World Buffet

For the second half of this school year our social studies class focused on the cultures of the world.  I think that is why we did "It's a Small World" for the school's spring musical.  Our teacher also happens to be the music coordinator.  The kids were broken into groups and each group got to pick a country that they'd like to learn more about.  Brenna was paired with her buddy Leeanna and they chose China.  The social studies unit carried throughout the entire semester, moving from one project to the next.  The first project was to pick a book related to the your country and write a persuasive book report on why someone should visit.  For the next project, they were required to build a paper structure in the likeness of architecture from you country.

Both of the first two activities were completed at school.  Oh, but the next assignment, it was an all-hands-on-deck experience.  Our teacher decided that each group should chose an authentic dish from your country to prepare.  The kids were responsible for finding the recipe and making their own grocery list.  The recipes were tripled (that's right, tripled!) because our teacher decided to turn the project into a community event.  Our school is a protestant christian based school and as such we have more than 15 protestant churches that are represented within the school.  Our teacher decided to use the project to create a "World Buffet" for our area pastors, bus drivers, and school janitorial staff.

It turned into a three day adventure.  After the kids made their grocery list we had a field trip to our local farmers market to purchase all our fruits and vegetables.  The next day was a second field trip to visit the grocery store for the remaining ingredients.  Keep in mind, we braved an open market and grocery store with twenty-one eight-year olds.  It was total chaos.  I repeated the phrase "Don't touch that!" dozens of times.  Shopping carts raced down the isles and product displays were knocked over.  The only person that wanted us out of there faster than me was the store manager.

But the best was still yet to come.  With a school bus loaded with kids and groceries we left the school at 9 AM for our third field trip and made our way to a local soup kitchen downtown.  The owner had granted us use of the facilities to prepare and present our meal.  The kitchen had two ovens, two stoves, two fridges and plenty of tables and counter space.  If we thought the grocery store was challenging, it was nothing compared to 21 kids running around with knives, playing with raw meat, and frying in hot grease.  We cooked from 9:30 am until 1:00 pm that afternoon, when our first guest walked in the door.  And if all that cooking wasn't bad enough, there was no air-conditioning!  We did manage to get two floor fans set up to at least provide a flow of air through kitchen.  Also, another downer was that the kitchen was not equipped with a dish washer.  You can't imagine how many dirty dishes a group of 21 kids can produce!  I thought the pile of dishes would never end!

Brenna and Leeanna chose to make chinese chicken and vegetable spring rolls.  We also had meat pies, cheese pies, empanadas, salad, breads of all kinds, and other dishes that I couldn't even name.  When it was all over, I'm happy to report it was a great success (though extremely stressful!).  Everyone walked away with all their fingers, no burns, and to our knowledge no one ended up in the ER with food poison (it was a serious concern).  The kids could not have enjoyed it more and it was definitely an experience to remember.

Track and Field Day 2016

Track and Field has turned into one of Brenna's favorite and most anticipated sports.  This makes our third season to participate, and Brenna started asking in January when it would start.  After the long wait to March, they finally started school practices and then it was another long wait until mid-May when Track and Field Day finally arrived.  The school has a full day of events as the students compete by grade for a berth in the Christian School District Track and Field Meet.  Brenna competed in eight events this year, adding the 400 meter and 800 meter races to her resume, along with the usual 200 meter and 100 meter races, standing long jump, running long jump, high jump, and ball throw.  Jacob took the day off and helped out with managing some of the events.  I volunteered in the kitchen but was able to step away from time to time and catch most of the action.  By the end of the day she had made a clean sweep for the 3rd grade girls and came home with eight 1st place ribbons.   She was very pleased with herself!  It was a great day.

I'm so thankful that the christian school district puts such a big emphasis on their athletic programs along side education in the early years.  Other schools, both here and back home in the south, also have athletic programs, but most don't start until 5th grade.  These type of extracurricular activities builds character and experiences beyond what a "book learning" environment can provide.  It's been such a fun experience for Brenna.

It's a Small World

Every year our school puts on at least one big production show musical.  Last year, it was "Candy Cane Lane" for Christmas.  This was Brenna's first stage debut.  She auditioned and was chosen to sing a short solo performance.  This seemed to be her stepping off point.  The school does a good job of encouraging the kids to take on the spot light and use their talents.  Couple this with hand-bell performances, junior choir, and leading school chapels, and it came as no surprise when Brenna came home this past Christmas and said she had volunteered to read the scriptures in front of the entire church congregation for the Children's Christmas Program.  Stage fright is definitely not an issue for her.

This year our school decided to do "It's A Small World" for a spring musical.  Brenna raked over the audition sheets and surprised me when she decided not to audition for a speaking role, but to try out for the dancing part of the Russian ballerina.  They spent weeks on auditions, rehearsals, set design, and costumes.  It was so much fun for the kids to act out their parts.  Each country was represented with great effort for attention to detail.  We had the Mexican hat dance, the Beatles, and Highland dancers.  There was no stereotyping either.  They let the dark haired Asian kid be a Russian ballerina, the blond haired Swedish kid got to be the China woman, a Canadian kid played Uncle Sam, and our Australian kid didn't even get the Australian part!  They all did a fantastic job and we were so proud of Brenna's fearlessness.  She was beautiful on-stage doing her ballet set!

Le Chat et la Lune

Near the end of every year since 1st grade, the kids have performed a play in french to demonstrate their language skills.  Our first year, it was "Chicken Little".  The second year, it was "The Three Little Pigs".  And this year it was "The Cat and the Moon" or "Le Chat et la Lune" in french.

Brenna has done very well with her french during our time here and even I've picked up a few phrases along the way.  The kids were responsible for learning their own lines and creating a mask that was appropriate for their character.  When it was time for Brenna's group to perform, they were shy one character.  Brenna knew all the lines, so she gladly volunteered to perform the parts for both the dog (le chien) and the horse (le cheval).

3rd Grade Spring Pictures

Easter

Crystal Mountain Michigan Spring Break

We're trying to make the most out of our time up north.  We've slowing been moving through a hit-list of places that we wanted to enjoy while we were here.  These are the type of places that we might not have visited otherwise.  One big item on our list was to experience skiing.  Neither Jacob nor I have ever tried it, and considering how well Brenna has embraced the winter climate, we made it a priority for this year.

I found a great resort in north Michigan called Crystal Mountain that seemed to have everything we were looking for.  In January, I made all the arrangements for a Spring Break Ski Vacation.  It had been a mild winter, but the resort assured me there would be skiing until April.  I planned it just like I plan all our other trips; with great attention to detail.  I made reservations for snowmobiling, snow-shoeing, and ski lessons.  We also planned for spa appointments, the adventure course, and a hiking trip to the Michigan Legacy Art Park.  As the date approached, we weren't "warming-up" but we were hitting temperatures above freezing.  I was concerned that we may not see any snow on this ski vacation.  As it turns out, we did have snow.  Granted it was more man-made than natural, but it provided the slopes we needed to try our first ski adventure.  Unfortunately, because of the above-freezing temperatures, most of the other trails on the mountain were snow-free and eliminated our opportunity to try snowmobiling and snow-shoeing.  At first I was a bit disappointed, but after our first couple of days at Crystal Mountain I realized it was a better fit us.  We got the best of both worlds.  We could enjoy the all the outdoor activities with mild temperatures and still take in the winter-type skiing.  It did rain 2 out of our 5 days there, but there were plenty of activities to keep us busy and we enjoyed some down time in the cabin with board games and family movies.

We drove roughly 4 hours all the way across Michigan with the cats.  We reserved a 2-bedroom, 2-bath, pet-friendly cabin so they could join us on this vacation.  The cabin was just what you would expect from a cozy ski cabin.  It was settled on the outer edge of the mountain and backed up to a small pond.  The living area had a large window that looked out over the pond and the Canadian geese kept Pickles entertained during his stay.  He spent most of his time perched on top of the kitchen counter for the best view of the backyard.  Moose preferred the solitude of the master bedroom which had a very large sky window that gave him views of the tall maple trees outside.

Dr. Seuss Day

Usually, only the lower elementary takes part in Dr. Seuss Day.  So, it's alittle heart breaking that this is probably the last year that I get to celebrate it with Brenna's as an elementary student.  It's a program that I've worked with for a long time and to finally get to take part in it with Brenna these last 4 years has been a real joy.

This year the lower elementary teachers banded together with parent volunteers and made it an all-day event for the kids.  Everyone dressed up as their favorite Dr. Seuss character and we rotated through centers throughout the day.  At each center we read a Dr. Seuss favorite and then participated in a corresponding activity.  Brenna chose Sam I Am, since "Green Eggs and Ham" is her favorite.

We started the day with "Ten Apples Up on Top".  Then the kids broke into groups to build a tower foundation that was at least 4 feet high from a limited amount of blocks that would support 10 apples.

Next, we moved on to a double feature.  In case you hadn't heard, Dr. Seuss's wife discovered the nearly completed project of "What Pet Should I Get" along with 16 original black and white sketches while cleaning out his desk fifteen years after he passed away.  The book was published in 2015 and now stands as the last complete Dr. Seuss work.  The kids really enjoyed the book, along with the story of how it came to be.  We coupled it with "If I Ran the Zoo".  Then we made our own zoo from graham crackers and frosting, on which we stuck our favorite animal crackers that were caged with twizzler sticks.  Afterward, we all had lunch together with "Green Eggs and Ham" and cupcakes.

Finally, we finished with one of my favorites "Bartholomew and the Oobleck".  What better way to celebrate that book, than to make oobleck!  It was messy and gross and the kids loved it!

It was all a lot of work, a long day, and very tiring, but it made for a great last Dr. Seuss Day for me and Brenna!

The Run Down

Here's the fall and winter run down.  Fall held on through November, which allowed for a much milder winter this year.  Thank goodness, because winter didn't want to leave.  Our last snow was last week, but we've finally seen some sunshine and warmer temperatures this week that feel like spring.  We baked a lot this winter.  It was Brenna's favorite activity.  Now we're gearing up for spring and summer sports!

Family Day Sledding

It's been a tough couple of weeks.  Thanks to all that have prayed, called, and messaged.  It is greatly appreciated.  I haven't felt much like blogging lately, but one of the many things that come out of tragic events is just how precious memories are.  So, with that in mind, I didn't want February to slip by without posting something.

Earlier in the month, we celebrated Family Day, which is a national holiday in Canada.  I guess we're officially making it a tradition to spend it sledding as a family, since that's what we've chosen to do the last two years.  Brenna was especially excited to hit the snow hill so she could try out her new snowboard.  She started strong and caught on quick.  She quickly learned to manage her balance and was flying down the hill after only a few tries.  We only had one major wipe out and she didn't let it scare her.  She bounced back from it and kept trying.

Jacob helping to get her strapped in and ready to go.

Christmas 2015

The Christmas season begins especially early here.  Since Canadian Thanksgiving is in October, Christmas celebrations begin immediately following Remembrance Day (Canadian version of Veterans Day) which is mid-November.  Our holiday celebration started at the Imperial Theater with Mary Poppins.  One of the mom's planned a Mom and Daughter day for Brenna, Jenna, and Sofi.  It turned out to be an all day event since it happened on a Sunday.  The girls had Christmas Choir practice together that morning, followed by church, then lunch, and next we were off to see Mary Poppins.  The girls had a great time.  They enjoyed a taste of Perfect Punch, a Spoon Full of Sugar, and we all learned to spell Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!  That same weekend was the Winter Wonderland Festival at Degroots.  Brenna made lots of crafts, got her face painted, took a horse-drawn carriage ride, saw a magic show, and got to pet real reindeer.  Christmas was already off to a strong start!

Third Grade School Pictures

School Field Trips

So far this year, we've already had three class field trips.  We missed the first one while we were away in Puerto Rico, but we really enjoyed our last two.  Our fall has been very pleasant and has lasted much longer this year, with cool temperatures (meaning above freezing) hanging on for a longer time before giving way to bitter cold (meaning below freezing).  At the end of October, we took a field trip to Lorne C. Henderson Conservation Area to study all the different classifications of tree in our area.  Fall was in it's prime and we had beautiful skies that day.  The kids did a scavenger hunt where they identified tree classifications and leaf types. Then we took a leisurely stroll through the hiking trails with our Nature Guide.  The kids really enjoyed the day and learned a lot in preparation for the final test on their Tree Science Unit.  

Halloween

This year's Halloween caused us to look back over the years, starting with our costume selection.  Every year since Brenna was old enough to pick her own costume, she has picked her fascination at the time, making it easy to remember what she was "in to" at each age based on her halloween costume.  She was three years old the first year she picked her costume and it was Minnie Mouse because Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was her favorite.  The next year it was Pinkalicious and she could practically recite the book word for word.  Then she moved on to Strawberry Shortcake.  The next year she fell into the world of My Little Pony and wanted to be Twilight Sparkle.  And of course, last year she (and every other little girl) carried on the Frozen obsession as Elsa.  So, this year I just knew we were headed for a Barbie Halloween, but then she surprised me.  A large, inflatable, rainbow pair of butterfly wings caught her attention and she decided to be a Rainbow Butterfly.  She said it made perfect sense since she had a butterfly birthday party this year.  Her reasoning was that she wanted to keep up the tradition.  Last year was had a Frozen birthday and then dressed up as Elsa for Halloween  The year before she had a My Little Pony birthday and dressed up as Twilight Sparkle for Halloween.  And so it was settled, butterflies are the theme for 2015.

We got a late start to our usual Fall traditions.  Normally we would have visited the Brigden Fair, but we were away in Puerto Rico that week.  Then, Halloween was here before we knew it.   In an attempt to continue another fall tradition, we made a last minute trip to Korny Korners for pumpkin picking.  The kids were out of school the Thursday and Friday prior to Halloween due to a Christian teacher conference.  Brenna and her friend Sofi were on a mission to find the perfect pumpkin.  The good thing about living in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving before Halloween is that if you procrastinate (as I do) and buy your pumpkins the day before Halloween you can get what felt like 100 pounds of pumpkin for $9.  We walked away with two big ones for carving and four medium, and four mini pumpkins for painting.

Puerto Rico Family Vacation

Earlier this month, we met up with Jacob's family in Puerto Rico for a special family get together.  We spent the majority of our time at a beautiful hacienda that's nestled into the foot hills of the El Yunque Rainforest.  The hacienda is actually a part of a working horse farm and had some amazing views and cozy outdoors area.  Here's a few pictures from around the property and our family get together.