Halloween Pinata Fun

Grandma Ida made this Neewollah extra fun with a pinata for the kids! The kids had a lot of fun breaking open this traditional pinata. It was packed with lots of goodies the kids scooped into their treat buckets! Thank you, Grandma Ida!

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Indianapolis Children's Museum 2014: China

Though we didn't have any bitterness on this day, I loved this family motto!

On the road for our annual trek to Kansas, we headed for one of our favorite "rest stops": the Indianapolis Children's Museum. We have been going to the museum annually for the past few years and have a great time every time we go. This year, we were particularly excited for their new exhibit: Take Me There: China. The exhibit was a little packed to start, but we returned after lunch and found it mostly empty. The kids, especially Kyrie who will start her country study in 2015, are very interested in foreign countries. And after Darren's trip to China last year and Kyrie's Chinese Language & Culture day camp this summer, this was a fantastic experience. 

The exhibit entrance is a mock-up of a plane that takes you to China. When you "disembark" you can tour three different styles of Chinese homes while learning about the culture and way of life of the inhabitants. There's also a medicine shoppe, a restaurant, tea house and opera house you can visit. Each area has hands-on activities for the kids. There were also museum workers available playing traditional Chinese instruments, providing instruction on calligraphy and helping kids play with Chinese toys. Our kids really enjoyed the calligraphy. Kyrie enjoyed it so much that her gift shop purchase was a calligraphy instruction book and "Buddha board" she can use to practice.

The kids watched a video on a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.

Trying their hands at Chinese yo-yo.

 Both kids loved the Panda Research Center inside the China exhibit. They cuddled toy pandas and pretended to feed them and provide medical care. 

Kyrie working the wok.

We all had fun trying our hand at Taiji Rouli Ball. To play you have to balance the ball on the face of the racket. With a little bit of skill, you can turn the racket around while keeping the ball balanced on the face of the racket.

Both kids had some calligraphy instruction & practice, which left a big impression!

While at the museum, we also had time to visit some of our other favorite exhibits.

The kids took a ride on the antique carousel.

While the kids explored, Darren & I played a fantastic game of Jenga... which I won! 

We also took a brief turn around the Power of Children exhibit, which spotlights the courage of  Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges & Ryan White, who each faced hardship & discrimination. 

Homeschool: Halloween

Some of our books this unit.

Holiday units are always fun, and the kids love Halloween! This unit, we spend time talking about Halloween fun & traditions, but we also talk about nocturnal animals (specifically bat & owls) and pumpkins. During this unit, Degen learned basic facts about bats and the lifecycle of a pumpkin plant. Kyrie learned about Dia de los Meurtos (Day of the Dead), bats & owls. We also headed to the kitchen to bake pumpkin treats. 

Some of our extra activities

Degen made a Jack-o-Lantern candy bucket for his unit folder.

Kyrie designed a Jack-o-Lantern face for her folder.

Kyrie's pumpkin diagram

Degen practicing phonics skills with a Halloween-themed game.

Degen had fun making "monster cars" during this unit.

The kids enjoyed a morning in the kitchen. We mixed up a quick batter of pumpkin and spice cake mix to make: donuts, cookies and cupcakes.

We added white chocolate chips & pecans to the cookie batter.

I frosted our pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. 

Kyrie's opinion writing piece about her favorite candy.

One thing that I like about homeschool is the time that it gives the kids to explore their own interests (which are often lively, but short-lived experiences). Kyrie & Degen had a very serious couple of days racing back & forth from their desks to the piano. Kyrie decided to compose some songs for Degen to play (and Degen tried his hand at composition, too). Kyrie would work to complete a song, trying different note combinations before putting them down on paper. Then she would stand by while Degen tried out her composition, even doling out stickers for playing pieces successfully.