Brag

Remember when we did an art project with wet chalk earlier this summer? Rachael did. She made this fabulous picture while we were at Mark and Laura's house for a birthday party. Yes, she's five. I didn't realize before becoming a parent how much amazement went with the job. I love that she loves art and creating things.

Week 7: Not Quite Adding Up

This week we matched upper case and lower case letters. Rachael did really well with this task. Anna was able to help by matching the pictures. I covered them on Rachael's turns.

We talked about our sense of smell during our science project this week. The girls guessed what they were smelling while blindfolded. I wrote down what they said, then we compared our list to what the containers actually had. Anna did pretty well until she started saying everything smelled like chicken. Then the girls ate the cereal and licked the honey and the mustard.

For art, we watched an old Goofy cartoon on youtube where he tries learning to dance using footprints. Then the girls scattered footprints around and danced. After a little while, it turned into a freeze dance game. Here the girls are being statues.

And again, our math project just didn't make it into the equation.

Melaleuca Picnic 2014

Rachael and Anna had a lot of fun at the annual Melaleuca Company Picnic. Anna loved riding the horses again. Rachael was excited that the one she rode was named Koda. 

The girls got their faces and hair painted. We had butterflies all round. Then it was off to walk on water. Rachael kept moving the whole time. Anna just wanted to lie down and float in hers.

Rachael had to ride the bull again this year. Then we tried out a few rides. Anna just giggled on the one that lifts you up and then drops you. The girls and I made the rounds of the slides and rides and had lunch and snacks in between it all. There was a slight breeze that kept it from getting too hot. It was a great day.

Of course, the picnic is just a good excuse for the kids to eat a lot of junk food and get really dirty.

Rachael begged to go on the zip line. She remembered how much fun she had on the one earlier in the spring in California. She is such a brave girl. She climbed up there and flew down all by herself with a great big smile on her face. 

Roller Skating Take 2

The girls earned another trip to the roller rink. We had a bumpy start. Anna's first pair of skates rolled too freely. She was much happier after we switched to a different pair. Rachael needed a little time to get back in the groove. She was excited to find that her neon socks glowed in the black lights. They both liked getting sodas from the fountain. Too bad one large sprite ended up all over our table. 

Week 6

We matched pictures to the letters that they started with for our reading project. Anna was able to do a few of them, when Rachael would let her. 

For science, we talked about gravity. I used colored water to show how things fall down when you don't hold them up. Then we explored ways of getting the water to go from a lower bucket to a higher one, including using spoons and soap pumps.

We made sun prints for art. We each choose 5 small objects to put on our construction papers. Then we set them on the front step in the sun. Waiting was the hardest part of this project. Rachael and Anna just had to keep checking theirs. It really only took about an hour in the bright sunshine for the paper to fade and leave a good print of our things.

Sadly, our math project just did not happen this week. 

Dance Festival

Ever since I moved to Idaho, I’ve wanted to go to the international dance festival that they have up in Rexburg. This year, Patrick’s parents took all of us to it. It was very fun watching the different teams, especially the Russian, Hawaiian, and US teams. The Native American dancer had all of the people who have served in the military come up on stage. Patrick’s dad stood there pretty stoically as the man did a special dance honoring veterans, parts of which were performed very close to his face.

Afterward, the girls got to meet some of the dancers. Anna thought the Russian girls looked like princesses. Rachael's favorite dancers were the little girls who performed before the actual show. She liked their silver dresses.