Travel Lapbook

Today we finished our lapbook for the trip, and it was so great to have such a great way to store both our memories and the knowledge gained along the way. Though I took just a few pictures of the finished project, the brads at the top hold a worksheet for every state we drove through, all the curriculum on Washington DC we completed in advance of the trip and several pages on information we picked up at the Bureau of Engraving & Printing.

Thanksgiving Field Trip - Days 6-8

Is it lame to lump the last three days together like this? I'd envisioned a post per day, but seeing that I'm home and unpacked already . . . well, let's just say that didn't happen. And while the final three days were loads of fun, they weren't exactly packed with educational opportunities.

On Thursday, we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with about 50 of Jim's family members. They all meet at the same hotel each year to spend Thanksgiving together. A "no cook" Thanksgiving was nice, but I have to admit that after reading about all my friends' vegan Thanksgiving menus on Facebook, I kind of wished I was home and cooking for the holiday! After dinner, the kids went for a dip in the (indoor pool) while the grown-ups talked and played games.

Friday morning was the family breakfast, followed by - what else? - shopping! We hit the mall directly across from the hotel, more out of desire to get out and walk around than anything else. Every other year we make the trip north for Thanksgiving, and it's become a tradition to get a family ornament from the same little kiosk at the mall - so of course, we got one of those.

That evening was one last family dinner before everyone packed up and headed home on Saturday. The drive home was really nice (at least as far as long, boring drives go), and included a stop on the side of the road in West Virginia to throw some snowballs!

We arrived home very late on Saturday night and spent Sunday unpacking. Today, we reviewed some materials from the BEP and finished up our trip lapbook. More on that soon . . . very soon!

Thanksgiving Field Trip - Day 5

As we packed our bags and said our goodbyes, it was hard to believe our time in Virginia was already over. My aunt and uncle really made us feel at home, and we can't wait to return for another visit.

But for the time being, we were hitting the road again for a relatively short trip to Greensburg, PA to meet Jim's family for Thanksgiving. The day's drive took us through Maryland and into Pennsylvania, where we stopped at the welcome center to play in the fall leaves.

We rolled into the hotel late in the afternoon with time for a quick rest before heading out to dinner with family. Time to log the day's 225 miles in our "miles traveled" graph and start snapping pictures of family members!

Thanksgiving Field Trip - Day 4

Each year since Noah was one, we’ve visited the ICE show at the Gaylord Palms hotel. I had no idea they did the show in other places as well, but my aunt heard about it at the Gaylord National Conference Center in Maryland – so we all bundled up to check it out. The show was great, and it was so fun to see it in a new setting. My favorite part was seeing sculptures of the DC monuments (something we definitely don’t get in Orlando, and the kids loved zipping down the ice slides. After the show, we explored the hotel and enjoyed lunch before heading to DC for the afternoon.

So far, we’d crossed two of our three “must do” activities off the list – the BEP and a Smithsonian. Last on the list was the Washington Monument, so we were really excited to find a parking spot nearby. The crowds were minimal, so we were optimistic about making it to the top – until we learned that all the tickets had already been distributed for the day. Though we were all disappointed, Noah was excited just to touch the monument and spot the place where the marble changes colors (early vs. later construction). And, it gives us an excuse to come back soon.

I feel like we were able to get a taste of the city, get our bearings and have a better idea of what to do on our next trip. Pending more agreeable weather, I can see spending a day just walking around to see the monuments and get a closer look at the White House.

The best part of this trip to the city (for me) was listening to Noah point out the buildings – The Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, White House and Washington Monument were all landmarks he recognized from our studies. We also got to see several motorcades, as well as Marine One in action!

Thanksgiving Field Trip - Day 3

We were all excited to check out Washington DC on Monday morning, and as soon as we crossed the bridge, Noah started excitedly spotting the monuments. I was surprised at how well he remembered the different landmarks from our brief studies.

The chilly, windy, rainy day wasn’t ideal for sightseeing, but we made it work. Our first stop? The Bureau of Engraving & Printing to watch them make the money! We entered the building through two small holding areas, where we were able to check out some money memorabilia. Ever seen $1 million? If not, then check out the picture above – a stack of $10 bills totaling $1 million! We also learned about the original size of paper currency (larger, then sized down to save production costs) , read about some of the security features put in place each time currency has been redesigned and measured ourselves in money! Noah is $1.1 million tall (in $100 bills), and Ava is $885,000.

Before heading off on the tour, we watched a short movie about how the BEP works, which included information on how the plates are etched and money is printed. From there, we were off to see for ourselves. We saw the seemingly blank pages ready for printing, saw the different colors in the printing process and learned where the sheets are cut in half (32 images to 16 images). Next, we saw where the seals and serial numbers are added and the bills are cut (first down to 2 images, then finally to 1) and wrapped. After a series on inspections, the bundles are packed into bricks, palletized and sent to the Federal Reserve (pictured below) vault for monetization.

Leaving the BEP, it was a mad dash through the rain to find some lunch, and the first place we spotted food was through the window to the café at the National Museum of American History. After eating, we decided to explore the museum instead of heading back outside. We stumbled upon some great, interactive kids’ science exhibits, saw Julia Childs’ kitchen and visited the American on the Move transportation exhibit.

When the museum closed (or technically, about an hour after the museum closed when they finally started shooing people out), we trekked back through the rain to find our car and rustled up hot chocolate for all for the drive home.

Thanksgiving Field Trip - Day 2

We had plans to visit DC on Sunday but ended up enjoying a relaxing day at “home” instead. My aunt and uncle’s place is beautiful, set on 1 ½ acres in the country and much like someplace we imagine ourselves living one day.

After breakfast, we took a walk down the road, and the kids collected fall leaves for the lapbook (and for fun). My cousin and his wife joined us for brunch; their daughter is just a few months older than Noah, and Noah has been looking forward to seeing her for weeks!

That afternoon, we decided to skip the day’s field trip and just let the kids run and play in the backyard. Jim and Noah threw the football which Ava and Aunt Marilyn picked up pinecones and explored the yard. Of course, Uncle Tony and I took tons of pictures to document the day.

Thanksgiving Field Trip - Day 1

The first day of our journey was just that . . . the “journey” part, which ended up being about 15 hours in (and out of) the car. We took our time and stopped at every welcome center so the kids could run around and learn a little about the state we were passing through – from Florida into Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina before arriving in the day's destination . . . Virginia.

Noah fell asleep about two hours before we arrived and stayed asleep through the night. Ava, on the other hand, slept on an off during the evening part of the drive, but got her second (third and fourth) wind when we arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house and was up into the wee hours!

A visit with family, some late dinner, a glass of wine, and we were off to rest up for the next day!

Washington DC / Thanksgiving / Traveling Lapbook

We're down to about nine hours until we leave for our Thanksgiving trip. We'll be visiting my family in Virginia (with day trips to DC) until Wednesday, when we'll leave to spend the holiday in Pennsylvania with Jim's family.

We spent the morning working on some Enchanted Learning Curriculum on DC and its landmarks. In looking for a way to capture all the amazing experiences, I decided to put together a lapbook on our trip. Here's what it includes (along with a sneak peek at what it looks like so far):

• Map of our route
• Blank graph for charting the miles driven each day
• USA mini-book with info on Washington DC
• Graphic map of Washington DC
• Mini-book on the Washington Monument (to be completed after our tour)
• Mini-book on DC Monuments (to be completed after our tour)
• Mini-book on US currency (to be completed after visiting BEP)
• Place for two fall leaves fan books (one listing my family members; the other for Jim's)
• Pocket for photos of family members

Thanksgiving Lapbook

We finally finished our Hands of a Child project pack on Thanksgiving and assembled it into a lapbook. This was our first time completing such an extensive project that I'd purchased elsewhere, and I was impressed by the resources and the finished product. Most especially, I like how they break down the reading, vocabulary, timeline and activities into seven days. It's a nice guide for getting through the material, which at 80+ pages, would otherwise be overwhelming.

Here are some pictures of our finished product:

Thanksgiving Food Drive

The end of our Thanksgiving series also marked the end of our food drive. I so wish I'd taken a picture of our donations before dropping them off! We were able to contribute two very large, very full Rubbermaid tubs of food to help The Sharing Center support Central Florida families this Thanksgiving. It was so great to see so many families work together to make this happen, as well as a very nice tie in with our studies for the kids.

Thanksgiving Potluck

Our latest unit study with SLC wrapped up this week with a really nice Thanksgiving potluck. Many families showed up to share a meal together, and the kids enjoyed just playing at the park for a change. After learning about the Pilgrims, Native American Indians and the Thanksgiving holiday, this was a great way to end our study!

Charting Our Progress

As part of our Early America co-op series this month, we've been collecting food items for The Sharing Center. During this week's class, we inventoried the food collected during our food drive and charted the donations on a bar graph.

Since it's been a while since we used this fun graphing site, we decided to take a look at how the same data would look in different graph forms. Here are our results:

Bar graph:



















Pie Chart:



















Line Graph:



















Area Graph:

Learning about the First Thanksgiving

This week's co-op was the last in our series on early America. After learning about the Pilgrim's voyage and the Native American way of life, our last class focused on the first Thanksgiving - with discussion on whether or not it was really the first Thanksgiving.

After reading a book about what we typically learn of as the first Thanksgiving, we discussed how giving thanks for the harvest had been widely celebrated in many cultures for many years - and also how it wasn't until Abraham Lincoln that Thanksgiving actually became a national holiday in America.

Next we learned how the first Thanksgiving compared to our modern Thanksgiving celebration by working on a Venn diagram. The kids were given 11 items, and we discussed whether they pertained to the first Thanksgiving, modern Thanksgiving or both.

With the diagrams complete, we talked about how the Pilgrims struggled when they first arrived in America - but with help from the Indians, they were able to learn how to grow enough food to survive. We then discussed how there are people living in our country today that don't have enough to eat - but with a little help, they will be able to provide for themselves once again. Then, we reviewed the food donations we've been collecting for The Sharing Center and created bar graphs to show how much of each different item we've collected.

Our next book was one of our all-time favorites - I'm Thankful Each Day. Noah really wanted to help me teach the co-op, so he participated by reading this book to the group. Afterwards, we discussed what each of us was thankful for and make "thankful tree" placemats. The kids wrote things they were thankful for on colored leaves, glued them to a tree trunk template and laminated it to be used as a placemat.
















Before everyone left, we shared a modern treat that we learned actually came from the Native Americans - candy corn. Recipe can be found here.

Native American Tepee Craft

A few weeks ago, I found a cute tepee craft on the Enchanted Learning site. My intention was to do it the week of our co-op on Native American Indians, but . . . well, you know how it goes. That week slipped away, but I managed to get it in the following week. On Friday. About 5PM. And I made Jim do it.

The tepees are made of sticks held together with yarn and covered with a cut-out from a paper bag. I did actually attempt to tackle this one myself, but my sticks kept slipping and I decided it would be "really fun" for Jim and the kids to do together.

He assembled the framework while they designed and decorated their tepees. They both came out really cute!

Homemade Candy Corn

Today, we tried out a candy corn recipe in preparation for an upcoming co-op. I was surprised to learn (from our Hands of a Child "Thanksgiving" project pack) that candy corn was actually a treat enjoyed by Native Americans.

In talking about the first Thanksgiving, they say:

"Another thing that may have been served is candy corn. Yes, candy corn! This sweet was a treat that was eaten by Native Americans. There are some differences in the recipes of modern-day candy corn and the candy corn that the Indians made, but the taste is very much the same."

I was hoping the "dough" would stay pliable enough that I could make it in advance and let the kids make their own candy corn in class. But, it hardens (to rock-like consistency) very quickly so they will have to be premade.

They turned out pretty well, and the kids love them. Of course, they've never had candy corn before so they have no frame of reference. And it's pretty much pure sugar, so what's not to like?

Here's their recipe:

Candy Corn (a modern version)

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup white corn syrup (I used agave nectar instead)
1/3 cup butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup powdered milk food coloring (optional) (after re-reading the directions, I think this is supposed to be two separate items: 1) 1/3 cup powdered milk and 2) food coloring (optional). I didn't use either.)

Combine sugar, butter and corn syrup in pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn head to low, and boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add vanilla. In separate dish, combine powdered sugar, sald and powdered milk. Add all at once to the mixture in the pan. add food coloring, if desired. Stir until cool enough to handle. Shape into triangular pieces.

Native American Indians Co-op

Our series on early America continued this week with a class on Native American Indians. After studying the Pilgrims last week, the kids learned why Indians were called "Indians" and got a glimpse of what life was like in an Indian tribe.

As a craft, they kids designed and created their own totem poles. This afternoon, Noah and I dug into some of the take-home materials, completing a word search and learning about the pictographs many different tribes used to communicate with each other. Noah then spent a good hour telling stories with the pictographs.

Later this week we'll be making a tepee craft I found on Enchanted Learning, then it's off to the library to pick up books to prepare for my upcoming co-op on The First Thanksgiving.