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Week 6

Last week, our science focus was the heart. 

I found a unit study on Teachers Pay Teachers that goes through the main systems of the body. It's a fun study with lots of book and project recommendations, and we've all learned a lot already! Anya has shared some of her favorite new facts with her doctor at her wellness checkup and her friends at our homeschool co-op (we start each week by asking the kids if they want to share a fun fact or joke)--and whenever someone asks her about her favorite part of school, she talks about science. And Alina, who generally does her own thing during math and writing, always wants to join in for science. 

I've decided to take the unit study more slowly than it's written, spending four lessons per body system rather than two. I think that's more appropriate for the girls' age. 

Anyway, sometimes that means I need to do a little searching online for an extra experiment or activity. The two heart activities we did last week were a fusion of ideas I found online and my memories of what we enjoyed in preschool! 

1. Pump the blood! 

To experience the flow of blood through the circulatory system, the girls had to start at the VEINS sign and scoop up a cupful of barely blue-ish water (representing blood that needs oxygen). 

They ran it over to the HEART sign and then to the LUNGS sign, where there was a tub of bright red water. This represented the oxygen picked up in the lungs, so they had to add a scoop of it to the blue-ish water! This made a more purply substance than I anticipated, but oh well. 


Back to the HEART, then to the ARTERIES and away to the BODY--they dumped the blood into the empty tub there. 

And repeat, until the water was gone. 

Anya later said this was her favorite part of her day! Alina seemed to have fun with it too. 

I learned in our preschool curriculum that anything with running, scooping water, and/or playing with colored water is a big hit and a fun way to learn through play. 

2. Exercise the heart 

We read in several of our books about how to help keep our hearts healthy. I found a cute game online to put this into practice (please excuse the upside-down picture, I am not going to re-upload it!). 

We tossed a bean bag onto the game board, then rolled a dice to see how many of each exercise we'd do. 

We're still using it this week as a between-lessons wiggle break! 

All in all, it's cool to see what sticks with them from each lesson... but my favorite part is just that they are excited about their bodies, and that together we can explore with amazement what God has made us to be like. I want them to see in that His creativity and brilliance. 

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