Piusa Sand Caves 2015

In my childhood, one of my favorite places to visit were the sand caves in Piusa. These caves were created in 1922 as a quarry of quartz sand that was used to make glass. The underground mining was stopped in 1970s. But the open quarrying continued into 1990s. The caves have evolved into a popular site for hibernating bats. It is the largest known hibernation colony in Eastern Europe.
At the visitor center, we were given a thorough history of the sand quarries and also a overview of the local ecosystem. Because the danger of caves collapsing is great, the visitors can no longer walk into the caves. I found that most disappointing, but we did see with out own eyes many spots where the caves had collapsed. Better safe, than sorry.

 

The pendulum at the visitor center made the most intricate designs on sand.

This small model of the caves was actually a game for kids.

Fake bats on the wall at the visitor center.

It was freezing in the caves.

The open, now disused, quarry.

It was like a HUGE sandbox for the kids. The kept running up and down the slopes.

Vastseliina Episcopal Castle Ruins

During our vacation in Estonia, we visited ruins of a 14th century castle. The hands-on museum that told the history of the castle, also had exhibits about medieval life in general. The children stepped into a merchant's shop, an alchemist's chamber, a torture chamber, a kitchen, and a room readied for a bath. 
The ruins themselves were grand. Not much remains of them these days, but the legends about the castle are still fully alive. 

So many tourist places had the National Geographic symbols.

Welcome to the medieval times! Saara was crowned with a medieval wreath, Andrew tried on a real crusader's helmet, and Dad put on a real chainmail shirt.

The chainmail weighed 35 pounds.

This is what the castle looked like in the 14th century.

The Spanish Boot. Not a fashion thing at all.

In the children's room, the kids posed as knights.

A curiosity for us, a serious medicine back then.

Lots of storks, even at the ruins.

The longest preserved wall.

The cross marks the wall where a maiden was walled in alive.

The honey from the castle bees supposedly cures all illnesses.

Inside the remaining bastion.

Vacation in Estonia. 2015

I believe, the best memories from this summer were made in Estonia. Our family took a month-long vacation to visit my side of the family. Saara and Andrew had never been to my homeland in summer. They had no idea the fun awaiting for them. These are just a few things the children had a chance to experience:

Nights are not dark here. This picture was taken after 9 pm. We were still suffering from jet-lag, and, instead of going to bed, decided a short walk in the woods was in order. The sun was still up high.

After reading "The Wheel on the School", I promised Saara she will see real storks in Estonia. And she did! Lots and lots of them everywhere.

The children picked their own wild strawberries in the woods.

Andrew and Saara saw that the ant hills in Estonia are very different from the ones in Texas - they are big and built from pine needles.

A lot of places we went to had traditional Estonian swings. It took the kids and Dad a while to learn how to swing on them.

This was one of the children's favorite things to do: just run wild in the forests. The pine trees here are tall and there's not much to obstruct one's view. We even heard a cuckoo bird on one of our outings.

When the weather warmed up, the children were able to play on the beach. They saw that the most popular sports among Estonians in volleyball. There are nets up everywhere, and people use them all the time, rain or shine.

The water was too cold to swim in at first, but it was still a lot of fun to look for shells by the lake.

On our first walk in the woods, I warned the children about the stinging nettle. Saara was first to stumble into one by accident. Thankfully, the damage the nettle causes is mild and disappears fast.

The cranes.

Thanks to their relatives, the children's 'main' diet was strawberries.

Finally, Saara got her very own first daisy chain wreath.

Lots of wild blueberries for the kids to pick and eat!

In one of the forest, we saw lots of old WWII trenches. These were dug by the Nazis.

One big part of our touring was to let the children see their roots. We visited the farm that used to belong to their great-grandfather. The buildings he built are still there.

Driving by fields with grains, we stopped to let the kids see where their food comes from. This one was an oat field.

There is an abundance of lakes in Estonia. Wherever you turn, there's a lake, and a swimming spot. While the weather was nice, the kids swam in one lake during the day and in another in the evening.

Saara helping Grandma put labels on freshly made strawberry jams. 

I was surprised how many people from outside Estonia we met. A lot of them from the States. The children made friends easily with children who spoke English and who did not.

'14/15 Week 37 Days 3, 4, and 5

These last days have been bittersweet. There are many books that we started reading last September and finished up just now. Books about native Indians, poetry, science experiments, and Bible songs - all done now. Kind of sad. And yet we all are happy that one more school year is behind us.

Although we have accomplished all our 180 days of school, we still have a few fiction books to read, both read-alouds and reading practice stories, some science experiments are waiting to be conducted, and a few more math lessons worked through. 
Then, truly, we can say that Saara's first and Andrew's third grade is in the past.

Summer play and chores. The kids had fun playing with the cut grass. They pretended it was like making hay in the old times. In fact, they took it all into the compost pile.

Science. The little seeds of corn that Andrew planted for his science experiments have grown taller than him.

Husking the corn. The variety we used for Andrew's science class yielded some sweet tasting corn.

Summer play. It is time to catch fireflies.

Science. Spotting Venus in the evening sky.

Saara taking a look at Venus.

Math. Andrew figuring out the volume of the box.

Last day of school. We baked a cake and made home-made pink lemonade to celebrate the last day of school. We wanted to do more, but this weekend is going to be very busy, so we were just happy to sit down for a while and talk about our favorite books we read this year. Andrew's  most favorite was "The Sign of the Beaver" ...

... and Saara's the biography of George Muller.

'14/15 Week 37 Days 1 and 2

One by one, we are finishing up books. Yesterday and today, we read the last chapters in four books. Slowly, the end of the school year is getting closer and closer.

Today, Andrew and Saara had yet another math test which both passed fairly well. 
In LA, the kids brainstormed for ideas for their last writing assignment. We looked through all the pictures I have been taking since the beginning of the school year. It was so much fun! And that is what they have to write about - their school year. The idea webs they created today are promising. I am looking forward to reading their compositions.

Softball. Just a few more games left.

Science. Saara presenting her facts about the planets in the solar system.

The corn seedlings that Andrew planted in spring are producing some mouthwatering cobs.

'14/15 Week 36 Days 3, 4, and 5

These have been busy days. The league is trying to make up all the games that were cancelled because of rain, so we have been busy. 
Andrew discovered that he likes to retell stories rather than come up with new ones. It was surprising to me because his imagination is in overdrive sometimes. But obviously, he finds retelling a story much easier. He and Saara did a fine job on creating a story line/map of a Bible story we had been reading, and then writing it out in their own words.