Fourth Grade Social Studies/Geography Shelters

           In a Waldorf school, learning about shelters is typically done in the third grade.  We moved this to fourth grade and combined Waldorf and Charlotte Mason for this course.  I love the idea of studying humanity and our relationship to shelter as it encompasses a wide range of disciplines from cultural understanding to how climate and environment effects us.  

Learning how to build an emergency shelter

Social Studies/Geography

Shelters:

Houses of Wood: Native Dwellings of the Pacific Northwest by Bonnie Shemie

Houses of Snow, Skin, and Bones: Native Dwellings of the Far North by Bonnie Shemie

Houses of Adobe by Bonnie Shemie

Houses of China by Bonnie Shemie

Reading about shelters included learning about climates and how people adapt their dwellings to their climates. 

Fieldtrip: Crowley Museum and Folk School to learn about wilderness survival

Mapwork:  Tracing Marco Polo’s journey, equator, axis, locating the continents

Survival Videos: Seneca watched survival videos where she learned to put chapstick on a q-tip to make a fire. 

In true Charlotte Mason fashion, copywork was selected from the readings and used for cursive practice.   In our fashion, copywork was done with at the bookstore or coffeeshop.

Copywork being done at the bookstore with an oh-so delicious treat