More Snow Day Pictures

Coats and mittens do dry, and boys who seldom see snow get anxious to get out in it again! So we braved the roads (SC joke!) and "hit the slopes" at Herdklotz Park. We had it nearly to ourselves and the boys had a blast. I even took a few rides down, though I admit I was sore the next day! I'm getting old. Thanks, God, for a fun day of snow!

SNOW DAY!!!

There is simply nothing more exciting than to watch your boys wake up to a world covered in newly fallen snow! (especially down here in the south where it's so rare) After a quick breakfast of oatmeal as the sun was rising, we bundled up and headed outside for a couple hours of snowball fights, sledding, and pure joy! We're inside for now, but I don't think that will last long. The coats and mittens are drying and the snow is beckoning again...

The Giraffe that Walked to Paris

Last week's lessons were so much fun! We read "The Giraffe that Walked to Paris" by Nancy Milton, and we had so many interesting subjects to explore. This is the true story of a giraffe that was given as a gift of peace from Egypt to France in 1826. She sailed across the Mediterranean Sea and then walked the remaining 425 miles from Marsailles to Paris. We ended our week with a visit to our wonderful Greenville Zoo which has just gotten 2 new giraffes. The book said that in France at the time, giraffe fabrics were all the rage, her picture appeared on purses and teapots, ladies wore their hair like a giraffe--very tall, and children visited the zoo to see the giraffe and bought "gingerbread giraffes and ate them all up!" So, we baked some gingerbread giraffes to take along on our trek to visit these fascinating creatures.

Did someone call 911?

If you ask the boys what they want to be when they grow up, they will often answer, much to daddy's delight, "a paramedic". So here they are practicing! They know more about medicine than most adults! One day Ian said he needed to look up something on the computer and when I questioned what it was he needed to look up, he responded, "Hepatitis." : ) You call, we haul!

Tracking Some Wildlife

New Must Read: "Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracking" by Jim Arnosky

This delightful little book gave us just the information and motivation we needed to head out for a winter hike today. We headed to nearby Lake Conestee Nature Park for our inaugural attempt at finding signs of wild animals. God blessed us with a nice sunny day and mild temps. We found buck rubs, bird tracks, racoon tracks, deer tracks, and many trees felled by beavers. We also happened upon a pile of feathers; sad day for some bird mama. We kept our eyes out for shed antlers and owl pellets, but didn't have any luck in those hunts. But everytime we're out hiking, we are again amazed at the awesome creativity of our God. What a blessing to have eyes and healthy bodies to be able to enjoy it all. And of course, no hike would be complete without stopping for a snack of tangarines and having a seed spitting contest! : )

Snowflake Factory

Since we probably won't be seeing too many real ones here in sunny South Carolina, we decided to create some of our own snowflakes today. Having studied W. A. Bentley's micro-photographs of real snowflakes from the early 1900's, we decided to try our hand at recreating some of his images. By the time we were finished, the floor of our schoolroom looked like it had actually snowed with all the little scraps. Oh well! We learned that snowflakes always have 6 points/sides, so we worked hard to make these scientifically correct (unlike my engineer brother who has square snowflakes posted on his blog!).

Happy Game Day!

Isaac and I enjoyed some alone time on Wednesday and his choice was to build Legos (surprise, surprise). We spent a good two hours laughing together and creating this house. Most of the ideas were Isaac's, I just supervised construction and located pieces. And I love what he came up with! He put a TV in the living room and a mini-figure in the chair, complete with a remote in his hand. Then he added two cabinets beside the chair to hold the man's other remotes! It must be something inbred in them genetically as men, because we don't even own a TV here! We even added a ceiling fan to keep him comfy as he kicks back in front of the big game!

Aaahh...The Art of Alliteration

Ian and Isaac (you can tell already that I love alliteration, can't you?) are studying poetry in school this week. In fact, they can both quote Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" from memory. Anyway, as a part of our studies, we explored alliteration today and crafted this fun little poem together (they came up with the lists of words and I arranged them into a poem). Enjoy!

Of Czars and Zebras
The Czar of Zealand found a zig-zag in his zipper,
So he called on the zany zebra to play the xylophone with zing.
Awakened, the slippery snake slipped into his slipper
And said, "I see the sun suddenly shining and it seems I must sing!"

Cabbage Patch Kids

Most of you have already seen this picture on our Christmas card, but I just had to include it here to brighten up the blog. The boys and I enjoy cooking together often, and on this day they were helping me make cabbage soup for our studies on Russian culture. Next thing I know, they've got cabbage leaves on their heads! I just love the smiles I captured here. I'm so thankful for these two precious guys that fill my days with so much joy!