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Oct. 12, 2009
Mental Health Day
I decided this morning, that we had put in 5 good weeks (we were sick for one and a half, but still) it is Columbus Day, and I was nervous about my co-op class. So I declared that we were going to skip morning lessons, pick up the floors, (Oy, the magzine glacier near the boy's bunk bed, just waiting for someone to slip...) read fun books, and Mom was going to get her head on straight about Geography Class.
So, B ate his toast in bed and read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, M played an on-line game about engineering called Fantastic Contraption (it takes a while to load and has a lot of adds in the sidebar, with the usual metal bikini wearing warrior princesses, but what a fun puzzle!) And K wandered around playing with shoes - putting our shoes on us and trying to wear ours when she had taken them off again.
In a few minutes, when I am sure that my materials for class have printed, we will walk to the CVS to pick up my photos that I ordered yesterday.
So, I do have a plan! I have printed many copies of the Mystic Seaport map from their website. Most of my kids have probably gone there. I will pose questions like; you want to hear a lecture at 2PM at the Seamen's Friend Society. You are at the Schaefer's Tavern, and your little sister needs a diaper change. Your mom hands you the map and says she will catch up with you at the lecture, it is 1:50 and she doesn' t want to make you late. Which way do you go?
I'll have to come up with some other questions too. This map is oriented so that West is on top, so it would fit on an 8 1/2 by 11 page, I'll ask them about how to orient it, and when they need compass points and when they don't.
I've also printed some train schedules from the MBTA. I've met lots of adults that can't read them, so I think train schedules are fair game for the class. We'll figure out when we need to leave the Children's Museum to catch the commuter rail home on time, and stuff like that.
I'm also compiling lots of geographic terms, like isthmus, and fjord. Maybe I'll print out a bunch of blank maps and have the kids find examples? Perhaps the atlases would be good examples. I think for this quiz I'll bring a bag of candy - maybe pennies, no worries about allergies that way. My class needs an injection of fun.
This week, I don't want to be nervous and grouchy because I'm winging it!
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Oct. 12, 2009 - Untitled Comment