Teddy Bears

It was the build-a-bears birthday on the 15th. We read the story of Theodore Roosevelt and why teddy bears were named after him.

Anna was at our house for the week. The kids planned a party for the bears.
-Ezra was in charge of the food. He drew pictures of pizza, fruit, orange juice, and a beehive cake.
-Anna was in charge of the games. She drew pictures of musical chairs, a basket game, the train game, and the spiderman game.
-Livi wrote invitations and drew pictures on them.
The bears arrived and the kids took over. They explained the games to the bears and helped them play. They did a great job. It was really fun.

Tractors

We want to know:
how the battery is made
what they are used for
what the motor looks like
how they make them

We want to:
build a farm with blocks and tractors
do a tractor hunt

We learned that:
tractors pick up stuff
the tractor that was getting our weeds was a farmer tractor
there is a tractor that can get hay in big huge balls
they are so cool that someday I'm going to fall on the couch

Skunks

We want to know:
-where they live
-what they eat
-when they spray
-what they do and how active they are
-can they use their hands?
-how stinky is their smell
-why do they make holes to live in
-how do skunks use their paws to pick up stuff


We did:
-a smell test
-a coloring page with facts
-the kids were skunk detectives
-we wathced a video clip about skunks
-sang the skunk song
-said, "I 1 a skunk, I 2 a skunk, etc, up to I 8 a skunk. Ewww!"

We learned:
-the skunks ate snakes
-they spray when they feel threatened
-first they growl

Panda Bears

We want to learn
what's inside their bodies
what's under their fur
how many bones do they have
what do they eat
where do they leave

We can
go on a bear hunt
make panda bear puppets
make a puppet show

We found out
they eat only bamboo shoots and leaves
only about 1000 in the wild
one of the rarest mammals in the world
they live in China
they eat fast and it takes them 12 hours a day
only digests 1/5 of the food
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/panda/
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giant_panda.html

What we did
-We went on a bear hunt in the bathroom
-ate bamboo, Ezra, Dad, and Mom liked it, Livi didn't even taste it
-ate panda licorice only Dad liked it
-made panda puppets had a puppet show

Puppet Show
N-I'm sad and lonely, I'm going to eat bamboo
L- Oh, I'm going to have my baby
E- Yeah, it's my birthday
L- I'm only going to take care of you for one year

Horses

We want to know
-how to care for a horse
-how much it costs
-how much time it take to to care of it
-what shape horses are, learn about their bodies

What horses need
-they need to be fed twice a day
they eat hay, grass, apples, etc
-water, clean water source
-need a place to run around
-protection from rain, cold, and sun
-they grow extra hair in the winter to keep them warm
-need exercise and grooming

Our horse (rocking bear upstairs)
-named Crystal, she brown, has a different color brown on her nose
-she is 20, she's never had a baby, but she's going to have one soon
-she's along because she's about to have her baby, if she was with other horses they might hurt the baby
-even though she's pregnant, we can still ride her

Our responsibilites to Crystal
-keep toy room clean this week, so she can exercise
-feed and water her twice a day
-brush her once a day, clean her feet
-exercise her every day

Movies

Final Movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuo_mcRHDjk

We want to know:
-how are movies made
-make our own movie

Steps
-Screenplay: write the story
-Directing: decide the actors, make changes
-Camera Angles: decide how close or far the cameras need to be
-Producer: decide the money, hear the problems and complaints
-Acting: Actors have to understand their roles and practice
-Shooting the Film: costumes, sets, make-up
-Film Jargon: quiet on the set, takes
-Edit: cut and piece things together
-Record onto DVD

Movie Ideas
-horses
-dinosaurs
-baseball
-monsters
-school
-Italy
-superheroes

Final Movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuo_mcRHDjk

Princess - Livi
Prince - Ezra
Bad Guy - Noah
Lost Puppy - Sammy

Scene 1
outside by the garden and the dungeon
Prince and Princess find a lost puppy
Princess: This puppy is so cute. I wonder where it came from.
Prince: I know who it belongs to. It belongs to the bad guy.
Bad Guy: Don't play with my puppy. He captures the princess and locks her in the dungeon.

Scene 2
outside on the porch and by the dungeon
Prince: I must rescue the princess
Bad Guy: No you can't
Prince: flies through the air,
runs to save her, but he can't unlock the gate, uses his super powers and tells the gate to dissolve, he saves the princess
Princess: Thank you prince

Costumes
Power Ranger Costume
Pink Dress
Black Spiderman
Puppy Costume

Baseball

We want to learn
-how they make all the baseball equipment
-how they built the ball
-who the first person to play baseball
-rules of the game

-Play the Game
-Go to a Game

We learned:
-a version of baseball was played in England in the mid-eighteenth century. It became very popular in America and became the national sport
-for a video on how baseballs are made: http://videosift.com/video/How-baseballs-are-made

We went to a city youth baseball game.
A- Some people didn't hit the ball, that's called a strike.
E- One was a red team and one was a blue team
L- When they are supposed to change, they have to make a plan.