March Holidays, King David, and Other Fun Stuff (CTG Weeks 21-23)

Dr. Seusses birthday was early in March. We went to an event at a nearby library where the kids were able to do a few crafts, including making a Lorax plant. We have not seen the new Lorax movie but, apparently, that is what this plant is based off of. The kids decorated the pot, then planted grass seed. Over the next several days, they watered the grass, put it in the sun, and were so excited when it finally began to sprout. Now, as you can see, the Lorax has plenty of long, green hair.

On St. Patrick’s Day, to celebrate our Irish roots (mostly from my side of the family), we all wore green and ate a meal of Irish Stew and Irish Bread. The bread was wonderful! (I'll give you the recipe at the end of this post). But, next year, I think we will go back to our usual Reuben Sandwiches instead of the stew. It wasn't bad, but my family is just not a big fan of it.

The kids also made a 3-leaf clover craft, representing the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).

We have been learning about King David these past few weeks, and the events of his life before he became king. Of course, the big event of interest for the kids was David & Goliath. But, what made it really interesting was how we first read the story in the Bible, then watched several different versions of it on You Tube. While watching the videos, we were able to discern what parts of the clips were not accurate, because of the way it was mentioned in the Bible. It was a good lesson on how everything we see in videos (even Christian videos) is not always true, and we need to use Scripture to discern the truth.

We also learned that the Psalms in the Bible are songs, and that David wrote many of them and played them with his harp. One of the Psalms we read was Psalm 142, which was written as a prayer of David when he was hiding in a cave from King Saul. We made up our own tune to the first part of this Pslam, in hopes that we will be able to remember it better and maybe use it to encourage us in our own lives:

I call out to the Lord,

I pray to him for his favor.

I pour out my problem to him.

I tell him about my trouble.

We did a review of the 5 Senses, and had a smelling test. I put 6 different things into little cups, covered them with a piece of napkin, and poked holes in the top. They had to write down what they thought was in the cups. They both did a pretty good job. I think Road Runner got all but one correct, and Coyote got all but two. I used:  ketchup, mustard, medicine, chips, pickle juice, and soap.

We also reviewed the food groups, and played a little game we borrowed from the library.

In between all of this, we've been roller skating on Sunday afternoons (Road Runner actually got up on skates for the first time this past Sunday!), attending Cub Scout events, learning verses in AWANA, and enjoying the beautiful Spring weather we've been having.

Here is the recipe for the Irish Bread. Try it! You'll like it!

IRISH BREAD
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 cups milk
1 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 cups raisins

Combine all in a bowl, stirring just until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch square baking pan, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 F for about an hour, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool and eat.

Pictures from CTG Weeks 16-20

Much has been happening at our house during the past few weeks, so I haven't had much chance to update this blog, although, our schooling has definitely continued. We have had some great days with school, as well as some days I wish had never happened. But, overall, we are happy with the progress we are making in our goals. Here are some pictures I'd like to share of some of the things we have done since I last wrote...

Here, we tried to make "match rockets" by using a wooden match, aluminum foil, and a paper clip. The match was supposed to have launched as the heat from the flame ignited it. But, we tried it 4 times and, each time, it just went "poof!" and then went out. No launching. It was a bit disappointing. But, at least we tried. And, when Coyote noticed the pile of used matches on the counter, he decided to put them to good use by making a mini campfire and roasting mini marshmallows! (Yes, I was there the entire time with him and made it a point to remind him that WE DON'T PLAY WITH MATCHES unless an adult is there to supervise.) He enjoyed his gooey marshmallow treat...

We learned about the parts of a cell...

Along with that, we used an egg to give an example of a cell. We soaked a raw egg in vinegar overnight and then gently scrubbed off the shell. What was left was the membrane (outer part of a cell), and we were able to see the yolk floating around inside (the yolk being the nucleus, and the clear fluid the cytoplasm).

We continued learning about and practicing telling TIME, and made our own clocks out of paper plates.

We also learned about birds and their feathers, and how they sometimes use them to camouflage themselves to hide from their enemies. The kids drew and colored their own birds and hid them around the room for me to find them. Here, you can see two of the birds hidden among our stuffed animals.

We have also had an introduction to Greek gods and godesses, and the story of the Trojan Horse; and we have learned about Joshua, Ruth, Samson, and Samuel from the Bible.

In the next few weeks, we will learn about King Saul and King David, as well as continue learning about ancient Greece. Spring fever is beginning to make its appearance, so hopefully we'll be able to stay focused. We still have at least 13 weeks of studies before we can take a Summer break.