Volcanoes...

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano 2010

Today we started a topic on volcanoes! The opportunity is too good to miss and we have so much available at the moment from which to learn and use.

So we started the day by watching this BBC Animated Guide to Volcanoes. I explained each slide to the boys and their understanding and interest was so encouraging.

After that they sat down to read with me a sheet of information I found on the internet and pasted into Word to make a 'worksheet'. They love it when we make worksheets up for them ourselves, particularly science ones. This was read aloud by LittleH#1 and me, and LittleH#2 did a fantastic job of reading a paragraph too. His reading is really coming on.

The worksheet had a colour labelled diagram, and I also found on the same site a colouring sheet of the same diagram so they coloured it in exactly the same as the first picture, getting all the colours exactly right. Of course during the colouring there was talking about the subject, the terminology, they pointed out interesting features to each other and to me as they worked. LittleH#3 also had a colouring sheet and did a lovely colourful job of his too. He is also keeping within the lines with the colours more, but chose to do the lava green, so his was still very '3' !!

I read through the Psalms this morning before we began our day - I was sure there were volcano references in the Psalms but instead of cheating with Google I decided to sit and read a 'real' Bible to find a good reference. Psalm 18 was just the job! I loved this description of a volcano (and more) and thought it was perfect to read to the boys, although I started at the beginning of the Psalm and we discussed the context:

7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them.

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

Psalm 18:7-15

We read it a few times and we all enjoyed the imagery. I need to do more research on this Psalm, and we will look at it again. I have earmarked for myself the comparison with the Roman god, Vulcan, after whom volcanoes are named - the boys have learned the origin of the name today. The worksheet explained the name for them.

I explained to the boys about the plates on the earth's crust - we looked at a diagram of that on the BBC slideshow. I told them that the plates fitted together a bit like a jigsaw, and they understood it well. This really helped them to understand why the volcanoes erupt, and of course we will also get to earthquakes - not least because in the last 2 years we have had 2 earthquakes - one in Norwich in 2008 and the other last Friday here in Adelaide. Unfortunately for homeschool, but fortunately for the family, the boys slept through both!!

I also found them a map of the world showing the different plates, and they coloured one in each. I told them about the 'ring of fire'. We looked at satellite images of the ash cloud, and tracked its path. Good opportunity to remind them about satellite use for the images too. :)

This afternoon, LittleH#1, under my supervision (but very little help) made the plaster of paris volcano that he had for a late birthday present last month. What fantastic timing and perfect for this week.

Here are some photos of the 'making':

Above: The mould was really good, it even came with 2 elastic bands and a groove for them to fit in to hold it securely, and right, LittleH#1 poured in the water and had a good go at mixing it. I finished off the job and we poured it in to set.

Tomorrow he will paint it, the day after that it will be erupting...

Below: Proud boy did well!

After that, I set him reading to himself an article I found on the Guardian UK website Floods and rotten eggs... It was great. Kept him ensconsed for a nice independent reading time. The best part of it was when he came to find me and told me about what he had read, in his own words, without any prompting. It was a good account, his reading comprehension was excellent, and it was an article for a broadsheet newspaper (rather than a rag with a reading age of 8 or 9! :)

At teatime they all (including, sweet boy, LittleH#3!) explained to Daddy what they remembered from the day (which we had also discussed over lunch) and their new facts about volcanoes. We were both very impressed with their understanding and interest.

For bedtime, instead of a story, they sat on the sofa with Daddy in their PJs looking through his Iceland trip photo album, talking about the landscape, the volcanoes and other features, and then some 'hands on' feeling of the solid 'froth' (not lava, or pumice, apparently!) he brought back with him.

Voilla. Did today more than I expected but plan to start lapbook tomorrow with Little H#s 1 & 2 and some painting of Mount? What shall we call it? Mount H, I suppose. Or Mount St H!!!!