Around the Treehouse!

So you may remember me mentioning the Treehouse openhouse last week. Well, it was neat. M.J. took me on a tour of the Church and classes were decided on. She did not want to go a full day like last semester, which was fine w/ mommy and me, but we felt like it was important for her to take at least 2 classes. The program is so good in so many ways, from the educational standpoint as well as the social interaction standpoint and we want to keep her involved because of those things. Jessica has also taken on the responsibility of Official Treehouse Secretary (go mommy, it not your birthday) and if she going to take on that responsibility M.J. needs to take some classes. Well, it seems the job of secretary requires a bit more on hands involvement then we originally anticipated and Jess will need to be at the Church all day on Tuesdays so guess what that means....yes, M.J. is now in 6 classes instead of two...and she is ok w/ that. Her reasoning for not wanting to go to Treehouse this semester was because she didnt want to be away from us (she is VERY clingy right now), but w/ Jess being there all day and me coming to spend lunch she feels better about going. MaryJane is excited and looking forward to this coming Tuesday when Treehouse kicks off.

Here are the class descriptions:

Connecting With Nature

It’s only natural to be curious about the things we see in nature – why do some animals eat other animals? How come trees don’t grow in deserts? What is a rainforest? We’ll learn about how different plants and animals are connected to each other and to the world around them. We’ll use activities, games, and experiments to find out the answers to some of our questions about nature and how it works, and while we’re learning about the environment we will learn a whole new way to enjoy being outside.

Discovering The Treehouse

Based on the popular Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne, we will use this wonderful series to explore the magic of books. Do Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knights at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning sound interesting? This class is for beginning and non-readers. We will read, discuss and do some projects pertaining to the "time" we travel to. We will read portions of the book in class but students should ideally have a copy of the book to read at home with a parent or on their own. This course will run through Spring Term 2009. A ticket for the spring production of The Magic Treehouse at the Walton Arts Center will be included in the Spring Term 2009 materials fee.

Family Math – level one

We will focus on practicing problem solving techniques, mental arithmetic, estimation, place value, and exploring relationships of multiples and factors of the first one hundred numbers.

Seasonal Arts & Crafts

We’ll be cutting and pasting and creating a variety of cool crafts each week. Kids will have fun using different mediums to create projects perfect for any fridge, centerpiece or gift-giving occasion.

Principles and Elements of Art

Students will learn the principles and elements of art and how they can be used to create a work of art. Wear old clothes or bring a smock. You will get messy.

Mad Science

Kids will enjoy exciting hands-on activities, watch spectacular demonstrations, participate in inquiry-based discussions and take home things that they have made themselves like monster drinks, glow-in-the-dark 3D constellations, cannons, Mad Science slime, putty and more. Topics will include astronomy, matter, polymers, light, lasers and more. This class is going to be VERY cool. Please note that there are no tuition discounts for this course. www.madscience.org/