Connecticut~Whales and Red, White and Blue

On Wednesday we learned about whales in general and more in depth about the Sperm Whale, state animal of Connecticut. I really was amazed at what the kids already knew from watching 'Whale Wars' and Animal Planet. We learned the difference between a Baleen Whale and a Toothed Whale. Do you know which one has only 1 blow hole? Do you know which one eats over 2 tons of krill in a day?

We did a whale lapbook and the kids complained the whole time...I guess they don't really like the lapbooks! I thought they liked the creative, fun aspect of them...they don't like the writing however!! :o We tied in Jonah and the Whale, and I has expected to read the story to the kids as review, but I didn't need to. They all could recite the whole story to me! That made me smile!! :)

I searched and searched and searched for Whale recipes or crafts, and just couldn't find any. They were all fish things, and since whales are mammals and not fish I didn't want to go that route. BUT, since I could not find anything else, we had BBQ hamburgers for dinner (first hamburger sold in Conn) 'ocean' jello cups with fish and cupcakes with blue icing for water and gummy fish. Of course the kids still loved it, so all was not lost!!

Yesterday we learned about the Constitution...so everything was Red, White and Blue! We talked about the Bill of Rights and how they still protect their freedom today. I had them each choose a 'right' and draw a picture about it...of course I was NOT surprised at all at what rights they choose. The boys chose the right to bear arms and the girls the right to religious freedom and freedom of speech! Their pictures were very different however. Samantha wanted to know if she has the freedom of speech, why do I get mad when she says bad words or things that aren't nice! This allowed me to explain that there are rules on a Federal level, state level, city level and in our home. And we also have rules as a Christian. We repeated the verse they learned a few weeks back, 'Be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted.' I told her that we are first and foremost to follow God's commands, and He tells us to talk with kindness, and using bad language is not kind. All I got was an 'OHH!' I guess that was not the answer she wanted! lol

For dinner, I bit off more then I could chew. We ended up eating really late...I made a fruit tray with blueberries, strawberries and bananas, making them into a flag! We had an 'all American' dinner of BBQ chicken and corn on the cob. I made red, white and blue jello cups, Yankee Doodle Salad (of course tweaked a lot so my family would eat it) and red, white and blue 'mocktails'. The kids loved the dinner and when it was done it was worth it. I then made a red, white and blue triffle with homemade pound cake! Blake had fallen asleep while watching TV and the kids said dessert and he woke up fast and ate his...lol...that is Blake! I have posted pictures of the food...I hope you enjoy it.

We were supposed to finish up Connecticut today, but thought we would take the day off in honor of Good Friday. We planted some more seeds for Earth Day and just taking it easy. It is hard to have the kids do school when the neighbor kids are outside. I feel like a really rotten mom!! So, vacation day it is!!

Thank you for following our Blog...we hope you enjoy it!!

Connecticut...

Well, today we started Connecticut. We learned about it's early history and the kids were excited to hear that is was first explored by a Dutchman. They don't realize that only 25% Dutch blood, and a dad who was born in the US not Holland, isn't much Dutch...but they like to think that they are "Dutch to the Bone" as Justin says.

We learned about Nathan Hale and the ultimate sacrifice he made for his growing nation at only 21 years old. His last words were, "I regret that I have but one life to loose for this county" (paraphrased some :o) Those that witnessed his death were touched by his humility and patriotism. His body hung in the town for over 3 days, probably to teach a lesson to other would be spies, but I think it was more of a reminder to stand up and even die for what you believe in.

Then we touched on the state flower, we had already learned about it for another state. Then on to the American Robin, which I called a Red Robin all day, and was corrected by the kids each and EVERY time. The American Robin only weighs about 3~4 oz, about that of a CD and is about 10 inches long. They are often seen in your yard looking for worms or grubs in your lawn. They also eat berries and other insects. The American Robin does not mate for life and can lay eggs up to 3 times in a year. Each time laying between 3~7 eggs at a time. They are small blueish eggs. A newborn Robin is called a nestling. They are born knowing 3 things: 1. Sit very still in the nest not to attract predators 2. Open wide when mom comes back to the nest with food 3. as soon as they eat, poop! The kids had a laugh at this one. They poop right away so that they parents can clean it up. When they poop it is in a little sack, like a diaper, to make it easy to get rid of.

I racked my brain, for a recipe idea for dinner, in honor of the American Robin. I didn't come up with much...the internet didn't offer much help either. I finally came up with making a nest out of piled up spaghetti and I put meatballs in the middle for the eggs...not really creative, but a dinner everyone would eat! For dessert I made nests out of chow mein noodles and melted chocolate and put 2 Robin Eggs in them...nice that I could get those easily this close to Easter!

Well, tomorrow is the Sperm Whale and Praying Mantis...should be an interesting day!!

California Return Packages

Dear friends that have blessed us with packages. We are working on our return package to you. We have come up with a few additional ideas and needed for our tax return to be able to purchase them...We also are making a CD of pictures of our lives to share with you. We will be together with our extended family on Easter, so will be able to take more pictures and add them. I hope to have them in the mail in about 2 weeks...
Thanks for the patience...I hope you will find it is worth it!!

Thank you all again for your packages...you have blessed our family with your thoughtfulness and generosity!