We went to the Mystic Aquarium last week and had a great time! It was really interesting to see the bazillions of brightly colored fish & other sea animals. Savannah was fascinated by the tanks of "pink", "blue" and "purple" jelly fish (the lights made the jelly fish appear to be glowing!). Bella was excited to be able to "pet" the little sharks and sting rays while Kyle was in awe over the huge size of the Beluga Whales. All of us enjoyed watching the Sea Lion show - I was impressed with how smart the sea lions were! The Electric Eel was also really neat to check out! Jim and I were especially glad that his parents were able to join us for our "family fun day". When we were finished checking out all of the various exhibits at the aquarium we had lunch at a local diner. The kids were so good!!! From the car ride.. to the aquarium.. to the restaurant.. to the return trip home.. they were excellent!! It made for an absolutely perfect day :)
Earlier this week I took the kids to the RISPCA for a homeschool "wildlife rehabilitation" presentation. While it didn't hold Savannah's interest for very long, both Kyle and Bella did a great job listening and sitting still. They politely raised their hands whenever they wanted to ask (or answer) questions. It was an awesome learning opportunity. After the presentation we got to take a little tour though the shelter to check out all of the animals. Bella made sure to wave hello to each and every animal we passed! Savannah wasn't a fan of the noise level so she clung to me like a newborn monkey but overall I was glad that we went. Afterwards I had Kyle write a little essay about some of the things he learned about during the presentation and was pleased to see that he had absorbed tons of information!
Yesterday we went to The Bowling Academy to check out their homeschool bowling league. The kids got to bowl a game while enjoying pizza and a drink - all for FREE! It was nice to see some familiar faces at the bowling alley - slowly but surely I'm starting to remember names! I taught Kyle how to bowl "properly" - using only one hand & stepping forward with the opposite foot. It took him a while, but by the middle of the game he was getting the hang of it. Bella used the 'ole "roll the ball in between your legs" technique, which worked out well for her ;) From start to finish it took about an hour, which was perfect for us. Sometimes it can be hard to get involved in afternoon activities due to Savannah's nap schedule but because this ended at 12:30p she still had time to get in a quick nap when we got home. The first "official" league game starts next Tuesday - it should be a lot of fun!
Today Jim took Kyle to the John Brown House Museum in Providence for yet another homeschool field trip. They both seem to enjoy learning about history so I'm hoping this is fun for them!
As you can see, we've been taking full advantage of all of the local activities offered to homeschooling families!! There seems to always be something going on, but I don't want to overwhelm the kids (or myself) with too many activities. Immediately following bowling yesterday we had to tackle school work, then Cub Scouts. By the time the kids went to bed I was dead on my feet. So from here on out I will be more aware of what I sign us up for, making sure not to pile too much onto our daily plates (which seem full even on the days when we have *nothing* planned!) :)
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