Passports Around the World

We have joined two different homeschool groups since arriving in our new home.  One group is a "co-op" and offers weekly classes (I wrote about HERE).  The other group is a "support" group, and offers fieldtrip opportunities, moms' nights, field day, used-curriculum sales, etc.  (These are two separate and distinct groups, but there is a lot of overlap in the families between these two different groups.)

The awesome handwriting on these directional signs, courtesy of yours truly.  BLECH, my handwriting stinks!

The homeschool support group recently hosted an event entitled, "Passports Around the World."  It was fabulous!  Families signed up to host a country table, and offered information, food, music, etc. to children who visited around and had their passport stamped in each country.

Our family hosted a "China" table.  

An opportunity to practice the Chinese character for "love"

Here is a Chinese bible, a tea set purchased in China, and an opportunity to practice using jade chopsticks 

We also offered samples of Egg Drop Soup (it all got eaten up, and one Egg-drop-soup-lover said it was good!  phew!)

Noah is obsessed with Europe - England and Paris specifically - so he did his own table for England:

He passed out samples of "English Breakfast" tea

This event was fun from beginning to end.   The president of the group asked me to help with this event.  Which basically meant we had a couple of fun meetings (their kids included)...and did some work together.  Here we all are sitting around cutting out country stamps together:

And then the evening of the event was fun - learning new info while having fun with friends!

E with her buds, K and R, also adoptees

G and A caught several rides in this "tuk tuk".

To conclude the evening, everyone participated in Polka lessons!

My sweet friends Amy and Sherry...whom I am so very thankful for!

Abigail is NOT a wall flower...no way was she going to be excluded from the dancing!

My sweet friend Karen, who is just too cute.

Instead of Polka-ing, these kiddos snuck out to the room next door to get some foosball playing in with their buddies

While we were all snazzed up in some of the pretty clothes we purchased in China, I asked E to snap mine and Jason's picture.


He cooperated....

...for a bit...

Homeschool Co-op Classes

The number of homeschool groups and programs here in our new city is astounding.  Every church and every school district offers programs.  All the opportunities are wonderful...and overwhelming!

After checking out the websites of different programs and talking with some other homeschooling moms, we visited a co-op in November on their last day of fall semester classes.  We liked what we saw and applied to be able to join the co-op this spring semester.  I liked that all 7 of us could be there on the same day together.  (One co-op I looked into would have my kiddos there - because of the range of their ages - on three different days during the week...not o.k.)

This is a co-op, meaning not a "drop your kids off and have some free time" program, so I am there helping the whole time.  The classes are by-and-large enrichment classes...not academic ones.  It will meet for 9 weeks, and then we will host an Expo, where the students display or have performances of their work for the semester.  

The children are taking 4 classes each, and we meet on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. - 1:40 p.m.  (With a break for lunch between the third and fourth classes.)

Elisabeth:

Stage Drama

Ballet

Study Hall**

Sewing

(**the class she wanted - baton - ended up not being offered after all...

so E opted to do Study hall over any of the remaining options for that hour)

My right-brained girl is going to have a blast this semester.  If she had her way, we would have had her in voice lessons, gymnastics, dance, baton, drama, etc. etc..... for years!  But that is not possible, so I am so very thankful that she is getting exposed to these classes through this co-op.  

Noah:

Stage Drama

General Science Lab

Money 101

Lego Building

My introverted guy has surprised me with his interest in drama.  He loved working on a video skit that he and the yearbook committee put together last year, so he wanted to sign up for this class.

And I am so glad he is able to take this General Science Lab class!  This is based on the experiments in the Apologia General Science textbook (which he was already studying this year anyway)...so this is perfect!  And that I was assigned to be in there as a T.A. was just the hand of God (I didn't request it).  

Noah liked the sound of the Money 101 class, but he hopes that they talk about something he "doesn't already know."  With Jas and I both being finance majors, we do talk about money quite a bit with the children...but I am pretty convinced he still has some stuff to learn!

Daniel:

Comic Drawing

Perspective Drawing

Charcoal Drawing

Lego Building

Daniel has always loved drawing.  He has an amazing attention span and attention to detail.  But still, it wasn't until I was looking back at the spreadsheet of (40!) classes (5 children x 4 classes x 1st and 2nd choices for each) that I realized D was requesting THREE drawing classes.  I checked with him to make sure that sounded o.k., and he said "yes."  I am glad for him to get some instruction in this area and explore this talent more.  

And then...Legos.  He is in heaven.

Lily Kay:

Wild About Rainforest Animals

P.E.

Whirlwind Tour of Europe

Lego Building

Lily Kay loves all things animals and science.  She has tossed around the idea of wanting to be a vet ever since BeBe was attacked several years ago, so she has been really excited about the Safari Animals class.  And P.E., of course...right up her alley.  But coming out of the first day of classes, she surprised me by saying that she loved the Europe class.  (They got to drink a cup of hot tea, which she loves - because England was their first stop on this tour.)

And then...Lego building.  This girl is basically in heaven with all of her classes.

Gabriel:

Arts & Crafts

Storytime Science

Recess

Music

This is Gabriel's first exposure to any sort of class-type setting.  So I was interested (anxious, really) to see how he liked it...and how he behaved.  

I am with Gabriel during his recess class.  I assumed this would be a sort of free-play time.  It is not.  The teacher is great, and very structured.  She had two different picture books to read with the children, and after each one we did little physical activities inspired by the story.  Gabriel seemed very rambunctious during this class.  I don't know whether this is because...

1.  He had been (relatively) still for the first two classes, and was ready to MOVE

2.  I was in there (I am convinced he shows out more when I'm around)

3.  He was the only boy, surrounded by 7 girls...so maybe he just seemed real rambunctious compared to those 7 sweet little girls (because he is ALL boy!) 

I asked his other teachers how everything went, and they all assured me he was fine.  

Abigail:

Nursery

Nursery

Nursery

Nursery

Abigail was so excited to start "school" with the big kids.  When we got their backpacks/bags ready the night before, she insisted we get out her cute little backpack (given to her months ago by LaoLao) and put her diapers/wipes in there, instead of in the diaper bag.

I get to be in the nursery with Abigail during the first hour, for which I am very thankful.   While she is only 2.5 yo, it does seem like she would be capable of doing some of the activities, like Recess or Music...and I wish she didn't have to be in the nursery the whole time.  She does come with us to eat lunch between the third and fourth classes, and it is so nice to get to see her then.  But that made it harder for her to go back to the last class (which is normally nap time at home).  She cried when I left her there for the last class, until she (in very short order) fell asleep on the nursery worker's lap in the rocking chair.  

Joli:

I help out in these classes...

Nursery

General Science Lab

Recess

Lego Building

The number of lists and spreadsheets and more lists it took for me to coordinate the children's first and second choices for each class, and then the supplies that we need to bring, astounds me.  I don't know how moms of public school kiddos coordinate everything...and then get their children to school so early every morning!!

Running....and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

I have so much to post.  We have so much going on.

I feel like we hit the ground running 3.5 weeks ago...and we haven't stopped.  And we need to slow down.

During rest-time everyday I am reading, researching, making calls/sending texts to gather information.  We need a church family, a homeschool group, a house.  There are lessons that the children want to take.  Doctors to find.  Insurance(!) to decide on. (We are eligible for Jason's company's group insurance in a few days, but we have heard it is not the best, so we are gathering information to make a decision).

All of these decisions will come.  But I just want them to come now.  I want this all settled...so I can feel settled.  It doesn't work that way, though.  I just need to do the next thing, and be patient with the rest.  AND....rest in Him, that He will guide our every step, in His perfect timing.

And, OH, He has guided.  We have seen so many evidences of this along and along.  It is so encouraging!

And so many wonderful things have happened, little mercies...and BIG!  And I want to keep a good record.


So....

I'm starting here...with a field trip the children and I took Monday.

I got connected with a FB group for local homeschoolers, and saw that the Denver Museum of Science and Nature was having a FREE day on Monday.  We like Free!

I whipped out my phone's mapping app, figured out where to go and we headed out.  It was so neat heading through areas that I haven't been to/through in forever, and pointing things out to the kiddos. Walk down memory lane, for sure!



First, the two youngest were unusually cooperative with my picture-taking desires before we left for the field trip:

I couldn't love this picture any more!

I love the opportunities we now have!

Abigail was done cooperating with pictures.

The museum was three floors of amazing sights.

We were just talking about arthropods in science last week...so this was cool!

There were so many exhibits that let the kiddos get real hands-on:

Abigail wasn't real sure she wanted to get hands-on....

...but then she got over it!

And then we headed to a paleontology exhibit.  The employees were great here!  First, our kiddos got on their stegosaurus tails (the bigs didn't want to participate, go figure!):

Then they crawled after the guides to see what the stegosaurus ate, and how it defended itself:

Then the children dug to discover bones.....

...and then figured out which bones they had dug up, and where they went on which dinosaur:

The museum offered multiple comfy places where we could eat the picnic lunch we brought.  (The museum also offered strollers for free, which we used, but not as much as I would have liked because they kept wanting to get out and get hands-on!) (Seriously, the only money we spent all day was on gas...woohoo!)

Gabriel asked so sweetly to take some pictures himself, I had to oblige:

G also asked me to video him...and I was happy to comply:








The fourth floor of the museum was an observation deck overlooking a beautiful park....

...and beautiful mountains!

We still having fully gotten used to the idea that we actually live here now!