This is our first year learning about Independence day… so we are going rather topical and trying to see a broad picture and get a handle on a holiday that is 100% new to us! We had 3 different files we used… Currclick has a great speedy lapbook from homeschool bits HERE. It is just 1.00. We also used Gift of Curiosity’s site HERE. The Simple Homeschool also has a file we found a while ago. You can access their site HERE. Lulu Marketplace also has a freebie HERE.

Helpful printables:

• Activity Village has a selection of printables etc on their site HERE.
• Lots of great stuff on Lapbook Lessons HERE.
• Mini book with DLTK HERE.
• I have a collection on Education.com for Independence Day HERE. I will rate all the ones I use before  the end of our unit.
• A free file from 2 Teaching Mommies HERE.
• LapbookLessons is also very helpful HERE.
• Maps on Free US and World Maps.com HERE.
• Cute journalling pages thanks to Education to the Core HERE.

Crafts:

• The Little Sewing Shop has a way to make your own firework like thing HERE.
• We made flag fans by decorating paper and then doing an accordion fold before stapling the base.
• I cannot find the instructions anymore, but we made fireworks on paper using paint, a plastic lid and a hammer… you put globs of paint on the paper (we used poster board), place a plastic lid on top of it and smack it with a hammer… SPLAT firework!
• We made patriotic shakers (well they would have been if the kids had stuck with red white and blue)… two plastic cups, with beads inside, use a coloured masking tape to tape them together and decorate with stickers. Thanks to Lakeshore Learning store for that free craft! (HERE is the store site)

Books:

• Independence Day by Helen Frost HERE
• Independence Day by Marc Tyler Nobleman HERE
• Red, White, and Boom! by Lee Wardlaw HERE
• Celebrate Independence Day by Deborah Heiligman HERE
• Independence Day by Elaine Landau HERE
• Independence Day by Ann Heinrichs HERE
• Calendar Mysteries: July Critters by Ron Roy HERE
• Independence Day Crafts by Mary Berendes and Jean Eick HERE

July 5-7

What to do on the Friday after Independence Day? We were not lucky enough to have a full day off for Ken… and he had to take time off on top of that to drive Sean to the airport mid day. It was a really weird feeling to say good bye to our houseguest of 18 days… It was like letting go of a part of Canada, our past, our shared history all over again. Weird how it all comes back suddenly! Miss you all back home up north!!

BUT of course that couldn’t stop our Independence Day lapbook completions… we had a family book and then each of the twins had an additional on their own so it was a little time consuming but the end result was lovely! Of course I made a resource blog post HERE.

We had our own fairie dancing around and everything…

And then in the end mommy caved and the gaming commenced… they were sweet enough to let ECHO have a turn!

We also had to take a peek at the garden out back… we are a little slow in the progress due to funky weather but growing wild now!

Onion garden

Mini harvest

Now the 6th was a rather important day – AIDAN’S birthday party!! The youngest Novak is officially SEVEN! And what a party was it!

But first, the first Saturday of the month… which means a stop off at Home Depot for the monthly craft – making little cars shaped like something from the Despicable Me 2 movie. Boy was Echo ticked that she was too young to get involved!

Darcy contacted us in the morning asking we come early so Ken could play errand boy which gave him and Anthony some bonding time on the road.

There was a bouncy castle, a pinata, balloons…

AND PIZZA!

Oh and Cake!

A slip and slide to boot!

What a party. We met a lovely family of 4 soon to be 5 that ALSO homeschool with 3 girls all around Trinity’s age. It was great fun to sit and share stories of escapades and large families.

I think Aidan had a blast and I know our wee ones ran themselves into exhaustion.

Check out sneaky Echo in the bouncy castle during gift opening. If other kids were in it it was just too much for her.

Ken SAYS he took more of me… but this is the only one I found!

The menfolk

Be sure to keep an eye out for the overflow blog!!! So much fun!

Although Ken made it out the door to work on the playset some more the very next day… the whole day really… unstoppable. The kids are over the moon with the progress!

Daddy’s best helper!

Happy belated Birthday Aidan!

July 4

Our first living here in Minnesota! You can check out our original post HERE where I shared a couple pictures… now for the actual run down on how we celebrated!

Half and Halfers

With the playset moved to the backyard and into the grass the mosquitoes were a greater concern than on Canada Day. We replaced our Canadian decorations with American flags and paperchains made by the kids. Thank goodness for bug spray and the tripod!

And then into the front yard for where our ornaments would stay on display for the day.

Thanks to my pro button pushers for taking these with ME in them!

We had time after that for some running around before packing everyone up for a run to the lake. Our first of the year. Sadly the lake I had planned to go to was blocked off by the remnants of a parade… but we did make it to the lake we visited most often LAST summer.

I got a chance to wear the new swimsuit (please ignore the shoes… I totally hate the idea of leeches and at least they matched colours). I need to work on Victory Rolls for the hair !!!

I promise better pics soon!

The kids had a blast, even Echo eventually ventured into the water!

We came home in time to have a light late lunch and shower off…

Then back into our red, white and blue (or is that blue, white and red???)…

Red white and blue (note the blue and white bow)

and a hop skip and a jump over to Bree and Scott’s to spend quality time with Quinn and Lily.

Lily B

Ice cream Sundays for the win… add in Phineas and Ferb and the kids were over the moon.

Toppings

Then home to bed… fireworks are not major for us. The kids thought our day was amazing! And that was more than enough for me. Happy Independence Day!

Happy July 4th…