Monday School

This school year, we have a special day on Mondays. Emma and Maddie are joining us for a day of learning, and so it is extra special. We have a BIG field trip planned for November that includes Washington D.C. and so we are doing some learning about our nation's history. We have learned about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and their homes and Mt. Rushmore too. The girls have glued, cut, stapled, written reports, interviews and even performed some small skits. Learning the preamble (singing it to the old tune of schoolhouse rock) (thanks Youtube) and watching Liberty Kids on Netflix has added to our learning too. Oh, I feel so up-to-date using technology in my classroom. What a blessing.
We have not forsaken the always handy dandy public library!

Oh, these girls have some serious drama inside that is screaming to come out!

And one of the best parts of the day is recess in the pool and lunch out on the deck!

Time with Finn

We spent our day on Tuesday with my nephew Finn. He is my sister Kaitie's son. Oh how we love him! He cracked us up so many times we lost count. His laugh is infectious and we could not get enough! Our day started out at Burger King. He just watched us eat breakfast!

After getting home from the doctor's because of Olivia's earache, anddropping off a script, we had to get back for some school work. Finn decided on doing his reading in his little chair!

Curious George count to ten!

He tried out what long hair would be like!

And we had recess in the pool aka hottub!

So who needs a nap in the crib, when one can just lay out under the trees and watch the leaves blow!

And for lunch we snacked on PICKLES! Everyone loved them! What a fun day!

Every two years

This was not planned, but today when we were at the Florida Aquarium, I remembered I had taken pics of the girls in the past in this shell. Oh how time flies and how the girls have changed. Once they fit so nicely and now....well, just take a look.
2006 3 and 5 year olds

2008 5 and 7 years old

2010 7 and 9 years old

It does "Matter"!

Our first science co-op of the year focused on Matter. The states of matter, viscosity, molecules, and the mixing of liquids. The kids all seemed to love all the stations, and they really looked like scientists with their clipboards for recording of information, and their goggles. With our aprons and microscopes next time, we will be even more official!

One of the stations demonstrated a non-Newtonian fluid called Oobleck. It has many names, but the cool thing is that it does not follow the rules for a solid or a liquid! Everyone loved it!
At each station the kids had to make a hypothesis and record their conclusion at the end. Good stuff!

Water and corn starch! Fun in a bowl!

It just makes you happy! It is like clean mud!

Even little miss sassy pants who does not like to be dirty loved playing in it!

And the big girls liked it too...they could not keep their hands out of it!

This was from another station. It was called Glurch. It is two liquids mixing together and forming a colloid. It is just liquid starch and glue. You end up with something like...

...SILLY PUTTY!

Showing how certain liquids do not mix was explored at other stations. They walked away with an art project from this one!

And after watching some serious videos from YouTube about matter, they were able to build molecules out of toothpicks and jelly beans! And then they ate them!

Twenty kids, ten moms and lots of fun! Who could ask for more when learning about science!

We took some time to think about Albert Einstein and his quirky ways and smart imagination! We discovered he was a lot like us, just more willing to step out of the normal way of doing things! We also recognized that in Collossians 1:16-17 we are told that "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Amazing concept!

It's official!

There is a huge gaping hole in Olivia's mouth! She is more than adorable!