Mammoths and Mastodons

Trip Review:
We recently visited The Mammoths and Mastodons exhibit at the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver, it is a wonderful special exhibit. I really liked that they showcased the work being done here in Colorado, AND they have the baby Mammoth and that is really very cool!
The exhibit did talk a bit about the people who lived at the time but not as much as the school curriculum. The kids really liked it (ages 15-7). In fact, almost a week later, my boys were playing in the snow and created a 'museum exhibit' which included an entire herd of Mammoths. I was impressed.

We also saw the IMAX movie about the Ice Age. That was really neat. Certainly recommended as it talked more about why they became extinct, cave drawings, land bridge, ice age man and what is an ice age anyway.

Tips:
For younger kids you will need to explain that the images of Mammoths and other ice age creatures are computer animated and are not real. You will have to explain that we don't really know what they look like, but have pieced together an idea of what they looked like from clues. It is like playing a game of Clue or a guessing game in which you arrive at a close answer from clues you get in the game.

Use the restroom before going in, there is not one within the exhibit and if you leave you can't go back in.

No food or drink, kids will need to eat before going in and get a good drink. There were lots of hungry and tired kids in there.

Read a book about the Ice Age if they have not yet done the class lessons. There is not a audio tour for this one so you will need to give the info to your kids. It helps if you know how to link it to what they have or will learn or a book you read together. Simple terms, related to things they know or have read are great.

Be excited even if this is not your favorite theme. :)

It is good to know that this is a separate fee from the museum entrance itself and therefor is rather pricy. If you have a membership it is significantly reduced!

You have to select a time to visit and if there are a lot of visitors you have to keep to your time. You can buy and reserve on line. http://www.dmns.org/mammoths-and-mastodons

Curriculum:
Ice Age
Grade 1

I am, I can, I ought, I will

Charlotte Mason's Students Motto

"I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will."

http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/CMMotto.html

I am . . . a child of God, a gift to my parents and my country. I'm a person of great value because God made me.

I can . . . do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God has made me able to do everything required of me.

I ought . . . to do my duty to obey God, to submit to my parents and everyone in authority over me, to be of service to others, and to keep myself healthy with proper food and rest so my body is ready to serve.

I will . . . resolve to keep a watch over my thoughts and choose what's right even if it's not what I want.

Charlotte Mason wrote a little more about the motto in volume 1, which I've re-worded here:
I am, I ought, I can, I will. These are like four steps of the ladder that St. Augustine wrote about when he said we could 'go up on the stepping stones of the old, sinful man we cast off and are dead to, and ascend to higher things.' I am means that we can know ourselves and understand what we're really like. I ought means that we have a moral judge inside us. We feel like we're subject to it. It lets us know what our duty is and compels us to do it. I can means that we know we have the ability to do what we know we're supposed to. I will means that we resolve to use the ability we know we have to do what our inner moral judge has urged us to do. Resolve is the first step in actually doing. These four make a perfect, beautiful chain . . .  (You can read Charlotte Mason's exact wording on page 330 of volume 1.)


"I am, I can, I ought, I will." This was the motto she gave us. I am a human being, one of God's children; I can do right by my fellowmen and by myself; I ought so to do and God help me, I will so do. Is this not a great message she has given us?
(Michael A. E. Franklin, one of Charlotte Mason's students; from In Memoriam)


"I am, I can, I ought, I will." Miss Mason chose your inspiring motto.  You can say,
      "I am the greatest thing in God's creation: a human being with a spark of God's divine spirit in my body.  Because I belong to the human family I can do the great things that other human beings have done. I have powers of doing, thinking and loving.
      "I can use these powers. I can change my thoughts from things that harm me and that worry me to the beautiful things I have learnt in my School: I can know the ways of activity, I can think kindly thoughts of God's creatures in the past and in the present, in this and other countries, of people who do not think as I do in religion and politics.
      I ought to do these things: I owe it to my God, my parents and my School.
      I will forget myself, and live up to the ideals of my School.
      God is on the side of those who will, and with His help we will all go on working as Miss Mason hoped we would.
(By the Hon. Mrs. Franklin, from In Memoriam)

Philadelphia Field Trip

Again, not Colorado, but a very good family field trip! We will go for one day to Philadelphia, but longer could very enjoyable. If you are going there you will find a lot to do. See if you can incorporate it into last year or next year's studies. Some of these places have links for teachers with ideas. Check them out.

Most of these can be found with links here:  http://www.philadelphiapass.com/attractions/

Philadelphia things to see and the grade they correspond to:

1. Betsy Ross house, Colonial America, Revolutionary War, (low $) 1,3,
2. Elfreth Alley Colonial America, (low $) 1,3
3. Benjamin Franklin sites and tour, 1, 3, k
4. Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, Colonial America, (free) 1, 3
5. Lights of Liberty 3D movie, about independence and why it is important to remember, (moderate high $) all grades
6. National Constitution Center , 1,3, 8
7. National Liberty Museum 1,3,7
8. Philadelphia Zoo K, 3,5
9. The Academy of Natural Science of Drexel University, all grades
10. The Franklin Institute, Science, all grades
11. The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent , 1,3 Colonial, not sure on the other grades, but likely has some immigration and industrial rev. era things.  2,6
12. Gettysburg. You CAN NOT miss this National Park. So much history. Free  1, 3

New York City field trip

Ok, So I know I said it would be mostly local Colorado on here.... but, since we are doing a family field trip to NYC this summer, I thought I would share. Some of these places have links for teachers with ideas. Check them out.

Pretty much everything can be found as links on this page: http://www.newyorkpass.com/attractions/

Here is what you can do and what grade it enhances:

1. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island,(free, ferry $) K, 2, 6
2. Tenement Museum (also has stuff related to Industrial Revolution in America) (about $20 tours only) 2,6
3. Historical Society of New York (low cost)(immigration, early eras of America) Colonial, Revolutionary, Immigration, 1,2,3,6
4. American Museum of Natural History, ($20, $33 if you include the planetarium (grades 1,3, 6) well you can get any grade here k-6+
5. as well as the New York Hall of Science in Queens (low cost) K-6+ hands on Science museum
6. Native American Museum, (free) 2,3
7. Bodies, the Exhibition (human body biology) (moderate$) 1,2,3,4, Biology (while K does do some Human body, this may be too much for a younger child, use discretion). 
8. Historic Richmond Town, Colonial America living history museum on Staten Island,(very inexpensive) 1,3
9. Terracotta Warriors,($?) China 3rd

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery

This is going to be a great spot. If you are going North it just well may be worth your time to stop for a day in Fort Collins to experience the Museum of Discovery. Colorado's first (and for now) only Science Museum dedicated to hands on learning. WOW!!! This is going to be exciting. November of this year is the grand opening, so not in time for summer 2012, but just in time for Christmas break, Spring Break or summer 2013! 
Visit:
http://www.fcmdsc.org/index.php

Introduction

Schools are being asked to cut the budget all over. Our school has elected to remove most field trips in order to focus money on teachers, and other school needs. Some schools don't take field trips for insurance reasons, budget cuts, transportation or location, etc. There are schools who still do the fabulous field trip. I happen to love field trips and am sad to see them go. So, I want to explore how to do these sorts of things on our own as a family, or with friends. I thought that in the process of me doing this, there may be other families out there, especially from our school, who would like to join the process and make some field trip fun. So, here is a blog for that. It will take a while to fill this in, but I plan to have field trips in Colorado listed for every grade level using Core Knowledge curriculum sequencing, in combination with our additional curriculum for our school. I hope that other parents will pitch in on the comments with more ideas too. Most of the ideas will be in the Pikes Peak region around Colorado Springs. But, you will find Denver and other front range areas included. I will likely add some others as well, in case you are traveling, you could make it tie in. Maybe. Have fun!