Visiting the Geese!

After the Co-Op some of us stayed to visit the geese. They weren't as social this time of year and many of them had babies. The kids fed them but it was more challenging than usual to get close to them. The turkeys had chicks as well. I have a picture of the chicks. They parents were loud and trying to intimidate anyone who got close to their pen. It turned out to be a beautiful day after the Co-Op.

Canadian Pioneers Mini Co-Op - Week One

We had our first Pioneer Co-Op. It was fun! The turnout was great! This is the group watching and answering questions about Little House On The Prairie. This is an American story but similar to our own Canadian Pioneer Living.

We set up pioneer craft stations. There ended up being two cloth doll making stations. The kids learned that the pioneers made their own toys and couldn't go to a Walmart to purchase them. They usually used scraps that they had left from clothes to make dolls for their children.

They learned about corn dolls and about how the pioneers in Canada believed that they were for good luck for the next growing season. Here they are making their own small corn dolls.

They learned that children made games to play. Here they are weaving a little basket with yarn to play a game. We had to improvise on some of the items that kids used in the old days because we couldn't get them right now cheap enough (ie. peach pits). They will continue this project at home and/or next week. 

The kids got to play Pioneer games. Bobbing for apples was fun.

They played an indoor version of horse shoes. The weather didn't cooperate. 

They played an altered version of this Snap Apple. In pioneer times we'd use apples but to switch it up a bit we used doughnuts.

There are always kids who need something to do. They either aren't interested in an activity, are too young for it, or just need a break. They can go to this corner to play. We had log cabins to build and little puzzle boards to weave strings through.

I spent most of my time in the kitchen talking to the kids about how the pioneers would bake their own bread and we also talked about what they might have used for food colouring. We didn't have an oven so I used this simple recipe for making play-dough and each of them took a bag of play-dough home.

A Walk to the Park in Spring!

These are some of the things I captured on film that we saw on our walk to the park and at the park. Spring is here!

Zoe Sewing!

These little plastic sewing kits were on sale in the craft store the other day. Zoe got to sew for the first time and used a little plastic needle. She had so much fun!

Friend Birthday

We went to a homeschool friend's Birthday Party. It's always so special to be invited to parties. School or not we get invited to some. It turned out to be a wonderful day for an outdoor party at a park.

Zoe liked to play with a piece of wire in the mud.

Then she rubbed dandelions all over herself.

Austyn made a hole and discovered clay at the bottom. He became a bit possessive of the hole but got over it. LOL!

Cute!!

Here is Austyn constantly chatting with the other kids. He loves to talk and will talk your ear off.

Jumping in the mud made their day!!

Is this math or science? LOL! This teeter-totter rocked!! I could sit closer to the middle and two small children could sit on the other end and we could teeter well together. 

The kids got to plant some sunflowers. One red and one yellow. We water ours everyday on our kitchen counter.