Week 12: Hibernation, Drums in West Africa, African Dance, Capoeira, Mancala, and Drumming Class!

For our life science class this week, our kids learned about true hibernation versus partial hibernation. They also learned about how animals hibernate by controlling their heart rate, their pulse, and their body temperature.

Learning to take their own pulse and heart rate.

Making a bear in a snowy cave.

For Geography/World Culture day, we finished our unit on Africa with a lesson about the importance of drums in West Africa. The kids learned about different kinds of drums and had a chance to play a few of them. After, they made their own Shekeres. To wrap up, they had a lesson in an African dance that is specific to Senegal.

Below are just two of the drums the kids had a chance to explore and play. The one on the left is a Shekere, and the one on the right, a Talking Drum.

Below is one of the videos the kids watched about drums; this one explains how to play the Shekere.

After practicing with a Shekere, the kids made their own.

For Game day, the kids made their own Mancala games out of egg crates; then they tried them out.

Our regular Capoeira teacher could not come this week, but an Aunt of one of the kids filled in. Thanks, Auntie!

For our field trip, the kids had a drumming class. They had a blast, and they learned a lot, too!