Free Monarch Milkweed

I read about this in a magazine today and I am going to do it. I was already planning on getting a butterfly kit since we are leaning about bugs, but this will teach about plants as well. I checked out their website http://www.livemonarch.com/and it has some great stuff for teaching about the butterflies. You can send a self addressed stamped envelope and you’ll receive free seeds. I also signed up for the adopt an online butterfly. It’s an educational program where they send e-mails about “your” butterfly from an egg to an adult. They promise special awards, prizes, and discounts for participating.

I also did an online search for “free seeds” and came across http://wintersown.org/which will send free packets of butterfly bush seeds.

Marie-Anne

Bugs!!!

Our current lesson is on Bugs! We have checked out a number of non-fiction and fiction books about bugs as well as a DVD. I would love to get a kit for raising butterflies and ladybugs or an ant farm. I also found some pretty good web-sites on bugs. We will also be making several crafts. Alex pretends to be a bee in a bee hive as we read. Alex’s favorite bug is “crawling ones.” We may do this one again when more bugs are out. I will also get a bug viewer and butterfly net.

At the same time we are learning about sea animals because Alex is interested in them.

Marie-Anne

Story Time

We tried the library’s story time again. This time I made it sound like a lot of fun and was excited about it, of course then Alex got excited too. We got there early and it was a good thing too because those who were late ended up on the floor. It wasn’t as crowded as last time though. Before we went in I told Alex that he would have to sit on the floor and not to run around unless the Librarian says to. She read 3 books and the kids danced and sang. For one dance everybody got ribbons to wave. Alex loved that. Then in another dance the kids could dance however they wanted and Alex kept jumping and falling to the ground.

After story time we sat with another little boy and his babysitter. Alex helped Billy put the puzzles together, (even when Billy didn’t ask for help). This time was totally different from our first visit. I am glad we went back. And I am also glad that this is a year-round program.

Marie-Anne

Alex's Dream in his own words

"Mommy, I saw dinosaurs and sea animals swimming, swimming, swimming. A lot of fish tanks with fish and one bowl had fish and water in it. I was in a submarine WITH REALLY COOL BUTTONS!!! There were things outside the submarine I put them in. Mommy, fish don't bite me- they don't have sharp mouths."

Alex

Desert Tortoise

We went to the library just to get some books. The librarian told us that there was a tortoise lesson going on in the children’s story room. Frank, Alex, and I learned about desert tortoises. It was fun. The speaker brought in preserved tortoises and shells for the kids to see. There was also someone dressed in a tortoise costume and a comment was made about the costumed tortoise always driving on roads. When asked what Alex learned, “Tortoises do things. Tortoises drive.” I asked Frank to share his comments, “It raised my awareness of the plight of our small shelled desert friends and made me wonder if they taste like chicken.”

http://www.mojavemax.com/

Marie-Anne

Alex quotes

Alex almost always sits where Frank does at the table when Frank is not here. One morning I asked him why he does that. Matter of factly he said, “Because I am a big boy. I am a sir.”

I read the story of Belshazzar to Alex for the first time. After the story I asked him why the hand wrote on the wall. “Because it didn’t write on paper.”

My husband asked Alex if his room was clean enough that if he went in he would be happy. “Yes.” They walked into the room and Alex exclaims shocked, “It’s dirty again.”

Alex loves Jay-Jay the Jet plane. He’ll say I love Jay Jay. I love Big Jake and on through all the characters. We asked Alex, do you love mommy or papa? No, not Yeeeeeeeeet. After several days of him saying this Sis. Charly (his Sunday School teacher) asked him, "who do you love?"
“I love God.” What a hypocrite!

Marie-Anne

Discovering Dinosaurs

Alex has been learning about dinosaurs. His favorite, of course, is all of them. We checked out books from the library on different dinosaurs; Allosaurus, Gigantosaurus, Stegosaurus, t-rex, Velociraptor… He also has the dinosaur leap pad book. The Natural History Museum has a wonderful dinosaur room. We also checked out some kid documentaries on dinosaurs. Enchanted Learning has some good dinosaur crafts and information.

Marie-Anne

Finding Friends

I had thought that by now we would know people with kids around Alex’s age. Of course we have met some, but they are wrapped up in their own lives. In Washington Alex had a huge Sunday School class and also had several friends we visited with during the week.

A few days ago we were visiting someone who had been to church and his granddaughter was there. She is younger than Alex, but he didn’t care he had a friend! I can’t fully describe the fit he threw when it was time to go. I really felt sorry for him.

Alex makes temporary friends every time we go to a playland, but I want him to have more. I just found out the local recreation centers have a weekly play group. I think we will also try the library’s story hour again, (we tried it once when we first got here; it was over crowded and Alex was bored). We will try these things and hopefully he will make some friends.

Marie-Anne

Musings of the heart - Appetite for God

Matthew 5:6 - Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Each of us understands the concepts of hunger and thirst, experiencing them daily as our body tells us that we need food or drink. This verse tells us however that the blessed are those need a different sort of nourishment. Happy are you if you have an appetite for righteousness, or in other words you are hungry for holiness and the justice of God.

Certainly this hunger and thirst for goodness is not natural to mankind, as the Bible tells us: “There is none righteous, no, not one…” It is the only righteous One that can forgive the unrighteous, and through example, instruction and continuous fellowship can the first pangs of this hunger be born in us. Blessed are you, once you crave God’s fellowship and that of His people and starve for His justice.

The first Psalm says, “For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”Do we know the way of the right? If you truly do hunger and thirst after God’s right ways, then we are promised to be filled. We could say in almost every circumstance, with whatever you hunger after you will be filled with. May we feast on the right meals.

I love dollar stores!

Today at the dollar store I found Alex’s favorite cereals; Franken berry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula! I stocked up and wanted even more. They are twice as much at Wal-Mart, (where I normally buy them). I also found some educational games and lacing cards. I’ve been wanting to get Alex some lacing cards, but didn’t want to pay a lot for them.

Marie-Anne

The power of the Thank you card

One day when we were getting our pictures taken the lady working there gave Alex a Veggie Tales book. When we got home I wrote out a thank you card and had Alex scribble on it. When we gave it to her she lit up. She said it made her day and that she'd keep it.

One day we invited some friends over and they brought me flowers. It really made my day. Since then we have endeavored to do the same when we are invited.

These things only take a few minutes, but the joy they cause is priceless.

Marie-Anne

Kids and chores

Our son has chores. He’s 3 years old, but he helps load and unload the silverware in the dishwasher, he puts dirty clothes in the hamper, and he puts away his clean clothes. He also “cleans” his room (almost always a battle). Alex also sometimes does extra chores that he gets paid for. Ex: He helps to clean out the car. With the money he earns he saves 10%, pays tithe, and buys a toy.

We are training him to become a responsible adult. We believe that by giving him some age appropriate responsibilities as he grows he will be better prepared for life. The problem is me- I haven’t been consistent in making him do his chores. That is something I need to work on. I guess I need more training.

Marie-Anne

Homeschooling- A Way of Life

Alex is too young for “school.” The public school, private school, home school debate has not been settled in our house. Yet, Alex has been homeschooled all his life. We began reading to him when he was 2 weeks old and we started using animal flash cards shortly after that. Before he could talk we could lay 6 cards before him and ask, “Alex, where’s the bear?” He would point and get every one right. Since then he has learned many things precept upon precept and line upon line. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:10 My point is no matter which route we decide to take in his formal education, Alex will always be learning. Alex will be homeschooled.

Marie-Anne

Field Trips

Lake Mead http://www.nps.gov/lame/

We spent a few hours Sunday after church at Lake Mead. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we drove to the visitors’ center. At the visitor’s center we looked at the displays and I was happily surprised at that a good deal of it was hands on for kids. On the way out I got a Jr. Rangers activity book to fill out at home. Although it is mostly for older kids younger kids only have to do 3 pages (with help) to get a certificate and a badge. We will do research on the internet too. We walked the trail around the visitor’s center. Then we went to Lake Mead and walked along the shore while Alex threw rocks and chased sea gulls.

M&M World http://www.mymms.com/merchandise/

This was a just for fun trip. M&M World is four stories of M&M merchandise and a 3D movie. We had a lot of fun, but it is on the Strip (Las Vegas). We will not be going back because of the atmosphere of the Strip and the horrible traffic as we left. If it was in a different location we would definitely go back.

Natural History Museum http://www.lvnhm.org/

I was so impressed with this museum that we are planning on becoming members. The displays were wonderful. We spent the most time in the sea, desert, dinosaurs, and of course the kid’s section. Prior to our trip we started studying dinosaurs. We are planning on going back next month when my in-laws visit. Before the next trip we will study the desert, after all we live in one.

Hoover Dam http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/

We took the Power Plant tour which included a 10 minute film- “How the West was Won,” a trip into the powerplant, the Exhibit Gallery, and the Observation Deck. We did these things, but we didn’t do all of the things on the tour because we got tired.

Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary http://www.gilcreasenaturesanctuary.org/

This sanctuary is home to many many birds, cows, miniature horses, goats, pigs, rabbits, and cats. It was a spur of the moment field trip. My sister-in-law was visiting so I did an internet search and found Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary and we went the next day. We really enjoyed ourselves. The highlights for Alex were petting the goats and the talking parrots. And of course Aunt Sandy!

Las Vegas Zoo http://www.lasvegaszoo.org/

A few days before we went I got 5 or 6 non-fiction animal books from the library and a couple of documentaries about animals. The zoo is small, but it was just about the right size for Alex. Alex enjoyed chasing pigeons and playing on the turtle and elephant statues as much as he enjoyed the animals. My favorite was the cougar. My least favorite was the ostrich that almost got Alex’s fingers.

Local Parks

About once a week we go to a local park. So far we’ve gone to 5 or 6 since we moved to Las Vegas, but our favorite is the closest to our house. We almost always go for a walk first then let Alex play at the playground or ride his bike, (he’s still learning). Sometimes we have a picnic. I love parks.

Lied Children’s Museum http://www.ldcm.org/

Alex’s favorite parts were the giant bubbles, the tunnels, and the different shaped blocks. I was a little disappointed that the arts sections had puzzles that were too advanced instead of crafts. Upstairs was for older kids, but we still went up there. Alex was happy to get back to the blocks.

Bonnie Springs http://www.bonniesprings.com/

Bonnie Springs is a replica of a 1800’s mining town and petting zoo. We dressed Alex as a cowboy and called it, “”Cowboy Day.” I found some pages of cowboy coloring pages and taught Alex a little about cowboys. There was a shoot out with the posse. Alex’s favorite part was the train, we rode it twice. I have to admit I felt sorry for the animals because the cages seemed so small, but overall it was fun.

Nevada State Railroad Museum http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/museums/BoulderCity/rr.htm

Alex loves Thomas the Tank Engine. So we decided he should get to see a real train. I brought all of his Thomas books and some of the toys for the car ride. The museum was trains. We rode on the train then when we got off we asked one of the conductors if we could get a picture of him and Alex. He then took us, (we were the only ones) on the caboose that wasn’t yet open to the public.

Woodland Zoo (Seattle, WA) http://www.zoo.org/

This zoo has an awesome website that we visited several times before our trip. We went with some friends so Alex was very happy to have his friend Richard with us. The highlights were the petting zoo, play area, and the butterfly garden. I had never been in a butterfly garden so I could have stayed a lot longer, but our friends were ready to move on.

Tacoma Children’s Museum http://www.childrensmuseumoftacoma.org/

We went twice, once with my mom and once with friends. This was my first time being at a Children’s Museum and I was very impressed. The main theme was food. It had a “garden,” a market, a café, and a play kitchen. It was small so after an hour or two the grownups were bored, but the kids could’ve stayed all day.

Other places we’ve gone that Alex was too young to remember were; Brevard County Zoo, Tacoma History Museum, Alexandria Zoo, Mt. Rainer, Point Defiance Zoo, Sea World, Coco Beach, and the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library.

Marie-Anne