January in Review

January was a great month and thought I would share some highlights!

January brought a few days of winter . . . the kids enjoyed building igloos of blankets, and E enjoyed an excuse to do schoolwork in bed.

We took a field trip to the MOTE Aquarium in Sarasota. The kids loved it, and it coincided perfectly with the end of the first 20 weeks of Elemental Science Biology which is an animal unit. The dolphin was a highlight for all (especially after our marathon viewings of Dolphin Tale lately!)

Manatees!

Pretending to be sea turtles crawling to shore.

We also participated in our homeschool group's Art Show and silent Auction. Since art is certainly an area we slack on in our homeschool, we all really enjoy the art show and spending extra time developing these skills and talents. This year, we decided to dabble in canvas paintings. To choose a topic, C was asked to tell about something that was special to him. He chose a cross, because Jesus died on the cross for his sins.
E painted a spring scene, flowers and butterflies.
First, they painted the canvas:

Then E practiced drawing in her sketchbook all day. It was a great lesson on perseverance

Finished products!

C:

E:

And not to miss out on any fun!

J:

E has been working hard on reading, and has discovered she actually likes to read when she can read silently. We are working to find our balance with that in encouraging it and a love of reading, while still having her read aloud to develop those skills. One afternoon I sent her downstairs ahead of me to start reading, and this is what I found. A treasured moment!

We also went on a field trip to a local farm and went strawberry picking. Our trip to the farm was very informative, maybe we can plant a garden soon! 

January has been a lot of fun, and while it was a challenge to transition back from the holidays and our time off, I have learned a lot about being flexible with our ever changing needs as a family. Life with littles is never static!