Serving at Christmas

Wanted to share some photos of two of the service projects we were involved in this year.

The first is a blanket making party with our Five in a Row group.  We have done this same project for many years and it is a lot of fun.  We like that it offers something for all ages from cutting and tying the blankets to making cards to go with them.  

I did something a little different this year.  I often spend much of my time there helping to cut blankets and thus have not been able to be as hands on with my own children.  This year, I sat down in advance and showed them how to tie their own blankets.  This was such a positive thing for Daniel in particular.  He loved helping and worked on 3.5 blankets!

My little cutie brought Phineas to help out.  

Making cards to go along with the blankets.

Its always fun to work on a project with a friend!

Mamas busy at work.

While the little ones play.

Eliana spent some time taking pictures.  She always gets great smiles from everyone!

Isaiah with a finished blanket.  We choose something for the age and gender of each of our children to make and donate.

One of the girls brought and set up a play area for the little ones.  She did a fabulous job playing with them and helping to keep them entertained - and all on her own initiative too!

Love seeing the young ones wanting to learn and help out.

This is a great project for boys and girls of various ages!

After working for a couple of hours, we took a break for a potluck lunch.

And had a wonderful pile of blankets ready to be used.

Some of the group with blankets.  (I didn't get a photo before some people had to leave.)

We also served again at Operations Christmas Child this year.  We have done this for several years now and it is such a fun place to work!  This was Joshua's first year going as you have to be 13 to volunteer.

We joined another small group which actually had a friend in it!  What fun!  We each learned our jobs and then set to work.

Rebecca spent over 4 hours taping boxes shut!

We worked as an assembly line.  First checking the boxes for money or checks used to pay for shipping.

Next the boxes were inspected to make sure that there were no items that weren't allowed - liquids, food, etc.

If anything is removed, more things are added in to keep the box full and complete  Then it is taped up.

The boxes are sorted by age and gender and packed into larger boxes.

Its always interesting to see all of the neat things that people pack into the boxes.

We also enjoy hearing stories of how the boxes are used by God to bless and encourage others.

We were at the facility in Charlotte - the biggest of the seven processing sites.

At the end of the time there, we are tired but glad to have served.

What a wonderful group and we are glad to have been able to help.

Praying that God will use these boxes to bless and meet needs of the many who receive them.  Praying that they would know that God loves them deeply!

Blessings
Leslie

Beyond FIAR Co-op: Marie Curie #2

For our second meeting with Marie Curie, we focused on learning more about Paris which is where Marie studied after leaving Poland.  

We looked at a map and found some of the specific places mentioned in the book.  We also watched a Rick Steve's video about Paris.  These are really good if you have not yet seen them.

We also spent time doing some science experiments in order to learn more about Chemistry.  What fun!  There were 8 experiments set up around the room and the students were split into pairs.  That way each student had a chance to conduct an experiment and then watch the others.

The first was to look at the air pressure.  Its neat to see the paper sticking to the cup of water when turned upside down!  Want to learn more - read about it here.

The second experiment had to do with the surface tension of water.

The students added pepper to a dish filled with water.

When you add a drop of dish soap, the pepper moves quickly away.  You can watch the experiment here.  

Third experiment used magic markers, paper towels and a bowl of water.  The students colored lines across the strip of paper towel about an inch up.

The strip was placed into the water with the marker line above the water.  As the towel gets wet, the water moves up and the marker ink begins to spread up.  Isn't it neat to see all of the colors of dye in the marker?  You can read more about it here.

The fourth and fifth experiments were on acids and bases.  The students started with a jar filled with beet juice.

They added in various substances to see the effect on the beet juice.

You can see that the smell wasn't the greatest.  

Can you see the different colors now?  One is pink and the other blue.

Substances tried included baking powder, lime juice and more (that I don't remember).

Look at the great variety that they made!  This is not exactly what we did, but it is how to make a PH scale using beet juice.

The sixth experiment was with a bowl of milk.

Drops of food coloring were added to the bowl.

Watch what happens when dish soap is added.  Read more about it here.

The seventh experiment was my favorite!  A balance was made using applesauce cups which were empty.

In a separate container, baking soda and vinegar were mixed together to form the typical volcano.

Once the bubbles had settled down in the jar, there was still gas remaining in the jar.  In order to see this, the gas was poured into the cup (but not any of the liquid).  Can you see the scale tilted?!

She then added some to the other side to watch it tip the other way.  It was just wild seeing the weight of something that was invisible to our eyes!

The last experiment was a lot of fun for the students.  They made a substance by mixing glue with borax.  Here is a description of that.  And another one.

As always, there is yummy food to finish up the day.  This was food reminiscent of France - croissants, cheese, grapes strawberries and creme brulee'.

As always a delightful day of learning with our friends!

Blessings
Leslie