Monday, March 29, 2010

The Falls





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What a gorgeous day this was...very calming to say the least.The hike was easy,since the kids took the easy route,right thru the stream! The weather was perfect,lunch was just enough and at the end of the rainbow were the Big Waterfalls,two cascading into one-another {we passed three prior to the big one}.This was where the boys adventure began,trying with all their might to get up the rock wall like dad and their big brother Allan,they could'nt do it,even with all that effort.Dad said "give it a few years boys and I'll climb it again with you"!...Yeah right....needless to say they weren't too happy but,all-in-all the adventure was great..and they hit there pillows smiling.

This Great Earth

Tree Rings Record Annual Growth


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Erosion


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Friday, March 26, 2010

Sock Bunny



Does the "SOCK MONSTER" live in your dryer too? Well he lives in ours,and works very hard to make my life difficult.Just as I was getting ready to throw a few away,I remembered coming accross an article....and Wa-La!!!
Aubrie and I drug out the bag of stuffing and got to work...she had a "BLAST" taking out little handfuls of fluff and filling the socks for me. A few little ties and they were done.
Little bunnies are cute when finished.Even more than that Aubrie had FUN!
We still have to sew buttons on for eyes and will probably place them on packages or planters for Easter.

Materials:}
Socks
Ribbon
Stuffing
Scissors
Wiggly Eyes or Buttons
....you could even use rice or beans to fill socks!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Little Pond



The kids and I made a little pond this week to use through out spring.Hoping that on our hiking trips we will come across some tad-poles to place in it.We used a piece of lenolium we ripped up from there school house.Then bought some gold-fish from Walmart to put in the pond temporarily,showing them that this wasn't their swimming hole.
Note: Aubrie being under 2 years old is still a little wobbly,so I put a metal screen over the pond so she would'nt fall in.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Neighborhood Street Survey

Making a street survey:}Take a field trip and observe your own neighborhood!


Down below I have placed some ideas for you to print for your trip,lapbooking,notebooking or journals...take your time & Enjoy!



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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

"Inky-Cap"



Mushroom,Fungi Project:}
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...and always wash our hands!

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Bernals ~ Dove Family

The kids and I have been visiting the dove family for a few weeks now.They reside for the third straight year in a row at our wonderful neighbor Dolores's home {well planter}.The mother has been sitting on eggs,or the babies during all of our visits,until today that is.They were out and soooo big already,she stays very still,firm and observant,with my camera so close to her.The babies on the other hand were a little fidgety...I apologized kindly,thanked them for the few quick shots I got and attempted to slowly move away.Wow...how great nature is "I thought to myself and expressed to the boys". Until low and behold the daddy bird swoops in to check on mommy and the babies. Obviously,I worried him.....he was so intent on making sure things were as they were supposed to be.He stood tall in front of them...."AMAZING"....we were to not get near his family.Again a few shots of him and we left well enough alone.
He did'nt stay long {so I thought} until I looked over at the fence and there he was,watching like a HAWK {well a dove}. How cool was that......




Saturday, March 20, 2010

1st day of Spring!


Spring 2010 has arrived! Today is the first day of Spring...

Vernal Equinox:}
Vernal equinox is when the earth tilt is perpendicular to its orbit around the sun. This means that if you were on the equator at that moment, the sun would be directly overhead. Since the sun is above the equator, the length of the day and the night is the same. Equinox is latin and means "equal night". For us in the northern hemisphere, that means each day will have more day-light and less dark {we always say theres not enough time in the day,at least during spring we feel like there is}!
The exact time of the vernal equinox 2010 is 12:32 PM EST on March 20th.

Spring Cleaning
Spring Cleaning is a complete top to bottom cleaning of every square inch of a home. To complete the process families often spend an entire week removing, cleaning, and replacing everything in the home to create that spring-fresh feeling. Today's spring cleaning may not be as involved, but there are a few tasks that need to be performed seasonally in your home. Here are the top chores that need to be done this spring.

1. Decide if you would rather devote a full day or weekend to the task, or to spend an hour or so each day until it is done, then pick a time that suits your schedule.

2. Play your favorite music - and crank up the volume!

3. Don't hold onto items you no longer want or need just because you don't want to see them end up as landfill. Plan a garage sale, sell them on eBay, offer them to friends or family members, or donate them to charity. Give to someone in need.

4. Have the necessary tools on hand. In addition to your cleaning supplies, you will need several garbage bags as well as boxes for sorting the items you plan to sell or give away.

5. Find out how to dispose of hazardous materials such as paints and used batteries in your area, and be sure to schedule a trip to the waste station or arrange for a pickup of such materials. {I have two buckets of oil to take in with no lids}?

6. If you notice that certain areas are especially clutter-prone, look for containers to hold smaller items and keep them in their place.

7. Label your containers and shelves so you can easily put things away in the proper place, see what items need to be restocked, and quickly find what you need.

8. Rearrange your furniture for a fresh new look.!

9. Don't forget your computer! Take some time to uninstall programs,copy image files to disk or external hard drive and delete files you no longer need.

10. Homeschoolers...Get with your homeschool groups,friends,fellow online bloggers and give-away or trade materials your children have out grown. Homeschool groups can pack up items and during a meeting have a rumage sale or make it an Old Trading Post{your children} will enjoy this!

The Barter System
The barter system was one of the earliest forms of trading. It facilitated exchange of goods and services, as money was not invented in those times.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Play-date with Joy & Sensory Sand Play

Un~Schooling with the 5 senses:}
A Child's 5 Senses Are Very Important to Growth and Development!
Preschoolers learn through their five senses. The senses of touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing are how young children explore the world around them. As parents and educators, it is our job to help them explore their senses by providing appropriate activities for sensory play and learning.
Children love to play in sand, and such sensory experiences are good for their development. They can explore all kinds of physical concepts while playing in the sand.
"Playing with other children is an important part of social and emotional development and learning to negotiate and to share. Playing in a sand table or playing in the sand at the beach, children learn about math and balance and structure.