June 2-3

With a new month I try to start a new topic of focus with our schooling. We actually have TWO focuses this month – Father’s Day (until the 22nd) and then July 4th (Independence Day). Live and Learn had a sale on their themed lapbook so we picked it up for the main focus of our theme. Of course there are cards to make and send, crafts to do and books to read!

But first, the end of our weekend. With lovely weather and a Ken who was free for the day what better to do than go on a picnic! We went back to see the sculpture garden we had visited last summer off of Walker Museum. We visited our favourite statues and checked out some of the new installations.

This is a favourite of the kids and their main focus of pictures.

A new installation

With a nice, quiet corner to settle there was time for art…

Definitely NOT a starving artist but an artist all the same!

And lunch… I love it when a day costs us a little gas and 3.50 for parking for the day… much better than eating at a restaurant!

Yummy treat thanks to Aunty Xinny

Just the perfect day!

Our first book… Father’s Day by Anne Rockwell (we had a book by the same author for Mother’s Day) has given us the idea for our ongoing Father’s Day gift… which I will share AFTER we give it to Daddy!

Emanuel had his second day at his dino dig… he is being amazing with his careful work on a rather intimidating lump of clay.

Found, partial bone

Miss Trinity took advantage of the respite from rain and did some rather impressive chalk art on the front walk.

Throw in our month of June poster…

Reading to their siblings…

And helping each other with workbooks and I think we did just fine starting our week!

I am not overly optimistic about sunshine for much of the week BUT we are finding ways to enjoy all aspects of the spring weather in Minnesota.

Oldest and the youngest

May 23-24

After such a busy evening our following Thursday was slowed a little… With her helpful sister in tow Trinity busted through one of her workbooks for a completion!!

Busy together

Complete

We had a penguin craft to work on using hands and feet to make ourselves some adorable penguins!!! Lots of helping each other tracing and cutting and gluing!

instructions to follow in the resource page!

Each one unique

It was finally a relatively sunny day so the kids spent plenty of time outside assisting Nana and Baba in the gardening… pulling weeds… fun stuff! And highly educational!

Progress on the gardening

Wandering the bales

Trains expanded to being under a tent to keep out the sun!

Tented trains

And Echo even sported a braid for a portion of the day!!!

Braid!

Honestly Friday followed suit in gardening friendly weather so we added another day of outside learning. So much work to be done on those days that are NOT rainy!

Gardening in the sunshine

3 of the kids went out to buy soil so Gavin, Echo and I had a lovely snack  together…

Snack

And then some gaming

Gavin even pulled out his long ignored sewing. I am hoping June will be his month to return to it!

Cross Stitch

With our busy school schedule and the gardening going on in the backyard when the weather permits… we are getting in lots of activity AND learning. Spring in Minnesota.

Out in the backyard with Daddy before bed!

Even dolly is having fun!

Ok so with the new Kindle came a renewed wish to hunt down the new series out there… and after a rather difficult week or two a lonely Lisa was spoiled by her darling husband with the ok to spend a few dollars  to get some books. I lucked out with this Tonya Kappes Kindle version of the first book in her Magical Cures Mysteries, this first book is only 2.99, as is the second with a 99 cents novella to round off what is available right now.

June is an orphan at this point in her life, continuing on her mother’s dream of creating herbal cures and selling them at a local flea market. Along with her rather unusual cat Mr. Prince Charming she lives in her mother’s house while creating her cures in the shed in the backyard… that is until the shed blows up and a chain of seemingly unconnected experiences leads her to a new town… Whispering Falls. A town full of eccentrics, but also a town full of her past.

Darla, and she was always know as Darla, was June’s mother and the catalyst for everything. With a father she can’t remember and a best friend named Owen who was instrumental in her moving out of her home and into adventure there is so much to realize in this book. The murders are not overly grisly, the characters are endearing and the trail to the solution of it all full of twist, turns… and ding dongs… June’s favourite and much mentioned desert. Oh and did we mention June is a spiritualist and she didn’t know it??

There is so much for June to learn, so many people for her to talk to and an adorable location to discover. I especially enjoyed Mr. Prince Charming. His antics and quirks lend so much to the story. So if you are interested in a quirky series of characters, a good mystery, some magic and of course a cat with attitude A Charming Crime is the book for you… and as for me, well I have the second in the series lined up to read next! So check back for THAT review!

A Charming Crime