The Apple Barn

Colin has taken his grade two class to the Apple Barn two years in a row. He has always spoken highly of it, as there is an education aspect to it, as opposed to just picking out a pumpkin and being highly over stimulated by various mascots and bands etc.

So this year, I decided that I would plan my first field trip for HCOS. It was great; very educational, and lots of fun. I am looking forward to next year already!

Learning about pollination.

Learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin.

Token Mater photo.

Lifecycle of an apple, and discussing the difference between apples and pumpkins growth.

A goat on a ramp, who is looking for the food in the tin, that kids can raise and lower for it.

Bouncy pillow.

Quick pick pumpkins, and the ramp for the goat.

Petting area.

Learning about the apple orchard.

Djembe Drumming

Last spring, one of our friends set up a drumming class for homeschooled kids. It was wonderful. The teacher came to her house for an hour, and taught the bigger kids; while the mom's all watched the little ones, had tea, and chatted. Last year, we managed to borrow drums from the church. This year since Eva was interested, we decided to use some of our curriculum budget to purchase a couple of drums.
We went to a local warehouse, where there were walls and walls of drums (as you can see from the picture). We had lots of fun listening to the sounds of the different drums, and choosing one hand crafted African drum, and one little manufactured wooden drum. So now both kids have something to practice on during the week.

Thanksgiving

Last year my parents were away for Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd take that opportunity to cook my first Turkey Dinner. We invited my In-Laws, and I did Jaime Oliver's turkey and it was amazing. So this year I thought, why not treat both mom's and my Nana to a Turkey dinner, and that's just what we did. I thought that the kids might have a hard time eating dinner if they actually saw me preparing the turkey, so I asked Colin to take the kids on a nature walk while I got the turkey ready. Then they decided to take their leaf collections and turn them into turkey signs. Go kids go....

 Sorry there are no pictures of the yummy turkey, we were too busy eating it! After dinner Colin and my Nana stayed behind to do dishes, while the rest of us walked along the Dyke to make room some pie!

I have never seen a wild toad before, and this one was quite the site, just sitting there beside the trail.
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

Summer Swimming

Ever since we moved to here we have taken advantage of the fact that we are walking distance from an outdoor pool by signing up in a set of swimming lessons. This year, miraculously I was able to get all three kids registered at the same time! Twice! (we had to switch weeks after I got my new job, because training was scheduled for the same week as swimming lessons.

Kezia very excited for her first swim lesson.

 

Eva also excited, for her first time in level 3.

Theo very nervous for his first time in level 5- (a 45minute class).

The after picture- so proud of himself!

Eva kicking away.

Theo treading some water- keep those ears up buddy!!!

Kezia, comfortable in the water.