Showing posts with label field trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label field trips. Show all posts

Friday, May 23, 2014

Zoo, Play, OH! and Lessons

This week marked our first visit to the zoo in a couple of years. We used to go yearly but with a ton of moves and Daddy being ill or hurting we just hadn't gone. YCJ asked for one gift for her birthday this year (wow, she'll be 9 next week!) and that was a members pass to the zoo so that we can go more often.

So, we went to the zoo! But, that didn't happen until Wednesday and you can read the full post about it here.

Saturday our day looked like:
















Sunday our day looked like:


Which happened after we cleaned out the shed and organized it. Daddy kept taking breaks while BBQing to play hoops with ECJ.


Monday looked a lot like this:





Only in between the dressing of the cat, snuggling with the dogs, pretending to nap on the floor, and playing outside we actually got our lessons finished! History got read after Peanut's night time medicine for her migraines and the girls were in bed by 8:30 PM. ECJ spent some more time with Daddy and then I got a bunch of crochet work done!


On Tuesday it was rainy and a bit chilly, the skies were gray and everyone was back in pout mode. We had some interesting lesson moments...










YCJ did just fine when it came to her English lesson today (which is a relief) but for her math lesson of one page of review she was everywhere! It took her over an hour and a half to do that one page! Floor by window, floor by living room table, couch sitting up, couch laying down, and finally I put my foot down and she was back at her desk. We did enjoy watching the neighbor begin work on his fields though!!

If you clicked over to Wednesday's post you know already just how our day went. If not... we'll wait...check it out :-)


OK, so now that we've covered Wednesday, just what happened on Thursday? Well, they say a picture says 1000 words. That makes Thursday's pictures about 3000 words worth!
Singing part of the Frozen soundtrack
"I've started talking to the pictures on the wall!!!"
















So, now it's Friday and instead of getting into everything we'll be doing today let me just go ahead and tell you it will involve lessons, outside, and fun.

I promised online on our Facebook Page that I would be including some simple crochet instructions for covering headbands. Before I put the instructions (and pictures) in I thought I'd give you a few links to videos on YouTube that will help all of you who don't know the stitches figure them out. :-)
Chain Stitch
Single Crochet Stitch
Joining with Slip Stitch

Those are the three stitches you need to make these. And here is your list of supplies:
I buy this pack of 4 at Dollar Tree for $1


  • leftover yarn or simply yarn in color and textures you like
  • size F crochet hook
  • scissors
  • yarn needle (for putting ends in)
  • a plastic headband
  • and needle and thread (if you're sewing on an embellishment)
And here's the easy instructions!

Chain (ch) 9 
Single Crochet (sc) in second chain from hook and single crochet in each chain until the end - 8 stitches.
Chain 1, turn your work (so that your working the opposite direction) and single crochet 8 all the way across.
Continue the same way until you have 66 more rows ... 8 stitches in each row


I measure after I get to this point. You want to make sure that you have a row or two on each side of the headband extra to work with.



DO NOT FINISH OFF HERE!!!
If you're adding a flower (as I have) or a bow you'll need to do so now. The flower pattern I use is not my own, I got it from a book called Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet The Happy Hooker (the good kind of hooking with a needle and yarn, and the b word in the title means they stitch and talk). BUT if you'd like a couple of flower examples here are some I found on YouTube...

So, I attach my flower like this:


I use the yarn needle (I prefer metal but they make plastic too) to thread the loose yarn to the back of the main piece of crochet. I take two ends and tie a knot in them. Then I use a regular needle and thread to stitch around the center of the flower to give it more stability. I match the thread color as close as I can to the color in the center of the flower...

Next you fold your main piece of work in half (in my case the purple bit) and stitch together using the slip (sl) stitch. The most important part here is to keep your stitches evenly spaced as much as possible.

Leave about 1" not stitched together so you can thread the plastic headband through like this:
And then finish the long side and your short side with the slip stitch. This is kind of tricky at first since now you're working with a hunk of plastic in your material...

When you finish with that and you fasten off (tie a slip type knot in the end of your work) you need to fish as much of that "tail" into the inside of your headband. When you can get anymore in (don't leave the needle inside) just snip off the end.

Work the material around until it's not all wrinkly and you've completed your very first covered head band (or your very first crochet project!)!







If you made it this far thank you so very much! 



Random good/goofy photos:
They now have use of YCJ's old air mattress


These are some new additions to her penguin collection!!
If you've read this whole entire thing then I owe you a cup of coffee or at the very least a glass of lemonade! :-)
Posts you may have missed this week:    

Linking up with:  
and 
Great Peace Academy (Saturday)

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Thursday, May 22, 2014

A Day at the Zoo

Alright, so it's now May and I've done a few "Day in the life" posts.

A Day in Our Life (original day in the life post way back in Sept. '13)
Just Another Day (January)
One Day in February
Project Days (March)
and
When Order is Reversed (April)

Pretty much the first three are along the same lines and the last two are completely different from the norm. I thought I'd share another "different" type of day this month. A field trip day!


Yup, we did a field trip in the middle of the week! Don't you just love homeschooling freedom??

We went to the Detroit Zoo, which is between an hour and an hour and a half ride away from us. YCJ received a zoo membership for her birthday this year (her one big item on her list and she's already requested another membership for next year!) which allows us to go as many times as we wish throughout the next twelve months, gives us access to membership only events, AND she'll get a newsletter from the zoo all year long! 

Our day started not as all as I had planned (check this post to see how I planned our day to start). I had picked all of the outfits out. Snacks were grabbed after I woke up and got dressed. Children had eaten their breakfast, gotten dressed, and I'd just finished the girl's hair when Noni showed up! 

So, we said some prayers in the car with Noni on the way to the zoo! Ended up having to park at the top of the parking structure, stopped and bought the membership pass, and we were good to go!

First stop, Butterfly House! It was so neat checking out all of the different kinds of butterflies and then the birds (other side of the building) that were housed there!













Then of course a picture by the GIANT fountain near the entrance. One simply cannot visit the Detroit Zoo and NOT take a picture (or several) by this fountain. It's tradition!



We saw several more exhibits...




The Red Panda napping in a tree
sleeping lioness

Tiger taking an almost midday cat nap in it's den




This old guy kept sitting there for a long time, a lot of kids got their pictures taken with him!

The great Silver Back!!

Stopped for lunch in the Arctic Cafe (HUGELY expensive, we're picnicking from now on) and then went into the Arctic exhibit, which is one of my personal favorites! The female Polar Bear, who was the only one we got to see today, we'd seen when she was just an itty bitty cub. Her mother has gone back to her own zoo now but they stayed together for two and a half years (just like they do in the wild) in our zoo and we hadn't seen her since she was a baby! Man, she's gotten BIG!!
The campers inside of a replicated whale bone shelter (minus the fur coverings of course)

We love the tunnel where you can sit and watch the bears and seals swim around you (they are separated no seal meat for the bears) and the viewing area up top as well.




Look at those feet!!! She was so little when we saw her last!


















Then of course a few more exhibits where Peanut became fascinated with the "fairy dogs" and how she could get so close to them.



And finally to our main attractions (well, the campers main reasons for going)...


The Reptile House...

















The Amphibian House...

and the Penguinarium...
The penguins were all really cute. Over 17 species. I'm sure they'll be glad for the new exhibit next year!!
They'll be building a new penguin exhibit next year where there will be a viewing tunnel just like there is for the seals and polar bears!!! We can't wait to see it!

We bought a few souvenirs on the way out and then headed over to a local park for some cake! OH! Did I forget to mention? This was all about an early celebration from Noni to YCJ for her birthday next week!

A quick stop at the store, after some horrible traffic, and we were home. Things got put away, supper got made and eaten, campers tucked into bed, some quiet time with Daddy for Mommy, and a bit of crafting then sleep! It had been a busy day and my legs were sure letting me know!

All in all we were outside for 7 full hours today! Plus, we had an awesome time of it and plan to go back really soon. I didn't assign anything special about the zoo today, but little do the campers know that I want a creative short story (or illustration in the case of Peanut with me taking her dictation) on what their favorite part of the day was sometime before the end of the week! (Yes, I am a devious homeschool parent! LOL)

Linking up this month with Our Busy Homeschool

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