Pyramids & Plagues

Okay, we have discovered that we are NOT the best pyramid builders this last week. The kids worked all week painting and decorating their pyramids only to discover that the paint had warped the cardboard which made our pyramids difficult to put together. And we were only able to get three sides to fit together. But..... it was still fun . I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for the Ancient Egyptians & how much skill & hard labor it must have required. Maybe that is the lesson here :)

We also wrapped up the story of Moses in Exodus & covered the Ten Plagues of Egypt. The vote is in & by a land slide BOILS was the most gross & disgusting plague !

Then Friday we took a field trip to General Sherman's House in Lancaster. Unfortunately we were not aloud to take pictures inside of the house. The boys liked all the Civil War memorabilia which was cool for Zane to see since he is taking a Civil War class in Co op.

Zane started guitar lessons at the YMCA Thursday. So far , so good . He woke up Friday morning grabbed his guitar & started practicing the chords ( even before X BOX ). Life is good :)

Out of Egypt

We should be wrapping up our Egypt/desert unit within the next week. At least this is the plan. :)Although it has been a fascinating unit study with lots of cool projects, we are ready for some new material. I love that the length of the units are 30 days. This gives me a chance to regroup & revise things between units to make things run a little smoother. I have learned so much about my kids & how each one of them learn these last 30 days and what IS working and what is NOT working for us as a group.I feel like this has been my trial unit. I've got lots of ideas floating around in my head for the next unit, Greece/Human Body. The hard part is staying focused on the last bit of Egypt/desert. Which is also the case for the kids. Bring on Greece !

Here are some things we have finished up this week......

Maps of Egypt


Desert lap books


Miniature models of structures they could build for shelter in Nature Enrichment Class


Zoe's finished pot holder made in Nature Enrichment Class

OSU Buckeyes

Zoe had a chance to go watch the Ohio State Woman's Soccer Team with HER soccer team last night. Lots of fun & the best part was that it was FREE ! Afterwards the girls were excited to talk to the players and get their shirts signed. GO BUCKS!!!!!!

Kelton House

This Friday the kids & I took a tour of the Kelton House with our co op. The Kelton House was one of the houses used in the Underground Railroad. The house was BEAUTIFUL ! Very nicely preserved & has an amazing history. I'm noticing that I am enjoying the field trips more than the kids. They think that they are too cool for school ( or to admit they dig this stuff :) and I feel like a brand new student learning all over again.

These are pictures of the garden behind the house. They have a lot of weddings here & I can see why. Just Beautiful !

This is the family room where the kids play ? Looks pretty formal to me. Not what today's playrooms look like!


This is where the got the expression " Don't throw the baby out with the bath water". One tub of water , 6 kids..... who do you think got in line first & who was the last ?


This is the formal dining room. Fine linen was only washed once a week. SO your fancy napkin was given a napkin ring with your name on it to keep them seperated . Can you imagine using the same napkin for a week ? Thank God for disposable napkins !

This is a picture of Oscar Kelton. He served in the civil war & died. This is one of the reasons the Keltons became abolitionists.

What's interesting about this picture is that the woman in the portrait is wearing the same piece of jewelry that is displayed in the frame on the right of the desk. The broach is made from her hair which was a common practice among the woman.

Pretty cool tidbits . Great field trip on a cool fall day !