The kids were wondering why we are not reading through Story of the World any more, like we did last year. The summer started just before we got to the good stuff - Ancient Greece. Since I also enjoy it, we picked it back up. There is nothing like starting a history study by looking at the food the people use to enjoy. Here we made a greek feast and watched a greek inspired movie to go with it (Percy Jackson, or something like that. I can't exactly remember.)
It was a not-much music week. The kids practiced, but had no classes. The OYSO is also not meeting until January, so we did enjoying a peaceful week. On Monday Danae needs to do a little solo performance, so she is working on Minuet 2 (Suzuki bk 1) to perform in front of her class and their parents.
BIble: It's impossible to get tired of the Christmas story, is it not? And Christmas music.
PE: Fencing, and Gym Class. Also, not that the golf course are closed for the season, we have been using it as our backyard. I regularly send the kids out for a run or a quick toboggan (when there was snow on the hilly areas.)The kids also went skiing for this first time this season. Apparently it went well.
Art - it's the season for lots of Christmas-inspired arts and crafts as well as baking and movie-watching. Here are 2 of my favourites:
Marcus did a presentation of types of lava flow as a writing assignment for co-op. He presented it to his class and their parents. He only had 1.5 weeks to write the report and put a presentation together. Again, he surprised me by working very independently and with unexpected maturity. I guess this is the new normal. Phew, I thought that would never happen. Sometimes I have to remind myself that he is only 9.
Earthly Innards
You have probably heard of lava and its incomprehensible power of destruction, but did you know that scientists classify lava flow into four different categories, depending on what it looks like, the speed at which it travels and the temperature reached by the glowing ooze. Pahoehoe, a’a, pillow, and block lava are all unique and pose a significant threat to environments and people who exist within the shadows of volcanoes.
A’a lava forms when lava tumbles over itself in a mess of broken fragments of harder, cooled lava called clinkers. Some say it moves like the tread of a bulldozer. The tumbling movement results in rough, sharp points and edges making hiking on these black fields almost impossible. It consists of mainly basalt and contains little silica, meaning it’s thin and runny, or of low viscosity. The speed at which a'a tumbles over itself can reach 160 km/h and at a temperature of around 1100 degrees celsius, you surely want to stay out of its way. Various gasses trapped within the molten flow result in a shiny, colourful display within the otherwise dark chunks of igneous rock. This lava type usually erupts from shield and stratovolcanoes.
Block lava forms and flows the same way as a’a lava, but because of its higher viscosity, it hardens into blocks instead of clinkers. It’s composed of andesitic and rhyolitic material, and has a high silica content, meaning that it's thick and sticky when molten. This is mostly found erupting from stratovolcanoes and lava domes. This is the least hot type of lava with a temperature range of 760 - 927 celsius. This is also the most sedate type, with a top speed of only 4.5 meters per day!
Pahoehoe can reach temperatures in excess of 1200 degrees celsius, but tends to move and cool slower than a’a. This lava flows in lobes called toes, cooling into a rope-like texture. If pahoehoe lava is forced to continue flowing after it's cooled to a critical temperature, it will start tumbling over itself, and will result in rough a’a clinkers forming. Pahoehoe is of low viscosity and composed of mostly molten basalt. It regularly erupts out of shield volcanoes and is also interestingly the easiest flow type for pioneering plants to reestablish on.
Pillow lava forms when a submarine volcano erupts. This lava is essentially pahoehoe lava, but because of its contact with water, hardens into rounded, pillow- like shapes. Pillows quickly form in the cool water, but inner lava can reach a scorching 1200 degrees celsius. Its composition is basaltic and andesitic and as with pahoehoe, it forms with slow effusion. Without surprise, this is the most abundant lava type found all over the submarine areas within the ring of fire! Pillow lava can also be found on extinct volcanoes that erupted out of ancient oceans and arose above the water level, as seen on the Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
Lava captivates our attention and imagination in the way it slithers, slips and spills while shaping our planet. It’s a destroyer, a creator and a conserver all at once. Lava fascinates, awes and kills, while enchanting us into exploring its molten mysteries.
Danae had to do the same thing. She chose the "Green Sands of Hawaii" as her topic. She also did amazingly well. It was her first ever presentation in front of people and she had no problems with it. Actually, she really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the next one where she will know what to expect more. I also wish the teacher gave her more than 3 days to prepare!
Mysterious Green Sand of Hawaii
You may think that green sand is something that only exists in my imagination. I am here to tell you that there is a whole shimmering beach of it on the island of Hawaii. This odd looking sand is composed of the mineral olivine. It is formed inside the glowing magma of a turbulent volcano. Digging your hands into nature’s own laboratory will change your mind into believing that this sand is real.
This is Marcus's 2nd biggest/longest writing project to date, but the most difficult. (The previous was a fictional narrative.) He has done all the research, planning, and outlining himself. He edited it with my help. I'm very proud of him - this was a monster project he handled graciously and with more maturity expected of a 9 year old. It took him a good 2 weeks and many drafts and edits. He seems to have a tendency to write to long sentences and had to work on dividing these into 2 or 3 more easily readable pieces/sentences. It's not quite run-on sentences, as they mostly make sense - they are just to long. He enjoyed the research part of it, and wants to continue writing on volcanoes as an extension of this report.
Crust Chronicles
Plate boundaries are where two continental plates meet. One might encounter extreme environmental conditions near these treacherous areas. There are three types of plate boundaries that are usually the cause of some natural disasters, mainly earthquakes and volcanoes.
The first type of plate boundary is called a divergent boundary. This is where two tectonic plates move away from each other. Since the crust is parted, magma rises and erupts, resulting in a volcano. Most of these volcanoes are found in the depths of the oceans. As the ocean floor expands, it puts pressure on the land, which can result in earthquakes and tsunamis. This immense pressure and resulting lava flow can also create mid-ocean ridges, mountains that form underwater. When these mountains reach above the surface of the ocean, an island is born! These boundaries are therefore also referred to as “constructive boundaries.”
The second type of boundary is called a transform boundary. Transform boundaries occur when the earth’s plates grind past each other. Massive earthquakes occur at occasional faults along these boundaries. These boundaries only exist on land and are best known for the San Andreas fault that runs through California. Since additional crust is neither created or destroyed, they were given the nickname “conservative boundaries.”
Lastly, convergent boundaries are when two plates collide. At times, these plates smash each other so forcefully that they subduct. Subduction means that one continental plate slides under another plate. This often results in major earthquakes. Since one plate slides under the other, the lower plate melts under the intense pressure as well as heat created by friction. The sudden burst of pressure causes all the volcanoes in this area to erupt. Because of this, some call them “destructive boundaries,” referring to the crust that is destroyed or destructed in the process of subduction.
Most scientists believe that the hotspot mechanism is responsible for certain volcanic activity. They think that this is how the Hawaiian, Galapagos, and a few Indonesian islands were formed. This happens when the earth’s crust passes over an enormous chamber, or column of magma, called mantle plumes, just below the earth’s crust. Usually, magma is found in the asthenosphere or thereunder, while hotspot magma is found above the asthenosphere. The magma then rises up through the crust and erupts as a volcano once at the surface. These volcanoes keep erupting until they pass completely over the hotspot. When a new piece of crust moves over the hotspot, a volcano reforms. These can construct a chain of islands like the hotspot islands that exist currently!
There is another theory geologists suggest might be the cause of volcanic islands away from plate boundaries. This mechanism is similar to that of a convergent boundary. It occurs when two or more plates compress another plate between them. This causes land to rise, forming mountains or volcanoes towards the center of the plate. This theory also may explain the existence of some lone islands like Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon islands.
It’s fascinating how faults in the earth’s crust can result in such dramatic creation or destruction of the world around us. Plate boundaries and hotspots can be found from the abyss of the ocean to the peaks of mountains. These phenomenon are terrifying when you are faced with an imminent catastrophe, but fascinating when you look at it from the other side of the seismograph.
The rafflesia is the most enormous flower in the world. Its bright red bloom can be three feet wide! It takes two years to develop and stays open for a week. Unlike other plants it has no long stem or green leafs. It happily grows on the roots of other plants. You won’t want to get too close to this gigantic blossom; it stinks! some people say it has a foul odour, like that of rotten meat. Because of its nose-pinching stench, it is also known as the “corpse flower” or “stinking lily.” Luckily it is not found in North America.
Art - the kids created these monster collages with acrylic paint, watercolour paint, sharpies, oil pastels and a variety of other things. It was a fun project and turned out pretty nice!
Health - we had some discussions on how what you eat can affect your mood and attitude, and hence the people around you. We also talked about saving and spending money. These 2 topic then tied into Halloween, and how I'll buy back their candy at $10/kg - thereby saving moods and allowing them to save money.
Bible - Respect your parents and others was the topic of the week. We read about how God expects this from us and how it is not always easy, especially when you think you are right.
Music - The kids continue to thrive. Danae is blossoming! She even mentioned that she wants to be a professional violinist when she grows up. This from a kid that has wanted to quit many times!