The local ice skating rink held a Free Skate Day recently for the school's Winter Break. We figured it would be pretty crowded, but we couldn't turn down a chance to skate for free! Even Jacob got out on the ice (in boots, which turned out to be way more fun than skates!).
Abi did really well last year when we went with her preschool but this year she kept getting frustrated. The crates to hold on to actually hold them back from being able to do well!
I didn't see Leah much as several of her friends from our homeschool group were there, too!
The local homeschool group in our town held a Spelling Bee recently. It was low-key and simple, but a great chance for the kids to experience something like that. Andrew participated in the non-elimination round. I was afraid he would be upset if he lost the very first turn so I put him in the easier round, but it turned out to be a little TOO easy for him. Next time I will let him experience the real thing.
Each kid got one 2nd chance ticket to turn in if they missed a word. Leah used her's and was able to make it maybe 5 rounds, but there were several kids who made it much longer.
Some other fun school things we've been up to lately:
We did several art projects in the style of famous artists as we learned about them. We did VanGogh's sunflowers using forks dipped in tempera paint and scrapbook paper for the vase. And we used watercolor to do Monet's waterlily bridge. I don't often like to get all those art supplies out, but when we do, the kids really enjoy it!
We started an earth science unit and learned about the layers of the earth. So we made different color Rice-Krispie treats and put them together as a demonstration!
Andrew has gotten into board games like Risk and Stratego (which are way above my comprehension!) and loves to play them with his Daddy. Abi and Leah have learned them, too, so they can play along, although they don't enjoy them quite as much.
