Science Journal

 We have officially started our new Science book for this year. We don't stop in the summer and due to having such a bad year this year, it's a good thing. 

 Our first activity was to make our own science journal. We made these with pieces of cardboard. I bought cupboard liners (has a sticky side) and binding rings. We cut out the cardboard to a specific size and put the liner on the outside, wrapping around the edges to the inside covers. Then we glued paper inside to cover up the liner edges. Then we cut a bunch of white printer paper in half and punched holes in the papers and the covers. They were lined up and the binder rings were inserted and closed. Here is Austyn's science journal. He liked the marble look.

 It's hard to tell in this picture but Zoe added a string on the rings to make a handle and she attached a pencil so that she could travel with it. She brought it to the races along with her caterpillar and drew her caterpillar and the stages that she could remember a caterpillar goes through before it becomes a butterfly in her journal.

When I first found these caterpillars they were very small. The one looked just like a little black burr. They are still very small but this is how they looked a couple of days after I found them. They are both the same kind of caterpillar (swallowtail). I know because we have kept these kinds of caterpillars before from our garden. This year we found more. It's one benefit of living in Ontario. There are so many chances to keep caterpillars for free! They are so easy to find!

Oh by the way... the book we are using is called Science Smart.

Juggling Kids' Sports

Phew... life, juggling sports between two kids has been a challenge. It's been fun though! Zoe is now finished. On the last tournament she was in her team won every game. Actually, they've never lost a game! It was their first year having a team at this level and there was a learning curve for all. Now we all know that the travel team for her age group (5-6's) check! We didn't know that. The kids didn't seem to mind. I'm sure all of that extra equipment helped.

Zoe was the only girl on the travel team. It was great experience for her. She played well, for her first year of lacrosse. 

That same weekend, Austyn was at a tournament in another location. He got a medal as well and they won their first game. We were so proud of them.

On the last day of Lacrosse Zoe got to play with parents and siblings and eat pizza. She got another medal and a team jacket with her name on it. 

Now that her lacrosse is done and our homeschool activities have slowed down, life will be a bit easier. I know this has seemed like a sports blog lately. I guess that is because much of our time at home is organizing and still unpacking, if you can believe that! I've given the kids some time to settle in a bit and let the stress of the past fade away. We've been slowly doing more and more educational activities at home, now that things are getting more organized. 

Nature Behind the Farm

 We went back to the bush behind the farm where we are currently living.

 

 

 Zoe and I took the golf cart and Austyn drove his dirt bike. I explained that with all of the noise the animals won't be out for us to see, but they insisted. After all, it is a very long walk to get all the way back to the trees.

 

 

There were deer tracks everywhere and we saw some close to the farm as well, which surprised us.

 

 

 This little guy stuck out like a sore thumb on the dull ground.

 We looked at different weeds of the area.

The cat tails were spreading their seeds.

 

 

The milkweeds were fluffy as well.

 

 

We helped spread their seeds by making wishes and blowing them toward the ditch.

 We looked at different leaves and tried to identify which trees they fell from. They decided to make leaf rubs from some of the leaves.

 We looked at the shapes of the trees.

 After spoting a hunters tent we decided not to enter the trees incase someone was there hunting.

 

 

 We spoted a sea gull and these Canadian geese.

 

 

 This Queen Annes Lace had an insect nest in the middle of it.

 This fungus looked bright on the dull bark of this tree.

 

 

 We saw many kinds of nuts. Here is an acorn that lost it's cap.

 

 

 There were many berries. Some looked like a dark purple/black, as well. We liked how these berries were so bright.

 

 

 This flower was still alive.

 

 

 I'm not sure what these marks on the ground are from. Maybe deer antlers rubbed here? There were many tracks here and an opening into the bush where it looked like the deer frequented.

 Zoe grew antlers.

 

 

 We found this balloon.

 

 

This is a spot where a tree fell and the combine ran over it. The beans here were still on the plants.

This grasshopper looked pretty healthy.

This one didn't look so healthy. Zoe was able to pick him up without a fight.

 I thought it was cool how this maple leaf fell right in the middle of this large weed.

It was a great day for some nature. I think that if we ever own land and have a bush we would make it free of hunting so that we could explore the trees without having to worry about being mistaken for a deer.

Track and Field - Where we use to live

On Friday we drove a long way to join in with our old homeschool group. We haven't seen our old homeschool friends for almost a year. The kids are growing so fast! There are two groups that get together and they are open to homeschoolers from their groups and surrounding areas to come out and join in on the fun. We all gather at a large park in the far South of Ontario and use items that families bring to set up track and field activities. This year was a huge turn-out. It was so much fun and something that we needed for a long time. It has been a while since we have been around that many familiar homeschoolers and having that much fun.

The weather was unusually warm. I think the temperature got up to 25 degrees Celsius! What a treat to be able to be out with friends in this weather and having this much fun while all of the school kids are in school. Who ever heard of playing in the water at the beach in October!! This sure isn't common here in Ontario!! I think the pictures speak for themselves, but where needed I'll add more information.

If you are wondering what they are doing here... it's a rolling race.

 This was a crab race.

 This is racing with a partner. Austyn picked a friend he has missed and talks about often.

 There is a Blue Heron in the top left corner of the picture. They usually share the beach with us when we come here.

The kids can sometimes get close to the Egret and a ferry is running not far away.

  There was a sand castle contest.

 It was a wonderful fall day that seemed more like summer. What a treat for us since we have been in Alberta all summer and missing the beaches. This was our beach time and we savored every minute of it. It was a refreshing day in many ways!