Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Mission Accomplished!
The kids are on spring break this week. Since the fourth grade social studies curriculum is based around the history of California, we decided to go see a Mission. I took the kids to a Mission back in February, when the girl's class started studying them. She had to pick a Mission to write a report, do a power point presentation and write journal entries on. In the past, they have also had to build a replica of the Mission they chose. At the kids school building the Mission is now extra credit. Evidently, the parents were getting to involved and the creative process and building of the Mission wasn't actually done by the kids. I remember building the Mission with my Dad, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
So, the girl, her friend C and her Mom and the boy and I went on a field trip. We went to a Mission that still has an active church. I hadn't been to this Mission since I was the girl's age on a class field trip. It was a lot of fun. They have self guided tours. Here's a view of the Mission from the fields below it.
Monday, March 25, 2013
There's Gold In Them Thar Hills!
The girl's class took a field trip up to gold country last week. It was a very long, educational and fun day. The town of Columbia is several hours away so the kids took a bus. They were very excited as it was their first bus field trip. They were all fantastic. I had four kids in my group and they behaved very well.
The town of Columbia is great. The area has been preserved and the people that work there dress up in costume. I think we will head back up there this summer to explore a little more.
The bucket brigade. The "museum" part of the field trip was fantastic. A Ranger walked around the town with the kids and showed them the various areas of the mine and town. The had them play games each time they stopped to talk about something. They went to the well area and had the kids line up in a bucket brigade to put out a fire. There was a contest girls against the boys to see who could fill a large trash can up with water the fastest and then empty it back into a trough. The boys won the filling of the can and the girls won the emptying of the can. They were all wet and giggling by the end.
They also went to the blacksmith shop (where I got my kids each a horse shoe engraved with their name on it).
This is the oldest brick school house in the state. The first one they built out of wood burnt down soon after it was completed. This one is only still standing, because it is made out of bricks. The had a fun interactive program, where the students got to participate in a typical day in school back in the 1860's. They each had a slate and a piece of chalk to write out their answers to questions from the teacher. He even showed them how kids that were misbehaving were treated. They had to wear the dunce cap and stay an hour after two after school to clean up. Needless to say, they didn't have many discipline problems. If you were late or absent 3 times you were kicked out of school.
The girl and her bff C sitting in the original desks from 1861 at the old school house.
On the stage coach, ready to take a ride back in time.
The town and its outskirts is so authentic that we were held up by bandits while riding the stage coach. Luckily, we didn't have any gold or silver on us, so they let us go on our way.
At the end of the trip, my group of kids all drank a bottle of Sarsaparilla to quench their thirst before the long dusty ride home on the bus. It was the best field trip I have been on. We all had such a great time.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Happy St. Patricks Day
In addition to being the 1 year anniversary of getting Deacon (who thinks he is another kid in the house), today is St. Patty's day. The kids built their annual Leprechaun trap. By the materials they used, you know we aren't Mormon :). There was a rope swing both inside and out and gold foil in the bottom of the trap. There was also directions on the box on how to get the gold.
Evidently, that clever little leprechaun named Rainier that visits us every year got away again! He even had the audacity to leave another note. He wrote:
You tried again this year
But you did not trap me...I fear
It was a good trap you set
You thought you had me...I bet
I know it was your hope
That I would slide down and
Not be able to come back up the rope
In the trap your cat put down his paw
And I grabbed onto his claw
He pulled me up out of the trap
I admit, I am a lucky chap
Your traps are always great
But, being trapped wasn't my fate
I will leave you a little treat before I go
A little bit of my rainbow
Better luck next year
The Leprechaun named
Rainier
He is a cheeky little leprechaun. He even left his foot prints on the poem!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Happy Pi Day!
It is national pi day (and Einstein's birthday), so to commemorate this auspicious occasion we had pie for dinner, in the form of an asparagus quiche. What made it even more yummy are these green eggs I used from my friend's hens. In what is the best trade around I give my friend an empty egg carton and it is magically filled up with beautiful, organic eggs. Now, if I can only find someone who will do that with my wallet.
What Pi day celebration would be complete without...lemon meringue pie.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Valentine's Day
I know this post is almost a month late! I am finally downloading pictures off my phone. Blogger changed its format and it is taking me a lot longer to get anything posted.
Both kids classes had a party in the afternoon. Since I was helping out in the girl's class, I don't have any pictures of the boy's party.
The girl's class playing a "Minute to Win it" game on Valentine's day.
Hubby and I find it amusing that the boy "R" that "happens" to be across from the girl is according to her her nemesis. I have told her that at 9 years old she is to young to have a nemesis. The boy "R" has had a crush on the girl since last year and he isn't shy about letting her know it. He sings "You Don't Know You're Beautiful" to her all the time. He is a sweet and very funny kid. Of course, this mortifies the girl.
The girl and her best friend C.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The Pinewood Derby
Last weekend was the pinewood derby for the boy's den. It is very fun and high tech. The kids each ran 6 races on 6 different tracks. The five fastest times went to the finals. You may notice the Dr. Seuss looking socks on the boy. On Friday, he had both of his legs cast. He will be wearing casts for the next six weeks. We are trying to avoid surgery on his legs. Evidently, the casts don't slow him down much (as several of my friends said as he was racing across the gym floor with his friends). I caught him standing on our double swing out back on Sunday, swinging along with Deacon. That kid is going to give me a heart attack!
Since this was his first time racing, the boy and hubby didn't realize the car had to be weighted. So, during the qualification round, hubby was furiously gluing all of the change we could find to the bottom of the car. It was one expensive car! The boy and hubby already have plans to weight it down next year.
I think their next car should be the Mach 5. The boy picked the colors of his cast to match his car...purple and red (they were out of black, which he has on the side of the car).
Watching his car during the race.
The boy came in third place. He was very excited!
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