What We're Doing for Elementary School This Year

Dear friends,

Blue orchids!

We're just finishing up our second week of "back to school" at our house.  This year, two of our children are in the elementary grades -- one in public school and the other at home.  We also have two in middle school at home, two in high school (one of them dual enrolling in college, the other at home) and two others in college.

First Day!

My 4th grade son has returned to our neighborhood public school, where he went most of last year, and we're all pretty happy with that choice.  He says his teacher (who just graduated from college) is strict but he likes her.  He has homework every night, so I still get to be involved in his education.  They are doing Florida History this year, so I know he'll be going on a field trip to St. Augustine this year. (See Florida Field Trips #1: Historic St. Augustine)


He is supposed to read from a book of his choice for 20 minutes each evening, so he  was thrilled with the National Geographic Reptiles and Amphibians and the Exploring Your Solar System books my sister (who home schooled two of her kids for several years) just sent after cleaning off her shelves.  He had a choice of what to do with his spelling words yesterday, so he wrote them in graffiti style. :-)

My youngest daughter just turned seven.  She is technically in 2nd grade, but it's more like 1st/2nd since she has an August birthday and is a bit of a "late bloomer" anyway when it comes to academics.  She was in public school for a few months last year but didn't thrive there; they push hard in the early grades and she wasn't quite emotionally ready for that. Even though she learned a lot, she was still behind the other students.  She is, however, very bright, observant and curious, which makes it a lot of fun for me to teach her.  She struggled with reading last year, but really took off in the late springtime and over the summer.  She's my 10th child, and I'd say she's in the normal spectrum of reading skills.  Some of my kids learned to read at age four, and some more toward seven.  They are all strong readers now.  In fact, the child who learned to read at the latest age made top scores on AP tests in high school and starts college dual enrollment next week at age 17.  Some kids just need a little extra time to come into their own. (See my article: Learning to Read.)

Math is the weak link in the chain at the moment, but I'm guessing that will click soon, too.  Her brother was math-resistant in second grade (I could hardly get him to do any!) but shot to the top of his class when he started public school partway through third grade -- again a matter of readiness.  I didn't sign her up for the math class in the home school co-op, so I'm doing a variety of things at home, including ideas from Saxon 1st grade teacher manual, a workbook from a teacher's store, A Beka number pages, hands on stuff like poker chips and penguin shaped crackers (from Aldi), and most of all a free math drill app -- Instant Interactive Math Drills Lite -- on my iPod.  In the photo at left, she matched up two sets of the A Beka number pages on the living room floor (numerals to pictures -- the cards are reversible) and then counted out the poker chips for each one.  This morning we took a pile of six similar science books, counted them, divided them into groups of twos and threes, classified them by topic and cover style, compared the the quantities in the classified groups, etc.  Yes, a lot of our math is impromptu.  If you would like to see more of what I have written about math, read here: Math Skills Checklist from Preschool to 2nd Grade, Math Skills Checklist 3rd-5th Grades and My Own Batch of Cookies (math through measurement). If you want to find out my favorite math resources, read to the bottom of the page here: Math.

Many of the classes in our co-op are multi-grade.  She's in 1st-3rd grade for history and science and 1st/2nd for English.  The teachers chose BJU Press for both history and science.  The English teacher is using First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind as her teaching guide.  She sends home worksheets and then the kids do several lessons from the appropriate grade level of Daily Language Review.

We are supplementing all of the co-op classes with additional reading in those subjects at home.  Sometimes I read to her, sometimes she reads to me, and sometimes we take turns reading page by page.  As I mentioned, my sister just sent two big boxes of books, so we should be set for quite a while with Usborne Starting Point Science, Little House early readers, dolphin books, math drill pages, Bible stories, etc.  

Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor

We also take frequent trips to the library, where we recently discovered the Fancy Nancy readers. (See here for review.) 

Plus we already have hundreds of children's books at home!  One of our almost daily picks is The Jesus Storybook Bible, which is a bit more poetic and artsy than most kiddy Bible story books.  See my review here: The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name.

I keep her current books and workbooks, school supplies, and a notebook for storing in-process and completed papers, in a clear plastic bin I bought for $5 at Walmart.  It has a spot on a shelf in the dining room, but I usually leave it in the living room where we use it most. See my post: "Bin There, Done That" (Or How to Keep School Clutter from Turning You Into a Basketcase)

I also try to extend the co-op themes with outings and activities.  They have been learning about the library and the post office in history class, so off we go.  They are studying plants in science class, so we went to Lowe's, looked at a lot of different kinds of flowers, and bought some marigolds.  (I blush to say we still haven't planted them and they are shriveling up.  Bad mommy!)  We also have a Fun Pass to Sea World, thanks to some help from my mom.  If you pay for one day, the rest of the year is free!




Another area we're trying to work on is basic life skills.  Each of my five younger children (2nd-10th grades) has the same chores, rotated daily.  I help our youngest with hers so she can get trained well enough to do them independently.  Messy bedrooms are still an issue here, so I checked out Making My Room Special: Creative Ways to Decorate Your Room by Emilie Barnes.  The book uses an engaging story and lots of sidebars to teach elementary age girls how to keep their bedrooms clean, well-organized, and decorated, as well as how to successfully share a room. 

That's mostly what we are doing this year for the elementary grades!

If you would like some more inspiration, check out one of my favorite blogs about home schooling, www.simplehomeschool.net.  I susbscribed via Google Reader.  Two of my recent favorite "don't miss" posts are: Bloom’s Taxonomy: A simple roadmap to learning and Designing big plans to work with your every day.

Thanks for reading!  

What are you doing for elementary school this year?  What are your favorite resources?  Leave a comment and share!

Virginia Knowles
www.StartWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com

Fancy Nancy (I Can Read!) Books Mini-Review

Fancy Nancy books by Jane O'Connor

Last night, I took my seven year old daughter to the library.  They had moved most of the early reader books (and I didn't have time to look for them) but they had several left on top of the bookcase where they used to be.

That's how I discovered Fancy Nancy!

Fancy Nancy is the creation of Jane O'Connor.  There are several full-size picture books about this spunky little girl, but the books we saw were in the I Can Read Level 1 book series.  The cool thing about Nancy is that she likes fancy words like "spectacular" or "crestfallen" -- and she explains what they mean.  So the books build a young student's vocabulary right in the context of the story.  The other cool thing is that Nancy is a very normal little girl, and how she learns to face the very normal little challenges in her life -- whether it is a mean girl at school, or an unfinished project, or wanting something she can't have -- is a good lesson for all kids in the early elementary years.

Now I'll have to go find some more in the series!

Oh, oh!  You know what else is "spectacular" about Fancy Nancy?  Her web site, FancyNancyWorld!  It's got sections for educators and parents, including discussion questions, reading tips, printable activities, recipes, games and more.

So may I commend (that's a fancy word for telling you they're good) these books to you?  Much obliged!

Virginia Knowles
www.StartWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com

Balloons Over Broadway

Flipping through books on the "new book cart" at our local library, I was intrigued by one of the
titles—Balloons Over Broadway: The Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Living in the Northeast as a child, the Macy's Parade was a highlight of our Thanksgiving Day morning; almost as important as putting the turkey in the oven.

I pulled the book from the shelf and placed it in our canvas library bag. When we arrived home an eager, curious little learner retrieved the book from the bag. "Mom, let's read this one!" We did and I learned the back story about the balloons at which I marveled as I child. In the process of reading one of our newest library finds, I was able to tell my children about one of our favorite holiday traditions—watching the Macy's Day Parade while smells of cinnamon and roasting turkey permeated our home. A slice of family tradition and a delightful piece of American history served up during read-aloud time. 

Interested in learning more about Macy's Parade, Tony Sarg, or puppet making:

• A brief video about the parade history
• Behind the scenes tour of the parade
• Parade Memory Match
• About Tony Sarg, puppeteer
• More about Tony Sarg
• Puppets children can make
• More puppets to make

Other creative experiences:

• Make puppets and perform a puppet show to entertain family and friends
• Visit a local marionette theater

[This article is by contributing writer Cheryl Bastian.  It first appeared on her blog There's Always a Story.]

How to Plan a Unit Study

HOW TO PLAN A UNIT STUDY

by Virginia Knowles

from

Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade

What is a Unit Study?

Steps for Planning a Unit Study

Long Range Planning

Unit Study Topic List

WHAT IS A UNIT STUDY?

Unit study is a natural common sense excellence method of learning in which you choose a theme, and then incorporate various school subjects, such as literature, language arts skills,  history, geography, careers, science, technology, art, music, and math application.  There is a  logical connection between subjects.  They all fit together naturally, just like in the real world. 

Each unit study is different.  Some unit studies concentrate primarily on one subject (history, science, etc.) with the others tucked in.  Some are based on holidays or family trips. Some are more activity-oriented, while others are book-based, depending on the topic and your teaching style.  You can design your own unit study plan, buy a package or guide, or borrow from a friend.  Unit studies can take a few days, week, month, or year. You could do them all year or just once in a while.  You can plan several at a time or do one spontaneously based on a question or interest from your child.  Don't get bogged down in details.  If a unit study bombs, you learn how not to do one the next time. 

A unit study doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as going to the library and checking out a few books.  Find what style suits you.  Don't be discouraged if you are not creative or organized.  You don't have to plan a whole year of unit studies ahead of time, or overload on creative activities in each one.

A unit study can include more than one child, but individual attention is still needed.  One goal of unit studies is to build family unity and save mom's planning efforts, but you still need to spend separate time on language arts and math at each child's level.  It may be helpful to plan one time of day for skills curriculum (phonics, grammar, punctuation, math, music theory, etc.) and then another time slot for content curriculum (unit studies covering history, literature, science, art appreciation, etc.) 

Social studies and science themes can be closely integrated.  Human culture and the physical world affect each other.  People discover scientific principles and then act them out in history.   When we studied Ancient Egypt, a history theme, we learned science too: how a mummy is made, how pyramids were built without machines, and how land was irrigated.  In our next unit, we studied the entire desert habitat, including biology (plants and animals), geology (sand dunes), weather (rain patterns), geography (comparing deserts around the world), history (archaeologists), and sociology (Native Americans, African nomads).  Social studies and science emphases can be alternated and intertwined.  

Language arts and math can be incorporated into unit studies.  Research and literature count as reading. Spelling and vocabulary lists, creative writing projects, and dictation selections, and math word problems can complement the unit study.

A Page from a 3rd Grade Notebook

Spelling List about Mexico 

• Mexico
• Central America
• Maya
• Aztec
• pyramid
• temple
• solar calendar
• weave                           
• cotton
• vanilla
• chocolate
• jungle        

STEPS FOR PLANNING A UNIT STUDY

TOPIC AND TIME AVAILABLE:  Pick a topic which is interesting to your children, and which incorporates several school subjects.  Whatever you choose, your child should:   hypothesize, integrate related information, analyze, research, read, write, etc.  How much time you can spend determines how specific you can get with your topic. You could cover flowers in a week, but botany could easily take a month.  Children usually start to lose interest after about three or four weeks of concentrated study on a topic; don’t frustrate them with overkill.

SUB-TOPICS AND SCHOOL SUBJECTS: Make a list of sub-topics for your theme.  A study of the Middle Ages could include castles, knights and weaponry, the Crusades, Vikings and their ships, famous kings, peasant life, food and clothing, fairy tales, etc.  As you list the sub-topics, integrate various school subjects such as: Bible, scientific principle, experiments, technology, nature study, history, geography, government, careers, language skills, literature, creative writing, math application, art, music, life skills, etc. 

OBJECTIVES: Write specific goals of what you want your child to understand by the end of this unit.  You won't learn everything, but you should attempt to lay a framework for future learning and whet their appetites to explore more on their own. 

LEARNING MODES: Adapt activities to your children. Cater to their learning styles, whether visual, auditory, kinesthetic/tactile, etc.  Use a variety of approaches to help lock in the material from many angles.  Consider each of your children when you do this planning.   Be sure to ask them for ideas about what they would like to do for this unit study, because children can be chock full of great ideas.  It also gives them a sense of being included and being important!

AGE LEVELS: Preschool and kindergarten children especially like picture books, fun songs, coloring, and make-believe.  Primary grade children can read books, write a little, draw pictures, make crafts, and do simple experiments. Older students can research, write papers, create independent projects, and wrestle with issues and current events. Choose some books to read to all of your children and then give age-appropriate activities to each child, with older doing more than younger. Older children can occasionally help younger children by reading to them, assisting with projects, and answering questions.

RESOURCES: List what you already have: books, encyclopedia articles, videos, music, magazines, recipes, instructions, pictures, craft and experiment supplies, web sites and phone numbers to call for more information.  Include titles, authors and page numbers so you can easily make assignments.  Check the indexes of any poetry or story anthologies you may own.  Write down what you will need, and where you might find it. Make games, worksheets, and pictures.  Plan purchases and order in time.

SCHEDULE: Map out a tentative schedule.  What will you do each day?  How much will you cover in a week?  For a three-week unit, you could tackle one major sub-topic each week.  You might need to raid the library first and refine your day-by-day plan based on your selections.  Vary activities from day to day to prevent boredom.  Start with the simple and work towards the complex.  Plan buffer time and decide which activities are optional so you'll know what to skip in a crunch.  Check newspaper and magazine calendars for field trip ideas.

LONG RANGE PLANNING

Several years ago, as I was looking to the future of our home education program, I decided that we needed a plan so that we could learn about various topics and school subjects in a reasonable manner.  From those early brainstorms hatched the idea for a quasi-comprehensive list of 60 three-week unit studies to be covered in five years.  We successfully finished the units in our list a couple of years ago, and we’ve gone on to other schemes since then.  An adapted version of our unit study list is included here, and is organized by school subject, rather than the sequence our own family did them.  This purpose of this list is just to give you an idea of how things can fit together in a long range plan, even if you don’t decide to do a sequenced series of units.  For example, you could study history chronologically and continually (without breaking it up into separate units), cover one continent all throughout the year, and layer various science, technology, and health topics on top of whatever history and geography you are studying at the moment.  (This is what we’ve been doing for the past two years.  It works.) Please note that the “Spiritual Emphasis” listed for each year is not a separate unit, but an overall theme for the year.

 UNIT STUDY TOPIC LIST

YEAR 1

• History: Old Testament, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece
• Geography: Africa
• Science: Creation Week, Weather, Life in the Desert
• Health: Babies and Family Life
• Technology & Trade: Books and Publishing
• Spiritual Emphasis: Old Testament

YEAR 2

• History: Ancient Rome, Life and Times of Christ, Early Church, Viking Times
• Geography: Ancient and Modern Asia
• Science: Farm Life, Chemistry, Animal Classification
• Health: Human Body
• Technology & Trade: Buildings (Homes, Construction, Architecture)
• Spiritual Emphasis: New Testament Church and World Missions

YEAR 3

• History: Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, Explorers, Art & Music History
• Geography: Europe, Land Forms, Maps & Globes
• Science: Physical Science, Life in the Water, Plant Life
• Health: Nutrition & Exercise
• Technology & Trade: Ships, Musical Instruments
• Spiritual Emphasis: Reformation of the Church

YEAR 4:

• History: 17th-19th Century History (U.S.A.: Pilgrims, Colonial, Patriot, Pioneer, Civil War)
• Geography: North and South America
• Science: Life in the Forest, Birds
• Health: Medicine & Health Care
• Technology & Trade: Inventions & Modern Manufacturing, Communications
• Spiritual Emphasis : Liberty and Justice

YEAR 5:

• History: Regional History (State/Province), 20th Century, World Wars, Life in the Future
• Geography: Regional Geography, Middle East, Australia
• Science: Insects, Flowers, Astronomy
• Health: General Health
• Technology & Trade: Aviation, Space Travel, Energy, Economics
• Spiritual Emphasis : Spiritual Growth

&

“The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. 

Into his tiniest creatures, God has placed extraordinary properties.”

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), the French scientist who developed process of pasteurization for milk, as well as vaccines for anthrax and rabies

1-2-3 Ideas to Remember about

Teaching with Unit Studies

  1 Keep unit studies simple!  Don’t feel overwhelmed!

  2    Integrate many school subjects in a natural way.

  3    Plan spontaneously or long-term.

This is an excerpt from my book Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade.  

Other unit study posts on this blog:

• American History Unit Studies at Our House
• Poetry in Life and Education
• Reading Your Way Around the World by Cheryl Bastian
• Penguins: A Perfectly Cool Unit Study for Hot Summers by Cheryl Bastian

Your Children Can Help with Meal Times

Dear friends,

I'm doing a Hope Chest e-magazine issue on Food & Compassion, and thought I'd include a section I wrote on Meal Times in my book Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade.  This excerpt is from the chapter on Life Skills.

MEAL TIMES

“In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, 

but a foolish man devours all he has.”  Proverbs 21:20

“Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” Proverbs 15:17

“She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.  

She gets up while it is still dark;

she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.” 

Proverbs 31:14-15

The way to a man’s heart is still through his stomach.  Jesus fed bread and fish to the hungry multitudes, called himself “the bread of life”, ate a communion meal in the Upper Room with his disciples just before he was betrayed, and even ministered to them after his resurrection by roasting fish for them on the shore.  At this time, he also admonished the apostle Peter to “Feed my sheep.”  (See John 21.)  Can you just imagine the Wedding Feast we will enjoy in Heaven with Jesus as our Bridegroom?  If meals are so important in God’s sight, I think they should be a vital part of our children’s life skills education!   Here are some things you can teach your child to do:

Check out cookbooks from the library in the j651 section.  You will find plenty of international and historical food books, such as those listed in the Social Studies section.    The Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook is one of our general favorites 

Start a recipe collection.  Let your child start a recipe notebook or box to collect her favorites.  These might include family recipes that are passed down from relatives. Take care that recipes are copied accurately!  If you like, you can insert each page into a plastic notebook sleeve to keep it clean during use. An older child can also choose one recipe to learn very well so that it can be her specialty.   She can also experiment with how to adapt recipes to make them healthier or more unique. My daughter Mary made her own illustrated keepsake cookbook when she was in elementary school. 

Plan a weekly menu, fill out a shopping list, go to the grocery store and shop for the ingredients.  Learn how to find the best quality and price for foods.  Read nutritional labels and unit pricing. While you are at the store, browse through unusual foreign foods such as calabaza, yucca root or malanga.

Follow recipes and learn the lingo. How much is a pinch of salt?  What does it mean to dice, mash, or simmer food?  Memorize abbreviations such as t. or tsp. for teaspoon and T. or Tbs. for tablespoon so that you don’t mix them up. 

Practice using kitchen utensils and appliances safely.  This might include the microwave oven, popcorn air popper, hand mixer, stove, apple corer, etc.

Prepare the food. Cut foods with a safe knife, peel vegetables, measure ingredients, mix batters, tear up lettuce for a salad, put spreads on bread, assemble a sandwich or burritos, spoon out dough for drop cookies, decorate a cake, scramble eggs, boil water for noodles, etc.

Learn about timing various elements of the meal preparation.  Your child will learn how to plan ahead so that everything is done and hot at about the same time. This requires more advanced thinking skills.  What will go on the big burners on the stove top?  If two things need to go in the oven, will they require the same temperature?  Will they both fit? What can be kept warm without burning?  What productive things can you do in the kitchen while you wait for the meat to fry?

Serve food to the table without dropping it.  Use plastic plates until your child gets the hang of this.  This requires walking steadily, and perhaps using a tray. 

Pour drinks without spilling.  Practice this with water over a sink or counter first. Use a child-friendly pitcher.  Allow your child to serve drinks to family members who are working outside in hot weather.

Clean up!  Don’t neglect this part of the process, or you will pay for it in aggravation later. Even a two year old can carry a plastic cereal bowl to the sink, stand up on tiptoe and dump it in.  A four year old can scrape his plate into the garbage -- after he eats his vegetables!

Pack a picnic lunch.  Plan which foods can “keep” safely outside and are tidy to eat. Learn how to pack them so they won’t spill or spoil.  Include unbreakable plastic or paper plates and cups, as well as a good supply of napkins.

Explore food careers through books and field trips. What is it like to be a dietitian, chef, restaurant owner, or caterer?  What kind of laws govern food safety in restaurants or stores?

Learn table manners. There are courteous ways to eat, pass items, be excused, remove something inedible from your mouth, etc. Ask God’s blessing on the food. Memorize a variety of traditional table graces, and be able to ask a spontaneous blessing.

~*~*~

I hope you have enjoyed this excerpt!  There are a lot of links about food on my other blogs, www.virginiaknowles.blogspot.com and www.comewearymoms.blogspot.com.  I've been doing a series on saving money, menu planning, etc.

Also on this blog: My Own Batch of Cookies

Virginia Knowles

www.startwellhomeschool.blogspot.com

Florida Field Trips #5: LegoLand

Florida Field Trips #5: LegoLand

Dear friends,

Yesterday, I took my four youngest kids, ages 6-12, to LegoLand Florida, about an hour and half from our house in Seminole County.  Last fall, LegoLand opened in Winter Haven, not far from US Highway 27, on the grounds of what used to be the historic Cypress Gardens theme park.  Cypress Gardens was a classic Florida fixture for several decades until it ran out of money a few years back.  I remember going there over 25 years ago with my husband!

Our home school co-op scheduled this as a field trip so we could get the school discount, which is just a fraction of the cost of a regular ticket.  We paid $5 each for children ages 5 through 12, and $25 each for teens, adults, and preschoolers age 3-4.  Under age 3 is admitted free.  A regular adult ticket is $75 at the gate or $68 on-line, while children’s and senior citizens tickets are usually $65 at the gate or $60 on-line.   The moral of the story: go with a school group if you can!   We were initially told to bring our home school ID cards, but only our leader had to show hers.  Parking costs $12 for a car (maybe more for larger vehicles?) and can be paid by credit card.  

You can rent a single stroller for $9 or a double stroller for $14.  I rented one at lunch time so I could bring my heavy lunch bag to the back end of the park where our friends were eating, and so my tired six year old didn’t have to walk so much.  It was well worth the money.  Speaking of lunch bags, I’ve been told there is refrigerated storage area in the white mansion so you can bring it in.  I didn’t realize that ahead of time and had left mine in the car.  You can also get food in the park.  I saw an all-you-can-eat-and-drink pizza, pasta and salad buffet for $9.99 for adults and $6.99 for children.  At that price, I would have been tempted to just eat there if I hadn’t had as many kids with me!  Some of the other food is a big more expensive, such as a bottle of Gatorade that is $3 if you buy it inside or $2.50 if you buy it from a cart outside.  Other amenities include a pet kennel and locker rental.

The hours are 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday), but they don’t seem to be very strict on the closing time.  We didn’t leave the park until 6:20, and there were plenty of people still in it.  

They are opening a LegoLand Water Park this summer.

Island in the Sky

While LegoLand is much more fun than the old Cypress Gardens, I am very grateful that they have retained the best features of the old park, including the actual gardens, water ski shows, and the Island in the Sky ride which is a viewing platform that rises high above the park and spins slowly for a terrific view of the Florida countryside.   I’m not sure which of the current rides remain for the CG days, but there are four different roller coasters and lots of other rides for all ages to enjoy.   

There truly is “something for everyone” at LegoLand, even if you don’t usually play with Legos.  We compensated for the differences in age and interest levels by trading off kids with three other families as necessary.  We kept in touch with cell phones so we could meet up frequently and trade kids again.

 New York City

Statue of Liberty

The really fun thing about LegoLand is the LEGO theme!  This is apparent from the moment you walk through the gates, because there are gigantic Lego sculptures throughout the park.  The crowning display of Legos is at MiniLand, where there are at least a dozen amazing scenes built entirely of Legos, including New York City, Washington D.C., San Francisco, the Daytona speedway, Kennedy Space Center, Key West, Las Vegas, and more.

U.S. Capitol Building

Space Shuttle at Kennedy Space Center

  

San Francisco with Golden Gate Bridge 

San Francisco

The Safari ride for young children takes you through an area with full size Lego animals. 

Some attractions that are not made of Legos still retain the theme, such as at the water ski show where the ship looks like it is made of Legos and the pirate is called Captain Brickbeard instead of Blackbeard.  During this show, there are four full-size Lego men (people in costumes) and a Lego pirate who water ski and act out the skit.    

In the Dragon roller coaster ride, the outside is a Lego looking castle with the trademark colorful plastic flags, a Lego gargoyle, and Lego soldier.   During the preliminary inside segment, you travel through a castle with large Lego sculptures of dragons and courtiers.   

The Dragon coaster ride was fun but not overwhelming, and I think it is the best pick of coasters for younger riders.  There is also a nearby Merlin’s Challenge ride for very younger children which is sort-of-kind-of like a junior roller coaster (goes up and down a little on a circle track) but ironically rougher on my joints than the Dragon and the wooden Coastersaurus!  I didn’t ride the Flying School suspension coaster, nor Project X (?) which is more curvy.

I also loved the Clutch Powers 4-D show we saw.  What is 4-D? It is 3-D with the additional sensory elements of wind, water and “snow.”   There are three 4-D shows available, including a racing one, and another with a wizard theme that looked a little dark for my tastes.

I am also super glad I took the opportunity to walk through the gardens, which I missed the last time I was at Cypress Gardens.   A Southern belle made from Legos replaces the human ones that used to grace the park.

The most outstanding feature of the gardens is a massive banyan tree that has several trunks.  

Banyan Tree

Gazebo, with pond that has alligators!

I think this is a Jack-in-the-Pulpit flower

I always love to stop and pay attention to details about God’s creation.  I kept noticing soft white clumps of fuzz on the grass in one area, and realized it came from baseball sized white clumps growing high up in the trees.   Yes, they were silk floss trees, the ones with really spiky trunks.  Very educational!

"Silk floss"

Look closely to see the soft white seed balls
on the silk floss tree

Trunk of silk floss tree

I have posted more Cypress Gardens photos on my main blog. 

  

One thing I didn’t like as much was that the map gave very little detail about what each attraction was. For example, we thought The Lost Kingdom Adventure was a roller coaster, but it turned out to be a little car that takes you through Egyptian tombs so you can shoot targets with a laser gun -- fun, but not the roller coaster, which was the adjacent Coastersaurus.  So you should do your research on-line ahead of time.  You can explore the Park Map here: http://florida.legoland.com/en/Park-Map/Park-Map/

I guess that’s enough about LegoLand and Cypress Gardens for now!  I hope it helps as you plan your trip!

This is the fifth post in my Florida Field Trip series.  You can find the other ones here:

#1: Historic St. Augustine

#2: Silver Springs Nature Park

#3: The Orlando Science Center

#4: Secret Lake Park

Have fun!


Virginia Knowles
www.StartWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com