'13/14 Week 7 Day 3

The sunshine outside drew both kids out of doors every time we took a break today. Great fall weather. The cheery feeling helped us get our schoolwork done in time and well. Andrew took his third math test and did a good job. Ordinary day, but wonderful nevertheless.

'13/14 Week 7 Day 2

It was a long day, but in the end, it really did not matter because both kids had a great attitude. There were a lot of things that dragged our school day into late afternoon. All of them were a lot of fun and, truthfully, it is not our fault that there's only 60 seconds in one minute. Time flies when you are having fun.
We also did a great deal of very serious 'sit-down-and-write-in-your-workbook' type work - practicing handwriting, spelling out short vowel word families, tacking additions and subtractions, etc. So, this balanced our day into the realm of 'very good' once again.

Math. Saara reviewing ordinal numbers using buttons.

LA. We have not memorized any poems for a while. I chose a simple four-line poem from Saara's "High Five". We came up with some cute hand motions to it and within a few minutes Saara entertained us with a sweet recital. Video below.

Civics. We reviewed all the symbols and some facts about them today. Also, we looked up all the National Holidays in 2013.

Science. It rained all morning long, but right after lunch, we were able to go outside and collect a few leaves for Saara's science class. She has been learning about plants and how they need soil and water for growing. Today, it was all about sunlight and photosynthesis.

We looked at different leaves, their shapes and texture.

Along the way, we squeezed in a little art project.

Andrew's science was about one of the five senses - the sense of touch. He used his sister as a guinea pig for an experiment or two.

Freezing your fingertips (holding the ice cube for 40 seconds) numbed the sense of touch and it was not easy to pick up rice grains.

This experiment was called 'fooling your senses'. One hand from the hot water bowl and the other from the ice cold water bowl, felt the warm water in the middle differently.

'13/14 Week 7 Day 1

Saara could not wait to start her school work again. Andrew was not as excited and he really started pulling a face when he saw his math lesson. Partly, I do not blame him. Today's portion (and tomorrow's as well) was quite a lot. I am considering dividing it up into smaller sections. 
Other than that, it was Saara's ballet day which means using a shorter version of the lesson plan. What I had planned, got done and it counts as a successful school day, the more that the kids worked hard at their lessons.

Saara learned a thing or two about the oceans and seas today. She knows "Finding Nemo" by heart, has seen numerous videos about sea animals and read books about the same. So, it was kind of a tall order to find something new for her. I did, however. A few videos about the sea floor on Youtube floored her and her brother.

2013 Field Trips: 12 States Plus Washington DC

During our two weeks of vacation, Andrew and Saara traveled through 12 States (excluding Texas), plus we took a short day trip to Washington DC. After every leg, the kids and Dad took out the US map and tracked our travels with a highlighter. All of us were thoroughly amazed how far we traveled and how much we saw and experienced. I am thankful to God for His protection and His blessings during our travels.

Together with Texas it would be 13 states in two weeks. We got out at every border to stretch and take pictures at the welcome centers.

From one end to the other. Almost.

2013 Field Trips: The Letchworth State Park, NY

While visiting family, we took the advantage of good fall weather and took a day trip to the Letchworth State Park in New York. Our main goal was to enjoy the beautiful fall colors and changing leaves, but we were treated to much more.

The kids got to see a 'real live' dam.

The park was rich in fall color and in trees we do not see in Texas. Beside the maple tree, the kids learned to recognize the birch and the weeping willow.

More falling water! The Upper Falls at the Letchworth Park.

This is known as the 'Grand Canyon of the East'.

2013 Field Trips: The Niagara Falls, NY

We arrived to the city of Niagara Falls in the evening and were able to see the falls lit up at night and also in the day light the next morning. It is a powerful sight. I was surprised to see how much mist the falling water can produce - there was so much of it, one could not see the Canadian side of the falls at all! The other thing that surprised me, was how close people could get to the rushing water. Everything was safe and secure, but still very close. 

The Horseshoe Falls lit up at night. This is probably the best known waterfall of the group of three known as the Niagara Falls.

Saara's favorite part of the falls was the rapids.

The Horseshoe Falls.

One needs a rain jacket, not because it is raining, but because of the mist the falls is splashing up. Our family on our 10th wedding anniversary.

Here's a good overview of the islands and falls.

The American Falls.

The Bridal Veil.

2013 Field Trips: Smoke Hole Caverns, WV

Ever since Andrew learned about caves two years ago, I have desired to visit one. Finally the day dawned and what an experience it was! Smoke Hole Caverns in West Virginia is not just any random cave, it is truly an amazing place. We walked 1/3 mile inside a mountain while on top of us loomed 362 solid feet of the same mountain. Smoke Hole Caverns is world famous because of the world biggest ribbon stalactite which we saw in person as well. Pictures I took do not come even close to the beauty of all the rock formations we saw with our own eyes. Both kids were so full of wonder and amazement. For them, it was like stepping into the world of fairy tales. I believe, we all are still pretty spellbound by what we saw. 

The name - Smoke Hole - was given to the caverns by the settlers who saw smoke rising from the caves. The local Indian tribes used to stick meat into the crevices of the cave ceiling and then build a fire on the floor, so the smoke would cook the meat.

We thought that the beginning of the tour was pretty amazing, but we were completely blown away when we reached the deeper 'rooms' of the caverns.

There it is - the world famous ribbon stalactite (weighing 2 1/2 tons).

Because the stalactites and stalagmites are living formations, we were allowed to touch only certain ones in the cave. 

The Queen's Canopy.

Isn't this gorgeous?

By the way, one can make music with rocks as well: