Science- The reason for the seasons

Last week in science we learned what causes the seasons to change.

First we watched a video on Brainpop Jr. We discussed new vocabulary such as hibernation, cycles, and the equator. We discussed what each season is like, describing the weather and the clothes we wear. 

 Not pictured is the globe we used to demonstrate where North America and other parts of the world face during the different seasons. We did our lab sheet and worksheet, which both kids really enjoyed.

Tying in our Spanish lessons we also named our seasons in Spanish!

Christmas

We have been busy bees with holiday events lately!

The latest one we went to was an ugly sweater/outfit party.

We also went to an event hosted by a local amusement park at my job. The kids decorated a cookie.

 They also made an ornament.

 We met Santa and Mrs. Claus.

 Shockingly, both children actually sat on Santa's lap!

 They both got a new stuffed animal.

The kids got a couple of raffle tickets to play games. Altogether they won bracelets, bouncy balls, pencils, and 3 free tickets to the amusement park!

Happy holidays, from our family to yours!

History

This week we have continued with our Ancient Greece unit. We reviewed the terms monotheist and polytheist.

We read a myth called "The Golden Apple". In this myth Zeus wanted to lower the population on Earth so he caused an argument between several Goddesses over who was the most beautiful. He sent the Goddesses to Earth in order to settle their dispute. There they had a mortal named Paris, who was supposedly the most handsome male on Earth, decide who would win the Golden Apple, and thus be known as the most beautiful one. Each of them made promises to Paris should he pick them. He selected Aphrodite, causing the other Goddesses to be furious. Aphrodite's gift to him was the most beautiful mortal woman named Helen. Helen instantly fell in love with Paris and they ran off to live in Troy. Unfortunately Helen was already married to the king of Greece, Menelaus. King Menelaus called on the Gods to battle beside him and win his wife back. Some of the Gods and Goddesses fought on King Menelaus' side while others fought on Troy's side, leading to the Trojan War.

Jayden labeled a map of Greece.

 Both kids worked on a word search using words from The Golden Apple myth.

 They also colored a picture of Aphrodite and Zeus.

And finally, we checked out this list with a list of the Gods & Goddesses of Greece.

Today...

I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog about our school work, but I wanted to share with you the special evening we had tonight.

We went to Juan's job because they were hosting a family holiday gathering. We've gone every year since we moved here. The kids get to take a picture with Santa, decorate a cookie, get a tattoo, and receive a present. It's all very festive in the cafeteria. They have decorations and a huge screen playing classic Christmas movies.

 I'm pretty sure Jayden was more interested in eating the cookie than he was decorating it!

Jayden's cookie

Cait, on the other hand, wanted her cookie to be beautiful. She carefully decorated her cookie... then took a bunch more of the m&ms to eat on the side!

Caitlin's cookie

 

 Jayden wasn't quite interested in taking a picture of his Christmas tree tattoo...

When it was time to leave the kids were sad because dad had to stay at work while we went home. To lift their spirits we drove home through the back roads and looked at all of the beautifully lit homes and trees.

 And once we got home we found this weird stain outside of our door, in the shape of a heart.

Evenings like this remind me that we are truly blessed!

The last two weeks have been hectic here! We've all gotten sick- some of us more than once!

I knew things were taking a turn for the better when my iPad made it's way into rotation again. Here is Cait playing a math game!

Scrabble Jr & Monopoly Jr made its way out again! Thank goodness daddy was home and able to entertain the sick and grumpy!

Spanish classes are winding down for the term. The kids have learned words for clothing, body parts, numbers 1-20, seasons, and colors this term.

 

Jayden is taking a basic engineering class based on Legos called Brickapalooza. Last week they had their first meeting this year.

Over the weekend we stopped at the farmers market for our weekly shopping. We were surprised to find they had a ton going on! Our first stop was Santa and the Civil War booth.

Jayden was excited when he saw the Civil War table. The Civil War is his favorite war.

 He was beside himself when he got to hold a replica of a Civil War musket!

Caitlin got a Christmas tree painted on her face.

 Afterward we headed over to the craft table. A sweet volunteer helped J & C make Christmas ornaments and cards!

Finally we picked up our CSA share. Before we left we made a pit stop to one of our favorite tables at the market!

When we got home the kids decided they wanted to help me make homemade garlic breadsticks to go along with our dinner.

 We whipped out our "fancy" cups and filled them with sparkling cider and enjoyed a great dinner!