Changes happening but happiness abounds

Monday - the Girl Scout flag team had practice before their big event in March.  After practice, we had our regular troop meeting where the girls were finishing up their swaps and tri-fold boards for Thinking Day.  Thinking Day is coming up soon!!  Can't wait - my co-leader, Lori has done a fantastic job getting the girls ready.

After our meeting some friends came over to play before dinner and before I headed out the door to teach a co-op class.  It was only for the moms so the kids stayed home and played with Dad.

Tuesday - we were out the door to drive to the Springs for our field trip to the Cave of the Winds.  I didn't take my camera because I didn't think it would be allowed in the cave but I was wrong.  Oh well - maybe next time.

The kids learned about bats and caves - bats are the only mammals that can fly, they can see (they are not blind), vampire bats do not actually kill the animals they get the blood from, bats eat fish, insects (up to 1000 an hour) small rodents, and fruit.  We watched a video before our tour into the cave.

The cave was found in 1869 by Arthur B Love when he investigated a limestone archway but the kids liked the 2nd discovers - brothers John and George Pickett who found a large chamber in 1880.  The first tours started in 1881.  The tour cost $1 (about $80 today) and took 12 hours - (2 hour hike up the mountain to the entrance, 4 hours in on your belly, and 4 hours out on your belly and 2 hour hike back down).

Luckily, our tour only took an hour and a half.  The kids learned about limestone, calcium carbonate, Stalactites, Stalagmites and columns (when a stalactite and stalagmite meet), different types of rocks, and a few jokes.  Immediately, after the tour we had to race back to get Andrew to piano class.  The kids ate lunch in the car while we listened to a book on tape (our new favorite thing to do in the car).  We got to piano about 15 minutes late but Andrew transitioned right in.

Today, we went to dance class, Panera bread to visit with our dance class friends and then we took Jewel to the vet.  In the afternoon, when we finally got to work on schoolwork, everyone got right to work without complaint.

I did take the kids out of COVA on Monday.  The teachers didn't give me a hard time at all.  I have been talking to a couple friends of mine about how we are going to homeschool now without the curriculum right there for us.  I am looking into a math curriculum, Math-U-See for the kids but especially for Cairn (my visual learner) But I am also reading lots and lots of books.

Tonight, Cairn and I headed to the library to pick up our books on hold.  Andrew asked for books on bats and caves (I can do that).  Skylar just wants books.  Tonight I introduced Cairn to a new site, Goodreads.com.  Here she can rate books she has read and then get recommendations, log the books she has read and find out about other books.  She is constantly asking me to find her a new series of books to read - this way she is in charge of finding the books.  She was super excited!  This way I can also see what she is reading and she is writes a book review when she is finished reading a book.  I just snuck in some writing without her knowing it!!

Games and Clay

Today Cairn and Andrew got right to work on their Always Ice Cream and Clever Dragon games.  Cairn figured out that if there is a special animal on the title page you earn that animal when you pass a certain level.  Andrew wanted the octopus but it was on a game he won't be able to pass until he is 8 or 9 years old so I played it.  I got the octopus, he was excited, he named it and then promptly gave it away.  He didn't mean too and he was very sad when he realized what he had done.  I was bummed too because I had completed a lot of math problems to get that darn octopus.

After Skylar woke up and was working on her Always Ice Cream, Andrew got the Lincoln Logs back out and started building.  Eventually, all three were building together.  Cairn found the directions to build a fort, that reminded me that I had purchased a book about things to build.  That got pulled out and they were all building away.

They build a fort, a farm house, a corral and a chicken coop.

When they needed a break from building, we played some games.  One was called Give and Take and I got it at RAFT on Saturday.  They each started out with 25 in tens and ones.  They rolled a dice and moved around the board either having to give some away or collecting more.  They got to practice exchanging, adding and subtracting.  Skylar said, "this is a fun game mom."

Next we played, States and Capitals.  I was Andrew's partner and the girls played by themselves.  Both the girls were able to recognize the states from their shapes so most of the time they knew the correct state just by looking at the shape.  Cairn knew some by the capital and some just by the shape.  It was fun to watch.  We had a great time.

After lunch we headed to a co-op class about the Chinese New Year - the year of the Snake.  They read books and then got right to work on building with clay.  They were given the choice of creating a snake or a dragon.

There was probably 20 to 25 kids in the room.  They waited patiently for their portion of clay, they shared the tools, the water and then helped clean up.  And the creations around the room were incredible.  I only got pictures of my kids' creations because I didn't feel comfortable taking pictures of other people's kids without permission but if Liese has pictures I will link it up.

Just starting out - it is just a hunk of clay.

Slowly, they start becoming something.

 This is Cairn's monkey and snake.  Now I have bought tons of play-doh and then learned how to make play-doh.  I have purchased clay in a variety of colors and even purchased sculpting sand but never have I seen the creativity that I saw today.

 Andrew is working on his moon rock.

 Skylar has made a nest of snakes and babies.

 Cairn's final products - a dragon, a rabbit and a monkey.

 More of Cairn's - a cat, a bowl of eggs and a snake.

 Andrew's snakes.

 After we got home from the co-op, it was too nice outside to go in yet so we decided to shovel the driveway for Dad.  I had lots of helpers.

Andrew first worked with a shovel and then he decided the driveway needed to be swept.

 I shoveled the snow into the street and then Cairn shoveled it across the street into the sun to melt.

 Skylar helped shovel and then she decided to get on the scooter.

We went in and I made soup.  Skylar asked what kind of soup I was making (everyone wanted potato but I didn't have enough potatoes) so I said lentil soup.  Skylar says, "but I don't like lentils."

I reminded her that she is a vegan and therefore must like lentils and then I gave her a taste of the soup.  Her comment, "this is good mom."

Tonight, Skylar had piano class.  She is finally starting to feel comfortable that she knows the answers and she spoke up a lot tonight answering her teacher's questions.  Each time she answered, she would look at me with that look of "was that right?"  By the time, she had her solo she was full of confidence.  Her solo tonight was Ode to Joy.