Family Fun (Plants)

  I don't know if spring is only here because the calendar said so or not.  By the way the weather is acting it's definitely not a confirmation.  I heard today on the new Punxsutawney is wanted.

  Apparently people are fed up with the lies!   With a few more days of a threat of snow this weekend I have decided to start pretending spring was here with a little bit of planting.

  If spring won't come to us we will do it our ourselves.

Some of my perennials are coming up so I know winter is almost over.  This pot has some Hostas.

 I will clean it out after the snow is gone.  Until then I will keep the debris for extra warmth.

  We planted a variety of flowers.

So now we will sit and watch them grow! 

Next we will maybe plant some veggies!  I did plant some parsley for the butterflies and found some milkweed I'll need to plant as well.

  Have you started planting flowers?  Do you plant flowers or buy them. I will buy a few plants as I can't grow everything and I like all the colors.

First 2018 Hike

  On the 1st of January the Virginia State Parks host an annual 1st of the year hike.  This was my second year participating.  I choose a different park this year because it's nice to switch it up and with 37 parks within the state it's nice to see the variety.  This year I went to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

  This year despite the extremely low temperatures I made it a couple miles before I had to turn around not for a lack of trying but water flooded the trail.  Three times actually but the first one I could walk around the second  I jumped over and splashed with only one foot but, the last spot was too deep and wide.

  The hikes are offered at the parks at different times providing you the opportunity to have a guide.  The hikes offered are an hour hike or a few miles. Or of course you can choice to make your own adventure for however long you would like.

  The beauty you see when you get out in nature is immeasurable.  You get to see plants, tree, animals, bugs, and water.  My favorite is the water views.  All the parks have some sort of water source and it's always beautiful when I see it. 

  On this particular day there is not an admittance fee.  People should take advantage of this and check out the parks and trails. It's a great day for an introduction.

  Have you gotten out for a hike or stroll for leisure yet?  What do you enjoy most in nature?

Wordless Wednesday (Mushrooms)

   I get outside all the time.  I try to walk, hike, jog or cycle on a daily basis.  I may walk on the sidewalks or trails but, I'm always watching everything.  I enjoy nature and I love to spot mushrooms.  I don't go out to look for mushrooms but  so excited when I see them.

  I don't know one type of mushroom from another.  I guess I could try to look them up in a book but it doesn't really matter to me. I like to just find them and snap a picture. So today I'm sharing my view of mushrooms!

Some look like flowers with rough edges.

Some look like a round ball.

I don't know who came along and took a bite of this one.

I only saw one area with these. These were huge too.  They were the size of dessert plates.

This one looked like chocolate and peanutbutter.

Red ones were few and far between.

Mushrooms taking up a home whereever they felt.

Clusters of mushrooms.

These make me smile because they have the perfect little tip on top.

Yellow ones too!

I love mushrooms!  Do you go on hikes or walks around the neighborhood? 

What's one thing you look forward to seeing when you go on a walk? What makes you enjoy being outside?

School with Letter A

  This week started school for everyone here! My last child here is working on kindergarten grade level.  He was not real receptive last year but, this year has started out much better.  He's asking more questions, and repeating the correct answer when asked.  He's eager to learn and excited for more class.

  This week we learned the letter A.  He has had school on and off for the past couple years but each year it just starts over. So he has studied everything before but, at different levels, with different worksheets and less time.

  Each day we start with the desk.

The desk has 2 letter A titled books in addition to other items pertaining to the specific letter.

We take time outside to play and learn as well.  Writing the letter in dirt and using sticks impressed him.

Each day I subjected him to walks.  This is our PE/quiet/mommy and me/exploration time.  This go around was his second trip so I allowed the scooter. He doesn't like to walk and I want him to find peace in it.  Enjoy nature, get some fresh air and slow down and see things.  I will have you know this was day 1 and he took his father and sister on two separate trips around the block to show them all the A's! (Insert proud mommy smile here)

Some of our books gave us an excuse to get outside.

The Magic Acorn by Maggie Stern was about a special acorn. 

We went on a walk to gather our own acorns.

Our acorn hunt was successful.  This hunt gave us a hands on A experience, and a touch of science!  We checked our math by counting the acorns and touched a little science too in that we planted an acorn! 

Apple trees made out of playdoh!  Then with the help of a roll of dice we picked apples off and put them back on the tree. Hello math again!

After you spend a few days identifying it's time to write! So we practiced writing upper and lowercase a's. 

A workbook helps with more handwriting practice.  The pages are from various websites with requiring different tasks. Tracing, letter search, name writing and circling the correct numbers.

  In the past I tried to incorporate snacks into the day and I continued this year by having fun with food in some way. Applesauce was not received well but these two A's brought a smile!

Yesterday was his favorite as he had to run from number to number and complete a different task. He picked apples and had to transport them! 

My favorite was his ax and arrow tattoos! I though to myself hey its even on his arm! Ha win for me!!

Lastly our play time outside today involved air!

This was my first time with the sock bubble but, I should have made two because once my daughter saw it they couldn't switch off quick enough for the other to have a turn.

Well there's our one week of A's. I have a couple crafts I will be sharing in a separate post pertaining to the letter A.  I hope you enjoyed a peek in our day.  I haven't figured out if we will do weekly or daily letters.  We shall see as we go along but, we will actively learn and have fun everyday!

A is for angry!

Wordless Wednesday Look Up

  It's summer time here which allows things to slow down a bit or vice versa depending on the day but I still try to capture and appreciate natures beauty when it's made available to me.

  Sunrise or sunset is the highlight or the finale to my night.  I love catching sight of a good show in the sky.  I have missed a few sunrises in the summer but will make up for that soon.  However I am catching all the colors and rays in the evening.

I leave you with these images and hopefully some inspiration to get outside and look up! You never know what color it's going to be which is half the excitement!  When's the last time you looked up?