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Dec. 19, 2005
Somewhat of a unit study...on dogs!
OK, this is a bit of an impromptu lesson because I just can't let exciting things happen without trying to reap some sort of educational benefit. For those of you who do not already know, we are getting a puppy (on Friday!) G.M. Holden is pictured below, being held by Little Mouse.
He's still as cute as he was yesterday, with his little pink nose and snow boots! My son is now wavering between wanting the puppy now and telling me he doesn't want the puppy. He wants Kieva. Oh boy. Poor guy. He is, however, very enthusiastic about his new chore of feeding the dog. But now I'm getting ahead of myself. We are doing a unit study of sorts regarding this little fluff ball:
Principle: God gave man dominion over the animals.
Leading Idea(s): We have dominion over Holden and a responsibility to provide for his care.
For scripture, we started off reading Genesis 1:26.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
My daughter reasoned from this that people are different from animals because we are created in His image. Having dominion over our puppy will mean that we will train him and mold his schedule to ours. Since he is in our care, we will also be responsible to care for all his needs.
We didn't really do math today, but we will be doing some measurement in order to ensure that we get the right size kennel and collar. We will note how we use mathematics in order to fulfill God's purpose for us. Mathematics can be used to help us plan for the future so that we will not have to buy another kennel later and so that it won't be bigger than necessary, either. We will also be working with comparing and ordering numbers as we do some comparison shopping for pet supplies.
For reading, we reviewed informational texts. We started with the guide we have to Australian Shepherds. We looked at its external structure which gives a clue to its purpose being informational. It has a cover, a title page, copyright information, a table of contents and an index. We discussed that the purpose for the table of contents and the index was to find information on a given topic quickly. We practiced using the book that way. We compared this to a story book. I then read her the first chapter on the history of the Australian Shepherd, which (without planning it that way) made a nice little history lesson.
So now for history, we are looking at how man has taken dominion over animals by training them and working them. We also are looking specifically at how he has bred and trained dogs to help him in the fulfillment of this mandate in a broader sense. They are used for hunting, tracking, protection, herding, etc.
For geography, we are looking a bit at the American Southwest, since that is where this particular breed originated. The land is rough...some areas experience vast extremes in temperature with frigid winters and searing summers. The land is relatively dry and the sheep need to be moved regularly to find adequate food and water. Because of this, man needed an animal who was faithful and devoted to his master, tireless in his ability to work, and able to withstand heat and cold. Thus, the Aussie was born. (Principle here is basically how geography influences man and how man takes dominion of the earth by compensating.)
For science, we will be talking a little about genetics although I'm not sure how much my daughter will understand. We'll be talking a bit about dominant and recessive genes and how Holden got his beautiful, blue merle coat. Since we are talking about the development of this breed of dog, we will be talking about how breeders select for certain traits. I'd love to get a bunch of mice and breed them for specific traits, but my husband would not be a happy man. And I don't know anyone with pet snakes to give them to when we are done experimenting. We got to meet Holden's mom and dad, so we'll use that as an example. Dad is a beautiful blue merle as well, and mom is tri-colored. Dad was friendly, but reserved (typical for the breed). He came up to us, but not excited. My son slipped on the ice and immediately the Corgi jumped on him, but Dad laid down next to him and waited. Mom was sweet, but shy. She kept her eye on us, but did not come up (also normal for the breed). Holden, too, seemed reserved but not as shy as his mother.
For more specific application, we have divided the chores for the puppy to help us have dominion over him. Obviously, I will "really" be doing most of these since my children are small, but they each have tasks that they will be expected to help with. Baby Bear's job is feeding him. He loved feeding Kieva and was upset that Mouse did most of this chore. He loves his routines, and I'm sure he'll be into the dog food every day at the same time once he figures out that Holden gets fed right after we're done. (I know all kinds of people say you take care of your animals before yourself, but all the dog training stuff I read says your dog should see you eat first so that it knows you are dominant. That is part of the non-verbal language they understand since the dominant dog always eats the choicest food and gets to eat first.) Little Mouse will be assisting with the many trips little Holden will need to make outside to train him where to "do his business." I will predominantly be responsible for training, and I will be training Mouse how to train a dog, as well.
As our puppy's little personality begins to show, we will also talk more about how God gives us all certain traits to fulfill our purpose for Him. Holden's is herding. I expect we will see that play out in his personality and we will need to find positive outlets for his ingrained herding instincts. If we do not, we will have a miserable puppy, and quite likely a torn apart house. Or children tired of having their ankles nipped when he tries to herd them. We will compare that to how God had a purpose for us and what can happen if we try to replace that calling with things other than what God has planned.
That should get us through Christmas "break." It will keep us going without too much "school" to worry about, but still educational. And we'll be taking it with us to Grandma's...puppy can't stay home alone that long!
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