East Coast Family Trip

After James finished his conference we had a few extra days to explore the area a bit further.

We started by heading south into North Carolina.  We only had one day to fit a few things in, but now know we want to plan a trip back explore more of the outer banks.  It was beautiful!

We went to Kitty Hawk to learn more about airplanes and the invention of flight.

Brielle took her National Parks Passport with her and was able to add quite a few stamps to her book.

We continued down the island to see the Bodie Lighthouse.

And we stopped for some kite flying at Jockey Ridge State Park (the tallest sand dunes in the eastern U.S.)

 The next day it was time to start heading back north.  For this trip we were able to borrow a car from James' cousin, but she needed it to be brought from Norfolk up to Baltimore.  That was a great opportunity for us to fit in some more exploring.   We drove across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (map pictured) and up the Delmarva Peninsula, which again was gorgeous and in need of yet another trip back to visit.

We stopped in Cape Charles to test the onion rings at the recommended local restaurant called the Gingernut pub (they were indeed very yummy.)  We walked over to the beach with no intention of getting wet, but Ethan had other plans (see video below).  The beach was shallow and perfect for playing, so our 15 minute walk turned into an hour long swim.

We continued on to Assateague Island where the kids got some great hands-on ocean life lessons at the visitors center.  Here is Megan showing a horseshoe crab to the kids.

We were able to spot some more of these wild ponies that the island is famous for.  These ponies were captive, but we saw some that were wild as well, just a little too far for the camera's zoom!

And we found out that the local creamery makes some excellent ice cream.

We got into Annapolis late Monday night and woke up early Tuesday morning to be on time for a tour of the White House (no cameras allowed inside there!) and a stroll along the mall.    

And we were lucky enough to also get tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument.

We spent a bit of time at the Smithsonian Museums.  We were able to get to the American History Museum to see some of the naturalization ceremony.  Brielle was excited to see Dorothy's ruby red slippers, and we all enjoyed the downstairs exhibits about the inventions of play (toys) and science!  We went on to the Air and Space museum where Ethan was fascinated with all the different kinds of airplanes.

On Wednesday we had a few hours to tour Baltimore.  We took the train from the airport to the Inner Harbor. 

James and I enjoyed a tour of the Basilica of the Assumption (the oldest cathedral in the U.S.) it was beautiful.  It was however, not a very exciting stop for the kids, so we didn't stay for long.  We did get to go down into the crypts which was fascinating with dark tunnels and caves for the kids to explore.

And that is the short version.  We dropped of Jeannie's car, got to the airport and made it safely home.  What a trip!

More Virginia Beach Activities

As I am looking at our pictures I'm realizing why I am still tired after getting home from vacation.  We kept ourselves busy!
Here is a glimpse of our week at Virginia Beach:

I took the kids to the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk (using our LA Zoo pass).  We went to story time where they read stories about animals and then bring out some animals for the kids to see up close and touch.  It was a smaller zoo, so were able to see most everything in about 2 hours, which was good because it was getting HOT!

There are some VERY wild animals in Virginia, you have to watch out!

We also rented a surrey to explore the coast of Virginia Beach and to get some exercise.  We found a fabulous park at the end of the board walk, so the kids were able to get out and play too.

We also took Ethan for his first experience at miniature golfing.  He almost always got a hole in one.  He would run with his ball up to the hole and then bat it in.  The kids loved it.

The kids enjoyed running up and down the little sand hills on the beach.  Ethan loved to "trip" and fall when he got to the bottom.

James was able to join us in the evenings when his conference sessions were over, the days were hot and the water was warm, so we spent plenty of time on the beach.  Our hotel is right behind them in this picture.  

James was teaching Brielle how to body surf.

I also took the kids to Colonial Williamsburg.  I wanted them to love it, but it was very hot, which made it hard for them to want to walk around.  Ethan did enjoy seeing some of the animals.  I dragged the kids around to see some of the houses and buildings, but we were all glad to live in a time of air conditioned cars.

Ethan fell in love with boats while on this trip.  We went to Harbor Festival in Norfolk and we were able to tour lots of boats and see some great demonstrations from the Navy about their speed boats and helicopter rescues.

Virginia Beach

Last week for our preschool time we focused on airplanes.  Our kids were SO excited about going on a plane trip!  They have both flown before, but it has been about a year since doing so, so it was not something that they remembered.

James is in Virginia Beach for a conference all week.  They were nice enough to schedule the conference RIGHT on the beach.  It is beautiful!  James is busy all day every day, but is able to meet us for his lunch and dinner breaks.  We enjoy eating at this restaurant because we get to watch the dolphins swim by in the waves. 

The kids are enjoying exploring the hotel and playing hide and seek.  We have been happy with this hotel being very kid friendly.  There is a movie theater, 2 lazy rivers, water slides and kids eat free.  Can't beat that!

who wouldn't love swimming?

We are getting a chance to eat lots of different kinds of seafood.  The kids are doing great at trying new foods, even ones that look like what we catch at the beach.  Ellie took a bite of some crab meat, but Dad had to finish it off.  We have been loving that many of the restaurants in the city have free meals for kids.  Makes trying new food for them a little less painful for Mom and Dad.

More pictures and stories to come...

Swimming Lessons

In the parking lot at the swimming pool.  I told the kids it was diving board day and got quite the reaction.  Look at how excited they are!

Brielle loves swimming.  She is doing a great job.  It is hard to keep her out of the water, especially with her new goggles.  Even when she is taking baths now she lays down to practice swimming.

Ethan loved the pool toys.

And the jumping.

He had motor legs that kicked like crazy.

This has nothing to do with swimming lessons, but I love this picture.  Papa gave the kids all sunglasses and these stress reliever busses.  They were really excited about it.  What I also love in this picture is the fact that our family should be an advertisement for the Keen brand shoes.

Shapes

I originally scheduled a week about shapes, thinking it would be more for the younger kids, but then I realized there was still a lot for the big kids to learn.

Shapes That Roll, Shapes That Stack 

We read this book called Shapes That Roll, and then played along with some of the things we read.  

  We got out all our shape toys and tried rolling blocks and stacking spheres to figure out which worked the best.

3D Shapes

I've seen this idea before and have always wanted to try it.  The kids loved building shapes out of toothpicks.

Roll A Shape

The kids loved playing with the shape dice.  They designed some very creative pictures using the shapes they rolled.

Pattern Blocks

 Shape Shake

Ellie helped me draw the shapes

We then put them on the string to have the kids shake their shape and see who kid get it to touch the door knob first.

Shape Matching

Brielle can't yet read, but I still had her try out this matching game.  You had to match the shape to the word of the shape.  I made it easier by coloring it so that it limited the choices to two (once she matched to colors.) She then sounded out the word and did a great job figuring it out.

I had this heart matching game out at Valentine's, but it was too hard for Ethan then, this time it was much easier and he loved it.

Zoo

Zoo animals.  Ethan was a little disappointed at first and kept asking for the train books, but by the end of the week he decided he likes animals too.  Last week during train week Brielle kept wanting the zoo books, so she was excited for this week.  I try to alternate our themes to focus on kids interests while also introducing new ideas.

Learning Activities

printables from 2teachingmommies

counting animals and identifying the numbers

first letter sounds (we used this idea last week with trains)

We talked about carnivores and herbivores, it was still a bit hard for the kids to grasp the concept of what ate what and that plant eaters didn't just eat leaves but the fruit and vegetables could be plants.

And also a lot of zoo worksheets.  (Brielle requests them)

Games

Zebra Dominoes. A fun way to review colors. Because it was so easy to throw in an envelope and take with us, it kept us entertained while out and about this week.  It was a great distraction at the Doctor's office.

We also played a lot of Hungry, Hungry Hippos and a new favorite game that Ellie got for her birthday Where is Sock Monkey.  Ethan of course hides the monkey in the same place every time and LOVES to find it.

Pretend Play

a lot of time was spent playing zoo keeper and feeding all the animals.  My backyard was filled with zebras, giraffes, lions, tigers and bears. Oh My!

We acted out being different animals and guessing what they were.  Ethan loves pounding on his chest like a Gorilla.

Playing with Food

Animal cookies were the top snack of the week.  We spread peanut butter on graham crackers and trapped the animals in their cages.

We also played a lot of 'don't feed the animals!' (played like Don't Eat Pete, for those that know that game.)  You are supposed to shout out when they pick up the food item from the square that you had decided on.  Brielle however asked me not to shout because it scared her, so we had to just ask politely to not eat that animal's food.

Paper Plate Masks

my idea was for the kids to make something like this elephant or monkey mask, but I let them use their own ideas to create.  They didn't look quite how I envisioned, but the kids enjoyed it more than if I made them do it my way.  

We looked at some of our zoo books and the kids decided which animal they were trying to make.  Ethan wanted a crocodile (because it was green), Lissy a blue peacock (although sometimes her favorite color is yellow, so she wanted both), Brielle an elephant, and Gavin was still focused on the 'ghost snake' idea that he kept creating two weeks ago when we were talking about insects.

Books

Brielle loved Never EVER Shout at the Zoo by Karma Wilson.  Because of the way the story ends, it has sparked an interest in Dinosaurs (which we will learn about later this summer).

A Trip to the Zoo by Alison Jay was another favorite.  It is a wordless story, but has pictures of stories to follow (i.e. what happens to this hat through the book)  I love that you can look at it over and over focusing on something different each time.

LA ZOO

And of course, what would a week of learning about zoo animals be without a trip to the zoo?  We went on Saturday so that James could join us, which allowed Papa Finlay to come as well.

It was a fabulous day.

Preschool Packs (for printable worksheets/games)

http://www.2teachingmommies.com/2011/03/zoo.html

http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2011/03/z-is-for-zoo.html

http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2010/01/prek-letter-z.html

Brielle 4-Year-Old Stats

My name is: Brielle (aka Ellie, Bo, Bo-Bellie, Biscuit)

Height: 42.5 inches

Weight: 38 pounds

Sleeping: Night-about 10 1/2 hours (8:30pm-7:00am), Nap about 2 hours (1pm-3pm)

Words: Not yet reading, but knows letters and sounds.  Sight reads some words (i.e. Daddy, Mommy, Brielle, Ethan, Zoo, Go, Dog, Cat etc.)  Working on memorizing primary scriptures and Articles of Faith. (has first 6 Articles of Faith memorized and 4 other scripture-of-the-month for Primary memorized) 

Movement: just starting to swim on own, riding scooter, peddles tricycle easily, jumps, climbs, attempts jumping jacks.

Brielle's Response to her 4-year-old Interview Questions 

(compare to 3-year-old answers)

What is your name? Brielle

When is your birthday? May 'Forf'

How old are you? 4

What is your favorite color? Purple and pink

What is your favorite song? I am a Child of God

What do you want to be when you are a grown up? Tinkerbell

What is your favorite food? Lasagna

What is your favorite animal? Horse

What is your favorite movie? Cats

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate Chip

Who is your best friend? Gavin and Coco

What is your favorite book? Zoo

What is your favorite thing to do? Go to Aunt Megan's house

When do you go to bed? In 10 minutes

What do your Mommy and Daddy do when you go to bed? Work

What does your Daddy do? Work and pay money

What does your Mommy do? Stay home and play with me and Gavin and Coco and Ethan