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Denver Zoo has a free day! ~ field trip

Written by Joy
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Denver Zoo has a free day! ~ field trip

We recently found out that the Denver Zoo has free days for the public. One of those days was last week. I asked our neighbor who homeschools her 7 year old son if they wanted to go with us. They said yes, so off we went! We packed a lunch, snacks and bottled water for the day. We got to the zoo fairly early and there were already a lot of families who were taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

King of the Jungle

As you walk in through the front gate, the first animals that you come to is the African Lions.  They were absolutely gorgeous!  And huge!

Cape Buffalo

Being a zoo with a lot of animals, the one thing you do notice right off is the smell.  I kept giggling at Samuel who kept asking why the animals smelled so badly.  He walked around the zoo with his shirt over his nose, most of the day.  The smell was really horrible at the Cape Buffalo area.

Dall’s Sheep

I have seen mountain sheep before on Mt.Evans.  Was even able to get some really close pictures of them.  So I liked watching these that were at the zoo.  The one with the horns was the dominating one.  He would go up to the younger ones and push them below him.  He was definitely playing king of the mountain and succeeded!

Claire with the Capuchin

Claire had told me before we arrived at the zoo that she wanted to see the monkeys.  Her Papa calls her, his little monkey and so she wanted to have her picture taken with them, so we could send it to him.

Samuel seeing how tall he is next to am Emperor Penguin

Samuel thought this was pretty cool, being able to compare how tall he is to an Emperor Penguin.

Grizzly Bears

While we have seen black bears in North Carolina, this was our first time seeing grizzly bears.  I loved watching the grizzly bears.  Tundra (female bear), kept pacing back and forth while watching Tipani (sp?- male bear) eat his bone.  Tundra was waiting for him to walk away from his bone so she could take it, even though she had her own!

Kids checking out an Elephant skull

The Denver Zoo has just recently added a new section to the Zoo.  It is a much larger Elephant exhibit.  From what we were told, they have added several more elephants to the zoo.  It is amazing how large and graceful these animals are.

Elephant

Another highlight for the kids were seeing the giraffes.  We also got a lesson in giraffe anatomy.  When we walked up the largest giraffe was going to the bathroom.  They must have a bladder the size of a basketball or larger.  The make giraffe stood there urinating for several minutes.  Adults and kids all got a giggle out of seeing this!

Giraffe

The last exhibit we went through, was the Tropical Climate building.  This building had so many different types of frogs, lizards, fish and snakes in it.  It was very humid and damp.  This was also a big hit with the kids.  It is so amazing to see all the different types of animals that God has created.

Kids looking at a Komodo Dragon

We spent about 3 hours at the zoo that day.  I would have stayed longer, but the kids were all tired.  So we left after leaving the Tropical building.  The zoo was so big that we didn’t even get to see everything.  We are excited about going back again on the next free day.  This time, dad is going to take off a half a day so he can go with us.  The kids can’t wait to show him all the animals we saw.  I can’t wait to see the animals that we missed on our first trip.  We enjoyed the zoo so much, that we are planning on buying a yearly membership.

Do you have a zoo that is close by?  What are your favorite animals?

 

2012, field trips, homeschooling, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

a solar eclipse and pinhole viewing box project ~ Apologia Astronomy

Written by Joy
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a solar eclipse and pinhole viewing box project ~ Apologia Astronomy

The kids and I are moving right along with the Exploring Creation with Astronomy from Apologia.  We have made it to the end of the 2nd chapter about the sun.

The first thing we did, was create a solar eclipse using our globe, a small ball attached to a string and a flashlight.  By putting the ball between the light source and the globe, we were able to cast a shadow, showing the kids how a solar eclipse works.

showing the kids how a solar eclipse works.

We then moved on to making a pinhole viewing box.  I gathered the supplies that we needed.  One of the things I really like about Apologia and their projects,  it is stuff you can find laying around your home.  For this project, I had everything on hand.

supplies for the projects

Sarah started out cutting a hole in the side of the box.  This was to view the sun when we finished the project.  However, you could have cut the side of this box off.

Sarah making a hole in the side of the box.

Samuel had the job of cutting a piece of aluminum foil and white paper to go on the end of each box.

Samuel cutting the aluminum foil and paper.

Claire helped Sarah tape the aluminum foil over a hole on one end of the box.  She then helped tape the white piece of paper on the opposite end.

Claire getting a needle.

Sarah helped Claire poke a hole in the aluminum foil.  We found out the bigger the hole the needle made the bigger and fuzzier the sun showed on the white paper.  The smaller the hole, the clearer the picture of the sun.

Sarah helping Claire poke a hole with the needle.

The kids and I had a great time looking at the sun through the pinhole viewing box.  It worked really well.  We were hoping to be able to see some sun spots on the sun, but we didn’t notice any dark spots at all.

seeing the sun through the pinhole.

Trixie even came out on the porch and wanted to look in the box!

Trixie wanted to see the sun in the pinhole in the box!

While we were sad to end the chapter on the sun, we are looking forward to the next chapter about Mercury.  We can’t wait until the next project!

Linking up with:

Science Sunday

 

2012, homeschooling, , , , , , ,

Teach Them Diligently Conference Early Bird Special Ends Soon!

Written by Joy
Teach Them Diligently Conference Early Bird Special Ends Soon!

Teach Them Diligently early bird special will be ending soon. In fact, it ends this Thursday, November 15th, 2012. If you want to hear speakers Pam Tebow, Ken Ham and Voddie Baucham and many more, buy your tickets soon!  Take advantage of the early bird special!

What is Teach Them Diligently Conference about?  Here are a few questions answers that might be able to help you understand a little more about the conference.

What is the Teach Them Diligently Convention?

Teach Them Diligently is a large, but intimate celebration in the Word of God and
His plan for families. The goal of the convention is to encourage parents to
focus on discipleship and soak their homes in the gospel. The organizers pray
over this convention for months and bring in speakers and vendors with the same
focus. The result is not just your typical homeschool convention book fair or
academic exercise, but something more. The parents are entrusted with the
special task of leading their children through the Word and to equip them to be
our Lord’s servants in the world.

Where will the Teach Them Diligently Convention be?

Teach Them Diligently is coming May 2013 to Spartanburg, SC; Nashville, TN; and
Omaha, NE. In 2012, this convention was in Spartanburg, SC, and attracted a
community of over 7000 homeschoolers.

What is the vision of Teach Them Diligently?

We view homeschooling as a form of ministry and state whether we realize it or
not, we reproduce who we are in our children. Therefore, we have a constant
need for renewal and encouragement in Christ. This is the reason for the Teach Them Diligently Convention. We believe a homeschool convention should be a
waterfall of enrichment and encouragement in Christ, and a re-focus toward
discipleship.

Who will the speakers be? A variety of speakers including Voddie Baucham,
Ken Ham, Heidi St. John, Clay & Sally Clarkson, Davis & Rachel Carmen,
Israel Wayne, Debra Bell, Hal & Melanie Young and many others will join us
to minister to the families coming to the Teach Them Diligently Convention.

Our family plans on attending the conference in Omaha, Nebraska.  Will I see you there?

*this post contains affiliate links.

2012, homeschooling, , , , , , ,

so thankful and blessed… #1051-1060

Written by Joy
so thankful and blessed… #1051-1060

When I see this verse, other than thinking about God sending Jesus to die on the cross, I can’t help to think about another group of people who have put and continue to put their lives on the line for us.  That is the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.   Because  of those who have served and are serving,  We have freedoms that a lot of others do not have.

John 15:13

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial

So in honor of Veteran’s Day, I thought I would share a few freedoms that I am thankful for.

1051.  the freedom to worship how I believe.

1052. the freedom to attend a church.

Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial

1053. the freedom to stay at home with my children and homeschool them.

1054. the freedom to have a gun.

Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial

1055. freedom of speech.

1056. I am thankful for my Uncle who served in WWII.  He lost his life while he was in the Army.  He was only 22.

Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial

1057. I am thankful for my great grandpa who was the youngest to serve in the Civil War in the state of Florida.

1058. I am thankful for my father-in-law who served in the Air Force in Vietnam.

Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial

1059. I am thankful for my step-father-in-law who served in the Air Force in Vietnam.

1060. I am thankful for the many more who served, are serving now and their families who sacrifice so much for us.

Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial

I would love for you to join in counting the many blessings that God gives. Stop by A Holy Experience and visit others who are also sharing their many blessings.

2012, multitude Mondays, , , , , , ,

The Homeschool Mother’s Journal

Written by Joy
The Homeschool Mother’s Journal

 

I missed last week linking up with The Homeschool Mother’s Journal.  Honestly I can’t remember why I even missed it.  I just didn’t think about writing about her week.  I enjoy doing this though.  It gives me a good look at our week about what all we have accomplished or did not accomplish.  Stop by iHomeschool Network and see all the others who have linked up!

  • In my life this week…

    I had a pretty full week this past week.  Started off the week by taking the kids to the Denver Zoo. (post will be coming soon).  On Tuesday, we found where we needed to vote. While I am disappointed in the way the election turned out, I know God is still in control and as long as we keep our eyes on him, God will take care of our family.  I am also helping with social media for the Teaching Creation Thursdays at Creation Conversations.

  • In our homeschool this week…

    We had a great week in schooling.  My youngest son finished his math workbook and has started the next grade level.  We are learning a lot in MOH and did a cool project in our Apologia Astronomy book. (Post on that coming soon).  My oldest is participating in the NaNoWriMo project for the month of November.  The younger kids are doing great with their reading.  I am very pleased with how our school year is going.  I feel like we are accomplishing a lot.

  • Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

    Do not be afraid to ask for help.  I have a hard time with that one, but there are some days that I just have to ask for help.

  • I am inspired by…

    I love this question.  Since I have begin blogging, I have had so many ladies to inspire me not only with blogging, but with homeschool and even with my faith.  One of those ladies is Rebecca from Mom’s Mustard Seeds.  She is a sweetheart and a true woman of God.  While I have never met her in real life, I feel like I have known her forever.  I can’t wait until I am able to hug her neck.

  • Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

    We went to the Denver Zoo and plan on going back to the Zoo free day on November 16th.

  • My favorite thing this week was…

    I had several favorite things this week.  The zoo trip was definitely a highlight.  I also got a new pair of boots!  Getting back to my country roots!

  • What’s working/not working for us…

    I am extremely happy with our curriculum.  We are using Illuminations this year with Mystery of History, WonderMaps and Hands On Geography.  We are also very happy with the Apologia Science curriculum we are using.

  • Things I’m working on…

  •  I love helping and encouraging homeschool moms with their homeschool journey and their faith.   I was recently asked to help out with the Teaching Creation Thursday at Creation Conversations.  I would love for you to join us!

  • I’m grateful for…

    I am grateful for my husband’s job that he has at Colorado School of Mines.  It is the reason why we made the cross country move and I know God provided it for him.

  • I’m praying for…

    I am praying for our nation.  I am concerned about the future of our nation with the re-election of the President.  I am also praying for the other leaders that are in office.  I just keep telling myself that God is in control and as long as our family keeps our eyes on Him we will be okay.

  • A photo to share…

    We went on a field trip to the Denver Zoo this past Monday. Our neighbor who homeschools her boy, went with us.  We had an amazing time!  We can’t wait to go back!

    kids looking at an elephant skull

Stop by iHomeschool Network and see what all the other homeschool moms have been up to this last week!

*affiliate links are in this post

2012, family, homeschooling, , , , , ,