K is for Kite

This past week in school we kept it simple. I didn't add anything to The Letter of the Week curriculum for Jack (except we started working on Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons). But it worked out perfectly because we did "K is for Kite" and today we went to the "Kite Komotion" festival in Shipshewana! This was our third year going and we thoroughly enjoyed it as usual!

It's free to the public which is how we like to do things. We got to watch professional kite flyers "dance" (according to Marie) and "race" (according to Jack) their incredible kites.

They also had beautiful and fascinating kites anchored to the ground for our viewing pleasure.

That is Jack with his free "ferbie" in his mouth.

The kids got to make their own kites! Marie made one two years ago and still uses it. Somehow these free kites beat out store bought kites any day!

After making our kites, we went out and flew them. Unfortunately, the camera was not on a good setting so no pics to share :/ But the kids had a blast! Kempton only flew his for a minute then decided to chase down everybody else's kites.

We did spend a little money this year and got the kids a shaved ice.

As we were leaving, I asked Jack what letter "kite" started with and he didn't even hesitate to give me the correct answer. He really shouldn't be old enough to know these things.

These flowers are spinning incredibly fast. Interesting that you can't tell in the picture!

Derek's wheel fell off of his truck early this morning while he was headed out to go turkey hunting. Talk about stressful. But spending the afternoon all together enjoying some free fun was a beautiful reminder that God not only is in control, but also blesses us beyond what we could ever deserve. Derek is safe, we have another vehicle to lean on, and we got to enjoy kites on a beautiful day together.

Day at the Zoo

Our first field trip of the 2013-14 school year was at the Potawatomi Zoo! All of my sisters and my mom gathered with our various kids for some lunch and several hours of checking out the animals.

Here was my plan to make this day both enjoyable and educational...

1. Make sure bellies were full.
2. Read Genesis 1:20-25 and quickly remind the kids that God created all of these animals.
3. Hand out scavenger hunt pages (my husband ROCKS for helping me make these!), clipboards, and markers.

4. Have my big kids help me take pictures to make a "My Day at the Zoo" book.

We only took 3 pictures before Marie lost interest.

5. Have each kid draw a picture and/or write about their favorite part of the zoo.

After Marie lost her scavenger hunt clipboard, she started drawing everything. She's got a gift!

The pictures on the scavenger hunt page are all from the Potawatomi Zoo website so if you plan to head there, print one out!

Zoo Scavenger Hunt

While all my ideas didn't pan out perfectly, the day was a huge success! Missed naps and all!

What field trips do you have planned for this school year? If you are in the Elkhart area and want to hook up with us for future trips, let me know! We are planning one a month.