Florida Unit Comes to a Close

We finished up our theme of the State of Florida and the City of Jacksonville with our final two field trips and the completion of our Florida lapbook.  As fun and educational as it was for the boys, I'd have to say that I am done with field trips for a while.  I am field tripped-out! 

We did a lot of reading lessons this week, and Hayden also got his first list of spelling words as well.  He completed his very first spelling test, missing only one of the 5 words he was given.  I was very proud of him!

We also started a new weekly math activity.  Each Monday, we will estimate, measure, and record how much Mommy's belly grows.  We'll also mark how much change occurs each week using addition or subtraction.  This is my 16th week of pregnancy, and I am interested in seeing how curious Hayden becomes this time around and if we wind up making a unit on babies.  So, if anyone reading this has any ideas on teaching this concept to a 5 year old (albeit a very inquisitive and methodical 5 year old), I am all ears. 

With that said, I'll backtrack to our field trips this past week!  Our first field trip was to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine.  That was an exciting day for the boys, and Daddy even got to come with us.  They learned some differences between crocodiles and alligators.  They saw how big an albatross is, and they watched a zookeeper feed the alligators dead rats (ew!).

Comparing our arms to an albatross' wings

Eating time for the gators

Feeding frenzy.  I'd hate to fall into that!

The 3 Stooges inside a gator's mouth

Maximus, an old ginormous alligator

Our second, and final, field trip was to the Jacksonville Zoo.  We have been there many times before, but it never gets old.  It is an amazing piece of Jacksonville to see.  The gardens and the animals are a sight to see.  You can feed the giraffes, pet pigmy goats in the children's area, ride a train and a carousel of circus animals, feed nectar to the lorikeets, pet a stingray, and much more.  It never gets tiresome!  After this trip, we did a math activity using animal crackers.  We picked out the zoo animals (because there must be at least 20 different animals in those boxes!), sorted them out, and graphed how many there were of each.  After that, we made paper plate lions, which turned out pretty hilarious.

Beautiful female leopard near the entrance to the zoo.

Western lowland gorilla

Watching a zookeeper feed fish to the penguins

Preening penguins

Emulating the spider monkeys



They must've gotten tired watching my boys

Another project that Hayden did before finishing up our Florida unit was a follow up on the Timucuan Indians who were one of the original tribes here in Jacksonville when the Spanish and the French arrived.  He learned a bit about Timucuan pottery in St. Augustine at the Old Florida Museum as well as at the Fort Caroline Timucuan Preserve.  I found an art project on Fort Caroline's website that gave instructions on making your own Timucuan pottery.  So, we made clay from flour, salt, tartar, and water, and Hayden learned the coiling method of pottery making.  He then chose some shells he brought home from the beaches to make patterns on the bowl/cup he made. 

And last, but not least, the completed lapbook that Hayden worked on for the past 5-6 weeks.  With this lapbook, he learned some of the more important cities of the state of Florida.  He learned what states border Florida and what bodies of water surround it.  He also learned about some of the best places to visit in Florida, some of the original inhabitants of Florida, what the name "Florida" actually means, state symbols, the seal of the state of Florida, and what makes the city he lives in special.


Lapbook cover

 

Inside the lapbook with all mini books closed

Inside lapbook with all mini books open.

Mini books (from left to right side):
1. Fan book of "Ff" words
2. Flower fold with state seal inside
3. Graduated book of "Places to Visit"
4. Twice folded book of "Original Inhabitants"
5. Pocket folder with pics of Jacksonville
6. Mini matchbooks of "State Symbols"


Hayden did a great job with this lapbook.  He worked really hard and retained a lot of what he learned.  Lapbooks may look scary and complex, but I think they are awesome.  They can hold as much or as little information as you want, and they can be used for any subject.  I recommend lapbooks for anybody.  They have a certain degree of chaos hidden inside an amazing organizational tool.