In no particular order, our highlight reel:
Meet Gus, the fish head we dissected.
Gus's mouth.
Are those more teeth? And a throat?
Dissecting his eye was fun.
We also managed to find his brain,
but we didn't get a picture of either because
fish bits were on all of us by then!
Thomas, Joseph, and Maria all authored a series of stories,
complete with pictures,
and they've spent a good deal of time reading them to anyone
who will sit still long enough to listen. :-)
The kids started a garden last summer!
They found the molted shell of a praying mantis and
had a blast pointing out all the details!
They took a poll on Mommy's Facebook account regarding
favorite primary colors.
They then graphed results in bar and pie form.
They discovered "The Amoeba Sisters" on YouTube.
They made artistic renderings of virus replication.
They also made their own artistic renderings of
the cellular mitosis process.
The kids held their own Cupcake Wars!
Joseph's won overall.
(lemon cake with blueberry cream cheese frosting)
Joseph sharpens his cooking skills every day!
Joseph sharpened his baking skills, too.
They learned about edible vegetation.
Onion grass at the park!
Thomas was not a fan of onion grass.
All of them have learned practical and helpful
skills, like changing the baby.
We've taken walks around our neighborhood and
gotten to know the surrounding area, even drawing maps!
We discovered a train yard nearby! That was exciting!
We also got a dog.
She has been a great helper in learning about
the responsibility of pet ownership, as well
as a good resource in animal anatomy and physiology!
They've become more active in helping to run the house.
They've done reviews of current events and weather,
much like news anchors would!
Lessons were had in kitchen
sciences through sous chef responsibilities.
Using The Science of Good Cooking book, we furthered
our exploration of thermal energy, chemical reactions,
and how these are necessary in making our
favorite treats.
We also used 50 Science Things to Make and Do
by Usborne Books.
Vinegar causes milk to coagulate, but does
pickle juice do the same?
It sure does! And it smells gross!
:-)
We nature binged.
We nature binged at every opportunity.
We identified different species of mushrooms we found,
like this "brittle cinder."
We learned about, and participated in, Veteran's Day
and what it means to Americans.
Apart from the parade, we heard speeches from
state senators, veterans, and local politicians.
They aided our local farming friends in the care of
baby bunnies while making notes of their development.
We also came by to help with the springtime animals!
The boys remained active in Scouts, making connections
in the community by gathering and delivering canned food
to local food banks, putting together Christmas care packages
for children in need, and learning orienteering and engineering.
Maria learned to loom knit!
This is only one finished project!
She also made a hat for a friend's baby and
is working on a hat and scarf set for her
grandmothers.
They each got a turn experiencing hurricane-force winds.
The boys practiced public speaking about
topics like space, snakes, sharks, and technology.
Thomas designed space stations...
and satellites.
The boys were recognized for their achievements in
Scouting as they went from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.
They learned about the ins and outs of baseball before
watching the Marlins beat the Phillies.
All of this is is on top of the books we've read (we are three books into the Lemony Snickets Series of Unfortunate Events as a family, but have also torn through the fiction and non-fiction sections of the library), repeat visits to Longwood Gardens and their kid-friendly workshops and activities, service projects, Kahn Academy work, and loads of conversations everyday about life, the world, and everything!
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