FRIDAY FIELD TRIP...

Our field trip this week led us to the Childrens Museum of Oak Ridge..

It had been about 2 yrs since our last visit and I though what better way to spend a rainy Friday afternoon...

The kids had a fantastic time... They loved the exhibits and loved playing and learning hands on without even realizing it...(that's the great part)...

On exhibit they have:

1. a "WORLD" exhibit where they have a life-size Polar Bear and several Inuit items... DD loved this as we had just read "Momma do you love me?"

Lots of Japenese, Chinese, Dutch, and African items on display...

2. an Appalachian exhibit

3. a fairy tale exhibit (a castle and space shuttle to roam and have adventures in)

4. lots of native animal exhibits and ocean life

5. an exhibit called "Granny's attic" filled with toys and items from the pas for kids to play with

6. TRAINS (DS love it) 

7. a life-size dollhouse to play in (DD never wanted to leave)

8. a water cycle exhibit

9. a artficial "RAINFOREST" which each kidlet gave me a tour of, pointing out the animals like th 3-toed sloth and the tapir... and DS reminded me that the Yamamami tribe in South America eat tarantulas roasted in banana leaves...*L*

10.. lots of other exhibits, especially the "Manhattan Project"  exhibit...

The kids had such a great time, they are already wanting to go back...

Our study of Penguins...

          

A couple of weeks ago, my DS had a animal science class at our co-op where they learned about "Penguins"... He became really interested in learning more about them, so we are going to do some more with them this week...  We're going to do a unit on Mr. Popper's Penguins... I found a unit to help with this here. 

1. We will be finding out where they live

2. Naming / labeling the continents

3. Making Antartica with sugar cubes                                  

4. Doing a science experiments on why ice melts        

5. Review thermometers and their use

Then we will talk about the penguins.

1.What they look like

2. Label the parts

3. Make some construction paper penguins

4. Talk about their waterproof feathers for science

5. Label the different species of penguins

I have a penguin video and we will also be watching "March of the Penguins"...

Enchanted Learning has all kinds of worksheets and information to use with the penguin study...

Belinda Mooney also has some great "Penguin" printables that we are going to be able to use with both kidlets for math and some games...You can find them here.

 Happy Learning!!!

What's cookin' at our house this week...

MENU PLAN MONDAY  

Monday: Lasagna, salad

Tuesday: kicking off our study of Japan with dinner at Miyabi's Japenese Steak House

Wednesday: Seasoned beef tips, rice medley, and Italian bread

Thursday: Pulled -Pork Barbecue Sandwiches, oven fries, iced tea

Friday: Taco Dogs (hot dogs with refried beans, taco sauce and melted cheee on top), chips, fruit, kool-aid (basketball practice)

 

Lunar Eclipse...

                                  

Driving home from the game tonight, I get a call from my mother.."Did you forget the Lunar Eclipse tonight?"   Well, uh, yes... I did...

So, we pull over into the parking lot at the Pilot and hop out and gaze up at the sky... Luckily for us it was only 9:56pm... so we had just made it...

We were able to observe the eclipse (which seemed to last forever, but I think that was just because it was chilly and we were standing in a gas station parking lot looking up at the sky, while other people thought we were nuts, I am sure)... *L*

The kids loved seeing the "orange-red" tint... and I myself was very happy to have not missed it, as the next one won't be visible in the US until 2010...

Go Vols!!!

                                   

Tonight we went to a UT Vols Basketball game... The stadium was packed... over 20,000 people were there... They are ranked #2 in the nation right now and played Auburn ...we won 89-70
Had a great time!!!

Wordless Wednesday...

Tuesday at our house...

Today we spent part of the day talking about nutrition and the food pyramid... I found 2 great books at the library and got some free info, worksheets, and posters from the USFDA...

So here is some of the things we used for our lesson... One of the books is a "Reading Rainbow Selection" by Lorren Leedy... The other is by Gail Gibbons...

We took a look at our favorite foods and talked about where they would fit in the pyramid and then we  looked at our house menus and if they were balanced and healthy...(I could use some work in that area..*L*)

Here is a file to take a look at for use with the Edible Pyramid book...There is also some great info to be found this site by the author, Loreen Leedy...

  And you can get some ideas for the book here...

Then we cut up some magazines and made some posters of "Healthy Sally" and "Junk Food Johnny"... We just made peopl using the pictures of food from the magazines... The kids loved this...

Happy Learning!!!

What's cookin' at our house this week...

Monday: Beef Stew and grilled cheese sandwiches

Tuesday: Sweet and Sour Chicken, chicken fried rice with peas and carrots

Wednesday: eat out (going to a Vols basketball game, this time to see the men play)

Thursday: Taco Soup with fried tortillas

Friday: Hamburgers, home fries, and something sweet for dessert...

Saturday...

This morning was our  Upward Basketball games... Both DD and DS play...

I can't say enough about how wonderful Upward is...It is all encouraging, uplifting, fair, and fun...

Every child gets to play (no matter of ability) and every child has the opportunity to learn more about Jesus in a relaxed setting...

then to finish off our day we went to a new restaurant called Dan McGrew's Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. I know...with a name like that, is the food good? well, the answer is yes.. I had the Blackened Pork Medallions with LaBoucherie sauce...It was mighty tasty...

then we were off to the movies... the dollar theatre was playing  "Enchanted"and DD couldn't wait to see it... It was excellent...For those who love fairy tales with  bit of comedy and rolled in, this is the perfect movies for you...and it was perfect for the young ones to see...

Well, this is our Saturday in a nut shell... I hope everyone has had a great weekend also!!

Take care!!

Valentines Day...

I saw this over at my friend  Candace's blog, loved it,  and "borrowed" it from her...

This has been a great day... Cupid left each child some candy on their pillow that they found when they got up... We were then off to co-op where the kids exchanged Valentines with their friends.. We made cards for our extended family and for Daddy of course... Daddy bought flowers for both DD and I and then we all had candy from him... I made coupons for DH  for special things that I usually don't have time to do... (like his favorte meal or watch his favorite shows...*L*)

Ds was excited about his race car candy and both he and DD couldn't wait to go through their Valentines and look at each and every one of them...

We will finish our study of Valentines Day tomorrow but we have definitely enjoyed this holiday...

Sibling Love...

One of the things I am most grateful for in our homeschool life is the opportunity for my children to grow together and love each other and be best friends... when I see them cuddle like this, it warms my heart and makes me appreciate the blessings of our family even more...

Happy Birthday to you...

 

Today is my DD's 5th birthday... We started out our day by going and eating pancakes at IHOP (she was so excited... the waitress and others came to our table and sang to her and brough her a caramel sundae)... She was so excited to get ice cream at breakfast... **S**

When we got home she had 4 people that had called and left messages to her singing Happy Birthday...

Then we spent the day playing doctor and playing restaurant (2 of her favorite play activities)...

We went to karate where they sang Happy Birthday to her, again...(she was thrilled again)...

And to finish off the night we ate cake and watched her open her presents...

Happy Birthday my special little girl....

 

Go Vols...

Tonight we went to see the Lady Vols play... Instead of the usual orange and white wave of the fans, everyone was in pink for breast cancer awareness...It was a fantastic game (and I am not a baketball fan)...They played Rutgers and in the last 2 seconds there was a foul which led to the Lady Vols scoring for the win... You can read about it here .

It was definitely a very active crowd and DD was very excited to watch the "big girls" play...

What's Cookin' at our House this week...

This is going to be a busy week as tomorrow is my DD's 5th birthday and we have alot of activities planned for this week...

Monday:  Eating out, we're going to a Lady Vols game...

Tuesday: DD's Birthday - her special meal.... "Gravy and BIscuits", bacon, eggs... Birthday cake!!!

Wednesday: Chicken Noodle Soup and Sandwiches

Thursday: Baked Chicken, garlic roasted potatoes, asparagus, yeast rolls, and tea

Friday: Birthday Party!!!  

Now Hiring.....

Thought I would share this bit of humor today...

Now accepting applications¯

Family seeking fun-loving, godly homeschool teacher. Applicant will be responsible for providing total educational development and daily personal care for children of multiple ages. Applicant will assume the following roles: cook, housemaid, nurse, taxi driver, administrative assistant, accountant, athletic coach, social director, computer technician, household and automotive repairman, gardener, course instructor in multiple subject areas and grade levels, and various other responsibilities. This is a full-time position¯approximately 120 hours or more per week.

Qualified candidates must be able to work well under pressure, multi-task, and prioritize work loads while maintaining a friendly, enthusiastic attitude. Quick thinking, good memory, and a varied background in extensive subject matter are a must. Promising candidates will be resourceful, adjust easily to distractions, and display creative, hard-working leadership abilities. Organizational and problem solving skills are a plus. Previous teaching experience and/or college preferred, but not required.

If you're interested in working in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, this is the position for you! For more information on this exciting opportunity to earn fulfilling, one-of-a-kind rewards, please apply in person today.

Wordless Wednesday...

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica   -  The Beauty of the Night

Peace in the Morning After...

Tightwad Tuesday!!

I have come across some more freebies for those of us that are frugal at heart... (or at least try to be)..*L*

So the first is an article on "LIving within your Means"  and you can find it here.

Number 2 is an Ocean Unit Study that was posted on one of the sites I go to and you can find it here. 

And 3rd is the Free Thematic Valentine Unit that is here.

And last, but not least FREE Old El Paso Taco Seasoning that can be gotten here.

Enjoy and Happy Learning!!!

What's cookin' at our house this week...

Monday: Sandwiches on homemade bread, apple sauce, and milk...(DH is not going to be home for supper)

Tuesday:  Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, iced tea

Wednesday: French Toast, bacon, (we love "breakfast" for dinner)

Thursday: Crockpot Chicken, rice, garlic bread, iced tea

Friday: Layered tacos with fixings, chocolate chip cookies (made by the kidlets)

My Virtual Age..

I found this while surfing late last night and thought it was fun and wanted to share it with everyone...

So I found out that even thought I am approaching the 40's, am overweight, do not exercise like I should, and eat pretty much what I want when I want it, I hopefully (fingers crossed) will still have a life expectancy of 93.9 yrs. ...*LOL*

Here's the results of my Virtual Age Test:

Biological Age: 37

Virtual Age: 18.1  (I wish)

My Life Expectancy: 93.1yrs.

If you'd like to have a little fun, you can take the test here.

GOOD LUCK and here's to a LONG LIFE...

Some freebies...

I have come across some freebies that I thought I would share with everyone.. Here goes:

First, today is Feb 2nd and at Auntie Anne's pretzels, between 10am-4pm,  they are giving away FREE pretzels to honor their 20th birthday...

then on Feb 12th, IHOP is celebrating National Pancake Day with FREE pancakes, read more about it here.

Have a great day!!!

Groundhog Day!!

Today is Groundhog Day...

Yes, time for that little rodent to pop his little old head up and look around...

We actually started our precursor to this day earlier in the week by reading about a family in Ontario who were going out into the "forest" ... On their journey they saw a groundhog and that led us into the discussion about the animal and the upcoming "holiday"...

So, here is what's on our plan for some fun today...

You can find some neat printables here.  And you can find a really neat and FREE lapbook from HSS here.  It is all about the groundhog and has vocabulary, habitat, diet, class, etc... a complete science lesson...

Enchanted Learning also has a lesson / worksheet set on Groundhog Day and the animal... Complete with a craft.

The cute little Groundhog Mask also from Enchanted Learning..

Have fun and enjoy the day...

Happy Learning!!