What we've been up BOOOOOOOOOOO....I mean, to :)

We've been having great times, despite the nasty gray weather that has been looming around for quite awhile now. It has given us the chance to do some really fun crafts, science projects and allowed us to spend some quality time together stress-free. I have actually welcomed the time off. Too often we get caught up in the day to day activities and don't really take the time we need to just chill out!!

Today we made the cutest hand print jack-o-lanterns to share. BabyGirl had an absolute blast making these...she LOVES getting messy! I highly recommend this easy craft with the kiddos. Not only is it fun, but others will love receiving this holiday treat!

For history/geography we have completely wrapped up Ancient Egypt. BabyGirl loved this unit and has really absorbed so much information!! This curriculum has totally exceeded all my expectations. I am so happy I bought it! This week we have begun our studies of the 3 World Religions. I love the approach the study guide gives us. It explains the reason we want to learn about these major religions is so that we can better understand people around us and why they do the things they do. I believe this is a very important part of life. It's very interesting so far, and we are having no problems diving right in. This week we started learning about Judaism. We created a scroll to go along with our first lesson, and BabyGirl had a great time writing on the papyrus!

For science we have begun our study of habitats. This week we covered the desert. We created 2 desert diorama's, and also did an experiment on leaves. BabyGirl gathered rocks and sand for our scenes, assembled everything in our boxes, and the end result was amazing!! Check it out!!!

For our second experiment we cut leaves out of paper towels, and got them damp. Then, we put one in a ziploc bag, and sat one out on a plate. We checked them later in the day to discover the one in the bag was still completely damp, while the one on the plate was drying out. By the next day the one on the plate was totally dry, and the bagged one was exactly the same. This showed us how the leaves of the Yucca plant can retain water in the hot desert with their waxy coating.

Tomorrow is our first co-op of this session. I am in charge of the hands-on science experiments. We did a trial run of the first experiment last week. We are doing secret messages. First, we did a short study of acids and bases so we know what we're working with. Then, we conducted the experiment. We mixed 1 tablespoon baking soda with 1 tablespoon water. This was our paint. We painted our secret messages on our paper. After the messages are completely dry, they will be invisible. Next, you take your indicator (which is grape juice) and paint over the invisible message....and it magically appears. I'm hoping this will be a big hit with the kids. BabyGirl and I had a great time creating messages for one another.

For literature we started Aesop's Fables, and for music we talked about story songs. We listened to some of our favorite prairie songs, and watched "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" from Fantasia. We had our first trial drum lesson on Tuesday and it went beautifully. BabyGirl successfully learned 3 notes and 2 rests during the 30 minute session, and also played several lines of music all by herself! She caught on so quickly that we could hardly believe it! We are going to try one more teacher on Saturday to ensure we choose the right facility, then we're off!! We plan on giving the lessons a little while to see if she continues to enjoy them, before purchasing a drum yet. We thought she may be under the impression she was just going to go in there and wail on those babies!! But, she is realistic and we're taking it one step at a time. :)

Until next week......