Family Event 2009 - Gullywasher

This week-end our Five in a Row homeschool group hosted our biggest event of the year.  This is an event we have done annually and this year marked our 8th event!  It is a wonderful co-operative event.  I love seeing how it all comes together.  Each Mom has a job and is responsible for carrying out that job.  Seeing the gifts, talents and creativity displayed is an awesome thing!  Many of the children and adults come in costume to just make the day one that is exceptionally fun!  (I didn't get a family shot, but think I have photos of all but me to share.)

This year we choose the book The Gullywasher around which to build our day.  The story takes place in etiher Mexico or the Southwestern US (it isn't clearly stated).  It is a tall tale told by a Grandfather to his grandaughter. 

I have lots of pictures and it was hard weeding it down.  Hopefully you'll get a good idea of our day as I explain what we did.  It started early for some of the gals who were busy getting things set up.  There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into much of this and this year was no exception.  I love seeing how an grassy field and picnic shelter are transformed into something special!

We began the morning with a welcome and a prayer for the day.  Then we had a telling of the story.  This year it was done with a puppet show.

There were some liberties taken with the story, but the general ideas were all there.  The children were mesmerized and it was new way to experience the story.

After the story, we were divided into 6 groups to go through an activity/obstacle course.  It was not a race, but rather an activity to do as a group.  Our group started with lassoing a steer.

Everyone wanted a try.

Even Roger.

It wasn't easy though and most found it hard to get close to the target!

Next, was the rain from the gullywasher.  This one was a huge hit with our group.  Each child was givein a water gun.

They were to aim at a rain cloud.  (Each group had a different cloud.) 

As the water hit the cloud, the paint from the cloud begain to "rain" down on the catci below!  This was really neat!

A really fun water event even though it was still a bit chilly at this point in the morning!

Next was building birds nests.  Each child was given a baking cup and had to search for items with which to build the nest.

Our fourth station was corn grinding.  There were ears of Indian Corn and after grinding the corn off the cob, it was used for a craft activity.

Each child selected a fun foam that had a frame in the shape of an ear of corn.  The inside was sticky so you just had to press the corn into the picture along with some of the husks at the top.

Even Eliana enjoyed doing this one.

If you notice the "wheel" around his neck, that shows a picture of each station and the order in which to go. 

Our fifth station was "pop, pop, pop".  There were two parts to this one.  First each child had bubble wrap that they stomped on to make it pop and pop. 

Next they were able to choose some popcorn to eat - either plain or spicy.

The last station was a carry the horse station (like in the story).  We had one person to be the horse (a small person) and then the rest of the group stood in a circle.  The horse was then carried from person to person.

Or if the person was smaller than the horse, they might choose to just push the horse.

There was festive music playing while this was going on.  It was the scene of much laughter!

When we finished this event, we gathered for a group photo.

Next it was lunch time!  What a beautiful spread of delicious foods we had to choose from.  Each family brought a main dish, a side and either an appetizer or a dessert.  It was so very yummy. 

We ate in a beautifully decorated shelter too.  I unfortunatly, don't have any really good pictures.  Here you can see some of it - but mostly my little sweetie looking up at a pinata.

After lunch, the children had three choices of activities to enjoy.  One was an art area in which they could do sand art (peel a piece of paper off the picture and pour colored sand onto the adhesive background) or sticker art (fiesta theme).

There was a science area in which they could learn about a tornado in a bottle or sand/water erosion.  There was a demo of how sand was affected by rain (small hole in a cup of water) and flooding (larger hole). 

The children were fascinating to see what happened.  There were even had houses to show the effects during flooding.

The last area was a sound discovery station.  You could expore sound by trying to discern different sounds.  There were group of numbered bottles with different items inside (paper clip, screw, coin, etc.) and you would shake the bottle and try to figure out which of the four items was inside.  There were able 7 different groups of these to try out.  You could then lift the flaps to find the answers.

You could also choose to make instruments like shakers - with a variety of things to go inside and ways to decorate the outside.  Tamborines were made from lids that were hole-punched and then strung with floss, bells and washers.  Drums were made from empty containers, a balloon and a rubber band.

There was also a free play area with sand, play-doh, horses (stick and plastic) to play with at any time during the event.  I have so many pictures that I haven't posted of the creative signs and the set-up at the stations, lots more of many children enjoying the day.  Just too many for one blog post.  One last picture I wanted to share of two little cuties.  Rebecca made these adorable ponchos for Eliana and her friend J.  They even wore them the whole day. 

We had a beautiful day!  That was a real blessing as it rained and rained and rained the days leading up to it.  Someone asked me what our back-up plan was - and the answer is that there isn't one.  We are able to use this site for free (which helps tremendously with the budgeting for the event) and it has worked beautifully for us for many years.  I'm thankful God planned for this to be a beautiful day weather wise (cool and cloudy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon) which was perfect for our day!

I am so thankful to be a part of this group and thankful for each family in it (whether they were there or not).  I'm thankful for the moms (and some Dads too) being willing to invest time, talent and energy into pulling off this incredible event.  I'm thankful to have such a sweet group with which to share this homeschooling journey!  Thanks friends!

Love
Leslie

Our time with the Duke Athletes!

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragment.  We spent a lot of time preparing for this event and it was such a sweet time!

We hit some stumbling blocks before and even during the event, but all worked out well. It was neat to be able to talk with Rebecca about how Satan would love for us to be flustered, frustrated and ineffective - but that God was on our side.

We arrived early and set up and had the help of some of the atheletes too. Everyone was SOOOO nice to us! We were in a large room - and it was full! There were more than 100 - up to 150 student athletes, many of whom were freshmen there.

There was an intro and a gal from campus talking about community service opportunities. Then it was our turn. Just before it was our turn, I realized that I had forgotten to bring in my camera! It was too late to go get it too. I quickly called home and asked Christopher to call Roger (who was on his way with Eliana) to ask him to bring it in. Well, he couldn't find it. We do have some video though (which I'll try to post later once I get some blog problems figured out) and one of the staff took some photos (which I'll hopefully get soon).

I spoke first and talked some about our time with Duke Children's. Mainly about Eliana's heart. I got choked up. Why can't I share this story without the flood of emotions, even now? I wasn't the only one though. The pictures of our angel in the hospital are hard to see and I could see that on their faces. I ended with a more current picture though and it brought a lot of smiles! I also took some time to briefly share how her having Down syndrome has been such a blessing to our family and to many others that we know. I just wanted to plant a seed so that they can know that Ds is not a bad thing.

After I talked, it was Rebecca's turn. She was very nervous. It was a big crowd! She did an awesome job!!! I wish I could have recorded her. Can I just say how proud I am of my girl?  She shared why she wanted to raise money - so that other children with heart conditions could get help at Duke just like her little sister.  Her initial goal was to raise $100.  She has to date donated over $8000 to Duke Childrens!

The next part was hectic. It was time for making jewelry. They wanted to help build up Rebecca's inventory so that she would be able to sell more and thus give more to Duke Children's. We underestimated what they would be able and willing to do! They made a lot (more than 100 pieces - earrings, bracelets and necklaces). They seemed to have a lot of fun doing it too. Rebecca was kept very, very busy answering questions and helping finish the jewelry. She did a great job.

Roger and Eliana came in after we talked. They thought it would be nice for the students to meet her. I considered bringing her early, but thought that having her around while we were setting up beads seemed like a recipe for disaster. We talked to many students. Many came up to meet her and talk with her.

Several shared cookies with her, which she loved. She gave out some hugs and lots of high fives and fist bumps. They seemed to really enjoy her. Many of them thanked us for coming and sharing our story. It was really a privilege to be able to be there.

I'm honestly always so humbled that anyone is interested in our story. Grateful for the hearts that are open to hear and the many that respond in a positive way. I was very impressed by the Duke athletes! Very! It was a wonderful night and I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to be there!

We have been invited to join one of the teams who wants to help make more jewelry.  I'm excited and thankful for this next opportunity.  Who knew when she made that first bracelet that it would ever come to this? 

Here is a photo of my beautiful girls.



We are hoping to set up a "store" or website as we have been asked about this.  If anyone has suggestions or advice for us, we would love to hear it!

Lastly, here is an article you can read about our night at goduke.com.

Love

Leslie

Walk for the Cure

I wanted to share a bit more about our time at this walk.  We really didn't know what to expect and only decided to go at the last minute.  Joshua had been interested in this walk from the time he was in the hospital.  When we found out that his last football game was at the same time as the walk, he wasn't sure he wanted to miss his game.

At his last practice, he decided he wanted to do the walk.  So we got registered just a short while before the walk and I posted a note here just a day before the walk.  We didn't send out letters or try to do a lot of fundraising.  We were all thrilled though that some gave anyway.  Thank you!  You were an encouragment to us all!

The walk started at 10:30.  We left early and thought we had plenty of time.  We didn't factor in the traffic.  LOTS of traffic.  It took about 45-50 minutes to go from the exit ramp to the site.  I thought we'd never get there.  We arrived after the start time, but thankfully it hadn't started yet.  :-) 

It was a beautiful day!  We checked in and got 2 shirts (based on the money we raised).  Then we started walking.  It was a 2.5 mile walk. 



We learned this week that they estimated that there were 8500 walkers there!  Lots of people had unique t-shirts for their "team".  Joshua thought he'd like one for our team for next year.  If any of you are interested, we'd love to have you join us there. 



While we were walking, we saw just one person we knew - Joshua's doctor.  His wonderful doctor from UNC hospital.  I was incredibly touched that she chose to be there. 



After the walk, we split up.  I stayed with the younger boys at the walk and Roger took the oldest 2 to their sports games.  We had lunch.  While we were walking to lunch, the boys saw someone "checking blood sugar".  It was a first.  We've never seen someone else do that.  After lunch, we did some of the fun things there like jumping in the bouncey thing.



Getting our photo made in a photo booth.





Playing foosball



There was concert and we listened for a little bit.  The bonus was meeting a really nice man with a pump.  I spotted it and pointed it out to Joshua.  I told him that I was sure he would be willing to answer any questions he might have about it.  Sure enough, he was.  He was incredibly kind!  He is an athlete and competes in the Bike to raise money for JDRF.  He showed Joshua his pump and the pump site and told him about it.  It was good to see and to learn more about it.

All in all, a fun day.  We learned that next year, we need to go earlier. 



I'm thankful that there is a group working to raise so much money to help find a cure.  There is a saying "Insulin is not a cure, it's life support".  That is so true.  We hope that there will be a cure one day soon.  I hear that there is hope for it in our lifetime.  While I do hope this is true, we know that our true hope is in Someone Else.  I'm thankful that God knows, understands and walks with us through each day - both the fun ones like this and the ones that are hard.

Thank you for your support and prayers for our family!

With love

Leslie

Champions!!!

We had a lot of fun on Saturday - more on the rest of the day later when I have a bit more time.  We did the  JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in the morning and then sports in the afternoon.

Christopher's team was playing in the Championship game for his league (Homeschool Football League).  I know I've talked about this league before - it is a great league.  They really stress the importance of good conduct and Christian witness.  When a player is down/hurt, they all stop and drop to a knee and pray for him.  They pray and have devotions together after the games.  The importance of being a good sport is emphasized.  It has been a wonderful group of which to be a part.

Anyway, this was the last game of the season.  They played in the play-offs two weeks ago.  The final game was a great one for our team.  Here is a photo at the end of the game.



 Christopher, I'm proud of you!  Congratulations Warriors!  Great job! 

Blessings
Leslie

Field Trip to Agape Center for Environmental Education

I just wanted to share a short note first on our event last night at Duke.  It was awesome!  What an amazing group of people and we had a wonderful time.  I have a lot to share - but no pictures yet.  I'm hoping to get some from one of the staff there and then I'll post more details about our evening.  Thank you for praying.  It was an incredible opportunity!

****

Last week we went on another really fun field trip to the Agape Center for Environmental Education.  Our group was split into 4 smaller groups.  The youngest children had 4 "classes" and the oldest 3 groups learned about survival skills. 

Eliana and I went with Daniel and the youngest group of children.  We first went on a sensory hike in the woods.  What a fun thing to talk about the specific ways to experience nature using your 5 senses. 



It was a beautiful day and a lovely wooded area in which to take a hike.  We stopped by a pond and used our sense of sight to observe a variety of colors.  The instructor would name a specific color and then have the children look for the color. 



Next, they used their sense of hearing to listen to all the sounds they could hear in just 30 seconds.  They were blindfolded so that they would depend more on their sense of hearing.



The next activity involved the sense of smell.  The children were told that someone special was coming and they were to make a fragrant mixture to honor this person.  They were each given a small scoop and with a buddy went to find things to put into their scoop which they thought smelled nice.  They were also given the opportunity to name their creation.  We passed them around and looked and smelled the various collections.



We discussed the sense of taste and how you should not taste anything in found in the woods unless you are with a grown-up that lets you know it is safe to do so. 

Finally, the sense of touch.  Each child was asked to gather something from the woods and to keep it hidden.  They then took turns taking their object and rubbing it across the back of another child's hand.  That child (with their eyes closed) would then try to guess what the object was just from feeling it.



The younger children learned about weather and the various instruments used to measure weather.  We also visited the nature center which has a lot of neat hands-on activities!  The hit was a little corner which they had made into a bat cave.  There was special lighting in it that enabled you to see as a bat would see.  Also a hit was the secret door (small door cut into the wall) in the cave at the other side of the room.  All of the children left the building through this neat door!

We also learned about birds and migration in a very neat and hands-on way.  This was an idea that I could see being adapted for many different topics so that children are up and involved in their learning!

They were divided into 3 groups -  each a different kind of bird.  There was a path with many signs on the path.  Each with something to read and/or do.  They first rolled a large die and then counted out the number of signs to begin the game.  We would read the sign and follow the instructions.  Each telling you something about the dangers that birds faced while migrating or obstacles or success. 



This is a group shot of most of the younger ones. 



The older kids were split into three groups based on age and each had a class on survival skills.  They talked specifically about fires, various types of fires, how to build them and what they were used for.  Lighting them was a big hit!



They also talked about the order of importance of survival based on 3s.  You can go 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without warmth, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food.  This was to let them know in what order they needed to focus their efforts if they were trying to survive. 

They also built debris shelters.  They worked hard and the shelters they build looked awesome!!!  I wish I had  pictures of all of them.  Here are a couple of them. 







The youngest kids were invited to look at the shelters made by the oldest kids before they took them down.  I was able to get a few pictures before my camera died.







All in all, it was a fabulous trip.  The instructors were kind, energetic and helpful.  The site is beautiful and the classes fun and informative.  I highly recommend this site for those of you in North Carolina!

Blessings

Leslie