Turtle Satellite Monitoring - project

An exciting textbook that my children enjoyed was Science and Stories. Giving literature as a springboard, it catapults into the world of many scientific subjects.

 Science and Stories

The children reminded me recently of a project that we had fun with. It was tracking turtles. They wanted to see where 'their' turtle was now!

• They read Turtle Watchers and completed the study guide in the textbook. The textbook also gives other useful resources. 
• Compare sizes of species
• Print out a life cycle of turtles
• Research migrating paths of females
• Choose a turtle to track
• Print a map of your chosen turtle's habitat
• Read Sea Turtles
• Make a New Vocabulary list
• Learn anatomy

Off we went to the natural history museum

As Turtle Watchers is set in the West Indies, the children listened to calypso style music on YouTube, made an authentic menu and learned about the culture.

I'm glad that the kiddos had so much fun, and didn't forget about the project. We are now working on a real-life similar project with our local cetaceans group.

Preparing for Future Life

Education is simply 'preparing for life.'  It can be invaluable if your children can experience a real-life situation. By observation in the workplace, or any particular area where they can really delve into the layers of 'how it works'.

There is no replacement for active involvement. We are very fortunate as home educators, that we may be able to do this so freely.

We were allowed to go along on a real-life archaeological dig

The girls were asked to film and interview the archaeologists 

I have mentioned in past posts about becoming a participant in volunteer work. I suppose this is part of that  - grasping experience to see how things are really done in the big wide world of grown-ups.

The list of places we have taken our children/intend to take at appropriate ages, is something like this:

We visited a lifeboat station while on holiday in Cornwall

We visited a sculptor in her workshop

• Crown court - there just may be a future barrister in our midst, or a member of the jury (in a past life, I was a legal secretary so very interesting for mum too)
• Take part in public meetings

• Livestock market - of particular interest to one of our children who longs to be a farmer
• Day on a friend's farm, 'helping' out - I use the term loosely 
• Visit to a coastguard post - quiz the coastguards, who are usually very talkative, about their job 
• A trip on a fishing vessel or watch the 'catch' being brought to shore - then follow up with a visit to the fish market

Watching the crab fishermen unload their catch

Visiting a dairy

• Any opportunity where a friend can take your older child into their workplace
• Some museums or zoos offer to be a 'worker for the day' - usually for a fee
• Volunteer at a local livery
• Forest 'school'
• Visit an artist's studio
  
• Visit to a fire station
• Visit an auction house
• Visit a place of fine art conservation 
• Go on an archaeology dig
• See how a boat is built or visit a boatyard
• Visit an ice-cream or chocolate factory
• Visit your local recycling plant
• Help at an animal shelter
• Attend military open days
• I'm sure there are many, many more...

Military open day on HMS Pembroke

In order to happily pursue a path in life, we need to know what's out there, and how we can obtain it. If our children have had some insight into at least a tiny part of what makes up the world, then it may help them make an informed career choice or just to be a little better informed.

Visit to an ice cream factory