KONOS: Determination Culmination Night Part 1

These nights are always the most fun for the kids.  They get to decorate, display their handiwork, and share some of what they have learned with their dads & grandparents.  Oh, and eat yummy food too!  So, here is some of the decorating we did.  We had the arctic/ antarctic upstairs and the ocean downstairs.  We also very lightly covered mountains as part of this unit study but didn't get together as a group to learn more about them.  The kids love to get creative and add their own personal touches.  They did most of the decorating and I gave suggestions and helped tape it up.

Arctic/ Antarctic

Now it is time to enter the abyss.  Beware:

 You don't know what creatures lie down there!

Leah wanted to have her dolphin's head look like it 

was popping out above the surface of the water.

They even decided to decorate their bedroom for the fun of it!

Curly Girly

 I have been wanting to try rag curls for a long time and finally I did!  I used these two sites to help me.  Bella was the lucky girl (in my opinion) to be the guinea pig!  She loves girly things so this was right up her alley.  It also ended up saving me time since we were doing this the night before Easter and we leave very early Easter morning to head to Grandma & Grandpa's church.  Soooo, not having to sit and hand curl her hair in the morning was a relief!  I think they turned out well and looked super cute!  They lasted for quite a few days as well which Bella loved! 

 

 

KONOS: Determination - Oceans Week 3

The ocean continued to enthrall our kiddos!  There is just so much to learn about the ocean and the diverse life that lives there.  This week we learned about water pressure, coral and coral reefs, Jacques Costeau, and the Atocha (a Spanish galleon that sank with lots of gold, etc. that was found 300 some years later by a man named Mel Fisher that took him 16 years or so to find - talk about determination), among other things.  

Feeling the weight of water pressure.

 

The kids being "determined" to pile as many

  kids on top of one another as they can!

Another water pressure demonstration.  We also blew bubbles into our

 water higher up and lower in our cups to notice the difference.  

Edible Coral Polyps

 

Some of Mel Fisher's Treasure

KONOS: Determination - Ocean Exploration Week 2

Exploring the ocean this week was a lot of fun!  We learned a lot about the ocean floor and the creatures that inhabit the deep depths of the sea with their unique traits and beauty.  God is so creative!  And now because of people continuing to explore God's magnificent creation we are able to see actual footage of these deep sea wonders!  Our kids thought these videos were so neat! I included one below.

  

Making our own scratch art paintings of deep sea creatures.

  

 

These turned out soo cool! 

How they originally measured the depths of the ocean 

demonstration and the difficulties this method produces.

 

Some objects on the "ocean floor".

 

Discussing the ocean floor.

 

Paper mache ocean floor

 

Top Ten Deep Sea Creatures Video

DIY Scratch Art

My friend found the brilliant idea of making your own scratch art when we were co-oping together and learning about the ocean.  So, I thought I would share how we made our own scratch art.  It's really simple!

SUPPLIES:

Cardstock Paper (or other thicker type paper since you will be scratching these later and you want 
                            them not to tear)
Crayons
Black Tempera Paint or Poster Paint
Paint brush (Bigger, thicker ones would be better)
Some kind of tool to scratch with (Be creative - toothpicks, popsicle sticks, etc.)
Newspaper, etc. to protect your work surface

FIRST: Color the cardstock heavily with crayon.  You want it to be thoroughly

 and heavily covered so the colors will show through brightly when scratched.

 

 SECOND: When your entire surface is covered with crayon you 

can paint the whole surface with black paint and set it aside to dry. 

 

 

THIRD: Once it is dry then you can take your scratch tool and start scratching

 whatever picture or design your little heart or your little one's heart desires.  

Deep Sea Creatures DIY Scratch Art

KONOS: Determination - Ocean Exploration Week 1

I am continuing my posts on our KONOS units.  This one was part of our study on Determination and we completed it after our Arctic Exploration.  So, it actually happened way back in April of 2013.  The kids loved it just as much as the Arctic!  We never stop being amazed at the determination of people to make new discoveries!  Determination is definitely a character quality we want to instill in our children and learning about these explorers makes for good opportunities to share with them the true nature of determination that we want them to emulate.  Giving God the glory for any victories He gives us is first and foremost because without Him none of it would be possible.  And always looking at what we are being determined about and if it is a God honoring pursuit and worth our time and effort.  A lot of explorers longed for glory for themselves and riches.  That is not something to be determined about!  But we can certainly learn from them and their mistakes, and they have discovered some pretty cool things as well!  Here is our first week learning about oceans and exploration. 

Learning how much of the earth is covered
 in water and how much is land.

Under The Sea Jello Snack

Some fun decorations down
the steps of my friend's home.

 

Ocean Water Density Egg Floating Experiment

Octopus Craft

Black Smoker Demonstration