Tag Archive | US

Starting our December Right

December 3-4

I loved the longer video on the Activity Village site… we had over 20 min of happy and quiet kids! But, watch for yourself!

We started our first themed week Monday… CANDY CANES! I combined a lapbook I got for free and as many Candy Cane themed print outs as I could find… mostly on Activity Village. Trinity was overjoyed with the chance to colour any and all candy cane images. And the boys listened to their educational story about the origins of Candy Canes before they filled out a short worksheet. The plan is to take TUESDAY to make the candy cane crafts I found online.

With out countdown… also Activity Village

What we DID do was start on our Christmas ornaments. I am afraid a lot of stuff is going to make it to people late this year due to shipping costs but the kids are making special foam ornaments for everyone. We took the kit I bought with the littles on Saturday and combined it with our foam and glitter glue and let them go NUTS!

Completed with pictures

There are so many ways to represent Santa. The kids thought the Art for Kids site had one of the best ideas yet! Such a goofy Santa how to! 

Zander’s running Santa

Tuesday was a bit of a shattered day… I honestly have no excuse but to admit that I let the worries and lack of knowledge in regards to my need to change my status here in the US catch up with me. I despise it when I do that, I feel that I fail the kids when I let the outside world destroy the organization, learning and… fun of our homeschool day. With Ken not employed and our living here with Nana and Baba homeschooling is really insular for us. It is the rest of the time that is friends and extended family, errands and free events. Right now, right here we don’t have the homeschool connections so I have created a plan around our space here. But anyway… Advent is here and we are embracing each day with crafts and family together time. So though I WANT Ken employed and out busy, I am so happy with this special time we have.

We had a special how to on Art for Kids on Tuesday… a FAIRY! So Gavin was sweet enough to draw one for Trinity! We do get a little out of order on the updated instructions from time to time, but Gavin had some spare time so he was such a sweetheart and drew it up. 

For Trinity

We had picked up some great Christmas colour themed pipe cleaners from Joann’s previously so Trinity and Echo and Gavin all made special twisted candy canes. You can find our instructions HERE on the Activity Village site. 

Echo and her Candy Cane in TRINITY’s nightgown!

Gavin’s more complicated version

As a “T” day, of course we had to have some Minecraft time! 

Designing a masterpiece

We made CANDY with Nana from a simple candy cane recipe and while they did not exactly hold shape or harden (we hope for better results next time) ALL of the kids got involved and had a blast.

Measuring the sugar

Pulling the sugar

Lots of busy, sticky fingers

The shape did not hold but was it ever FUN

We are really loving a themed week… though I am sure we could cram more stuff into a day, this pace seems to have the boys retaining TONS. And giving us time to make those special gifts for godparents, cards for people back up in Canada and of course Art for Kids how to drawings. 

Echo and her own little piece of Candy Cane to work

A Weekend Without…

November 3-4

Our first weekend without Nana and Baba while they are on their Mexican vacation… of course Ken and myself ended up sick. BUT we managed to make it a rather memorable weekend… This was our first go at the Home Depot monthly kids’ activity. The age range is 5-12 so I kept the girls home with me where we made our own little craft using some of the Halloween colour themed craft supplies. Lots of glue and paper and of course some sparkly cupcake stickers!

Sisters crafting together

The boys went with Ken to the Home Depot nearby and did their first craft. They got an apron with their name on it and a pin for the craft. Each time they go back they get another pin for their apron! This month – turkey themed napkin holders.

Oops Emanuel’s eyes were closed!

They had a blast making them! When they got back I retired to the bedroom for a 3+ hour nap… totally meant to just lay down for a few but apparently was not in the cards! I did manage some cleaning, laundry and a completion in my crochet though after I woke up! Sometimes you just need to stop for a while, even though it DOES go against the grain!

Sunday was another lazy day for us. Ken and I needed to get over our colds and really we needed to stay in one place and just RELAX for a while. Oh and clean… bedrooms, sunroom, school corner… I am still on the hunt for Thanksgiving this and that and hope to send Ken and a kid or two to the library this week for some books. 

Couldn’t resist a picture

Miss Echo DEMANDED Ken put her costume back on cape and all and ran around for half the day all dressed up. Did you know that Death loves fruit snacks??? Cuz this one does!!

She just LOVES this costume

Death eating… fruit snacks???

Amazingly enough after my 3 hour bath (oh yea combo of cold and taking a day off I mean REALLY CHOOSING TO! CRAZY! I feel so lazy!!) 4 of the kids took initiative and coloured some fall pictures we are going to mail to friends and family this week… while Zander (#5) did some cleaning and found his missing US map (thank you Gammie).

Colouring!

So now, we have TWO maps up in the boys’ room – Emanuel’s Little Passports map waiting for its first adventure and Zander’s US map. I am debating starting a new unit study across the US… You can check it out HERE. I just need to budget in the funds to purchase! This who no funding thing is certainly something to  get used to! 

Little Passports

Ken and the US

So with Echo sleeping away in her costume and Trinity still hacking a lung I am keeping fingers crossed for a decent Monday. We are starting to talk about Thanksgiving, going back to our dinosaur a day AND trying to finish that Halloween book! I am just glad that the boys are starting to actually get excited about new projects and ideas! Especially about sending notes and pictures to the friends and family back north! 

Speaking of friends up North… here is Echo chatting with Aunty Esther!

The Fun is Out There

October 19-20

As has become our pattern with the dinosaurs today was NOT a new dinosaur day, instead Emanuel and I sorted through the dinosaurs we have already learned about and picked out our current carnivores! He is still not to firm on the names of some of them but has started to recognize what characteristics mean that a dinosaur eats plants or meat. 

Brilliant Meat eaters!

We finished our Minnesota library book and the boys and I talked about things we know about Minnesota to add to our book. I personally find it interesting that we moved from a country that has a coin called a Loonie to a place where the state bird is the Loon! 

After Minnesota reading tv time

We beaded it up Halloween style for the most part. Echo is really interested in Perler Beads but she just does not have the concentration or the ability. I am thinking we may need to look into Biggie Beads for her. 

Gavin and his non Halloween piece

Oh AND Emanuel and Trinity FINALLY got their 25 checkmarks ice cream… They actually have more than that now but this was our first chance to get out to McDonalds with just the two of them and have ICE CREAM! Then they were along for the present shopping ride at the nearby Target for the birthday party. I am so proud of these two. Emanuel practiced his printing and Trinity WILLINGLY did workpages…  

YUM!

I have begun my Christmas list. This is a tricky one, there are people back in Canada to send to that need to be light and easy to ship and the people here in the US that we can be a little more creative with. I am thinking owls and other creative measures will be best but first there is the list of names and then matching creations to the people.

Saturday was a birthday party and the same indoor playground we visited on our LAST visit here 3 years ago! Echo did pretty much the same repetitive stuff I remember helping and watching Trinity do that last visit! Miss Trinity herself opted to play in the little guy area with her sister (even though it was rated at 3 and under) and I really have NO idea what the boys did as they ran right in and played until we called them out for food or they had to go bathroom. 

Meeting random kids

A book nook

The boys were up there somewhere!

There was pizza and yogurt and juice and water for lunch… And a cupcake cake for desert! There were TWO birthday boys – our family friend Nathan and his friend Matthew. Nathan is Christopher and Renee’s son (they have a younger boy named Evan who is right around Echo’s age).  After presents there was time for a little more play. I think they all had a blast, the birthday boy liked his gift from us and the kids were very pleased with their gift bags. We are hoping that in the near future we can have a quieter visit though are waiting for Christopher’s hand to heal before we plan anything major. 

Quite the group!

The cake!

Happy Birthday!

So the kids made new friends, played hard and had a GREAT day. Success!

Out from behind the camera briefly