The Mad Month of May

By the time May rolls around, we are all so "done" with book learning and being indoors and focusing and sitting still.  We wrapped up much of our grade-level curriculum requirements by the end of April with only a few loose ends to tie up in the month of May - plus the exciting enticement of enrichment activities lay just ahead.  And in this house, "enrichment" may as well by synonymous with "field trip!!!"

 

Our first early May "enrichment" was a trip to Krispy Kreme for a tour of the donut-making process.  We were all duly impressed - and learned about food production.

Dough goatee?

The same day we hit the local laser tag place where we enjoyed a special homeschooler's daytime discount - and learned about strategy and the art of deception.

The next day was a Family Fun Day at a camp and activity center.  Tons of outdoor activities were available, although the chilly day didn't allow for swimming.  We had a blast with several other families - and learned about gravity, centripetal motion, and the inertial and impact forces of a ball in motion (read: ball vs. face).

Two of the three came away from dodgeball with black eyes.  They thought they were pretty cool as they iced.

These novice canoe enthusiasts required rescuing soon after this photo was taken.  One was quoted as saying, "I may never canoe again.  That was terrifying."  :)

Here we go...

Family, friends, and fantastic fun.  What more could a kid ask for?



 We also did some more typical "school" enrichment, like attempting to create our own thermometer - and learned that that task is best left to the experts.

 

We also watched the building of a robin's nest under the deck.  This poor robin built her nest and laid three eggs in it before a curious little boy climbed the deck supports to peek inside and accidentally knocked the nest to the ground, cracking all the eggs.  (HUGE lesson learned there.)  We replaced the nest and two days later that mama robin was back at work laying another 4 eggs.  Just as the first egg pipped, a huge storm blew through, knocking her nest to the ground once again.  (That was a sad day - we could see the baby birds within their now cracked eggs.)  A week later, we saw that God created one very persistent robin pair.  They rebuilt another nest, laid another 4 eggs, and are now beneficiaries of two fierce nest protectors.  These two kids are desperate to see that mama have a successful hatch!  They are keeping an eye on her - and learning that wild things do not give up when their survival and propagation of their species depends on persistence.

 

We took time out from "enrichment" just long enough to serve others through a piano recital at a local nursing home - and learned that trying to enrich the lives of another can be the most enriching thing of all. 

 

(The quote of the day was from Ziggity who admitted after his performance that he was very relieved nobody passed out or died during his piece.  Apparently that had been a very real stressor to him! He said he had wondered if such an event occurred if he should keep playing or stop out of respect for the emergency! That boy...)

We also had the wonderful privilege of meeting new friends, including our overnight guest, Daniel from Rwanda.   

 

We spent an afternoon touring out local police station - and learned that crime doesn't pay.

Our little builder attempted to create an "aeroplane" out of foam board - and learned that he needed a little more lift before he could take flight.

 

 We learned about the Terra Cotta Warriors in China and attempted to imitate the sculpture style with Model Magic - and learned that those ancient artists were pretty skilled.

We celebrated our last day of "book work" - and learned that celebrating a "last day" is very rewarding.

 

We took advantage of the fact that most kids were still in school and spent a day at the local children's museum - and learned that science can be a complete and total blast.

 

I made a molecule out of carbon atoms!

The water cycle...

 

Boys in a bubble

 

And we hosted a final celebration of the start of summer with a couple of robot parties.  The two youngest each chose two friends to join us for a Basic Robotics party - and learned that Legos plus a motor plus a program to create movement is WAY better than just building a plain old stationary structure!

 

 

The two older boys got to invite their whole posse and had a blast at a Mindstorm Challenge party.  They went all out in creating programmed vehicles that competed for the Capture the Flag title of the century - .

 

 

 

...and learned that even the best laid plans (or programmed vehicles) are sometimes bested by brute force

 

 

 

The party ended and when a game of ultimate Frisbee broke out,  the instructor for the party joined right in - and we learned that even big boys never completely grow out of a good dose of outdoor fun.




 





 We've had such a fantastic and memorable year.  I just can't wait to see what next year brings - and what great new things we'll learn.