Who is Achilles?

The other day, my one son told me that his friend's achilles heel hurt...and why is that part of the heel called achilles?

So, I started to explain, and realized, that I wasn't completely sure about the story of Achilles....was he dipped in the river Styx by his mother, who held him by his heel?

So, I found this book  The Iliad retold by Ian Strachan that I had bought years ago, and had promised to read to my sons one day.   They are fascinated by the stories, and I am too!  They both finished the Percy Jackson series, so they knew a great deal about Mount Olympus and Zeus and various other Gods and Goddesses, but they knew little of the Trojan War. 

What a great way to learn about history.   Myths are wonderful story opportunities for kids....lots of adventure, deception, violence, prophecies, virtues revealed, and history repeating itself.  I can't wait to move onto the Odyssey. 

While on the same topic, I also have been reading Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek Myths to my sons. This book links together the Greek myths via Atticus's journey through the ancient sites where the stories originally happened. It is very comprehensive and yet, you can read each story on its own.


Then I started thinking of other myths and legends from other cultures.  I am wanting to review Aboriginal myths and legends, Norse myths and legends, and Celtic myths and legends, just to start.  Do you have any suggestions of great myths and legends that I can read?
   
I am thinking of creating a challenge centre that focuses on this theme....

Who is Achilles?

The other day, my one son told me that his friend's achilles heel hurt...and why is that part of the heel called achilles?

So, I started to explain, and realized, that I wasn't completely sure about the story of Achilles....was he dipped in the river Styx by his mother, who held him by his heel?

So, I found this book  The Iliad retold by Ian Strachan that I had bought years ago, and had promised to read to my sons one day.   They are fascinated by the stories, and I am too!  They both finished the Percy Jackson series, so they knew a great deal about Mount Olympus and Zeus and various other Gods and Goddesses, but they knew little of the Trojan War. 

What a great way to learn about history.   Myths are wonderful story opportunities for kids....lots of adventure, deception, violence, prophecies, virtues revealed, and history repeating itself.  I can't wait to move onto the Odyssey. 

While on the same topic, I also have been reading Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek Myths to my sons. This book links together the Greek myths via Atticus's journey through the ancient sites where the stories originally happened. It is very comprehensive and yet, you can read each story on its own.


Then I started thinking of other myths and legends from other cultures.  I am wanting to review Aboriginal myths and legends, Norse myths and legends, and Celtic myths and legends, just to start.  Do you have any suggestions of great myths and legends that I can read?
   
I am thinking of creating a challenge centre that focuses on this theme....

Still Life

As I am only working with a group of grade two's for a few days, I thought I'd bring out one of my favourite art projects that I always did with my class when I taught a full classroom; this idea I got years ago when I taught in the Catholic system, and I don't know who to even reference for this great art project.  However, it looks stunning, no matter the level of the artist!   It is a great art project.  

I am going to make my sons do this project over the summer, and then frame them, and hang them in our home.  A great still life project!

This is the group that I worked with last year; I am going to show my Grade Two's tomorrow so they can be inspired!

Still Life

As I am only working with a group of grade two's for a few days, I thought I'd bring out one of my favourite art projects that I always did with my class when I taught a full classroom; this idea I got years ago when I taught in the Catholic system, and I don't know who to even reference for this great art project.  However, it looks stunning, no matter the level of the artist!   It is a great art project.  

I am going to make my sons do this project over the summer, and then frame them, and hang them in our home.  A great still life project!

This is the group that I worked with last year; I am going to show my Grade Two's tomorrow so they can be inspired!

Poetry Adventures

Welcome to Poetry Adventures Grade Two's.  You are a great group of students who are keen to learn, write, and challenge yourselves.  We are having fun learning about different types of poetry and writing poems, and creating art.  Awesome work, everyone!

It amazes me how students come to the Challenge Centre and are so nervous, and after one morning, they are talking and having fun, sharing ideas, and really doing fantastic work!  It is so nice to see... and lovely to meet such interesting students.  I am always fascinated by the stories and adventures students share with me; so lovely to witness great ideas and great minds at work!
 

Poetry Adventures

Welcome to Poetry Adventures Grade Two's.  You are a great group of students who are keen to learn, write, and challenge yourselves.  We are having fun learning about different types of poetry and writing poems, and creating art.  Awesome work, everyone!

It amazes me how students come to the Challenge Centre and are so nervous, and after one morning, they are talking and having fun, sharing ideas, and really doing fantastic work!  It is so nice to see... and lovely to meet such interesting students.  I am always fascinated by the stories and adventures students share with me; so lovely to witness great ideas and great minds at work!
 

Turning Trash into Toys by Arvind Gupta

 

I love Ted Talks; I could watch and browse all day. 

One of my favourites is this post about turning trash into toys; how inspirational and exciting.  Mr. Gupta, can you teach me...

1.  To use recyclables to create imaginative toys?

2.  To get kids working with their hands and doing?

3.  To have our students appreciate the small and wonderful things they can design?

Turning Trash into Toys by Arvind Gupta

 

I love Ted Talks; I could watch and browse all day. 

One of my favourites is this post about turning trash into toys; how inspirational and exciting.  Mr. Gupta, can you teach me...

1.  To use recyclables to create imaginative toys?

2.  To get kids working with their hands and doing?

3.  To have our students appreciate the small and wonderful things they can design?

What some of us are reading in the Challenge Centre

I make it a habit to ask all the students I see, "What are you reading?".  As a former teacher of the MACC program, which is a full time multi-age class of highly gifted learners, I found that one inherent commonality of all the students was their voracious love of reading.  Their inherent passion and love for books was so inspiring for me. 



One of my greatest moments as a teacher, was finding the Harry Potter series back in the 90's, and reading it for the first time to my class.  We were all mesmorized and this book, as it was a huge turning point for children's literature (this book opened up children's literature for my generation).

So, I was very excited in talking with this student about the book he was reading: A Little History of the World.
This fantastic student is in grade three, and he has a wonderful concept of history and how the world works.  I am going to read this book and learn.


I am continually amazed and blessed by these wonderful learners I have the opportunity to meet.  Thank you for your energy and enthusiasm for learning.

What some of us are reading in the Challenge Centre

I make it a habit to ask all the students I see, "What are you reading?".  As a former teacher of the MACC program, which is a full time multi-age class of highly gifted learners, I found that one inherent commonality of all the students was their voracious love of reading.  Their inherent passion and love for books was so inspiring for me. 



One of my greatest moments as a teacher, was finding the Harry Potter series back in the 90's, and reading it for the first time to my class.  We were all mesmorized and this book, as it was a huge turning point for children's literature (this book opened up children's literature for my generation).

So, I was very excited in talking with this student about the book he was reading: A Little History of the World.
This fantastic student is in grade three, and he has a wonderful concept of history and how the world works.  I am going to read this book and learn.


I am continually amazed and blessed by these wonderful learners I have the opportunity to meet.  Thank you for your energy and enthusiasm for learning.

Project Specifications

 Like all projects in the Challenge Centre, clear objectives are set out from the beginning; there is always structure amongst freedom and open ended learning.

 For this project, the students were to envision designing, finding, or colonizing their own planet, in this universe, or in another galaxy.  They had to create inhabitants, human or otherwise.

 They had to create a government structure, and have goals for the society. This student below, really thought about and planned the goals.  Other students found this challenging, as some said they had no goals.  As the facilitator/teacher and only being with the students for four days, I encourage them as much as possible, but I do not force them; I present and model the ideas as possibilities.  Some students naturally go to this level, others don't.

 I also want them to think about the types of technology that may be present.

Some students were thematic in their approach; one student loves dragons, so he organized a planet around the concept of dragons.  His project was very sophisticated and well thought out.

On the last day, students shared their work.  They created passports, and they visited each others projects and got a stamp or drawn symbol from each person's project.
While visiting projects, they were to ask questions, and the students were to explain main ideas and concepts of their work.

Project Specifications

 Like all projects in the Challenge Centre, clear objectives are set out from the beginning; there is always structure amongst freedom and open ended learning.

 For this project, the students were to envision designing, finding, or colonizing their own planet, in this universe, or in another galaxy.  They had to create inhabitants, human or otherwise.

 They had to create a government structure, and have goals for the society. This student below, really thought about and planned the goals.  Other students found this challenging, as some said they had no goals.  As the facilitator/teacher and only being with the students for four days, I encourage them as much as possible, but I do not force them; I present and model the ideas as possibilities.  Some students naturally go to this level, others don't.

 I also want them to think about the types of technology that may be present.

Some students were thematic in their approach; one student loves dragons, so he organized a planet around the concept of dragons.  His project was very sophisticated and well thought out.

On the last day, students shared their work.  They created passports, and they visited each others projects and got a stamp or drawn symbol from each person's project.
While visiting projects, they were to ask questions, and the students were to explain main ideas and concepts of their work.