How To Fuel Your Child's Obsession - How We Designed an Interest Based Unit Study

Doesn't the word OBSESSION have a negative connotation?  

In general, an obsession is not a good thing, but in homeschooling it can be wonderful! 

My youngest is six.   He LOVES facts.   I know this is common for this age ~ and this is why I feel the Classical model of education is working so well for us.   We are just filling this little guy with facts and he loves it!  He embodies the meaning of "The Grammar Phase"!  He cannot get enough, whether it be about baseball, space, math, or animals.  It seems that we have been obsessed with several things this past year.

I want to tell you about my son's obsession with orangutans and how I facilitated his learning about this cute animal.

It all started when we took a visit to Zoo Atlanta last year. 

I told the children I wanted them each to pick one animal they liked best and we would study it in depth after our zoo trip.  

My son chose the orangutan and my daughter chose the giant panda.  This included me getting them a book about this animal, and GMan suckered me into this adorable stuffed animal, whom he dubbed "Sylvester".    (A friend of ours is a member of the zoo and we got in for free, so I thought I could buy the stuffed animal! I can justify just about anything! ha!)

The first thing we noticed (at the orangutan habitat) was how it was spelled.  You would think (by the way people say it) that it would be spelled with a "g" on the end, but it wasn't. 

I challenged my son to memorize the spelling, and he had it down flat before we left the zoo that day.  He also remember several of the facts we read at the habitat.    The book he chose from the zoo shop was a DK Watch Me Grow book.  They are GREAT for young readers.... just enough information they can read on their own, and the books do not talk down to them.   Would you believe you can read this book for free online at We Give Books?    Not only is it a cool site (take some time to explore it!) but it shows you what the series of books look like. 
 

I can't tell you how many times my little guy read this book and he STILL sleeps with Sylvester.   All of his learning about the Orangutan is cemented in his steel trap of a brain.    We didn't do much written work at all - maybe a little coloring and a word search with orangutan words.   Most of our learning was reading and watching on the computer.   

Some additional extensions on the subject I also found include:  

National Geographic Animals - lots of videos, pictures, and interesting facts

National Geographic Coloring Book - I never knew this existed - it's a great resource!

Animal Planet Animals - while this article is entitled "Surprisingly Human", it provided a good chance for me to talk a little about evolution and creation with my six (and nine!) year olds.

The Sumatran Orangutan Society - a great page with lots of other links for exploration - we talked about WHERE Sumatra is, what continent it is on, etc... Lots of geography here!

As you can see, we developed this into a full fledged unit study for my six year old, all based on an animal he found at the zoo.   Now, how's that for fueling an obsession?   

I'm sure your children have obsessed on something recently.  What was it?  And, what did you do to encourage their obsession?  

Our Furry Friend - Gizmo!

I'm joining The ABCs of Homeschooling!  

  

G is for Gizmo! 

 

Two years ago Miss B had a dream come true - getting her very own dog!   We were lucky enough to find out about an eight year old Shih Tzu who needed a home.   It came as a complete surprise, and I have never seen my daughter that happy.    

He came to us at just the time we were taking Miss B out of school, and I am CERTAIN  he helped ease the transition to homeschooling.   Each day during quiet reading time Gizmo would curl up on the bed and keep her company.  Every afternoon she would take him for a walk or let him run along while she rode her scooter.   If you know anything about Shih Tzus, they are dogs who get easily attached to one person... and Gizmo attached himself to the other eight year old member of our family!  

Two years later and Gizmo is very much a part of our family.   GMan takes him on a walk each morning, and Miss B walks him in the afternoon and is responsible for feeding him.   Not only is great company, but he's brought a lot of fun and joy to my children's lives.

His birthday was last week (10 years old!), so we decided to make homemade dog treats to celebrate!    I found the recipe at Walnut Acre.    It was a great project ... the kids loved it because we could roll the dough out and use our cookie cutters.  We actually made enough dog treats to share with two of our neighbor dogs, too!   

Rolling the dough

Notice the "G" at the bottom!

Gizmo's treat bowl, full of homemade treats

Homemade Dog Treats

1 banana, mashed

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon honey

3 cups whole wheat flour

Mix first four ingredients together. Then add flour and mix well. Roll out to desired thickness and cut into squares or cut into shapes with cookie cutters.

Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 - 40 minutes.

Do you have a pet who is a part of your family?   Leave me a comment and tell me about your special pet.    

Also joining Magical Mouse Schoolhouse for Tiggerific Tuesday!  Looks like fun!

   

Crab Science with Harry

So much of science is OBSERVATION, and that's just what we've been doing with our new pet!

Crab Science:

Scientific classification of hermit crabs:

Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Crustacea
Order: Decapoda
Family: Coenobitidae
Genus: Birgus latro

We are beginning our study of hermit crabs, which was inspired by a two week study of seashells (which we just completed). I must say, the hermit crab is fascinating to watch!

In preparation for the arrival of Harry, we read a a great little book we found at the pet store (it's perfect for my nine year old to use a reference!), and talked to numerous people about their experiences with hermit crabs. We purchased a simple carrier (really only big enough for one crab) and what we would need to care for the crab. We also had a family meeting about WHO would be responsible for its care. (It's not going to be my husband and I, although I will be there for moral support!)

I think he has quite a nice crabitat.

Of course, we'll read the book A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle, and hopefully complete the lapbook that goes along with book, which can be found at Homeschool Share. The book has been a favorite of my six year old's for the past couple years, so it's like we're visiting an old friend.

*This post is linked to Science Sunday - click the button below to view other science activities!