The Big Green Pocketbook

This is a wonderful book which is part of the Before Five in a Row curriculum.  If you have a 2 to 4 year old, I highly recommend this wonderful resource!  It has been blessing our family for more than 12 years now!  :-)

We've been reading this book with Daniel over the last week.  It is a story about a little girl that goes to town with her mom on a bus.  She takes her empty big green pocketbook with her.  As they run errands, she collects things and puts them in her purse.  At the end of the outing, she falls asleep on the bus ride home.  As they get off, she forgets her pocketbook.  She is sad because her whole day is in it.  Thankfully, the bus driver returns her pocketbook in her mailbox.  (She is picked up by the bus at her home.)

We decided to take a bus ride to town too.  I did this many years ago when Christopher and Rebecca were little.  It was fun to do it again!  Christopher and Eliana stayed home and had fun together.

We drove to the nearest bus stop and waited for the bus to arrive.

The children liked putting the quarters in for our ride.  It cost 2 dollars each for Rebecca and I and the little boys were free.  We split up and sat in our seats to enjoy the ride. 

We rode for about 30 minutes and then arrived in downtown Chapel Hill.  I hadn't planned our stops, but had thought we would just explore and enjoy the town.  Our stop dropped us in front of this store.

We had to go in.  They had homemade gelato.  It was early, but we all agreed that it would be nice to have a treat.  We split some gelato and Daniel chose a cupcake.  It was very yummy!!!  If you are local - give it a try!

Next we went to the bank.  We needed change for the bus ride home.  Rebecca had found a lollipop in her pocketbook.  She gave it to Daniel as that is what happened in the story.

Our next stop was the Post Office.

Daniel had a letter to mail.  We stood in line to get a stamp.  While we were waiting, we looked at a mural painted on the wall and talked about it.  We tried to figure out what was going on in the painting and in what time period it was taking place.

It was fun finding clues in the painting and looking at the expressions on faces.  We then read a plaque on the wall that let us know our guesses were accurate.  When it was our turn, we bought a stamp and Daniel mailed his letter.

After looking at the picture, we were curious as to when the post office had been built as it is an obviously old and beautiful building.  I had told them we might find a clue outside.  And we did ... a cornerstone!

This fascinated Isaiah and he began looking for cornerstones on other buildings - and found them too.

As we crossed the street, the children were delighted to find their Daddy on the other side!  We walked a short ways to a church - the one Roger and I were married in. 

We tried to go in, but the front doors were locked.  We walked around and found another entrance into the church.  Still the sanctuary doors were locked.   Isaiah was excited to find a cornerstone though - 1925.  Here are Roger and the kids in front of the church.

Next it was time for lunch.  We went to a drugstore (like in the book) to eat.  This store has been here since 1923.  It is quite a local tradition!

They have great burgers, sandwiches and more.  It was a yummy lunch and fun to eat with Daddy!

We visited a "UNC store" (as Isaiah called it).  The owner is so nice!  We bought a t-shirt for Christopher here.

We walked with Roger back through campus.  It is such a beautiful campus.  Here is a campus landmark, the Old Well.

Given Isaiah's interest in cornerstones, we looked for one we thought he'd really think was neat.  It is the oldest building on the UNC campus.  Old East.  Check out the date!

As Roger headed back to work, the children and I looked a few more things.  We stopped by Wilson Library to look at the North Carolina collection.  There were many interesting things in there and I hope we can go back again when we have a little more time.

We walked through Student Stores, checked out Fetzer gym and then waited for our bus.

It was a short ride back to our van.  As we were getting off the bus, I carefully checked to make sure the boys had their bags.  Thankfully a gentleman called me back to get my pocketbook!  I can't believe I almost left it. 

What a fun day!  I'm so glad we did this.  I was motivated to do something since we had no therapy today.  I should probably just plan fun little trips like this more often.  If it looks like fun - give it a try!  We had a blast!

Blessings

Leslie

 

Nature Search by colors

I included something fun in my 4yos boxes that I thought I'd share.  It was relatively simple to do and would be easy to adjust and change to fit your child/schedule/time of year too.

The only thing that wasn't simple is that it rained the day I first put it in his box and seemed to rain many more days that week too.  We finally did it on an overcast afternoon.  He liked the activity and I'm sure we'll do it again.

The set-up is simple.  I took a muffin tray (I used a six count) and put in 6 differently colored pieces of paper.  His goal was to find something in nature that was the same color and include it in his box if possible. 

We looked around our yard for things.  This would be fun to do in other places as well. 

Here is something yellow (well, mostly). 

Red/dark pink

Brown

Green

White

Blue was a little tricky.  He looked all over the yard with no luck.  (I should have picked a different color.  lol)  Then he asked if he could choose this.  He later chose the sky although it wasn't really blue on that particular day. 

 Daniel was proud of his finds and enjoyed showing them to family and friends. 

I could see doing this in non-nature settings too - at the grocery store, at the zoo, at the bookstore, wherever you might be.  Just an easy and fun way to explore colors, to sharpen your observation skills and to discuss what is going on around you.

Blessings

Leslie

 

Last Field Trip Day - Field Events

We started a fun tradition last year by ending our year with a Field Events Day.  Everyone had so much fun, we decided it should be an annual event.  We held it at the same park with a huge field for games, a covered shelter for a picnic lunch and a playground.

The day started overcast and a little drizzly.  We waited it out and had a blast! 

This is a fun day to do some of those games and events that as homeschoolers, we don't often get the chance to do.  We split the children into several groups by age to do the events.

One group did races - egg and spoon race, 3-legged race, sack race and backwards race.

 Trying to figure out timing on the 3-legged race is always a challenge. 

These two hopped on one foot and kept their tied feet off the group.  Clever - and pretty successful too.

The other group competed in softball throw, broad jump and horseshoes.  This is Christopher throwing the ball.  I think his football is paying off here as he had the longest throw.

 The broad jump.

Horseshoes.

The youngest children had a small area where they could play tee-ball, bean bag toss and races.  They mainly just liked to play which was fine.

Rebecca showed Eliana how to play tee-ball - and she loved it!

 

 

We took some group photos - and some photos of the winners in several catagories.  Here is one that I wanted to share.  Rebecca came in 3rd in the broad jump.   She fell back on her bottom (hurting it) and was short just an inch from 2nd place (her brother - who didn't want to fall backwards and told me that he had the perfect landing).  Love the effort in going up against the bigger guys!  Their effort was great too!

We took a break for lunch and then played a few more games.  First we played "Melt the Ice".  It's a simple game and I loved seeing kids from 4 to 16 playing it!  We divided the group in half.  The goal is to melt the ice the fastest.  You pass the ice around the group trying to melt yours first.  You can't put the ice in your mouth.  We started with 3 ice cubes in each group.  We did a few more the next round. 

We ended the formal games with kickball which is always a hit. 

Once again, I'm thankful for good friends and the ability to share these memory making times with them.

Blessings

Leslie

Another easy experiment - growing wheatgrass

As I was reading friend's blogs last week, I found a great idea on Candace's blog.  Not only did it look easy and fun - it fit with what we are studying this week!  How cool is that?  This is the site with the original instructions. 

Daniel is reading The Little Rabbit and the tie in would be grass that a rabbit eats.  Isaiah and Joshua are studying Climbing Kansas Mountains which is a story about a grain elevator (the mountain).  Sprouting grains is an obvious connection. 

I love it when gathering the ingredients is fairly easy.  Well, there is one ingredient that may not be easy for everyone.  It is grain.  Since we grind our own (or I used to be better about doing this), we have large buckets full of it!

First we soaked the grain for 8 hours, draining the water at the half-way point and refilling with fresh water.  Isaiah was so excited and wanted to be very precise in his measurements.  I just wanted the grains covered, but he happily accepted a specific number so that he could do it right!

After the grains has soaked, we drained out the water and started afresh.  First we added a layer of sand to the bottom of the jar.  This to help with overzealous watering.  We definitely had that!  Next a layer of soil several inches deep.  Finally the grains on top.  Just a layer to cover the soil, not too deep so it doesn't mold.

daniel loves to have his own jar to do along with the bigger boys.

This is a view from the beginning.

 By the second day, we had shoots.  What is also really neat is that you can see the roots in the jars too!

After 5-6 days, just look how much it has grown!

And here is a look at 8 days.  Note the squirt bottle beside the plants.  I bought this at the dollar store and the boys have used it faithfully to water their plants.  Some a little more vigorously than others.  LOL 

What a satisfying experiment.  We can easily see changes each day, and even within a couple of hours!!!  It's been a lot of fun and I highly recommend doing this one!

Blessings

Leslie 

Eliana and her new baby doll

Last week I went shopping at a local educational store that was having a teacher appreciation night.  While looking at educational things for school, I also wandered into the toy area.  There I spotted the cutest doll.  I've been wanting a doll for Eliana and debated buying one for her last Christmas.  I didn't.  She has been playing with Rebecca's Bitty Baby (which is still a little big and heavy for her). 

Well, this doll looked perfect - just the right size, soft cloth and not too heavy.  I called Roger to see what he thought about buying her a doll and he said go for it!  She also has a feeding set (bowl, spoon, baby food, bottle and bib)  that we'll give her another day.  Small steps.

When I pulled out the doll today, the boys wondered why Eliana was getting a gift.  No good reason except that I don't want to wait another 7 months for her birthday or Christmas.  I told them she was getting an early birthday gift.  I think she'll get good use of it too!

I wrapped the doll up in a blanket and handed it to Eliana.

There are always a few people to look or cheer you on when you are doing something around here.

The doll has a pacifier that magnetically attaches to her face (which is what Eliana is holding in her hand).  This is her first doll hug. 

Do you think she is a little bit happy to have a new doll?!!!  Her comment was "ooooooohhhh". 

Next, she gives her doll a kiss.  This was all spontaneous with no prompting from anyone else.  I love to see the nurturing aspect of her personality!

Rebecca ran up to get her old stroller from the attic.  Eliana was thrilled to put her doll in it and give her a ride around the house.  First she had to be buckled in though.

Next, she ran to the cabinet with the children's cups and plates.  She retrieved a few things for her doll in order to feed her.  Again, she inititated all of this.

Later in the day, she was reading a book to her new doll.  So cute!  (Please excuse the grape juice stains all over the chair!  lol )

All of this may seem just ordinary - and in a way it is.  Pretending is something that 2 year olds do all the time.  This milestone though for a child with delays is sweet.  It's not something that is always typical and it encourages my heart to see her playing and pretending with her doll.  It is often something that has to be taught and learned.  Rebecca has been playing dolls with her so she has had opportunity to learn. 

It gives me pause to thank God for this milestone - something I never thought to do with my other children.  There is much that I don't take for granted anymore. 

This is a big step.  It was so much fun to watch.  Thank you God for the opportunity to slow down and appreciate more.  Thank you for the chance to appreciate the small things and celebrate so many little steps.  It is sweet and I'm thankful to be right here!

Blessings

Leslie

My Mother's Day

I had a lovely Mother's Day.  How could I not when I was surrounded by all of the wonderful little people that call me Mom/Mommy/Mama. 

Roger had to go to work early (Carolina's graduation) and the kids and I hung out at the house.  We decided to have our own worship at home since Daniel seemed to have a bit of a runny nose and was not interested in going to Sunday School without his Dad (he helps teach the class). 

I was greeted in the morning by a chorus of sweet voices saying "Happy Mother's Day" and entering with a breakfast in bed.  Some of my favorite foods - grits (YUM), eggs, bacon, biscuit and an Orange Julius.  It was all delicious!  Rebecca has become quite a good cook!

I also received some beautiful hand-made cards from Daniel, Isaiah and Eliana (with her handprint).  Joshua didn't give me a card, but did do a "jig" for me (his words).  LOL  Christopher put a greeting on my screensaver for me - a twirling text saying Happy Mother's Day.  Rebecca bought a lovely card for me.

When I came downstairs, I was greeted by a virtual florist shop of beautiful flowers!  Along with gifts - chocolate in a couple of varieties, tic tacs and a new necklace that Rebecca made for me. 

When Roger came home, he brought in some of the lovely roses from one of our bushes outside as well as another gift - a nail care set.  I have such a thoughtful family!  For lunch Rebecca and Christopher worked together to make this delicious club sandwich with grilled chicken.  Yummy!

I spent some time doing things I wanted to do.  (Tried to clean out my email box a little bit).  Also read a book.

We went to Rebecca's soccer game in the afternoon.  It was a fun game and she played really well.  (Yes, she made a goal and several assists.)

Dinner was taco mac salad - a family favorite.  I loved not having to cook or clean in the kitchen all day!  Thank you to my sweet family.

Rebecca made my favorite for dessert - banana pudding.  A sweet ending to a sweet day.

I thank God each day for blessing me with such an amazing family.  I am truly blessed!

Blessings

Leslie