For all resource links please check out the entry “Saint Patrick’s Day Resources“.

March 6-7

Ireland is a beautiful place and we had the perfect book to see some of that beauty AND to face the reality that was the potatoe famine in 1841. The St. Patrick’s Day Shillelagh by Janet Nolan. Of course we had to check for what exactly a Shillelagh is. Oh and HOW to pronounce it. We did a pamphlet style fold for our book, on the cover a Shillelagh, on the inside flap some facts and then all the way open – a picture of the green-ness that is Ireland.

So happy

We also had a fun and relatively quick craft to make – St. Patrick’s Day Man Craft. Very rudimentary but fun with accordion folding and cutting out of our printed shamrocks. As you can tell by the faces maybe a bit TOO easy of a craft for the bigger ones… though a spider shamrock man is… creative!

Accordian fold

Crazy faces!

We also made our paperchain for the table… I love love love that we had various shades of green.

GREEN

Zander and Emanuel even took some initiative and did some beautiful waterpainting pictures

So pretty

Gavin also drew us a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with instructions thanks to Art for Kids! This poster is going to be amazing!

how lucky

One more Wild Kratts for the win of course!

Monarch Buttterfly… quit the amazing critter

I know we are done and over the platypus unit, but a pair of Echidna babies have been born in captivity successfully so I had to share the picture! Enjoy the puggle! Here is the Facebook tag….

Babbin, one of a pair of short-beaked echidna puggles that were born at Perth Zoo, is cared for by a keeper. The puggles were born to four-year-old first-time mothers Mila and Chindi, both bred and born at Perth Zoo as part of its breeding programme. Environment Minister Bill Marmion said, Until now, it was believed female echidnas did not breed until the age of five so these latest births have shed new light on echidna reproduction. Only 24 echidnas have been bred in captivity in Australia.
Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper/Newspix / Rex Features

Baby Puggle!

I have made SIX little Leprechaun hats with a CrochetSpot freebie. I had to use yarn on hand so I am sure it is not the suggested materials but they are so cute!!

Tiny hat with clover

Bree has announced a move up of her c section so I am planning to finish the last of my new baby gifts before Saturday… she is due to surgery on the Friday but I may have the ability to visit Saturday… it is going to be a busy and fun weekend! How very exciting.

With our continued snow fall the boys are finding it a constant need to shovel… but I do say it burns the energy!

So much snow

We drew more sea creatures with manta rays this time thanks to Art of Kids. If you have NOT already bookmarked them you REALLY should! We have a few other activities by them I want to try that include paint and pastels. I just need the time to make a designated area.

Manta Ray

We had a book for the day of course… well multiple books really since it was World Book Day. We actually are making our own books that will be finished on the weekend! A Fine St. Patrick’s Day by Susan Wojciechowski was our St. Patrick’s Day themed one… along with the chapter book Lindsay the Luck Fairy. I am really enjoying our story time.

All 3 of them worked on this one

For World book Day we had books the kids and I picked out to enjoy together…

Some fun stories to share

And then each of the twins read a book to the other kids…

Zander and his book

Gavin and his

We had some St. Patrick’s Day themed worksheets as well. There will be, in hindsight… the link to our resource blog at the end of our studies. As always, anything you wish links to etc contact me and I will send them along before then!

Emanuel at work

Trinity with herself as an Irish dancer

The St. Patrick’s Day stuff has certainly spiced up our week. I love the stories and the together time… and the crafts of course. We had to take a Charlie and Lola break though!

One of our favourite book and tv series

So we have another week and a few days until the end of this unit and then it is time to focus on Easter… oh and penguins! Emanuel is REALLY excited about that. With a new baby to spil I look forward to posting my crocheted pieces I made for her very soon! I am not sure how often we will get to visit with Ken now having a “normal” job and all but I am sure there will be pictures eventually!

OUR baby in a bucket

February 17-18

It can be difficult to fly home sometimes… especially if you are dealing with Air Canada, your name is Sean and you are flying through Toronto. Yup, the gong show that has been trying to get Sean home continues on. This time Ken and Sean took off to the airport for a 7:30 am flight to Toronto onward only to realize when Ken was half way home that the flight he had been booked to replace his cancelled (due to weather) flight was for TUESDAY! He had originally had a horribly long flight replacement, called to change it and not a word was said about the date! OOPS! Next flight – MONDAY morning. GROAN.

Still here

Of course now I seem to have gotten a sore throat and we have finally figured out why the last two days Echo has been so horrible… runny nose and then some. So a new cold is going around it seems. So that leaves Monday’s schooling up in the air. However, I am happy to report that Gavin’s punishment of no electronics for various crimes against the state so to speak had him much more creative in his time and thinking harder about his behaviour! Score one for Mommy and tough discipline measures. He spent A LOT of time outside playing in the sunshine while others watched a show or two and in doing convinced this sibling or another to come out with him.

I did do a 4th try on the hairstyle. I should relink the instructions here as well… so HERE you go! Lizzie Bennet Diaries for the win!

Day 4

We successfully saw Sean off on Monday at least… though that corresponded with yours truly hitting good and sick! A state of affairs that threw out our lesson plan and instead had the kids watching LOTS of tv and hanging with Echo while I rested.

I was rather put out, we were all ready to start reading about the platypus! We are going to make a lapbook and start our St. Patrick’s Day poster this week. I will have a separate blog entry with ALL our platypus links, etc put together for those interested. I am hoping we can start doing an animal or two of interest a month, learn more about the world around us and the animals we may never see in person!  

Celebratory end of the day Charlie and Lola (YES Another favourite!!!)

1001 posts! There is a bit of a rush knowing I have made it THIS far with sharing our life and resources with everyone! Remember to go back to THIS post to enter for your chance to win a feltie. 

This has definitely been a guy weekend. We had a group of Ken’s friends come to celebrate his belated birthday weekend with a traditional LAN party. There was even a cake (ice cream) thanks to Kristen and Fydo! (Inside joke on the slogan written on it).

CAKE!

Kristen, Echo and I spent Saturday out and about town… we started at the library (the branch closer to us) and picking up two books I had on hold for this week’s schooling. It is a complex actually so we looked into skating and swimming information. Seriously, if anyone wants to go swimming with us in November!! We need more hands than we have to safely swim with all 5 kids. 

After the library it was down to the south end and Michaels. There were some Christmas (I know ALREADY!) sales and coupons to use. There is a free make-it-take-it activity there on the 20th of this month I wanted to confirm was going on. I did pick up some more adhesive so I could get back to crafting. Duct tape is next on the list (some specific colours for Christmas gifts) but I figured I needed to get some scrapbooking out of the way to clear my crafting areas! AND it is Emanuel’s turn tomorrow to get his scrapbook page done. 

Bathing Beauty

A Girl and Her Sheep

We had lunch at a mall foodcourt where at Edo Japan I actually got right through the line! Faster than Kristen at NYFries! Odd that! And then over to the kids’ educational store. I had a payment order number and a wish to shop for another couple gifts for Christmas. Echo made minor messes (easily tidied thankfully) and crawled around exploring while I bought more than I had planned but remained well under budget. I even got them a toy for right now – magnetic spacial game. Though it was TRINITY more than anyone who was interested in it. 

Fun with magnets

In the evening we actually pulled out the game I got Ken for his birthday – Settlers Trails to Rails! Kristen, Fydo, Ken and myself gave it a go… it went A LOT longer than our usual Settlers game and was a bit more complex AND Ken did win AS USUAL… but fun! I look forward to playing it again with a firmer grasp of the rules AND starting earlier in the evening. 

All new Settlers

Today was a rather big deal for our little family – the kids sang at church with the Sunday School. It was Trinity’s first time! She was a little nervous and Emanuel was trying to chatter at first but they gave it their best! I was VERY proud! 

The lesson during Sunday School was a group craft one about Saints for All Saints Sunday. Everyone made a Saint Nicholas. Rather cute I think! 

Two of our saints

We had to say good-bye to our company today. Jeff and Zachary were onto the next leg of their vacation with Sean as their ride (he has been steadily getting sicker over the weekend but toughed it out and had fun). We feel so spoiled that they came and visited all the way from California! Kristen picked up Fydo around lunchtime so that left Alan and Ted to spend the afternoon and into the evening with Ken gaming and just hanging out. As much as we LOVE our new place, I do miss this sort of company. Feels so weird to see them so rarely after it being a weekly or more visit at our old home. 

A basement full of men

Uncle Ted helping Trinity watch Charlie and Lola

Watching the gaming

I finished up a few crafts sitting around as I set about putting the house back to normal. Echo’s bow board is finally done. I love the colours. The material was what Echo’s Birthday present was wrapped in from Victoria. I put the bows on that she received from a lovely lady who runs Hairbows for Princesses. Be sure to check her out! Aren’t the colours great?

Echo's Bow Board

Oh and we figured out why poor Echo is not only cranky BUT has a bum rash – she cut another tooth – a molar!! (what is it with this kid and the painful back ones?)… her back left bottom is cut now as well as the two top ones… OUCH 

This was definitely a weekend to remember, and now it is time to get ready for the rest of the month. Our facilitator is here on the 17th so we need to be sure we have our science stuff ready to show… I have a crafting event to plan, a van we need to get a date on for fixing, library meet up to plan… oh the list goes on. BUT I am hoping to move my focus to creating Christmas presents now! And that is exciting for us all… CRAFTING! 

Post church pretty