gifted & homeschooling

Since this blog is supposed to be about homeschooling my 6 year old gifted daughter I guess I should actually write about that every once in awhile...

Z has been very good lately. She has very helpfully been going with the flow while I try to get so many things done. (Including feeding a stray cat and her two newborns that we found in the parking lot...)

All Z's teachers know now that she is moving.

Her gymnasics teacher, of the last two years, has been testing their class for "level four". Z is doing cartwheels off the balance beam now.

Today Z did great at voice. Her singing was noticably better than even last week. She did Honey Bun so well her teacher said that if Z made a demo that she should definitey use that song. I don't see why Z would need a singing demo at this age but it was an interesting thought. Z did have a demo for voice over work but she was actually working as a voice over actress then.

Her piano teacher was very sad. But she told Z "You have to practice very hard before you leave so that you can show your new piano teacher all you can do." And Z has been doing so. Piano is one of the only things I am making sure she does everyday.

I admit we haven't been doing Japanese. I haven't really been doing much with Z at all. I am driving around quite a bit so we are listening to the second book in the Indian in the Cupboard series. At home she is also reading the Spiderwick books, some poetry books, and HP5.

I am itching to start homeschooling but I think we are going to wait the three more weeks until we get to Indiana. We will spend the rest of our time here visiting with family and friends when we are not running errands and taking care of business.

I should say again how proud I am of her and how easy she is being while I am trying to deal with all this other stuff. Tonight, for example, she played with children's toys in the lounge at CarMax while we took care of selling the Jetta. We will only need one car in S.B. and we have chose to ship the BMW.

She also kept herself busy playing with her fairy dolls in ehr room while I was on the phone booking a flight for the cats. :)

quotes and pics

As you can imagine I have been running my rear off the last two days getting papers signed and faxed, visiting the bank and the UPS store, etc

But it is ever so much better to be busy like this then to be waiting to find out where my life is going like I was for almost the last two months.

It might seem like this is all coming together fast but in reality Pere and I have been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen since July 1st. It included a trip where we left L.A. at 11:00 at night on Friday and didn't arrive at our destination in Indiana until 14 hours later (we couldn't land in S.B. due to bad weather so we had to drive) and me having to actually yell at Enterprise rent a car for 15 minutes straight in a room full of people who couldn't help but listen.

Oh yeah and looking at the most disgusting house ever. Imagine if you locked 20 cats in a house for 20 years and let them use the carpeting for a litter box... *shiver*

I have to try not to think about that... yikes!

Well anyway I am very busy and I don't have that much to write about as I am sure you don't care to know how much it is going to cost us to ship four bedrooms worth of furniture and 85 boxes of books over 2000 miles... double yikes!

So Instead I will share some recent pictures of my favorite girl

Here is she in her nightgown cutting up pictures for a "new home/new life" collage.


Here she is resting on a George Seurat bench at the O'Hare airport


This one is of her with a "Detective Kit" she put together with help from her Nancy Drew books




Yesterday we went with Z's piano teacher and some students to the Hollywood to hear the Philharmonic practice. Here is a pic of Z at the bowl and Z wth her teacher.



Now for a couple quotes

Yesterday she was play fighting with her Pere and she said "Ill met by moonlight proud Oberon!" The thing is that she knows the correct quote but she said Oberson because Pere is a man, of course.

Also she was sitting a reading quietly next to me and she exclaims, with exasperation "I can HEAR my EYELASHES!" Apparently her eyelashes make too much noise when she blinks. LOL!! If you have seen her in person it is even funnier because she does have these huge long eyelashes... *grin*

the house

So here are two pictures of the new house. I am pretty sure we will have to name it. I name everything. Our Jetta is Chickie, our BMW is Black Beauty, or Jeep was Betty. Or cats all have more than one name - like Mandy is also Poof-poof Sneaky-eyes.

Here is our new kitchen


and a view of the back yard

Harry Potter goodies

Our friend H, who was Z's librarian and is now a librarian at a big library in Indiana, sent us some goodies from their book seven release event. I had seen pictures and the release party looked amazing! Here are the goodies she sent us.

a several page version of the Daily Prophet. Z read it all today


A version of Mrs. Weasley's clock. I can't wait to make this project.


Also a lightning bolt sticker, a Marauder's Map and two S.P.E.W. badges


Of course Z had to dress up in her Harry/Hermione cloak, witches hat and glasses.


Recently Z has been reading some kids books, like Spiperwick and Bunnicula. We also listened to The Indian in the Cupboard. That story was great! I highly recommend it. We are also listening to The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I remember liking that when I was little but not so much now. Indian in the Cupboard is better. I also read Spiderwick. I was okay. The first book is not a whole story in and of itself so I will have a read the next one to see if I like it.

For bedtime Z asked me to go back to reading Robin Hood. At one point we were singing a song as Frair Tuck and Robin. It was great fun!

Update on the house hunting...

We found a house. We made an offer. They made an counter offer. We accepted. Now we are just waiting to sign stuff. Once it is all a done deal I will post pictures. :)

A great life wherever we go

A lot of you know that I feel like I already lead a very good life. A great life even. We have family here. Pere has a very good job with a boss he likes working for. Z has so many good friends and wonderful teachers. I have friends too and access to a lot of cool homeschooling resources.

Yeah, we couldn't really afford to buy a house (only a townhouse or condo), but in a couple more years we would have been able to do that too.

So what am I thinking to move away from the great life I was living?

Well, when we went to S.B. this summer we all really felt like it was a very special place. We tried to imagine the kind of life we could live there. We were realistic about it. We didn't imagine anything too much, just being able to afford a house with a yard for Z to play in and garden. We knew that Pere would be able to work from home again which is good for many reasons. We would have a good library, and farmer's market, and even our favorite brand of beer.

And of course we would get to be around my family. I haven't really lived with my sister since I was 11 and she was 19, except one summer when I lived with her in Hawaii when I was 15. My sister and I, despite our age differences and different lives really have a lot in common. And when I found out I was pregnant with Z my sister was the first person I called.

Also her boys are so good and sweet and funny. She did a great job raising them. The younger boy (a junior in highschool) is still at home and is so incredible with Z. *sigh* He really is such a sweetheart. Z cried so hard when we left him earlier this summer. This time she wrote him a sad letter.

And then there are my parents. I used to live close them in Florida and would come to my father's karate dojo twice a week. My dad and I are close and I am really looking forward to having him in my life and also for Z is get to be close to him too. My mom loves to cook from scratch and sew and read. We like a lot of the same movies and books and activites. I have always said that my Mere, Pere and Z are like my own "holy trinity". And she is so devoted to Z. Both she and my sister were doing little "happy dances" this weekend everytime Pere and I got s step closer to moving there.

So while I know Pere and I are the kind of people that will make a great life for ourselves where ever we go we all feel that S.B. has many special qualities that make us excited to try a life there, not in the least of which is our family.

It is really happening...

We are in S.B today. We flew in on the red-eye flight last night (actually there was bad weather and we couldn't land in S.B. and had to fly back to Chicago and drive in... but let's try not to think about that.)

Today we looked at some houses. I think we found the one we want. We are going to look at more tomorrow and we might even make an offer this weekend...

Right now I am watching Shrek Two with my mom and sister. Z is sitting with her cousin and his girlfriend. Her cousin is so sweet with her. *smile*

meez

Oo! oo! I made a Meez. (Thanks for the idea Patience!)
That was fun!

What goes around comes around

I have had people accuse me of being "too" nice before. And I am sure several people have thought I was a real witch.

I am surprised to get this blogger award but really gratified too. I really do care about my blogger friends and I try to think of ways to express that to them but the words I type on their blog don't do it justice.

Big Hugs to my blogger friends who think I am "nice". It is NICE to be thought of that way.

Now to tag a few NICE friends

Mariposa
Nina at Preschool at Home
Kate at Growing the Garden State

In our new home area we will have

My parents
My sister, brother-in-law and two nephews
to only walk a block or two to parents or sister's house
Z learning how to do "stuff" with Papa
Z learning to sew and bead and cook with Meme
Z playing soccer and video games and bacci ball and croquet with cousins
an active and friendly neighborhood
Pere working from home again
family over to eat Pere's spicy food
A nice "cook"s kitchen"
Train trips to Chicago
Walks library and downtown
a home
Other family often visiting
Old friends
Real wildlife and native flora
Symphony
A children's choir
A Math center
a Civic theatre with youth acting classes
A Gem and Mineral Club
A Harp teacher
Fencing classes
Several Dance schools
A YMCA with gymnastics, racquetball, swimming, and more
Amish and Mennonite communities
Snow
Nature center classes run by Park Rangers
Baton twirling classes
Children's cooking classes
Gardening
A top twenty college
The 6th best library in the nation for a town that size
A tea house at an Inn
A real live Chocolate Factory
A Planetarium and Air/Space museum
Lots of Parks
Four seasons
Close Proximity to Lake Michigan
Three asian grocery markets
Thai food and sushi
Studios for local artists
Art musuems
Children's museum
Children's Health museum
Botanical Gardens
A zoo
A Farmer's Market
Drive-in theatres
New and used bookstores
Farms
Renaissance Faires
Gaming store
Summer Shakespeare productions
Synagogues
LEGO league
Astro camp
Berry Picking Farms
Lots of local music and art shows
A Broadway League
Solstice Parades
Annual neighborhood events
Camping
Lake Michigan
Free concerts downtown every Friday
Gutter Sundaes
Japanese Garden
White water rafting
Lower cost of living

Science, Swimming and Sinner... I mean Dinner

Today Z wanted to do a science project from her eco-science book, Planet Patrol, first thing after breakfast. We read about CO2 and how every mile you drive puts out around one pound of CO2. The experiment was only to track how far we drove that day and then do a one to one conversion.

But I made up someting more.

First I had Z write down all the place we usually go in a week or two - piano, voice, gymnastics, park, grocery, Target, friend's houses, grandma's houses, etc. Then using the new "Distance Measurement" feature in google maps she measured how many miles away all those places were by marking lines along the route and then multiplying by 2 for the ride home. Then she added up all the numbers, including some fractions, and came up with around 360 lbs of carbon dioxide that we would be putting into the air in a two week time (although we don't usually drive that much, but sometimes we might.)

Then we did the same thing for our new neighborhood and the classes I intend on enrolling her in and she got around 40lbs in two weeks. But we would be within walking distance of her grandma and we don't have any friends to visit there yet.

None of it was exact but I thought it taught her a few interesing things.


Then we drove (about 15 miles) to a friends house for swimming and snow cones. We are trying to visit all our friends as much as possible before we move.

Zoe was crying about it today. She wants to move but she is very sad about leaving her best friends. I told her that it is totally okay to feel that way. And I just held her. But we were very happy to hear that those friends are going to visiting near our new home in May. I invited them to stay over with us.

This evening we are having some special friends over for dinner - some of you know of E and E'sMom. Z is especially sad about "leaving behind" her friend E. Me too. But Pere will be able to work from anywhere and we plan to come back to L.A. often for long vacations.

Things we are looking forward to

My parents
My sister, brother-in-law and two nephews
Only walking a block or two to parents or sister's house
Z learning how to do "stuff" with Papa
Z learning to sew and bead and cook with Meme
Z playing soccer and video games and bacci ball and croquet with cousins
Being part of an active and friendly neighborhood
Pere working from home again
Having family over to eat Pere's spicy food
Having a nice "cook"s kitchen"
Train trips to Chicago
Walking to the library and downtown
Owning a home
Other often visiting family
Old friends
Real wildlife and native flora
Symphony
A children's choir
A Math center
a Civic theatre with youth acting classes
A Gem and Mineral Club
A Harp teacher
Fencing classes
Several Dance schools
A YMCA with gymnastics, racquetball, swimming, and more
Amish and Mennonite communities
Snow
Nature center classes run by Park Rangers
Baton twirling classes
Children's cooking classes
Gardening
A top twenty college
The 6th best library in the nation for a town that size
A tea house at an Inn
A real live Chocolate Factory
A Planetarium and Air/Space museum
Lots of Parks
Four seasons
Close Proximity to Lake Michigan
Three asian grocery markets
Thai food and sushi
Studios for local artists
Art musuems
Children's museum
Children's Health museum
Botanical Gardens
A zoo
A Farmer's Market
Drive-in theatres
New and used bookstores
Farms
Renaissance Faires
Gaming store
Summer Shakespeare productions
Synagogues
LEGO league
Astro camp
Berry Picking Farms
Lots of local music and art shows
A Broadway League
Solstice Parades
Annual neighborhood events
Camping
Lake Michigan
Free concerts downtown every Friday
Gutter Sundaes
Japanese Garden
White water rafting
Lower cost of living

Firefly Academy

We are moving.

to the land of fairy gardens


dirty feet


stolen raspberries


and fireflies we can catch in jars



Pere is going to work at home and we are going to own a home with a backyard that might look something like this


in a house that could look like this


We are going to move here *grin*

grade level

Today we were asked twice what grade level Z is in.

The first time it was at the grocery and the bagger saw her pushing the cart and he said "What grade is she in?!" and I said "First grade" and he said "Wow, she's smart!"

Now I don't know what being smart has to do with pushing a grocery cart and I didn't ask. But Z asked me once we were out of earshot 'Why did you say I'm in first?"

"Because he actually only wanted to know what age you are."

She nodded and seemed okay with that.

But later this afternoon she was playing with two girls in the pool. One is six and one is seven. Z came over to me and said that the seven year old said that Z couldn't be in fourth grade because you have to be ten to be in fourth grade. The seven year old was right there so I said to her,"Well we homeschool so Z can work at whatever grade she is ready for. Right now she is doing fourth grade math and between fourth and sixth for other classes."

Then I asked her if she knew what homeschooling was. She nodded and said "I wish I could home school."

But then the two girls cornered Z and started quizzing her "What's 1000 plus 1000?"

Kind of laughing, possibly with the strangeness of the question, Z says "2000"

Then there was two thousand plus one hundred, and One million plus two million! and even "What is one thousand plus a million thousand hundred?!"

Z was laughing kind of uncomfortably and answering all their questions. I let it go on because I wanted Z to get a taste of what the reaction can be if you tell people that you are six and in fourth grade. I had told her before that some people will have strange and possilby negative reactions to it.

Also at the library today the story time lady who is there to read to individual kids read Z a Maisy book and a book about puppies. Z definitely looks like a six year old and I was surprised that she would try to read Z a touch and feel puppy book. Again I didn't say anything. Z seemed capable of handling it herself. Usually she gets a sticker for reading to the story time people herself, but this lady is new. She was nice and I appreciate what she is doing. I am not trying to take anything away from that. It just wasn't working for us and I wonder what kind of books they read to kids in first grade.

I'll have to talk to Z tonight and see how she feels about all that.

*update*
I talked to her over dinner and this is what I think. Z has such profound confidence in her own self-worth that if someone treats her strangely she thinks theat's their problem. And then she doesn't really think about it again. I have written before about Z's world". Well, in Z's world everybody likes her and if they don't then they must be having an off day. *wink*

pictures and music mornings

Here in L.A. we have a radio program on Sunday mornings called Breakfast with the Beatles. I am a huge Beatles fan and at one point I thought I had every song they ever released in America plus some stuff they did in a German club but this program has so may songs I have never even heard... it is interesting but also disconcerting.

Well anyway I was listening to Breakfast with the Beatles on the way home from Escondido yesterday morning and I remembered how we often had music playing at my house when I was a kid. Most of my Beatles albums are the same ones my Mere used to play on the record player when I was a kid. I remember going through phases where each album was my favorite. I started off liking their earlier stuff when I was younger and got more into their later work when I was a teenager. But their music was always there for me and my many moods.

So was Elton John and his Yellow Brick Road, and Creedence, and Jethro Tull, and many others. And I had my own music, starting in 1984 - Van Halen, Men at Work, Duran Duran, The Cure, Depeche Mode, etc. But always there was the Beatles.

I am also really into classical music, and some reggae, and old Top 40 like Prince, Phil Collins, Billy Joel and Cyndi Lauper and New Top 40 like Gwen Stefani and Green Day.

We have a lot of music at home including a bunch of musicals that Z has been really into since she was two or three.

Getting back to the Beatles... well that is what I want to do, get back to the Fab Four. I want to have my own Breakfast with Beatles every week. I want Z to grow up knowing all their songs like I do. I am think every Friday morning is a good time to listen to them. Maybe Monday will be Classical. The other days can be Z' pick days, and Me pick days, and Morning Becomes Eclectic days. *smile*

So special music days is the new thing I will be adding to our curriculum this year.

***********************

Here are some pictures I took recently



Today there was the cat in the tree outside my second story window. We call him "Little Merry" because he is a smaller version of our cat Merry. He got down just fine.


This is a picture of Z floating in the tub. I was about to wash her hair and she looked like this and I wanted to capture her "floaty" look.


Sometimes she looks serious like above and sometimes she looks like this. *smile*

Stone Brewery

Yesterday Pere and I drove down to Escondido to visit the Brewery and Bistro where they make Stone Beer.



Pere got introduced to Stone Beers, specifically Arrogant Bastard, soon after it was first created at a fellow techie's party down in San Diego almost eleven years ago. But it wasn't until we visited those friends again at their new sheep ranch in Colorado about five years ago that we really started to appreciate the brew.

About two years ago the Wholefoods near us started carrying Stone beers and since then we have been devotees and vocal advocates.

If you think it is weird that we would drive two hours and stay overnight in a hotel just to drink some beers at least know we are not alone. *grin* Check out their press and read how Stone Beers are considered the third best in the world and the number one rated beer made in America.




Seriously, this beer tastes good. Now if you are used to drinking what Stone calls "fizzy yellow beer" it might take several tastings to appreciate a Stone Beer. They are very bitter and some, like their Imperial Stout, extremely full bodied. I am not a huge drinker but Arrogant Bastard and Stone's Pale Ale are the best beers I have ever tasted.

They have honestly ruined me on most other beers. This is a such a common occurance in that Stone puts out a beer called Ruination.

Stone is also a very cool looking beer. Their mascot is a bad gargoyle and their slogan is "You're Not Worthy." But it isn't just talk. Like I said, the beer is bitter and dark. Also the alcohol content is significantly higher than regular beers. Even their Pale Ale is stronger than Guiness. Here is a link to their alcohol content and bitterness ratings.

So if that all that doesn't have you beer drinkers searching for a local Stone distributers let me add that Stone Brewery is also an environmentally conscious company. Their bistro is organic, free-range and local, their beer only has four ingredients -hops, barley, water and yeast (i.e. no corn syrup)



and they are soon to start using biodiesel in their distribution trucks.

First we arrived at the Brewery/Bistro and had lunch there. I had Pale Ale and Pere the Barley Wine. We ate BBQ duck tacos and mushroom and jalpeno "pillows"

After lunch took a walk in their gardens








We came back in the late afternoon to take a tour of the Brewery and learn about their beer making process. It was very funny and educational.




After the tour we got free samples of four different beers.


We stayed for dinner then and shared Buffalo Burgers and Thai Curry Pork Tenderloins.

Pere noted that he had tried six different beers that day (Barley Wine, Pale Ale, Smoked Porter, IPA, Arrogant Bastard and Double Bastard)



At the shop Pere bought a growler of Double Arrogant Bastard



I bought a tank top



and a t-shirt


It was a really fun trip, it was nice for us to be able to get away and drink responsibly knowing that Z was safe with her Grandparents. But now we are all home again, so I must go!

Lazy days of summer

This squirrel was looking at me from my front window...

It is soooo hot here, above 100 some days. I would rather stay in the house with the air-conditioning running but I told Z I would take her to the pool today.

She also made herself a Ninja Warrior obstacle course out of rocking chairs, the dining table chairs, a ribbon, a rug, and three pillows. Then she ran the course pretending to be different people from the show and did the announcers voice. She has sooo much energy...

I am feeling more like that squirrel...

Back to the Future

This is how Z dressed herself today. She looked so grown up to me. She even had a little purse that her Japanese tutor gave her. Can't you she her looking almost just like that ten years from now?

She wanted to make a fake I.D. to put in her purse so I cut a card to driver's license size and a cut up a little picture of her face and taped it on. Then Z looked at my DL and made up her own information and wrote it down on the card. Now it is behind the little plastic window in the purse. I also gave her an extra Blockbuster and library card. She took some change from her bank for the coin pocket. Then she carried the purse around with her to the market and voice lesson.

It is not like she is totally turning into a little teenager though.

She also played with her LEGO's and watched cartoons.

On a sadder note Z heard about the problems in Darfur. Now she wants to send a donation to the children there.We are going to match her contribution as we always do but I want her to do some research on the subject so she can decide where exactly she wants the money to go.

Last night when she said her prayer of Thankfulness with her Pere she thanked God for living in safety and having a house and food and asked God to take care of the children in Darfur.

all is well and treasure hunt

Today Z had her yearly check up at the Doctors. I am very happy to report that other then being skinny everything is normal. *wink* She is 46 inches tall (average for her age), 36 lbs, has 20/20 vision, got everything perfect on the hearing test and all her fluids tests came back normal and good. Her spine is not curving and her ears, mouth, eyes, etc all seem healthy. :)

This afternoon I wrote up some treasure hunts for her. One had specific things she had to find around the house and another had descriptive terms like "wooden" and "magnetic"

Right now she is practicing for her voice lesson. She has a lot of songs from Mary Poppins right now "Supercalifragalistic, A Spoonful of Sugar, Jolly Holiday, Let's Go Fly a Kite and Stay Awake. I am letting her sing along to the dvd we have of it.

Homemade Prizes

Thanks to Shaun at Red Sea School I am offering a homemade prize to the next three people who comment on this blog post.

Before you post please read the full rules below.


Here’s the deal, from Kim at Relaxed Homeskool

If you are one of the first three commentors on this post, then you are in. I send you a homemade gift sometime, er, soon. When inpiration and time collide for me (usually 2am). [As in, let’s all be patient with each other.] In return, you go to your blog and make the same offer. So, you’ll be making 3 things and receiving one.

Kim’s list of useful FAQ’s:

What if you don’t have a blog?
Well, if not, I’ll host your request here. But only if you are a really awesome knitter. Haha. Okay, I’ll do it no matter what. If you join the exchange on your blog let us know here!

What if I don’t like my gift?
Too bad. Mom taught us all how to be gracious.

What if I’m not crafty or artistic?
So? Do it anyway. There are millions of things to be made and some part of you needs to get in to the process of creating something with your hands. It is therapeutic and eye opening. Even if it is a paper airplane. You could always do an artist trading card…they can be easy or hard, depending upon your effort.

What about shipping?
Like I said, an artist trading card? That might cost one stamp or less. But if you want to make a bust of the recipient out of pine, go ahead. [And yes, I will ship overseas! ]

What? I have to give someone in cyberspace my address?
Well, yeah. So you should probably only sign up here if you have read or known me for a few months, that way you know I am a fine upstanding citizen who will only plague you with annual Christmas cards after the exchange.

Also, you don’t have to be a homeschooler, but you can’t be related to me by blood. You can be a lurker, but then you will have to de-lurk at least temporarily. Come on, you know you want to!

I am excited! I have no idea what I will make you but I promise to try read hard to make it something cool. (also I am not a knitter!)

my sweety

Z and I have been getting along great recently. Actually we usually do. She is a very affectionate child and I am happy to share cuddles and lovey sentiments as long as I can get them. She is growing up all too soon for my tastes.

I have really been feeling her "bigness" recently. She is so long and gangly. And sometimes, especailly regarding her sense of humor, she seems so mature.

I realize I have been trying to go back in time with her recently, or at least hold on to what little time I have left of her being... little. I am reading her this book about a four year old British boy named Sprout who rides a tricycle to his morning preschool, collects stuffed animal elephants and likes to hide in weird places and worry his mom. I know it is young for her but it also has that particular British humor that is delightful at any age. Happily for me Z seems to enjoy these stories.

We are also rereading My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy Edwards. These harmless and charming stories are probably set in the 1940. They are well written and clever of course but there is also something interesting about reading the liberties and freedoms kids had back in those days. Little children did a lot of things on their own that we can't allow our children to do these days. I really enjoy these books myself.

On her own Z is rereading Order of the Phoenix, Bunnicula, The Good Fairy/Bad Fairy book and her new book of poetry.

Today we have no plans and are just hanging about the house.

So far I have done a full load of laundry, scrubbed both bathrooms and the kitchen floor, scrubbed kitchen counters (I even moved all the appliances an stuff away and scrubbed underneath), vacuumed, read I Love Math with Z and played The Game of Life with her.

Z made her bed, made up a song, practiced piano, did I Love Math, played with magnetics, played with LEGOs and played The Game of Life.

Fair

Today we went to the fair.

We talked about what were each of our top three things we wanted to do.

Z:
Cotton Candy
Ferris Wheel
Gem and Mineral Display

Mere:
Corn Dog
Gem and Mineral Display
Ferris Wheel

Pere:
Livestock display
Wooden Toys
Ferris Wheel

We didn't get around to the cotton candy ut Z seems to have forgotten about it and the wooden toy display wasn't there. But otherwise we did all our favorite things and more.

View from the Top of the Ferris Wheel


View from the other side


Bubbles


A collection of eggs (from the "collections" hall)


Some pictures for Ami of an Alice collection








This rabbit is REALLY huge. You can't even tell!


Z in the house of mirrors


In the Monkey maze with Pere

used books

Today I went to coffee with our older friends and then to my favorite used bookstore. I was really in a rush and only had 10 minutes to looks around. But I was so delighted with what I found.

I actualy found another I Love Math book. This is one of Z's favorite series. She started on them when she was 4 so they are way too easy for her now but I bought it for her anyway because to her they are like dear friends. This one is all about the math you found in nature - like patterns, temperature and classifying.



I also found Bunnicula for fifty cents and I had recently thought Z might enjoy reading that. It did keep her occupied while we were waiting for our lunch later today day.



This is the Golden Book of Children's Poetry. It is from 1963. It has 85 poems with the sweetest illustrations.



Here is a picture from Moon Song by Mildred Plew Meigs (dont you love that name?)


This is a geography book in a series that I collect called Brown Paper School Book. I love when I find one of these. I have two for math, two for science, one for history and now this this geography one.


Since we are studying insects for science this fall I thought this cool coloring book would be a nice addition. It is not just a coloring book but each coloring page is faced by an informational page with animals grouped by different way - like water insects or night insects. There is even a page on fireflies!


Lastly, right behind the check out counter I saw this book. It is in PERFECT condition with it's dust cover and everything.

This is the front of the book


This is the back cover which is upside down from the front. The book is divided between pictures and tales of good and bad fairies


Here is an example of the art work inside. I love Brian Froud.