Visiting plants

We didn't make lists this morning, which is why Calvin got stuck in a math rut (not much of a rut if he's enjoying it) and I got stuck practicing the piano. I did manage the laundry, but we forgot the painting project that's half done and the science unit we were excited about trying.

We were short on time, though. Friday is our HAA (homeschool group) meeting day, but since the rec room we use was busy today we met at the local Botanical Gardens instead. It wasn't the social gathering that it usually is—in fact we barely saw anyone else—but we had a great time playing plant Bingo and the strong dose of vivid greens and moist warmth was gratifying after yesterday's snow. Jon even got a moment to join us.

Fish, ponds, lilypads, orchids, bromeliads...I had no idea a pineapple was a bromeliad.

Very frowny fish.

Big aloe.

Eek, cactus.

Pitcher plant. We've seen these on Planet Earth.

Big roots.

Duh.

Pods from the sausage tree. No, really.

And then we came home and Calvin got stuck on the piano while I exercised. I showered when I was done and when I came down he was still at the piano, playing and belting out songs about Broadway. Leftovers for dinner, a little hide-and-seek, a game of Carcassonne, and that's another full day.

Just one day

We made a list in this morning of things we wanted to accomplish. We make lists a lot of mornings. Today there were so many things on our list that I think we were busy crossing things off from then until dinner, and even then we hadn't finished.

We both started with journal writing, then on to the piano, and finally we colored some Prehistoric Beasts.

Today was the last fall story time at the library and while we were there we searched for some books on early humans and cave painting. We found surprisingly little, but brought home what they had. Thankfully we already had one fantastic book on hand—First Painter, by Kathryn Lasky—that my mom had kindly checked out from her library for us (which we finally got to around bedtime).

Then, as we drove into the garage the sun came out, so we put on our warm things to head out for a walk and some nature collecting. We have been looking at the lessons in BFSU (B-2 and B-3) that deal with classification of things, recognizing the attributes of living things, and identifying the living as belonging to either the plant or animal kingdoms, so a hike with discussions of this kind was on our list.

When we got home we drank tomato soup from mugs and ate cheese and apples slices while we watched the second episode of Nova's Becoming Human. This is a series we stumbled upon thanks to Netflix recommendations and we've really enjoyed it. Lunchtime today was our third viewing :)

After lunch a little more piano, a little math, some geography worksheets, some Legos, some BFSU list making, some more fall leaf decoration making, and even some playing in the snow (snow!). Then finally some dinner making. Well, for me some dinner making, for Calvin some Highlights reading, since his new issue came in the mail today.

And even though we didn't get to everything on our list (more a problem with being over ambitious than with being lazy), we enjoyed what we did do so we'll count that a productive and successful day.

The great Dire Woof

We spent today with good friends, so while we started out with some chores, some piano practice, and some journal writing, we ended it with an early bedtime due exhaustion from wild giggling and activities. Legos, play kitchen, books, a walk to the park, and even a fall craft. The two little ones (who aren't so little any more) were lost in every kind of imaginary game they could think of. At one point they were hiding out in the toy tent—scientists on an expedition!—when the meat-eating Ollie-saur (or the Dire Woof, as they later named him) came lurking around and needed scaring away with loud shrieks and roars. It didn't really work, because he wanted to play, too, which meant that Ollie made the perfect play thing today, and that he is also passed out with exhaustion tonight.

We walked to the park, collecting things of beauty along the way, like brightly colored leaves that we brought home to laminate for hanging in the windows, or setting on the table. We were busy, we were happy, we had a great time.

The timeline is expanding

Where before it was confined to our upper hallway, now it has taken over one wall of the front entryway as well. We found, albeit appropriately, that the Cenozoic Era on the standard timeline just wasn't big enough to hold all of the felt creatures Calvin wanted to have, so we created a "zoomed inset" and hung it on the downstairs wall. The labels aren't on it yet, and only some of the creatures are done, but these may be some of Calvin's favorites so far.

November in the park

Sixty degrees in November called us to the park today. Actually, with the loss of the hour it called us first to get up too early, drink too much coffee to make up for it, and spend the first too many hours of sunshine sitting in the house playing with Legos, practicing the piano, and play-acting the felt, but then it called us to the park. Or, actually, next it called us to the library book sale in Ann Arbor where we picked up some treasures we're very excited about, but then—then—it finally called us outside. So that's where we went.