds Book Opened

Chocolate Page!  Elijah designed his own chocolate bar.  We went on a fun field trip to a chocolate factory, and we made our own chocolate at home with a kit! 

M and M Graphs

Chocolate Process Sequencing Cards

Sloths

Sloths Page 2

Sloths Draw Write Now

Manatees Page 1

Manatees Page 2

The Amazon River – piranahs and anacondas! 

All Things Bright and Beautiful Copywork with Dover stickers
Elijah designed this all by himself.  I really just need to let go and let him do his own thing!  This is my favorite page in the entire book.