SOTW Project: The Black Hole of Calcutta

We just did a fun, powerful (and tasty) project to go along with our Story of the World Vol. 3 chapter on Fort William's Dungeon, nicknamed the Black Hole.  This was in 1756 when a British fort was captured by Indian soldiers in Calcutta, India.  146 prisoners (145 men and one woman) were crammed into a single dungeon cell where it is said (by one survivor) that at least 120 of those died of suffocation.  Morbid, yes, but history often is and this project visually helped my kids imagine just how cramped those prisoners would have been.

The first thing we did was to create our scaled down Black Hole of Calcutta - out of a 9" x 10" rectangle of construction paper (the actual cell was 14 ft x 18 ft).  We went over some of the facts again and wrote them down on our dungeon cell.  Then we counted out 146 plain M&Ms and 146 peanut M&Ms (actually we ended up only getting 141 out of our medium-sized bag of peanut M&Ms but that was close enough).

The plain M&Ms represented standing prisoners and the peanut M&Ms represented sitting down prisoners.

I had the boys first put all of the plain M&Ms in the cell so we could see just how much room they would have had if everyone was standing up.  You can see, below, that it was pretty full but there would still have been room to move around.  However, it is highly unlikely that everyone would have been standing up at the same time.  So, what would it look like if everyone was sitting?

146 "standing" prisoners

141 "sitting" prisoners

It's very obvious that conditions just got a whole lot worse in our dungeon cell.  There is still room for all of the prisoners to sit at once but nearly everyone is being touched by several people.  One thing we talked about was how so many people could have died of suffocation.  For one thing, there was very little ventilation in this cell.  There were only two windows and they had thick bars covering them which impeded the ventilation further.  But even still, with this many people in such close proximity, that is a lot of carbon dioxide being generated!

106 sitting & 40 standing

So, we thought maybe if we could get some of our prisoners to stand up, that would give everyone a bit more room so that at least they weren't directly touching others.  I think we ended up swapping 40 sitters for standers and tried to separate them all so none were in direct contact.

The last thing we did, which was not something suggested in the project book, was to remove the 120 who were reported to have suffocated so the boys could see just how many were affected by these atrocious conditions.  When we removed the 120, these were all that were left....

Survivors

According to Wikipedia (and the Encyclopedia Britannica), there is a somewhat graphic account from one of the survivors that gives a clearer picture of the conditions - which was more than what was appropriate to delve into for our lesson.  I did learn that of the survivors, four, including the one who gave the account, were sent to be prisoners elsewhere and the rest were given their freedom.  The most chilling fact was that all of this occurred between 8pm one night and 6am the following morning!

So that was our Story of the World project for the day.  I don't think my kids will likely forget this particular event in history anytime soon.  M&Ms does tend to have a memorable impact on them and it was a light-hearted approach to a serious event that really helped them imagine the conditions better than just throwing a bunch of numbers at them to listen to.  :)

The Schoolroom

Ok, I promised a peek at our schoolroom so here it is!

My teacher's desk is on the right-hand wall.  I didn't get a close-up of it but here is where I keep whatever teacher books we need for that day, my schedule binder, our All About Spelling review boxes and a CD player that we use to listen to Story of the World or audio books from the library.  We just got an antique set of 1958 Encyclopedias that are finding a temporary home underneath until we get more bookshelves.  We also have an Art Corner, where I put up the more elaborate art creations, and the 1-10 number cards I made.

Before the beginning of each year I take down all of the previous year's certificates, artwork, progress charts etc. and add anything new we might need to have posted. So there is some blank wall space now, but we'll fill it up throughout the year.

On that same wall there is actually a chalkboard that I don't like (since we got a very nice new one), which is holding up our Spelling Board.  **We got an Oil Drip Pan from Auto Zone (this one) for about $15 or so.  It's like a giant cookie sheet - perfect for our magnetic spelling letters & so much cheaper than a magnetic white board!  I'd like to screw it onto the wall at an accessible height eventually but for now we just pull it down and sit on the floor with it propped up against the desk.  

This year we have totally rearranged our room since we had to have room for the workboxes.  In the past, I've had the desks out in the room so I could stand in front of the kids for teaching.  It seems to really work better for them to have their desks up against a wall because they focus much more on what they're working on and can still turn in their seats to see the chalkboard easily.

Since we have the desks up against the wall, each boy has his own wall space for progress charts, smaller artwork or other things they want to display.
You can't see it well in this picture but we found an old wall-mount antique pencil sharpener at an antique store and mounted it to our wall (it's next to the giraffe in the window).  We all love having this and it's much better than a hand-held sharpener.  I also made a set of Alphabet Cards that we have going along the top.

On our left-wall is my super-smooth, porcelain, magnetic chalkboard that we got last year.  ♥  I would like to get another Markable Map like we have here because it is reversible, so we have to flip it over if we need to change between US States & World.

Last year we displayed our 4 Seasons sign with each season's sign, as well as each of the 12 months.  Since that took up a lot of wall space and the boys are getting older we changed it up.  I am still showing the 4 Seasons picture but below that I stapled a couple of page protectors that we can slide in and out the current season & the current month.  Here's a closer look at that.


Little man, Shorty has his own table for pre-k activities.  This is just an old coffee table that is just the right size for our little rocking chairs.  I put a basket on top to hold whatever puzzles or games he can work on while we're doing school.  It's easier for him to clean up because he can put things in the basket and if we need to the big boys can put things back in boxes properly after school.  Last year he was small enough to use the high chair and stay put in it coloring or playing while we got a good bit of school done.  So if you have a small one 3 1/2 years old or younger, you may want to consider getting an extra high chair for your school area!

Below the chalkboard is our Reading Corner with a library book box.  Since the boys' have built-in bookcases in their bedroom that are filled to the brim with books, we have a firm rule that no library books are allowed in their rooms.  They can bring one in if they're reading on their beds but we make sure it gets back out to prevent it getting lost amongst the others that belong there.  This makes library day much easier, too, since I know I just have to look in one area for books to return instead of hunting all over the house.

So that's our schoolroom!  We are using an upstairs room that separates the master bedroom from the other bedrooms & office.  The other side of the room is where the stairs are and we also have a good-sized game closet where I store EVERYTHING from extra homeschool books, board games, puzzles, a 2-drawer file cabinet full of DVD's and oh-so-much-more!  Having a dedicated room for doing school helps us stay focused on what we're there for and lets us create a fun school environment that doesn't overtake the rest of our home.

**All of the signs on our walls I created myself and will happily offer as free printables in a future post.  Check back soon for those or Like my Facebook page so you can keep up with new posts, tutorials & printables!

Workbox System

This year we are trying out a new organizational system: workboxes!  I got the idea from a post on Confessions of a Homeschooler and like any great idea, I modified it to fit our needs.

Why We Needed This System:
Last year was my first year doing two grade levels (2nd & K) and it proved to be manageable but sometimes tricky helping one child while not leaving the other with nothing to work on.  What I discovered last year was that my oldest needed a way to feel more accountable to himself for the work he was doing and I needed both boys to avoid becoming each other's distractions - looking at what the other was working on.

Getting Set-up:

I found these beautiful  10-drawer colorful rolling carts on sale for 1/2 price from Joann Fabric's online store (just so you know, the local stores do not honor their website's online sale prices).  I shopped around and read customer reviews and worried quite a bit about durability but am very pleased with the two I bought.  I may even get a couple more so I have them in reserve for when Shorty & a Future#4 need them.  On a side note: Each cart was shipped in its own box and when we got them the first was perfect but the second was full of cracked bins.  Customer service took care of the refund and sent a new one out express shipped.  So yay for that!

Next, I printed blank progress charts on colored paper, had them laminated and stuck velcro squares on them.  I modified the blank progress charts to have bin numbers 1-10 and a picture on them (dinosaurs for Slim, penguins for Birdman & dogs for Shorty).  These I printed on cardstock, laminated them and added the other half of the velcro squares on the back of these.  Here's a picture of Shorty's chart with the dog cards velcroed on.  I made a chart for him even though he's pre-k and only has a table & basket, but no bins.  I figured he'd like to have what the big boys have but I didn't realize it was also going to be a great activity for him to do.  He loves pulling the cards off (the brand new velcro is really loud!) and putting them back on.  When he gets better at number recognition he can put them in order!  My brain is buzzing with fun velcro activity ideas for him now!

Kitchen Timers:
This idea is maybe my favorite part about our system.  I had a bunch of blank laminated cards left over and wondered if I could use them for something.  What I came up with is writing on them with a wet erase marker how many minutes the boys should spend on each bin and then giving them kitchen timers so that they could keep track themselves.  Of course, they were excited to have their own timers and to set them at the beginning of each bin.  On my end, I like that it cuts down on dawdling significantly and takes any nagging away from me and puts it on the timer.  Now, this isn't for everyone.  Some kids will get stressed out by the timers and it's not meant to be like that.  I give them more time than they should need so that they can finish before the time runs out.  With my boys, they need a visual way to track their progress and the combination of the chart & the timer does the trick in a fun hands-on way for them!

Rules of the Workboxes:

We have a couple of rules for the workboxes.  #1 - Bins must be done in order.  #2 - Absolutely NO peeking in the bins until it's schooltime and you've progressed to that bin.  Some boxes have surprises, crafts and/or games in them and I like to keep things fresh and interesting for them.  If they're peeking ahead of time it won't be as exciting come schooltime.  Just the other night there was a big discussion about what Birdman's "Game Center" game would be (more on that in a sec.) and I could tell the temptation was going to be too much for them.  So instead of putting the actual game in the bin, I wrote it on a piece of construction paper and taped it up envelope-style for him to open if/when he got to do Game Center the next day.


How It All Comes Together:
I didn't realize that using the bins and mixing the order of subjects up would actually help me out in creating a workable timetable for assisted vs. solo work for our two grade levels.  Last year, we did the same subjects at the same time.  So they were both working on math and I was going back and forth helping both of them out at the same time.  It was crazy for me and distracting for them.  With the workbox system, because I could visually move subjects from bin-to-bin I tried out a few different combinations before I stumbled upon a sort of a-ha! that worked for us.

I made up a chart showing how we use the bins.  You can see how some bins are done together (they are connected) and how we flip-flop assisted work & solo work.  While one boy does one bin of math for about an hour, the other boy is completing two bins for 30 minutes each.  This may look rigid to some but it helps me make sure we efficiently cover everything we need to while still leaving room for flexibility.  This schedule is a snapshot of a full day - other days we end school early for sports, scouts or field trips.

Keeping it Fun:
I mentioned Game Center earlier.  Inside each boy's math bin there is a square of velcro with a "Game Center" card velcroed to it.  In addition to their math books, I always include a math game of some sort in the bin (or a note about what the Game Center game is).  I'm a huge fan of baskets and bins and I found some really cute ones at the Dollar Store during Easter a while back and they are great for organizing.  So in my closet (one of the few places that doesn't get snooped in) I keep a math bin full of manipulatives, flash cards & math games.  They each get a full 60 minutes for math.  The sooner they finish it, the more time they will have remaining in that hour for their Game Center game.
 I've also just added another inside-the-bin card for Free Reading when they've finished their Language Arts work in the afternoon and have time leftover while I'm still doing Spelling with the other one.  We keep a box of library books in our school room so there is always a good supply of books to choose from.

The variety of these incentives keeps them focused and busy and makes our whole day full of fun learning!


Prep-work For Me:
Over the weekend, I look ahead to any projects we have coming up.  I order any books we might need from the library and make any copies I'll need during the week etc...  Guess where all of this goes?  In another handy bin!  I know, I'm a little bin-crazy.  This one holds everything I'm going to need to put into their workboxes throughout the week.  This week we had a game activity in Story of the World that I had to partly prepare, so I did that set-up and put it in a ziploc bag.  Part of the activity they could start working on with a little instruction so I got all of the materials & put them in ziplocs for them.  When the day came that they were going to do that activity, I just put the ziplocs in their history bins and with scissors and other supplies already in the ziplocs there was no getting up and wandering around searching for supplies!

At the end of each day throughout the week, I bring out my Prep Bin and fill the next day's workboxes.  I check over their work (completed work goes in a file tray on top of their workboxes) & put everything in their binders.  I keep their binders in the bottom workbox since we don't have that many subjects and sometimes I hole-punch the pages and let them put their work away themselves but I'll do it if we've got other things calling for our time.

~~~
So that's how the Workbox System works for us!  If you already use a similar system or if you give this a try, I'd love to hear how it goes!

Our Curriculum

So, homeschool moms are always interested in what everyone else is using for curriculum and how they have their schoolroom set up.  I know I am and I love getting great ideas!  So here's a peek at what my kiddos are working on this year - more on our schoolroom in a bit...

"Slim" - 3rd Grade

Calendar Work - Daily Learning Notebook. This is a new addition to our routine this year and the boys love them!  It is available as a free download from Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler.  
Bible - Egermeier's Bible Storybook, The Awesome Book of Bible Facts & George Muller of the (Christian Heroes: Then & Now Series of books about missionaries).  We take turns reading out of different books on different days, not all of them at once.  
Math - Singapore Math 2B.  We switched to Singapore partway through last year and went back to do 1A & 1B for review to catch what we missed, then finished with 2A.  
Handwriting - BJU Handwriting 3 Our first year trying this one.
Language Arts - Critical Thinking Company's Language Smarts Level C.  Our schedule got crazy last year so we still have some of Level C left before we'll move on to Level D.
Writing - WriteShop Junior Book D.  Slim is an avid reader & writer and frequently writes his own stories & journals for fun so I thought this would be a nice change from Writing With Ease since we had done that for 2 years.  
Spelling - All About Spelling Level 3.    
Science - Elemental Science EarthScience & Astronomy for the Grammar Stage.  We started using Elemental Science Biology in 1st grade and LOVE it.  It is easy with very little prep for me, 2-day or 5-day schedules in the teacher book and great "real" books that go along with the activities and student pages.  Last year in 2nd & K we covered the Earth Science portion of this book so now we're working on Astronomy.  
History - Story of the World Volume 3.  I cannot love SOTW more.  I "interviewed" the Volume 1 audio book from the library when Slim was in K and Birdman was 3 years old.  When I first got it from the library I put it in the cd player on the ride home to check it out.  The boys both wanted to know what it was and they ended up getting so engrossed that they would ask for it every time we got in the car.  We ended up listening to all 4 elementary audio book volumes that year "just for fun" because none of us could stop listening and when Slim was in 1st grade we went back and did it with the Activity Book and took our time with it.  I don't even buy the text book anymore, just the audio cd & activity book.  Listening to the cd is a really enjoyable end to our school day!

 "Birdman" - 1st Grade

Calendar Work, Bible, Science & History - Same as Slim since we do these all together.

Math - Singapore Math 1B.  Last year Birdman worked all the way through Critical Thinking Co's Mathematical Reasoning Level A so we started him on Singapore 1A.  

Handwriting - Zaner-Bloser Handwriting 1

Reading - We are still working our way through the I Can Read It! book.  Sonlight splits these up now into cute books but we found one second-hand that was in one giant book.  We also do 30-minutes or 1 chapter of a Read-Aloud book; right now we're starting with Charlotte's Web and I have the read-alouds from Sonlight K & 1st grade to work through.  

Language Arts - Crictical Thinking Company's Language Smarts Level B and First Language Lessons.

Writing - Writing With Ease Level 1.

Spelling - All About Spelling Level 1.

"Shorty" - Pre-K

I have a whole array of learning games, manipulatives, activities etc... that I've collected over the years and from my stint selling Discovery Toys!  Shorty is up to anything that keeps him relatively quiet and busy!  Eventually I will post a list of what we find works to keep our preschooler busy while we do school.  Who knew the hardest part of teaching elementary school at home would be not the subjects themselves, but juggling the other littles in the house!  

Now, let me show you around our schoolroom...