Week 23 - Volume and Art Appreciation

This week we continued our project learning about measuring.  We changed our focus from length and weight to volume this week and learned all about cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.  One day we took an empty two liter bottle and poured 1 cup of water into it, marking where it filled the container.  Then we did the same with one pint, one quart, and 1/2 a gallon (we realized a full gallon wouldn't fit, so we decided to stick with just 1/2 gallon!).  It was a great visual demonstration comparing the different types of volume measurement!  The resulting bottle, along with a funnel, and a variety of measuring spoons became instant additions to our tub of bath toys and provided a full week of water play in the tub!

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After we learned about how the different measurments compared, we thought it would be interesting to see how many cups were in a gallon, or how many tablespoons were in a quart.  Big K and I created a chart on the computer and the practiced using our calculator skills to fill it all in.  We used a book we've been studying called How Much Does it Hold to help us with our calculations, and then tested to see how accurate our chart was.   Here's what we came up with: 

 On Wednesday, we met a friend at the local art museum for a special storytime adventure.  The kids had to go visit several different stations throughout the museum.  At each station a docket talked about a specific color that was represented in a work of art.  Some of the stations included a story to listen to, others included some hands-on experiences, and some even integrated Ipads and other things to help make the art come alive.  The kids then collected a paper circle from each station to create their own color wheel at the end!  Their favorite station was based on the color green.  We looked a painting that was inspired by our own city and the kids got to use a laser pointer to find different shades of green in the painting.  They had a great time and have been asking to add this storytime onto our monthly calendar! 

Big K was so inspired by the art, that he decided he wanted to have his own art gallery show at home.  So we put together several art samples and invited our friends over for a playdate art show!  The kids shared artwork and even made some handprint salt dough ornaments to hang on the wall. 

Big K is also involved in a very cool project in collaboration with kids from all over the country.  We are in charge of packing up seven boxes that tell all about Ohio that we will mail to kids in other states.  In return, he will receive a box from seven other kids about THEIR state.  We've been busy brainstorming things that we want to include in our information about Ohio!  It has been a big undertaking, but I think it will be worth it in the end! 

Happy Learning,
Momma C