Bigger Hearts for His Glory- Unit 15

This week we learned about the character trait, initiative.  We talked about the importance of initiative and learned that many great leaders showed initiative in their decisions.  

Our bible verse was Proverbs 13:13. 

In poetry, we read and copied. The copy work is going well and the handwriting is getting better and better for each of our littles. 

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We started the week with an art project. Who doesn't love autumn? 

The kids divided their paper in 6 sections and drew a leaf in each section. They outlined with black sharpie and then erased any pencil markings they could still see. 

Next, they used watercolors to paint their leaves. 

And finished their projects by alternating the colors of the grid. These turned out so cute and they had a lot of fun making them. 

Here are the finished projects! They each did great and they are all unique and different! 

Watercolor Leaf Art

In Science, we took a closer look at a leaf.  Leaves have layers of cells. The veins carry food and water to the cells. 

The kids even colored their own in the science note booking pages. 

We learned that the deciduous trees  shed their leaves in autumn. Their leaves stop making chlorophyll and turn colors brown, gold, red, and orange. 

Plants that are living have stomata to 'breathe' through. 

We also learned about the different layers of a tree trunk. Tree trunks are made of rings. Each ring has a purpose for keeping the tree alive. 

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This week we read about some of the many battles of the Revolutionary War. George Washington and how he out smarted Cornwallis the British Army. I read the story and the kids acted out the narration with figures. 

We learned that Washington left several men to noisily dig barricades near the Delaware River. The British heard the movement and digging and thought Washington was simply preparing for the upcoming battle. 

Meanwhile, Washington had lead his army across the creek and around to surprise the British from behind.  They had nowhere to run and Washington defeated the enemy.  

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We learned that many important battles were fought near rivers during the Revolutionary War.  Washington showed initiative in crossing the Delaware River and attacking Trenton the day after Christmas. No one expected him to do it.

We read a story of George Rogers Clark. He was an American Colonel who stopped the British from sending Indians to kill the settlers in the west. He showed initiative when his army overtook 2 British forts. 

Marion's Tower

We read about Francis Marion who was a strong leader during the Revolutionary War.  The British called him 'Swamp Fox' because he was so hard to catch.  Marion was sneaky and hard to find. He  showed initiative and made a tall tower during the night. He was able to climb up and shoot fire down onto the British army.  The British surrendered their fort. 

We used stick pretzels to build our own towers. The kids enjoyed this! 

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The kids enjoy the daily speed drills for their math lessons. They have 2 minutes to complete as many correctly as they can. We keep track of their progress on a graph. 

Our oldest ds learned the 5 steps of long division this week.  He grasped the concept well and is excited to move forward with dividing larger numbers. 

Report cards went home. Lol! The kids all did great these last 15 units and I'm so happy to report we are already seeing many improvements. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to teach each of them. 

Be blessed and safe travels for Thanksgiving.