6 Quick Takes!

When I sit down to upload pictures and journal some of the things we do over a few weeks time, I really do get OVERWELMED!   As we are wading through this game of LIFE, some days I feel like we have accomplished nothing.  I am glad that I do snap a few pictures (even though most are blurry on my phone) because looking back at them reminds me that we have made progress and accomplished a lot!  So here are ****6 quick takes**** for the last 2 weeks!

---1---

Operation Shoebox Assembly for Awanas Club

We went to the Dollar Store to pick out things for our shoeboxes this year.  We have stuffed Shoeboxes every year since Tyler was a tiny tot!  These two girls enjoyed packing their own boxes this year, and Lauren packed two boxes from stuff she purchased with her own money (or Awanas bucks on store night).  

---2---

Crafting on a Fun Friday
This year we have followed a 4 day school week which actually means we cram 5 days of work into 4 so that on Friday we can have fun.  We have art class, homemaking class, field trips, and many other things to fill our FUN Fridays.  They are technically school days because we are learning but in a different way!  Today the girls cut and assembled heart shaped rag wreaths after our bi-weekly art class.

---3---

Sit down, Stand up, 1,2,3....Latin is as easy as can be!
We are continuing our latin lessons.  The video teacher is quite fun sometimes.  Today the girls played a "Simon Says" game at the beginning of class using their Latin phrases from last week for sit down and stand up!

---4---

The girls have joined a homeschool handbell choir.  It is a beginners choir.  A month into practices and they really sound great!  The girls are having fun, and I really can not believe Lyndsey's focus on the music for the entire 1.5 hour!  

---5---

Pringles STEM challenge
The challenge was to mail 1 Pringles chip in the smallest and lightest container with no damage to the chip.  The girls assembled their chips to mail!

We met the next week with the other participants in our homeschool group.  We weighted, measured, calculated, opened and examined each box and chip.  A winner was announced and we were all amazed at his awesome packaging!

---6---

We are studying South America in geography over the last 3 weeks.  We have learned all the countries, and we have read about the rainforest.  This week we read about Easter Island and the Moai Statues.  I had found this nano block set at Target on clearance back in the summer.  The girls were super excited to learn with Legos!

What Makes an Orchestra Work

Each year the Alabama Symphony hosts a few Young People's Concerts.  The fall presentation was What Makes an Orchestra Work?  We learned about the different sections of the orchestra and heard each one play.  The performance was entertaining and educational.  The girls really enjoyed hearing the beautiful music, and they learned to pick out the sounds of the different instruments.

The bonus to these Young People's Concerts is free admission to the McWane Center next door.  After the concert, we spent the afternoon exploring the McWane Center.  We watched a great IMAX movie on the Arctic and bears (for lack of remembering the real name of the movie).

The afternoon passed by so fast.  We were not ready to leave at 4, but we knew we had to leave to get back to Montgomery by 6 for Awanas tonight!

Alabama Fair

It is a big day when MOM takes you to the Alabama National Fair.  Mom really avoids places like this with multiple kids because she avoids filth and chaos when possible!!!  Corynne and her friends wanted to meet at the fair so we all went on Saturday.  Corynne and her friends split from us almost immediately upon getting money from me!  I did enjoy the day with another mom as we chased these 4 darlings around the barns and rides.  It was a fun and exhausting afternoon!

 Afterwards, we came home to cowboy stew that had been cooking in the crock pot while we were at the fair.  We ended the day with S'mores, and the kids could not have been happier!