"Keep Me As The Apple Of Your Eye" Psalm 17:8

Yesterday we celebrated Apple Day with our homeschool group. Each family brought a food item with apples in it. It was great seeing and tasting all the different dishes. The children enjoyed doing various crafts involving apples- apple potpourri bags, apple print painting, and apple bookmarks. They even had an apple tasting and got to vote for their favorite apple! What a wonderful way to celebrate the first day of fall.



Fall Is In The Air

My favorite season is fall. Sadly though, we do not have a nice change of seasons where we live. There are no colorful leaves of orange, yellow, and red. There aren't any apple orchards. The days of wearing sweaters or jackets are very few. But that doesn't stop us from celebrating and enjoying all that fall has to offer. This week, my oldest daughter made some homemade apple cinnamon potpourri. It filled our home with the delicious scent of crisp apples bathed in an assortment of yummy spices. That smell made me think of pies baking in the oven. I actually wanted to eat the potpourri, the aroma was so tempting! Yes, fall is right around the corner and I can't wait! What do you love about fall? 

1 Box + 1 Boy = Endless Possibilities

Some of my favorite learning moments come from activities many would consider "just play time". Take this scenario, for example. A large box arrived at our house recently. As soon as it entered the doorway, my little guy's eyes began to sparkle and he got this huge grin on his face. I could see his mind turning as he thought of all the fabulous things he could do with this wonderful box. In no time, he had his Home Depot apron on, gathered all his tools, and went to work. First, it was a space ship. Then, he decided it was an apartment building 9 stories tall and he needed to work on the roof and attic. He drilled, he measured, he hammered, he taped, he wrote all over his creation.  I would come by periodically to check on his progress and it amazes me how creative little ones can be with something as plain and simple as a box. He is still working on his apartment building today. Another box arrived this morning. I believe his apartment building may be getting an addition put on.

Our Week In Review

What a busy, fantastic week we had! On Monday, the kids started their paper mache globes and were up to their ears in gooey fun! My little guy had a great time with Tubtime Tuesday. This week's tubtime activity involved colored pasta, hidden magnetic letters, and sorting tools. He really liked this tub because he received a little prize for finding all the letters. On Thursday, my daughter did a flip on the bars at gymnastics class! We also took a trip to the aquarium for their annual Homeschool Day. My girls started co-op classes at our church on Friday. The end of the week brought lots of rain, which my little guy was more than happy to play in! I'd say it was another successful week...

Aquarium Field Trip

Bingo Board

Today was Homeschool Day at the aquarium. My kids were really excited about going, especially my little guy because he has never visited this aquarium before! I made a fun bingo game ahead of time for them to play as we toured the different exhibits. We saw all sorts of interesting fish, birds, sharks, river otters, and more. What I really like about this aquarium is the fact that they have several different sections and a huge variety of plants and aquatic life- not just ocean creatures but all types of water habitats. Since today was Homeschool Day, the aquarium set up various crafts and shows for the children to participate in. I love field trips and even though we aren't studying ocean life in depth this year, I still wanted to take this little excursion because I really feel there is a learning moment in everything and I know the kids had a great time!

I sure hope that Spoonbill isn't going to sit on me!

Taking a break on a mermaid's lap

A tasty reward for completing the bingo game

Wow! What a Week...

Well, we've completed our first week of homeschooling and I am really encouraged by how smoothly things went. There are a few things I do need to adjust, but overall, everything is moving along quite well and it was a week full of all kinds of lessons, new discoveries, and lots of learning. Here are some of our activities:

Thursday was National Skyscraper Day. Look at this great building!

Tub Time Tuesday was a big hit

Puzzle time fun during Galloping the Globe lessons

 Coming soon- lots of field trips, science experiments, and more!

Middle School Science

My oldest daughter is using Apologia Science Exploring Creation With General Science this year. This is an extremely thorough program designed to introduce middle-schoolers to several branches of science. There are experiments in every module and she must keep a lab notebook with notes and diagrams. We are still using the elementary Apologia science books for my younger children. So far, she seems to be enjoying it- all except for these wonderfully fashionable safety glasses!

Another successful experiment!