The Earth Dragon Awakes

This is our first week, first book/unit study.

Title: The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 by Laurence Yep

Recommended reading age: 8-12

Ava says she would recommend this book to friend. "It's a really good book. It's about an earthquake and some kids trying to escape. There is lots of danger and excitement all around them."
 
To round out this work of fiction, we also read Earthquakes by Frankly N. Branley (from the Let's Read and Find Out Science series) and will be doing some experiments from Janice VanCleave's Earthquakes: Mind-boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects.
 
All books come from the public library. Sometimes I look for lesson plans on the internet for our books, but didn't find one that I liked for this one.
 
To be honest, if there is one thing we did not do enough of last year it was hands-on science. I just don't love it. Or even like it. I'll enjoy a good NOVA episode, or Discovery show about space, or nature hike as much as the next girl. But experiments? No thank you! So this year I have delegated. To dad. And instituted Science Saturdays. Father-daughter time and off the hook for science experiments for me? Win win!
 
We'll update on the success of the earthquake experiments.
 
I am still trying to perfect a way of incorporating Emma into lessons. I do not read aloud from the book draw book and don't intend to. I think I will just get a picture book that can be integrated in our larger theme. Next week, Ava is reading Framed and doing a geography lesson about Wales. Perhaps a Welsh fairy tale for Emma? Yes.

(Oh, and additionally, Ava wanted to read about Catherine the Great and the Dutchess Anastasia. Unschooling sometimes feels completely random!)