A Few Things...

The curriculum(Alpha Omega Lifepacs) we chose this year is giving us the opportunity to learn about many things. The kids are loving it!! I am loving it too!! It is keeping their interest and they are excited to learn. It has taken six years, but I finally feel like I have found the perfect curriculum for my children. Here is what we have been up to recently in Science.

Silly guy is currently learning about Ecology and how man depends on God's plan. He

has learned about God's resources, the food chain, populations(plants and animals),

and the balance of nature. He will be learning about the different communities(water, fields, desert, forest, human) and how man depends on them, also conservation/preservation. I am excited for my silly guy!! He loves Science!!

Sweet girl has just started a unit- Earth in Space. So far, she has learned about the ancients and their beliefs. She has had an in depth study about the constellations and is is currently working on a six page report(yikes) about them. She has also been tracking the sky every night to see how it changes(over a 30 day period). This unit is going to fill her with knowledge. She will be learning about the different philosophers and astronomers, their theories about earth and space. She will also be learning about the different tools astronomers use. The picture below is something she did in addition to her current assignment, the constellation report.. I had her make some of the constellations on paper w/ glow in the dark star stickers. We wanted to use black paper but it was already packed in a box.

Here is Little man making his constellation too. He loves participating in their projects. Afterwards we went into the closet and looked at his constellation in the dark.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

In our back yard :)

E Mālama i ka ‘Āina (to take care of the land)

We went on a field trip to the Waimea Valley. We have been here a couple of times before as a family. Today's trip was with our homeschool group to participate in a class- E Mālama i ka ‘Āina (to take care of the land). The kids were separated into groups so I didn't get pictures of Sweet girl but she enjoyed herself too. On the car ride home Silly guy said," That was a great adventure today Mom." They learned the importance of bugs and their role in nature and the decomposing process. They were able to plant a seed and also get a guided tour through some of the exhibits. In this "sacred" place you will see endangered Hawaiian plants, birds, and insects. Here are some pictures of the trip. I will try to remember information but I was chasing Little guy around. He didn't want to stay with the group, lol. "I go this way.." he would tell me.

This is the Native Hawaiian Garden. Many of the plants are endangered.

Can you imagine how big the frog would be? Well actually our guide told us frogs don't

like this lily pad because it is spiky on top.

Silly guy digging through the compost pile. Ewww! My Silly guy is petrified of

bugs. I was surprised he wanted anything to do with this activity.

Little Man couldn't get to the compost pile fast enough. He was ready to

dig for some bugs!

Planting a seed. Our guide was so great! She had the children observe the

seed before placing it into the ground. She explained to them what the

seed will need. "But most of all the seed will need Aloha."

Then she had the children talk to the seed. Silly guy gave me a look(I think

he is getting a little to old) but most of

the children were talking to there seeds, cute.

Little man making holes for his seed.

In this station the children were learning how to make natural insect

repellent. They mixed Lemongrass, Rosemary, and water. She said to

let it sit over night, then spread it on your plants.

He spotted water!

This guy was perched on a railing above the bathroom entrance.

State History/Geography

Sweet girl has been working on a state history/geography notebook for history. She has completed the assignment and I wanted to share her work. After she completed the notebook, she made a salt dough map of Hawaii and labeled it. She really has learned a lot about our state by doing the assignment. If you would like to download the state history/geography notebook, click here .

Around the Plantation

While we were at the Dole Plantation......

We stopped by the North Shore Farmer's Market to pick up some fresh papaya, mango, coconut, and bananas.

Here is Little man snacking on some mango during the ride home. Yummy!

At the plantation they have a koi pond. This is a picture of daddy and LM watching these silly fish.

The koi were making us laugh! They were lined up waiting to be fed. We were actually getting splashed they were so excited.

A Dole pineapple

Perty flowers

The Pineapple Maze

On Saturday we decided we would go try to complete the maze at the Dole Plantation. We have been through the maze two other times but have never found all 8 stations. Well, we did it! The world record is 8 minutes and we completed in 33 minutes. We were very proud of that since it is the "World's Largest Maze". Afterwards, we walked around the plantation and enjoyed the smell of pineapple. My kiddos were very excited to complete the maze.
"I DID IT!"

"All 8 stamps!"

Little man getting a piggy back ride from his big brother. Silly guy is his favorite person right now. He just adores his big brother and they really have a lot fun together.

Me and my dear husband

Daddy and his little girl

"This way!"

Silly guy wanted to navigate us through the maze. He did a pretty good job!

Happy Birthday Silly Guy!!

My Silly guy is 9 years old. This is so cliche but it seems like yesterday I was holding him in my arms. We are so proud of the young man he is becoming!