Saturday, December 11, 2010

Jekyll Island 4H

One of the many advantages to homeschooling is that you can pick and choose field trips that you would like for your children to participate in. Our co-op planned a trip to Jekyll 4H. Hands-down, the best field trip ever. Well organized + great classes = happy children/parents.

Beach Ecology, even in December, is interesting....who knew what "sea pork" was before this class?? Not I, though we have seen it many, many times. And who knew the holes in some of the shells you find are supposed to be there???? I always thought it was a shell defect but apparently the holes are a means of the moon snail getting its nutrients.

Dock Study, the children were each given a net to fish with off of a dock. When they each had collected something in their net, we discussed what it was and its purpose. (It was COLD. We were on water with lots of WIND. Where was I? On our bus away from the cold talking to Ryan who was informing me that we had, indeed, received our LOA.)


Heading into the marsh....

The children got a kick out of painting their faces with the mud found in the marsh. Supposedly this is the type of mud used for facials.

Some parts of the marsh were muddy and wet. We each wore boots to avoid getting our feet wet. Colin told me when he put his boot on that he thought it had a hole in it. I told him he was fine, there was no hole and that his boot was just cold. When we entered the water portion of our marsh tour, he slowed down quite a bit, and complained again about his boot. We were with several other people, we couldn't turn back so I, being the way sympathetic person that I am, told him to basically suck it up - he was fine. Poor kid. We got back from our class, he took his boot off and promptly rang his sock out. His foot was soooo wet and even more cold.....I felt like mother of the year :)

Next up, shark dissection. EWWW. Pryce took one whiff of the shark and immediately made it known that he would not be participating in this class....he proceeded to sit at a table next to us and ask for updates. Colin, however, LOVED being allowed to cut and perform surgery on this little guy. The children got to remove the stomach which included a fish and a scallop. They removed his eye as well as his brain and heart.....it was truly a remarkable experience and one they will not forget soon.



We participated in a Herpetology Lab. Where Pryce was not interested in the shark dissection, he was more than excited about holding the various reptiles.



We toured a Maritime forest and it was beautiful.
Our kiddos. Once again, the relationships that our family has formed during our homeschooling adventures are irreplaceable. I am so thankful for this experience for all of us.

Friday, December 10, 2010

MK's thoughts on Christmas at the age of 3:
MK and I were spending some time together Saturday having our nails done and having lunch. On our way home, I decided to make a quick run into a store. While we were visiting, we saw Santa. A lady asked if MK would like to have her picture taken with him, you know, sit on his lap, share her desires for gifts, etc. MK quickly pulled back and said, "NO!" Ok, no picture. We walked away and I asked her why she was afraid of Santa. Her response, "Well, he has a funny beard, that's what!"

While MK was away visiting my parents, she helped them decorate their Christmas tree. She told them that they needed a star on top of their tree to remind them of Jesus. When she came home, she stated to us that we, too, needed a star on top of our tree to remind us of Jesus. We visited our friends and MK walked into their living room, looked up at their tree and said, "See Mom, they have a star on top of their tree. They will be thinking of Jesus but we won't because we don't have a star. I really, really want one!"

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Christmas Tree Farm


The Christmas tree farm is a tradition for our family. We look forward to our visit every year. The tractor ride, the chill in the air, the happiness that surrounds us.....

the impending search for THE perfect tree,
the roaring sound of the saw,

the measuring how wide......

and the measuring of how tall.....

the snack selection......
and the games, can you find him????