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22/6/04
Attention Getter for Bible Story #6, Vol 1, Ch 3
Nehemiah 1: 1-11 (Emphasis on prayer)

 

We used a Puzz3D San Francisco Street to be our city! Good old faithful leggo!    Click on the thumbnails for a slightly better view. I took the photo's with my phone so they're a bit average! 

After studying photo's of Jerusalem's walls and gates, we built a wall from Lego, Mum, Kira, Maddy, Isaac and Aggie! We roped in an innocent by-standing Puzz3D to be our city of Jerusalem and it worked well.

 Mum's gate!  We built the Nehemiah Jerusalem wall on our school table, which is of course also our dining room table and quilting table! LOL! We have 2 posters under the protective plastic table cover. A map of Australia and a map of the world.  Isaac's gate!  Kira's Gate

 

22/5/04
Chesterfield Farm

We had an excursion to Chesterfield farm which is on the outskirts of Melbourne. Check it out!  http://www.chesterfieldfarm.com.au/Welcome!.htm

Isaac, very much in up close inspection mode with a rabbit and hutchMaddy doing a great job of nursing a rabbit  Agatha feeling very chuffed and doing very well for a (then) not quite 3 year old  Big sister Kira in there helping   
 

Kira's best friend Joelle also homeschools and was with us at the farm      Maddy and friend
 

Talking before milking in the daily show area!  Maddy having a go at milking a cow  Kira milking a cow with Joelle looking on whilst waiting for her turn  Even Isaac had a go (what an opportunity for a 4 year old city kid!)
 

Now that's a pig!  These are more my size pigs!! LOL Ok so I'm a chook!  Altogether enjoying the fun!  Yes, Cocky did talk. Bill said Cocky taught *him* how to talk!!
 

The tractor ride.  Our guys were really blessed to get front row. Isaac must have been thrilled! Right behind the tractor!  And off we go!
 

Waiting to bring the sheep in to be sheared. One patient sheepdog!  Move along boys and girls, move along!  One volunteer ready to be shorn!! Well, maybe not volunteer... ;o)  "Click go the shears boys, click, click, click...."

 

Family trip to Blairgowrie, Coastal Victoria, Australia.
On and around 18.12.2003

 

A very typical track leading to a beach in Victoria.  Please check back soon for details of where this is exactly. Bill took the eldest four out to explore whilst Levi and I (well ok, I!!) cleaned the house before we left to go home :o)   
 

     
 

   
 

This drive is affectionately known as the Yellow Brick Road. It was just across the street from the house we were staying in and it's where Kira officially rode a bike on her own for the first time!  The kids went up and down here over and over and over again. A safe, fun haven.  Aggie just ran up and down most of the time. Her energy was boundless. Must have been that fresh sea air! 

 

Impromptu Scarecrow all of their own creating!
June 2004

 

  They used sticky tape to stick on the" hair"!! Several kilometres of sticky tape later.... :o) Ta Daaa!

 

Excursion to the Melbourne Zoo
3rd July 2004
 

We hope to have more photo's soon! These ones were taken with our phone. There were others taken by a standard camera and once we have the pictures we'll scan them in!

Click here to see our Emu friend taking a walk (You'll need Quicktime to be able to view this)

Click here to see one of the seals taking a swim (You'll need Quicktime to be able to view this)

Isn't he just gorgeous!He went swimming and played with a barrel whilst we were there. The kids loved it! (from left) Maddy, friend, Isaac and Kira hanging out at the giraffe enclosure.Daddy giraffe! With ostriches for company. Emu Mama Knangaroo with Joey in her pouch.

Miss Aggie in the Butterfly enclosure The same mama Kanga Kookaburra

Excursion to the Docks
1st July 2004

Bill took the kids for a drive to the docks and just happened to be in just the right place at just the right time. They were able to get close to this big ship being brought in with the help of tugs! Fantastic opportunity. The kids were so excited!



 

Excursion to The Werribee Open Plains Zoo
16th July 2004

The Safari ride on the specialised bus took around 45 minutes. We drove through different "countries" as it were as we entered/exited different enclosures through mechanised gates. We want to go back again in a couple of months to do some of the walks and visit the lions and the cheetahs which aren't a part of the bus safari. We'll keep you posted.

Our "Very Cool" Safari bus. It opened up completely along one side. There was no central row. The bottom half of the entry side of the bus opened downwards and the internal side was shaped as steps. The upper window parts opened upwards. We all filed into the bus width seats and it was squishy!! The driver had a head set and she explained about the animals and the zoo as we drove along. She also passed items such as horns, camels hide and hair and a giraffe neck vertabrae back through the bus for people to feel as we went. Daddy hippo asleep by the track side. Really rare opportunity apparently. Mind you, it's as close as I'd like to get! (Marion) Bison! We got to feel what their coats are like which made it even more real for the kids. The camels. Daddy camel was off doing a solo on the other side of the enclosure!
Oh how we wished at this moment we had a zoom lense. Our guide told us it was rare to get this close to them sitting down! She also told us that like us they only have 3 vertebrae in their necks! Can I just say that having held one of those vertebrae...I believe it! It was huge! When we went out into the largest of the enclosures all the animals in there were grouped together in one corner. These were the ones who play nicely together and come from the same habitats. It was great to see the rhino's. Isaac loved them! A couple of weeks later I brought home with me from shopping a toy Rhino, Hippo, Giraffe and Cheeteh. The kids have been reviewing all our learning without even realising it! There was an enclosure near the restaurant with lots of meercats. Utterly gorgeous and very curious!

 

Playdough Models
13th July 2004

As part of our Unit covering transport I had the kids make playdough models of a form of transport. Of course, it didn't stop there and we got a "lot" of creations! Here are just some of them. You'll also get a peek at our schoolroom/dining room/quilting room/etc, etc!!

 

In the buffet that you can see at the end I store preschool activities, art stuff and some science stuff. On top I keep the library books and a chronic hotspot at the end next to the door! I have another buffet (built in) at the other end of the room (probably about 2 feet from where the end f the table is). Inside it I keep Some quilting gear and spare stationary for school. Above it I had a set of big shelves made and there I keep curriculum and resource books as well as a big craft box freely available to the kids, coloured paper amd manipulatives. Also sewing machine, some of our board games and a project or two. Looks like Kira was up to making her castle at the end of the table. maddy had made her pizza on the far left. Isaac looks like he has some serious worms happening and as you can see, Aggie was not exactly short of creativity either on the right there! LOL! Isaac's submarine Isaac's baby submarine! Maddy's car
 

Kira's castle complete with people Kira's castle - top view Kira's gravestone. Bill has taken the kids a few times to visit a local cemetry and Kira is fascinated by the headstones. Maddy's Pizza - hungry anyone? :o)
 

Maddy's star I'd love to tell you what it's supposed to be but I have no idea. I'll ask the artist and get back to you. Aggie's cake Kira's truck

Our Model Hot Air Balloon
July 2004

For instructions visit this website: http://www.juniorballoonist.com/

This is Stolk balloon # 2. Bill tried reducing the recommended ratio with # 1 but it wouldn't stay up at all.We used a hairdryer to heat up the air inside it but being a small hairdryer I'm not sure that there was enough heat. Did I feel a little foolish? Ha! Of course I did :o)Once the hairdryer was removed # 2 came down very quickly. It would be good to try and build a slightly bigger one yet and see if increasing the size yet again would make a difference.