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Denver Zoo field trip

Denver Zoo field trip

We went to the Denver Zoo last year, about this time and we were finally able to go back to visit.  The Denver Zoo is becoming one of my favorite places to visit with the kids.  Yesterday, it was a free day to visit and this is when a lot people take advantage to enjoy seeing all the zoo has to offer.  They also tend to have more volunteers available for the kids to talk with and ask questions.

The kids and I met up with some friends and headed to the Feline section first.  We missed this area the last time we visited, so we wanted to be sure we made it this trip.  I always love seeing the big cats.  They always seem so quiet and graceful, yet I know they are predators and can be aggressive.

Leopard was waiting for a treat.

Leopard was waiting for a treat.

After we left the Feline area, we walked to the giraffes enclosure.  The last time we saw the giraffes, there had recently been a baby.  We saw the baby and several others.  They were all out in the little sunshine that we had and was eating away at their lunch.

Giraffe eating lunch.

Giraffe eating lunch.

The next place we visited was the tropical building.  Oh boy, that place was so humid, it brought back memories of Florida!  It is always neat to see habitats and animals from the place that I grew up.  There are also other many animals from all over the world.

Nemo playing peek-a-boo.

Nemo playing peek-a-boo.

The kids enjoyed seeing fish they recognized from Finding Nemo.  They saw the Clown Fish and Regal Blue Tang.

Dory just keeps swimming.

Dory just keeps swimming.

The polar bears were enjoying the cooler weather and taking a nap when we were walking by.

Polar bear taking a nap.

Polar bear taking a nap.

We learned a little about the Komodo Dragon that the zoo has.  His name is Castor and he is 19 years old.  He is having some joint issues and has to take inflammatory medicine to help him move.

Castor the Komodo Dragon taking a dip in his pool.

Castor the Komodo Dragon taking a dip in his pool.

This crocodile was showing off for us.  I loved how big he opened up his mouth.  It was like he was telling us that he was big and powerful.

Crocodile showing off his teeth.

Crocodile showing off his teeth.

One of the great things about the zoo, is they have volunteers that are in different areas, taking the time to teach the kids about the animals.  This lady was at the Camel exhibit and was telling the kids about the humps on the camels and why they have them.

Kids getting a lesson on camels.

Kids getting a lesson on camels.

I think one of the highlights of this zoo trip was the rhinoceros. He was playing with a bucket that was hanging from the tree.  He was so funny!  He would hit it with his head and it would swing and when it came falling back to him, he would it it again!  It got stuck at one time and he got so upset that he could hit the bucket.  He jumped up and down and turned around, then hit the tree and the bucket fell loose and he kept hitting it. We had a good laugh watching him.

Rhino playing with a bucket.

Rhino playing with a bucket.

I loved this picture of the kids.  They were all standing at the sign that talks about the animal.  I am not even for sure what animal we were looking at, but they were so interested in it.  I loved being with the kids.  They were so wonderful while we were at the zoo.  They asked questions and were attentive when the zoo workers asked them questions.

Kids looking at some animals.

Kids looking at some animals.

I am so thankful that the Denver Zoo has free days for people to attend.  We plan on going back in a couple of weeks with more friends.  We also plan on buying a membership to the zoo.  This is a place that I see us going to a lot more.

What is your favorite animal?  Do you have a zoo in your area?  What do you love about it the most?  I can’t wait for you to share with us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday’s Around the World ~ Christopher Columbus, Part 2

Wednesday’s Around the World ~ Christopher Columbus, Part 2

As I said last week on Wednesday’s Around the World, we continued on with our Christopher Columbus lesson.  As you know, Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492.  He took the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria and headed across the Atlantic Ocean.

On October 12, 1492, Columbus and his crew woke to find themselves sitting off shore of an island that he named San Salvador.  This island was inhabited by people that had never seen a ship or white people before.  They exchanged gifts and Columbus and his crew stayed with them for a while.

As they left they San Salvador, Columbus noticed a lot of islands all around them.  He thought perhaps that they had sailed to the Indies.  He called them the West Indies since he had sailed west from Spain and called the people on the islands, Indians.  For the next 6 weeks or so that he sailed, Columbus discovered the islands that we now know as Cuba and Haiti.  The Santa Maria ran aground at Haiti and they took the lumber of the wreck and built a fort at the shore.  He left part of his crew at this fort and sailed back to Palos.

Once Christopher Columbus arrived back in Palos, he was welcomed with a lot of excitement.  He and his crew had been gone for about 7 months and everyone thought they had died.  The King and Queen of Spain welcomed him back with great honor.  He had brought them gifts from the new world and told them all of their findings, including the Indians (he brought Indians back to Spain with him).

Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic, discovering more islands as he sailed closer and closer to America. While he visited places along the coasts of Central and South America, he never did get near what is now the United States.  He also thought that he had just found Asia and didn’t ever know that he had found a new world.

Our project for the lessons about Christopher Columbus, was to build 3 ships, like the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.  For this project, we used aluminum foil, tape, clay, pencils and paper.  I am sure you can use whatever materials you have lying around your house.

The first thing the kids did, was shape a boat using the aluminum foil.  The goal is to make it where the boats will float on water.  You need to make sure the bottom of the boats are flat.

Samuel making the Santa Maria.

Samuel making the Santa Maria.

Once you get your boats made, you need to make the mast and sail out of the paper and the pencil.  Be sure to write the name of the boats on the sail.  The kids used tape to put the sail on the pencil, however, you can also cut a couple of lines in the paper and slip the pencil through the holes.

Claire is working on the Nina.

Claire is working on the Nina.

Once you get the masts and sails ready, attach those to the bottom of each boat with the clay.    This may take a little bit of work to get the clay to stick to the bottom of the boat and the pencil sticking up straight in the clay.

Santa Maria floating in water.

Santa Maria floating in water.

Now you are ready to sail your boats in a sink, tub or any large container, big enough to hold the boats.  I just put a couple of them in the kitchen sink, but after we did that, the kids went to the bath tub and filled it part way with water and then played with the boats.  They had a fun time playing with each other, pushing their boats back and forth.

We enjoyed this lesson on Christopher Columbus and had fun making the boats.  Even their oldest sister had fun helping them make the boats.

What have you been learning about in history and geography?  Have you done any fun projects or activities lately?  I would love to see them!

Be sure to link up and share with us about your fun lessons!

Wednesday’s Around the World ~ Christopher Columbus

Wednesday’s Around the World ~ Christopher Columbus

I didn’t get last week’s Wednesday’s Around the World up, but wanted to try and have something up this week.  I have been having some more health issues.  They thought it was my gall bladder, but blood work, an ultrasound and an imaging scan said that my gall bladder was fine.  I go back tomorrow to the doctor, to see what the next step is.  While we have done the basics of our school work, projects and activities have been put on hold.

We have started studying about Christopher Columbus and him discovering North America.  Our lessons with Christopher Columbus will be split up into a couple of lessons.  This week was just reading about his early life and how he came to sail the first time in 1492, to North America.

Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492.

Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492.

The kids colored their ships, they think by the description that it was the Santa Maria.  It was said that of the 3 ships, the largest was the one that Columbus sailed on.  From reading about the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, the largest was the Santa Maria.

Claire working on her copywork.

Claire working on her copy work.

I am excited to continue our study about Christopher Columbus and the project we will be doing next.  Hopefully, we will be able to build three ships and let them sail in our sink or bathtub.  I know the kids will be excited about this.

Samuel working on his copywork.

Samuel working on his copy work.

Next week, I will definitely have more information about Christopher Columbus.  While he is most noticed and celebrated for the fact that he discovered North America, there really is a lot more to his story.  Some of it isn’t really good at all.  I know I was surprised at what I learned about him.  I discovered things that I definitely wasn’t taught when I was in school!

What all have you been studying about in history and geography?  Have you done any projects or activities lately?  I would love for you to share them!

Wednesday’s Around the World ~ Leif Ericsson and the Vikings

Wednesday’s Around the World ~ Leif Ericsson and the Vikings

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This week on Wednesday’s Around the World, I am sharing with you about Leif Ericsson and the Vikings.  Who is Leif Ericsson and what does he and the Vikings have to do with studying the United States?  Leif Ericsson was a Norseman, who lived in the far north of Europe. They had a hard life in the area they lived, because the weather could be brutal, with very cold temps, winds and snow. They were sometimes called Vikings, which just means exploring.  They explored to find food for those times that they ran short of food.  They traded with others, but sometimes they had to steal and they even looked for new places to live.

Claire Coloring Viking Ship

The Vikings used large boats that could go very fast with the unique sail that had.  When the wind wasn’t blowing, they had a large oar that many men could pull to make the boat go.  The large boat had a dragon head on the front and a dragon tail on the back.  The dragon was very intimidating to those people that the Vikings came across.  It filled them with fear and scared them a lot.  As the Vikings moved around they created colonies as they explored.  A lot of the Vikings, including Leif Ericsson’s dad, settled on land a land that is now called Iceland.

Samuel coloring Viking ship

It was always a dream of Eric the Red, Leif’s dad to find a better place to live for him and his family.  They hit the open waters and found a place west of Iceland and called it Greenland.  Although it was very similar to Iceland, he named it Greenland in hopes that the name would bring more people to settle.  However, due to a famine, people kept going to Iceland, instead of Greenland.  One a particular day when the weather was awful, a Viking ship accidentally was blown off course and missed Greenland.  They kept sailing even further west and came to unfamiliar land.  They sailed down the coast, hoping to see something that would remind them of Greenland.  They never did see anything they recognized, so they turned around and sailed back east.  After 4 long days on the sea, they finally reached Greenland.  They told Eric the Red what they had seen and his son, Leif overheard them.  Leif wondered why they did not go ashore and explore the land.  As Leif continued to get older, he never forgot that story.

Leif Ericsson Copywork

One day, Leif told his dad his was heading out on the sea, towards the west to find this land.  On the 4th day of his voyage, Leif and his crew caught sight of the land.  At first, he did think it looked like Greenland, but as they continue to sail down the coast, he noticed that the land began to change.  Leif and his crew went to the shore and started exploring.  Leif called this land Vine-land.  They stayed their through the winter and then returned to his dad and the people of Greenland.  He told them all about the rich land they had found.  Soon, other Vikings followed him to this new land and they set up a settlement.  The settlement only last a few years due to the battles with the Indians that lived there.   Vine-land, the place that Leif Ericsson discovered is known today as, Newfoundland, Canada.

Adding Leif Ericsson to Time-LineThe kids and I had a fun time learning about Leif Ericsson, his family and the Vikings. We learned that Leif had discovered what is now known as Newfoundland, Canada in North America.  This was the first time that someone discovered North America in A.D. 1000.

We looked on our world map and found Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Greenland.  We then kept following our finger all the way west and right to Newfoundland, Canada in North America.

My kids and I are learning a lot and enjoying the lessons in the Adventures in U.S. History from My Father’s World.

What have you been studying about in History and Geography?  Link up with us and share!

See The Light is giving away a complete Art Class – 1 Year Set!!!

See The Light is giving away a complete Art Class – 1 Year Set!!!

(disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  If you purchase a product through the link, I will receive a small portion. All money earned helps to by curriculum and books for our homeschooling journey.)

I know I have shared here before how much our family loves See The Light Art curriculum. We will be using See The Light this year, continuing on with Volumes 5-9. My oldest daughter will be working through several of the Art Projects DVD’s. I will be sharing with you the lessons as they finish them.

So why am I sharing this with you? To start the school year off right, See The Light is having an amazing giveaway! I am so excited to be a part of it. Check below for all of the details!

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See The Light is super excited to announce that they are giving away (1) Art Class – 1 Year set, Volumes 1-9 to one fabulous family.  See The Light has never given away an entire set before, but Autumn is approaching and they wanted to celebrate the magnificent season of change.

What a creative God we serve, huh?

This months special is 10% off the Art Class – 1 Year (Volumes 1-9).

Use Coupon Code: SEPTEMBER

Offer is good thru September 30, 2013. This would make a wonderful Christmas present for the whole family.

Now for the Giveaway!

See the Light will be giving away (1) Art Class – 1 Year set, Volumes 1-9 to one family. We will be picking a random winner September 15 at 11:59p. Winner will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

All entries will be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Legal Disclosure: No purchase necessary to win. Void where prohibited. Valid only in the United States. Must be at least 18 years of age to enter. Winner will be selected by Rafflecopter and will be notified within 48 hours of the contest’s close. Facebook is not affiliated with this giveaway and the act of liking a Facebook page is not required to win.