Ending WWI and starting the Jazz Age

Another great week of school!  We finished up our 4 week mini-unit on the Great War, World War I, last week and this week, moved into the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties.  In the first few pictures, you'll see our "wrap-up" art project, where I had the children use any art medium they wanted to depict what their "favorite" or "most memorable" thing was about the past month of study...

Sissi loves to paint, so she got all the colors out and painted about the countries coming together in France to do the treaty that would hopefully "end all wars...."  On the top of the paper, not seen here, she drew the poppy flower made famous through the poem written by John McCrae, "In Flanders Field."

Krypto and Gwangi love to do cartoons, so Krypto here is working on a political cartoon and he wanted to color it in with chalk pastels.  I think he ended up using more of the markers though.

Here is Gwangi making a variety of cartoons about what he remembered...in markers.  It showed the trench warfare in the top left corner, then the next block is women going to work in the factory and working with big machines.  The picture at the right was about a battle scene and then the one on the bottom right was the different country leaders working on the treaty in France and our own Congress telling Wilson, "No, we won't join the League of Nations."  The final picture is of the Influenza Pandemic of 1919 and all the people getting sick, the wind blowing the sickness from house to house.

Krypto, trying to figure out how to finish up his political cartoon.

The kids have started doing Awana at the local Calvary Baptist Church.  Sissi earned her vest last week and was so excited this week to wear it to club on Wednesday that she wore it all day, during school.

We also got some Organizing Utility Totes from Thirty-One and the kids can now "haul" their school books around with them to work in their own "special quiet places" when they need to just have some peace to get their work done.  Here is Krypto, working on his narrative writing from Tapestry of Grace's Writing Aids...he's writing a piece called, "A Day in the Life of James P. Corgan, During the Red Scare."

Gwangi and his tote bag, he is in the "Book Nook" working on his Math-U-See Gamma book, it is all about multiplication.

We are also reading a book about Eric Liddell, Louis Armstrong, The Wind in the Willows, and Harlem Stomp!  which is all about the African American Renaissance period in the early 20th Century.

Pictures of Indy's time out in CO

Here are a few pictures of Indy's time out in Colorado, on the far western side of the state.  It was really quite lovely, and he learned so much at this course.

The first two weeks were all about fishing, specifically, fly fishing.

Here is a group shot of his classmates.

Lovely fields and meadows.

More of what he learned in his Basic Guiding course.

Out on the trail

His class from the Advanced Guide course

On his mule, Boots.

Out with a friend, fishing.

Some time out in the field.  We're so happy that he was able to get these courses in, and we pray for an awesome way to use them in the future!

School Book Organization

So, I'm not sure where I was the past two years that I missed the whole "Thirty-One" craze...oh, yes I do know where I was, and we loved it :)...but, coming back to the US, I went through some "culture shock."  What kind, you ask...well, my friend, Inna, loaned me a utility tote the day we got off the plane.  In fact, it was full of some stuff that I had ordered on line to have waiting for us when we got back.  I loved the bag and asked her, "where can I get one of these, Hobby Lobby, Target, Walmart?"  She giggled, "Nope, it's Thirty-One."  "Ahhh, ohhh! So, where do I get one?"...

Really though, it turns out that one of my very bestest friends in the whole wide world, Melanie, sells them...so, we talked (at length and way into the night about sizes, colors, what I would use it for) and waited for a sale (because you know, I have to get it on sale) and got some organizing totes for the kids' school books.

We have been talking about these totes coming for WEEKS!  They were so excited.

Here is our school area/dining room.  You'll notice that the bottom shelf of each bookcase is where the kids keep their school work.

Here is Gwangi's shelf...it looked this good because I had picked up all the books, off the floor, behind my chair, before I took the picture.

Here is Krypto's shelf.

...and Sissi's.

You see, the problem was, they had to keep going back and forth to the shelf to get their books and often times, especially the boys, like to go to the Book Nook or their room to do their work because Sissi and I do most of her work aloud since she isn't fluidly reading yet.  It's distracting to them while they are trying to do their math and writing assignments.

SO, enter the new organizing totes.  This is Sissi's and she put it right next to her chair for easy access.

Here is Gwangi's tote, in gun-metal grey :)...he is so super excited and was the one that was asking the most about "where are our new bags?"

Here is what our new bottom shelf looks like now.  Much better I would say!

Here is the other side with Krypto's bag as well.

A view of the whole bookcase.

Can I just say I love it!  Thank you Melanie...and Inna...and my dear husband, who doesn't fully understand my organizing mania, but lets me do it just the same.

First Game of the Baseball Season

In my previous post I talked about Sissi's long term goals.  Gwangi has decided that he loves baseball and wants to be a professional baseball player.  He is a bit concerned that he missed 2 years of playing ball while we were in Tanzania, he feels like he is behind all of his other team mates...he's hoping they play baseball in Central Eurasia, too.  I'm not sure that they do, but we'll find him something fun to be involved in there.

Gwangi's team, the A's

My ball player.  So very handsome.

Sissi, playing during the ball game.

Coach Mike, counting off the boys for their batting order.

Meeting the other team, before the game.

My sweet Krypto, watching his brother play baseball.

Gwangi hits the ball!

Running off of first to second base.

My running boy.

Oh no, he's going to be out on his way to home base!

Just a few pics of my dancing girl

I think I might have shared this before, but Sissi has said that she wants to work overseas when she grows up - to teach kids how to read by having a library where they can come and get free books, and to also have a dance school where they can come and have free classes while she shows them all about our Father's love.  

While doing our study of Psalms this year, we draw a picture about each one...One day, this week, we had Psalm 20 and it talked about the Lord giving us the desires of our heart.  She drew a picture of her library and dance school when she's an adult.  What a sweet girl, with a heart full of love!

Sissi, explaining to us about her library and dance studio

All dressed up and ready for class

Her cute hair

I wish she would let me braid it everyday...but, alas, only on dancing day now.  Otherwise, she likes to wear it down and "curly, like you, Mom."

Sissi, in her class.  I would have taken other photos, but we have to stand outside of the class and with the blinds on the windows, the pictures just didn't turn out well.

Field Trip - Old Salem

We had an awesome field trip together to Old Salem!

Favorites from the day - Krypto said seeing the Moravian Single Brothers' House with all the trades, Gwangi said his favorite was the God's Acres Cemetery, Sissi loved trying out the chocolate, and I liked seeing the room that George Washington stayed in 1791 and the note he wrote in thanks to the Tavern owner...pictures are all below of our favorite things!

Beautiful gardens

Smelling the flowers

We got to try coffee at St. Philip's Moravian Church, the oldest African American Church in North Carolina

The inside of the church

A Sunday School room

Part of the old electrical system

Outside of St. Philips

The Gunsmith's shop

Re-enactment of black powder shooting

Holding the heavy shotgun

Smelling the sulfur after a shot

The "Best Room" in the Tavern, where George Washington stayed for 2 nights on his 1791 trip through town

His hand written note of thanks

A view of his "Southern Tour"

The root cellar

Listening to stories in the kitchen

The printing press

It was actually a second hand press, from Philadelphia

Tools of the trade

The original, though restored, pipe organ....250 years old.

Talking to the shoe maker

The dying room

Learning about weights and measures

Learning about how they made chocolate

Did you know they put chili pepper in their chocolate in the 18th Century...that was Sissi's "favorite strange fact of the day"

Mars company makes "Heritage Chocolate"

Priming the water pump

Watching the joiners at work

The apothecary

Learning about different types of teas and their medical uses

A view of the Doctor's house

More talk of tea

Getting to make our own tea bags

Putting our tea in the bag

Gwangi's tea bag

The Graveyard

Getting ready to take a walk

The kids, talking about the head stones

It just goes on and on

The Moravian Home Church, the largest in the Southern Province

We got to hear the bells rung at 4pm...Yes, we were there for most of the day.  It was very worth the trip!