Birding really has become a passion in the Hays Home School. Our boys collect Audubon plush toy birds which contain accurate sound recordings that play when squeezed. I thought these might annoy me at first, but to my surprise, the sixty-something birds in the collection have become a part of the family.
The boys have assigned each bird a name, birth date, husband/wife, and children. They are residents of one of four states in "Birdieland" and hold different responsibilities within the nest. This year we also studied the founding of America, the Constitutional Convention, and the United States Government. In response to their studies, the boys created a "birdie" government for their plush toys, complete with a president, vice president, and members of Congress.
They began by writing a Constitution with a BILL of rights (pun intended). Their Legislative Branch is divided into two houses, the Senest and the Bird House of Representatives. They write "birdie bills" that must be passed by a majority and sent to the President for approval or to be vetoed.
They have held formal elections, even involving the children of our local home school association. They wrote and delivered campaign speeches and organized a mock election for their friends. Their president is a ring-necked pheasant named Pheasy. His slogan.... Pheasy for Prezzy, and he is a Republibird, not a Tweetycrat btw.
The final project was to create a journal of their work. I have posted pictures in a slide show.
No comments:
Post a Comment