Toady-toad

For a few days we were the proud owners of a pet toad. Actually, Abby Jane found it and so we decided to observe for awhile. I did a quick bit of research and found out that toads like bugs but will eat fruit so we put in a few small pieces of apple and carrot. After a day or two I noticed that the toad didn't seem to be eating anything so I found a few additional websites that informed that, in fact, toads should not eat fruit and veggies. Mike made casual comment about the toad starving to death and so I was up at 1:00 a.m. that night getting ready to go out and dig in my yard for bugs. BUT, when I turned on the light to go outside, there sat a huge skunk right in the middle of my backyard!
So, scientific observation went out the front door when I took the amphibian to the front yard and let him go to brave skunks and bug hunting on his own!

Homeschool History: Ancient Civilizations

We have really been enjoying our study of Ancient Civilizations this term. We started with Mesopotamia and have continued through the Ancient Egyptians and the Israelites. It has coincided nicely with our study of the Old Testament for Bible as well. I feel like I am learning right along with them.
We put together History notebooks that include materials from the Activity Book that goes along with The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. We listen to the chapters read by Jim Weiss on CD and then do some of the activities suggested together. Caleb, in particular, loves this format and asks to do history first. The boys are making step pyramids in these pictures although we thought that they looked more like Ziggurats. Everyone enjoyed this activity- even Abigail (although hers didn't quite resemble a pyramid!)
This drawing was done by Ethan using Ralph Masiello's Ancient Egypt Drawing Book.

Fall Stuff

Trick or Treat! It's Tinkerbell. Thanks to Aunt Lolo for this costume as it really saved me when I totally bombed in my attempt to sew a Cinderella dress. I should have known better- I can only sew from patterns that say"Sewing for Dummies"!
The boys dressed up but I didn't get any pictures of them for some reason.... maybe because Caleb was sick and couldn't go trick or treating.
But he dressed up as Harry Potter for the Fall festival. Ethan was Luke Skywalker, Adam was Calvin (and Hobbes).



We had some friends over for a few days and so we carved pumpkins.






We took our annual hay ride with our friends. Here is Abigail going down the slide.

Of course, Adam had to pick the BIGGEST pumpkin he could find.


This picture makes me laugh. I think it looks like aliens dropped the pumpkins from the sky!

Quirkle

So, we love games. And we have been playing a lot of this one the past few days. It's called Quirkle and it's kind of like a cross between Scrabble and Dominoes. You play tiles that share attributes (color or shape) with the goal of playing the sixth tile in any row or column in order to score a Quirkle (12 points). It has been fun- good discussion about atrributes and good practice with math while keeping score. Plus, the tiles just look cool......Might be a good idea for Christmas lists!

Life with a Three Sons and One Daughter

Pomegranates

Today was an impromptu pomegranate day. It all started last night when I noticed that our grocery was selling pomegranates. I've never tried one so I bought a few. Well, Abby Jane came to me today wanting to read this Greek Myth: Persephone by Sally Pomme Clayton.

As you may already know, the story tells of Persephone who was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld. While there, she eats three pomegranate seeds and therefore must return forever after for three months out of the year. I mentioned that we actually had a few pomegranates in the kitchen so we went to c heck them out:

I admitted that I didn't actually know how to eat a pomegranate so Caleb suggested that we google it. You can check that out here. So, next we cut it open and this is what we saw: seeds!

This was very interesting to us because we have been studying seeds this fall on our nature hikes. Also, Wikipedia informed us that pomegranates are native to the Mediterranean and Middle East where they grow on shrubs and small trees. In the Jewish tradition pomegranates symbolize righteousness.

Upon trying the pomegranate, Ethan announced that this was his new favorite fruit. I must also add that is also a very messy fruit. Abigail looked like she had chicken pox after she got done eating.

We also found this painting by Botticelli called Madonna of the Pomegranate.

We also decided to sketch the pomegranate- a nice subject to practice shading.

I decided to do some research on how to use the seeds besides just eating them with our fingers.Check out a recipe for a salad using pomegranate seeds here. (Maybe I'll get the kiddos to eat spinach!) And here is a chicken dish!

Lastly, we made a word web of adjectives and phrases to describe the pomegranate. I used these to write a poem. Here it is....

Ode to the Pomegranate

Our initial glimpse reveals your crown and apple-like skin.
But upon first touch we discover that you are different.
We slice and find a star shaped cavity filled with irridescent crimson jewels.
Your luscious seeds start with a burst of juice and end with a crunch.

The Joy of Painting

A chubby hand grasps the brush
Concentration furrows the brow
An inner quiet pervades
Color explodes upon the paper
Bask in the satisfaction