Homeschool PE

O(7) ran a quarter of a mile, and then cartwheeled back home.  So, just in case you ever wondered how many cartwheels and round offs a 7 year old can do in a quarter of a mile, it's 112!
 

Minn of the Mississippi

The girls and I are reading Minn of the Mississippi, which is about a turtle.  

After reading a chapter, we went kayaking on the lake to observe the turtles.

It was a windy day on the lake, and we didn't see as many turtles as we usually do, but we saw a few.

 

My favorite part of the morning was when we stopped to observe the Cypress People...we like to pretend that the Cypress knees are miniature people who come alive at night.  There are 2 guards in front of the biggest Cypress tree.

We also saw a grandpa reading to 4 children, a person curled up and sleeping, and a mother holding a baby with a teenager standing next to her.  It was so much fun to use our imaginations to see all of these nature made sculptures, and it reminded me of finding pictures in the clouds.  We had a beautiful and peaceful morning!

 

 

 
 

Ready for Halloween!!!

The girls and I are ready for Halloween!  We unpacked one of our Halloween bins this week, and we've had lots of Halloween fun so far!

The Halloween sensory bin is always a hit with everyone.  At the end of October, I'll pour everything into a ziplock bag so it will be ready and waiting for next year.

 

I  usually enjoy playing with the Halloween felt board more than the kids, but they have both played with it a lot this week.

We have turned on the electric tea lights in our spooky lanterns so that we can eat by spooky "candlelight" each night for dinner.

 

E(4) loves to play with the fake pumpkin and Mr. Potato Head parts.

They haven't paid any attention to the Halloween I Spy bottle yet.  

Our Almost Daily Nature Walk

I love to take walks with the girls, and my goal is for us to walk at least 4 times a week.  We usually alternate between running and walking, so that we get exercise and nature study time.  Right now, we walk around 3 miles per week, but I'm hoping to eventually work up to 8 to 10 miles per week.  

We really enjoyed studying this pine tree this week.  It is covered in ants, sap, and spiders.  E(4) was excited to break off pieces of sap to take home, and both girls took home pieces of bark to crush with their mortar and pestle (to use in their science lab).
O(7) insisted on us joining hands and playing ring around the Rosie around the tree...fun!  

 They were also really excited to take their babies on our walk.  They are such good baby wearing mamas!

 
 

 

Screened Porch Science Lab

Our girls LOVE to create and conduct science experiments!  O(7) has been conducting experiments for years, and E(4) has recently realized the joy in this activity, too!

In the past, the girls done their experiments in the kitchen, but this week I realized that clean-up would be much easier if they worked on the porch (I'm not sure why it took me years to realize this!).

The girls were thrilled to measure, pour, mix, hypothesize, and discuss their experiments and findings for hours.  I love that they have the freedom to explore and create in such a fun and engaging way each day...hooray for homeschooling!