KONOS Attentiveness Unit Study
- Annie Schrader
- Feb 19, 2018
- 4 min read
It's February, and I don't know about you, but I'm draaaaaaaaaaagging. Give me all the coffee and books because my motivation is barely there.
We are still working our way through the character traits in our KONOS curriculum, and are currently studying stewardship. However, over the last couple of months we finished our study on attentiveness--listening closely and watching carefully--and it was really so good! We covered so many fun subjects and it is such a great lesson for young ones to learn. And by that I mean ME. I said it before when talking about our KONOS patience unit study, but focusing in depth on these character traits is such a good refresher for me too!
The first part of this unit focused on ears, sound, music, eyes, and our other senses. We spent time learning about the parts of the ear, the parts of the eye, the different tasting locations on our tongues, as well as the other three senses. We did a blindfolded taste test game which was so funny! We touched on the different seasons during the year and certain things during each of those seasons that appeal to our senses. We learned about the amazing life of Helen Keller! The girls could not get enough of her story! We did a blindfolded building activity, as well as a blindfolded mystery box during this part of the unit and both were a big hit as they learned to be attentive and lean on their other senses to complete the tasks.
We learned about Alexander Graham Bell and attempted making our own telephone with cups and string, however we failed big time. Has anyone ever had this actually work? I remember trying to make them as a kid and they didn't work then either. I wondered if maybe our string was too long, or it wasn't pulled tight enough, but the girls still seemed to enjoy it. I guess it's the simple things when you're 3 and 5. We learned about Vivaldi and his composition of The Four Seasons, and spent time learning about different instruments and how they have changed over the years. This first part of the study was packed with fun information and things easy enough to adapt to each age in our home.
The second part of the unit focused on frontiersman, animal tracking and trapping, predator and prey, and Indians. We learned about Daniel Boone and his amazing life and made our very own coonskin caps! I died you guys, because this was just so dang funny!
We learned about Davy Crockett and animal tracks, Lewis & Clark and grizzly bears, and Kit Carson and beavers. We studied a few different Indian tribes, made teepees and headdresses, learned how to circle weave, and compared all different kinds of homes occupied by the Indians. This was a really fun subject to study and I can't wait until we broach it again as the kids get older. Growing up in Colorado, we mostly studied the tribes that were in our area. I don't really remember learning about the coastal tribes, so learning about them during this unit study was fascinating to me. Their way of life was so much different than any of the tribes we studied in school!
We wrapped up this study learning about birds. We learned about John James Audubon and his fascinating life's work. Did you know that he sketched and painted the most amazing pictures of wildlife (most well known for his pictures of birds) only to return from a short time away and find them completely eaten by rats?! Nearly 200 beautiful pieces of art! He became depressed and discouraged and then one day decided that was pointless and got right back out there and started over. Talk about perseverance! Can I get some of that as I sit here and complain about February?
We also spent time playing games like Memory and Slap Jack, learning a new art form with chalk pastels, learning how to tie shoes with this awesome book, (thanks Mike!), and learning how to finger knit! This unit was full of fun and new information and really helped to move us through the first part of winter fairly quickly. Below is a list of resources I used to help us as we studied. Enjoy!
RESOURCE LIST
Learning About the Ear :: this included a simple but good ear diagram as well as a short kid friendly video about how sound works.
Helen Keller :: Animated Hero Classics are a bit old school, but the content is so good and my kids LOVE them!
*The vast majority of these ideas were straight from the KONOS curriculum.
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