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

So we said good bye to Sean today and saw him off back to the city. We are back down to 7 again. 

Emanuel has been stepping it up again today, this time mainly with his “fun” workbook. He is still rather sure I am working him too hard but each time he finishes a sheet or an assignment he gets so excited. 

I am so proud of him!

Today we had our movie to watch – The Beauty of Ireland… so of course it was time for buttered popcorn! Even Echo got in on that one – but since when has SHE turned down POPCORN???

Ireland!

I am rather proud of myself… the snow has stopped falling and the weather turned warmer so yours truly dug out the van BY HERSELF! Whew, took two trips outside to move the 2 foot + high snow from behind the van and get the bulk off of the van itself but I did it!! I am still trying to get the packed snow off of the sidewalks but I have thrown down the special salt in the area where our eaves pours water when it melts (really, they need to fix that!) so at least the walks are safe! 

All shoveled

Here you can see how high it was drifted for me to shovel in the back!

We had a rather quiet day today BUT we now have fliers to finish our pot! SO tomorrow will be a MESSY day! One more layer of the paste and then dry so we can PAINT! I am honestly finding it harder and harder to forget about the 21st. We are now 2 weeks away and I am worried and anxious and of course glad this will be over and done with. But Echo is my baby and though I know surgery IS for the best… well… they WILL be hurting her however fleeting and that always hurts me too! So please think kindly on her and myself as we work our way up to THE day. 

Stealth learning of Math ??

Snow snow everywhere but at least it is not coming down… as much… today. That certainly did not deter the twins and Trinity from going out again. Emanuel chose to stay in and we got working on dot to dots and workbooks. He is still relatively resistant to doing what her terms as “very much” schoolwork but we are getting there. 

Working hard

I was alerted to the fact that in the wee hours of the morning a cousin of mine had her very first baby! A boy! My Grandma would be over the moon… she has her boys in spades in this generation. I am not going to share any particulars as the momma has not shared much on the internet yet herself but we are so pleased for them! 

We were SUPPOSED to do our next layer of paper mache on our pot BUT I got a little TOO organized and recycled ALL of our fliers. Of course that means that today’s did not come early… so… TOMORROW we do our next layer! Figures!

We did read our last Irish themed story today. Each of the kids drew their own illustration for the story and wrote a bit about the book. I need to get our stories together and have our reading week soon! I am debating waiting until April what with the stuff in the middle of March!  Our St. Patrick’s Day/Ireland binder is getting so full! I love it! 

Too Many Leprechauns

Today IS Tuesday which means – LIBRARY! In pj’s of course… Trinity went a little eclectic and did the mismatched pj’s. We started out the only people there until late showers came. The theme was monkeys! I snuck off and did some photographing of a certain NEW sheep! Of course a blog post on Fat Sheep’s blogwill follow! 

Craft time

Checking out the manga

It is hard to believe tomorrow is mid week already! We have a special video about Ireland for the kids to watch and come Celtic fairy tales to read… And hopefully some fliers to finish our pot! 

Echo is the best at giving sudden ninja like hugs!!