Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Book-It Pizza picnic


It is so great that Pizza Hut offers the Book-It program to homeschoolers as well. I love that my daughter will get to take part in a tradition that I loved in school. Not that she needs pizza to motivate her to read (which is a reward in itself). Here is a picture of the kids enjoying their pizza on a nice spring day. (Dominic won't be in Book-It until next year but he gets to reap the rewards of reading as well....I just have to pay for it). 3.31.10

Monday, March 29, 2010

A visit from Sweden: The Strom Family



In the spring of 1997 I had the pleasure of being introduced to the Strom family while they were at CMSU for a semester. I was introduced because I would be going to Vaxjo Sweden the next fall and they were to be a friendship family to me. They were so gracious to invite me into their home on many occasions and introduce to me the customs and traditions of the country. That was 13 years ago! They came back to visit the area and I got to welcome them into our home and introduce them to my children. Isabella adores their 10 year old daughter Victoria and is looking forward to having an international pen pal. We had a great visit. 3.29.10

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Impressionist Painting: Pointillissm


We started a new art appreciation this spring and we are working through the impressionist painters and learning their art and techniques. Here is a picture from our second chapter: pointillism. We have been reading the book The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink and it inspired Isabella to do a picture of the pink motel for her impressionist painting this week. She did a great job since all those dots take a LOT of patience to do. 3.25.10

Homeschool Day at the Zoo








The Kansas City Zoo offered a homeschool day that included classes for kids of all ages and some hands on learning on mammals, amphibians, birds and reptiles. Although the day ended up cold in the morning (luckily the classes were inside) it warmed up in the afternoon and the kids got to see some animals and even got a free ride on the carousel. The best part for the kids was a talking parrot that kept saying "check the weather blog" and "I've been around forever" It was enough to keep them giggling for awhile. Of all the times we have been to the zoo we have never fed the Lorikeets. What an experience that is! The kids had a blast having birds hop around on them. One girl in our group had a bird on her head! It was pretty amazing to get to see such pretty birds up close. 3.25.10

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Starting a band


All it takes is Michael pulling out his guitar and the kids go into "music mode" they go and grab their instruments and "play" along with dad. Isabella as you can see is the lead vocals and electric guitar, Dominic is playing the acoustic guitar and Michael is rocking out on the electric. We are in need of a drummer. 3.21.10

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Gymnastics Fun




One of the area gyms offers classes during the day for homeschoolers at a reduced price. They get lessons and some free time to play each day we go. The kids love it. Dominic is quite the little monkey. I am amazed at his flexibility and his strength--he tells his teacher it is because he is a super hero. Who knows? 3.18.10

Yay Spring


Nothing brings more happiness than the first signs of spring after such a long cold and yucky winter. My crocuses were blooming more than they ever have before. We covered them for the last snow and all the blooms survived. I love spring! 3.18.10

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Disney On Ice 2010






Ever since Princesses on Ice in 2007 the kids have been asking when we are going to see Disney on Ice again. Finally they return and this time they have something for little boys too: Cars! Here are some pictures from the opening night show. The kids really enjoyed the show. Both of them liked the Fairies the best. It was pretty impressive getting to see butterflies floating around and getting confetti dumped on us at the end. It was a perfect night too with weather in the 70's we walked to our car in light jackets. 3.17.10

Celebrating St. Patrick



Leprechauns turned out toilet water green again. It must be St. Patrick's day. A great day to remember the power of conversion and how God can use just one person to change the heart of a country! Here are some pictures of the kids eating their shamrock pancakes. 3.17.10

Monday, March 15, 2010

Paper Mache


Isabella has been taking an art class once a week since last fall. It is one of her favorite extra-curricular activities. This month they have been working on making paper mache animals. Isabella chose to make a cat. Here is a picture of the cat before being painted. I will post a final picture after she is done. 3.15.10

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Map Skills


Isabella has been studying maps this year and she loves it. She is especially fond of scavenger hunt maps that lead to buried treasure! Michael used GoogleMaps to get an accurate map for the park behind our house and then he made a map using his trusty computer. We created 12 sites for a hunt that ended in treasure being buried in the wood chips. The kids had a great time...who knew there were light-up balls buried at the park? 3.13.10