Every Thursday we have Discovery Days - a coop for homeschoolers. It runs from 2-4pm. I'm doing the nursery so I get there at 1:45 to start accepting children. Alexander and Hannah stay with me. Matthew is in the K/1st class, Samantha in the 2nd/3rd class, and Kayla in the high school class. There are 3 periods of instruction. Samantha and Matthew's ages are doing study of the stars, PE, and art. Kayla's group is doing PE, and then gourmet cooking for 2 periods. It's only 8 weeks and we all look forward to it!
Continuing on with school...
Last week was interesting. Filled with too much and not enough book work. But that's okay. Part of the joy of homeschooling is getting to enjoy fellowship with other homeschoolers during the day. :) It was a delightful week.
On Friday we went to Washington D.C. with our dear friends who are moving today. Twelve hours away. So sad. But that's for another post...another blog...like Xanga. :)
They really wanted to go to the Natural History Museum before moving. So up we went! It was a grand day!! We parked right across the street and paid our $2 into the parking meter for 2 hours. We enjoy an IMAX movie about Wild Animals. It was fantastic!!! The kids were in awe. They kept saying how they thought they could reach out and touch the animals. :)
Then we walked through the dinosaur area. And laughed with my 15 yod about the millions and millions of years signs that were everywhere. 
Um...cuz it's a THEORY...of course museums portray that as fact...when we know it isn't. :)
After that we had lunch in the cafe. Where Alex kept trying to run away. That kid is quick!
Then my friend ran out to the meters and put more money in for 2 more hours. LOL It's a pain but it's cheaper and easier than a parking garage or taking the metro!
Then we viewed the mammal exhibit. Lots and lots of animals. It's a great exhibit. After that we went to the Discovery Room which is fabulous!!! Oh to have a school room like that!!!
Next was the Western Civilization area where we got to see Ancient Egypt things...including a real mummy!! Fit in nicely with our studies.
After that was rocks and minerals and a view of the Hope Diamond.
And then home. Fabulous day! Fabulous!!! The little ones were getting antsy and tired but they didn't do so bad.
Matthew and I are working on a Literature Pockets book - the nursery rhyme one. IT's fun!
I make copies, he colors, we discuss, stick the stuff in the handmade pocket "book" that we put together with construction. I'll add a picture later. :)
Today Samantha was going to make a salt dough map of Egypt. She got all the supplies out (bowls, mixing spoons, flour, salt, map) and then informed me we didn't have food coloring. So off to Food Lion (which is becoming BLOOM in a couple days) and we get some food coloring.
How did I spend $15.00 on food coloring???
Oh right...the vanilla ice cream to go with the apple crisp that Samantha had made. The chocolate for me. The special coffee creamer for Roy as a surprise.
Okay. Back to salt dough. :)
So she mixes it up, asks me to lend a hand to the mixing in of the color. I'm thinking...this seems so runny...but whatever. I go through the instructions with her. Everything done.
So I explain the map part. She does that. Then gets my help in putting the dough into the right spots. IT's so .... runny....doesn't stay put. I figure well, you just put the other color in and it all kind of holds together....
But then they start blending and it won't stay put. Hmm...
So, Sam finishes up with putting in the Nile River. Had fun.
She cleans everything up.
Comes and informs me that she did 1 cup of flour instead of 6.
LOL
We'll try again tomorrow. 
I like to start the year off with a lighter load. Get the kids to where they're working through the curriculum at a good pace, work on any issues with the main stuff, and then I add in more. :)
Today, for Samantha, we added cursive using Classically Cursive from Veritas Press, and Bible Nurture and Reader Series 3 from Rod & Staff. I love R&S's reading program!
The next animal that Matthew chose was gorillas. We went to the library and got about 10 books to read. The first two were Dian Fossey and the Mountain Gorillas and Gorilla Gorilla. The Dian Fossey book was good and was right at his age level...the reading level on the book says grades 2-3. The Gorilla Gorilla book was sad! It's about a gorilla growing up in the mountains and then he gets captured and taken to a zoo. It was very good. After we were done reading it Matthew said, "Mom, that book was really sad." I agreed.
Our Safari cards has a gorilla card. So we read the card, then used the flip chart to figure out where to place the card on our wall. Under Mammals!! :)
Next is flamingos!
My 8-year-old has informed me that she had never gotten to do paper dolls before. :) This was after she had spent hours working on her paper dolls from the Milly-Molly-Mandy Comprehension Guide from Veritas Press. She's really enjoying the book and is even okay with doing only one chapter at a time because "it's fun to see what project I get to do in the guide."
She then asked me if I did paper dolls when I was her age and I said yes. She asked me how we made them and I told her we cut them out just like she was doing. Then she says, "You had scissors way back then?"
Geocaching is a fun treasure hunting type thing that uses a gps system. We used to do it as a family all the time but it's been a couple years. We recently got the GPS out and have all sorts of hunts planned for today and tomorrow.
To learn more, check out www.geocaching.com. It's a GREAT family activity.
Since HSB highlighted one of my entries from a year ago I thought I should give an update in the area of daughters cooking. :)
One of the reasons that Kayla did all that last October was because I was pregnant and so sick! All that she did paid off though. After I had Hannah in May, Kayla did so much cooking! It was incredible.
Currently, Kayla, age 15 1/2, does lunch on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays and Samantha, age 8, does lunch on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays. Kayla mixes things up but Samantha's usually consists of Top Ramen, grilled cheese, egg salad, or some other sandwich.
They each also do 2 or 3 dinners in a 2 week period. Plus all the baking they like to do. Rarely a day goes by that I don't hear, "Can I make some cookies?" :) It's wonderful having daughters that like to cook and they (like me) love to try new recipes.
Thank you HSB for choosing me as Blogger of the Week. That just made my day! :)