The Combs Krewe

The kids didn't get to have a 100th Day of School party on the actual day, so I told them we would do it for April Fools Day. Here are some pictures of our revelry!  We started off the day with bacon and pancakes. Then Jathan and I did a 100 number grid activity. This is his super happy face. Yes, he is a total goofball! Next we all headed outside to hit the piñata. It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world but the kids loved it and miraculously it survived several hits from each of the kids! After lunch we sang happy one hundredth day to you and ate cupcakes. Next we used 100 toothpicks and 100 marshmallows to build with.  Here Ryland and Piper are dividing their Fruit Loops up by colors into 10 groups of 10. Jathan ate a hundred fruit loops! I had this worksheet for Jathan and Ryland to complete then Piper really, really wanted one. It was the first time she had actually listened to directions and colored! She didn't complete it but I was totally impressed. Then last nig...

Today the boys each made a pilgrim couple out of toilet paper rolls. I'm not sure the pilgrims clothes are approved colors especially Ryland's pilgrim ladies blue hair! Tomorrow we will be talking about Squanto and making some Native American crafts.

This week instead of our regularly scheduled schooling the middles (namely Jathan and Ryland) and I are studying about Thanksgiving. Jathan and I have already been reading a great historical fiction series about the Pilgrims called The American Adventure. Book one tells about life in England and Holland as well as the treacherous journey to America. Book two is centered around the experiences of the two main characters, siblings John and Sarah, in their new home, Plymouth.  Today we used the Abeka book Thanksgiving flash-a-cards to talk about how the Thanksgiving story began focusing on the Mayflower. After reading we got crafty! I had taken an empty orange juice container and cut off one side. Jathan cut strips of brown construction paper then glued the "boards" into place on his ship.  Later we cut sails from white construction paper and hole punched them at the tops and bottoms. We slid them onto a dowel rod and secured it to the inside of the boat using a piece of clay. T...

Today Jathan created some phases of the moon cards. I was going to review with him by calling out the name of the phase and him picking up the corresponding card. "Let's play a harder game," he said. "You don't say it, I'll just pick one."  "You want me to just think of one and you try and guess what I'm thinking?" I asked. "Yeah," he said.  "Okay," I told him, "I will concentrate on one moon phase and you guess which one I'm thinking of." I then focused on picturing one particular moon phase and repeated its name in my head. Guess what? He guessed each one correctly? Coincidence? Maybe. But it was cool at the time!  Just don't think too loud around him just in case.

Lately I've been intrigued by the Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling. There are many things I could say about it but for now I only want to mention how lately we've delighted in the nature study it encourages. Jathan is forever a boy after my own heart--we share many thoughts and interests including exploration, and it has been wonderful seeing him enjoy learning. Both Jathan and Keeleigh have nature journals and are beginning to sketch and label their observations. Today while Keeleigh was at a friends house the younger kids and I went outside to explore the backyard; we each took a camera. Here are a few pictures of things that caught my eye.   

Back in December an anonymous donor gifted the homeschool group on campus with Friends of City Park membership cards. These cards granted us free access to Storyland and the Botanical Gardens and discounts on other cool things. Last night we enjoyed another perk of the membership--my favorite thus far. We were invited to the membership appreciation night at Carousel Gardens in City Park. Not only did we get unlimited free rides but we also ate free cotton candy, popcorn, and snowballs. Needless to say, the kids were pleased. I love Ryland's little forced grin. Piper finished off Ryland's cotton candy while the guys rode the ferris wheel. I am not that into rides but I was totally into the Haydel's Bakery table. I thought I was getting in line for a measly cookie (if you can call their cookies measly) and then I saw that they were serving little slices of unbelievably delicious cake. Oh. My. Goodness. Perhaps their cakes truly are worth fifty buc...