Life Learning Portfolio: April 2013

It's been a bit of a lazy month. With spring so late in coming, everyone is anxious to get out and enjoy some outdoor activities. Finally toward the end of the month, Danny and Danica were able to get their bikes out. Danny's had to be fixed first.
I've spent lots of time on pinterest looking for ideas for gardening and landscaping our yard, and ideas that the kids can help out with. Danny and Danica are both interested in having their own garden space, as well as some play areas.

Danica

Horizon's Reader 1- Danica is working her way through this reader. We started it last year, and then set it aside. Danica picked it up again and is able to read much of it with help.
Lot's of coloring, painting, play doe and other indoor activities!
Abc Mouse.com
Danica likes to write song lyrics. I'm very impressed! Here are some of them:

When you're walking through the darkness,and you're frightened,

Jesus will be by your side.

The snow on the ground, the sun in the sky,

Melting the darkness and freezing the lies.

So light up the world in the river of life

To see how the world is so shiny and bright.

Danny

Reading- Ghost Stories of Manitoba/Call Of the Wild/King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table/Better Than A Horse/Living Sacrifice/Red badge of Courage/
After watching Caine's Arcade, Danny made a few of his own cardboard arcade games.
Danny spent a few days watching Steve Spangler's Science videos, and trying a couple of them.
Danny still spends a lot of time drawing, and watching drawing videos from Mark Crilly and Shoo Rayner
Danny is interested in Tiny Houses, and would like to attempt to build one someday. He's also wanting to find a way to earn some money. One idea is to sell veggies and cut flowers...once we have some! We have the frame of an old trailer; he's hoping Dad will help him turn it into a 'sales wagon' that he can set up and sell stuff from.
Danny joined DIY, a site where kids can do projects on every topic under the sun. Danny has spent hours on there, watching videos and then doing his own projects demonstrating skills. He's worked on a baking project and a block building project.
Steve Spangler Sick Science- another site Danny has spent hours on...watching various scince experiments, and then trying some himself.
Danny is also interested in woodworking. I've found many sites online for building with pallets. Dad is collecting as many as he can from work, and other places. We plan to use them for fences and planters, but hopefully use some for other projects.

Danny making cookies

Danny making salad

Danny's science experiment- egg in vinegar

Danny playing the glasses

Jerry

Reading- Call Of The Wild/Cool Technology/For What it's Worth, Paul Harvey/
Working through a math book
Jason and Paul were over for a Minecraft Party Night
Playing catch with Jason....impatiently waiting for the snow to melt
Watching Blue Jays ball games with Jason and Dennis
Dad bought Jerry some hockey pads (second hand) as part of his payment for all the work he did on the house.

Jerry's new hockey pads

All ready for next year's hockey season!

Computer

Arthur's First Grade
3D House
Ratatoulle
Halo
Back yard Baseball

Netflix and Online

Heartland- we've now caught up to the new episodes, and are watching once a week.
The Art Of Flight Series- pro snow boarders
River Monsters
Cowgirls and Angels
Person of Interest
Ripley's Believe it or Not (cartoon version)
Wildlife Specials (BBC)
Creatures That Defy Evolution

DVD

Journey To the Mysterious Island
Peter Pan
Parental Guidance- (Billy crystal, Bette Midler) I really enjoyed this movie. I think most of us have at least a few issues with how we were parented, and we feel that we can, or are, doing a better job with our own. This movie does such a good job of showing this, in a funny, and sometimes tear jerking way! The parents have very different parenting methods than the grandparents, and have very little contact, until Grandma and Grandpa are needed as babysitters. In the end, the mom finds out that her own daughter is no happier with the way she is being raised than her mother was with her parents...and comes away with an appreciation for her parents, and a better relationship with her kids.
Avengers-again!

Games

Xbox-Minecraft/Baseball 2k12/Skyrim
wii- wii sports/ wii fit/Tony Hawks Downhill Jam

Family This 'n That

I made the mistake of looking at pictures of puppies for sale online....and found my favorite dog...a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I found one last November, but managed to talk myself out of buying one at the time. This time we brought home Avalie, and she has taken most of my attention for the last two weeks of April. With snow still on the ground when we got her, I've trained her to go potty in a box. She's doing great, with just a few accidents, and now that spring is finally here, she has started going outside with Daisy and Chico.

Avalie had her check up at the vet and got her shots. We also found out she had ear mites, which the vet treated. We did another treatment two weeks later, as well as another deworming. We'll be taking her back next months for her next round of shots.

We've continued learning about pregnancy in dogs, as Daisy's belly grows bigger every day! The vet gave us some information on whelping, and we bought some vitamin powder for Daisy. She's always been a finicky eater, so I've been mixing canned food, and the vitamins in with her dry food and she's eating much better, and looking great!