Ben's List

scene: 5:45am, Florida, I'm lying in bed - asleep
enter Benjamin
Ben: crawls into bed and snuggles up to me. Mom, I have a ton of things to do!
Me: It's not even 6:00! What do you have to do?
Ben: I have sooo many things I need to build in my Minecraft world.
Me: Like what?
Ben: I need to build a golf course, and a proper house, a glass dome to cover all of it, and boats....
Me: realizing that no more sleep is going to be had. I think I need to introduce you to making lists

And voila, a new list-maker is born!

1. dome; 2. golf; 3. boat; 4. proper home

Lego Inspiration

Another fun stop during our Florida trip was to see the Lego exhibit at the McKee Botanical Gardens. We had seen a similar exhibit by the same artist a couple of years ago but this one had new displays and did not disappoint!

The kids received their own maps and loved acting as our tour guides throughout the gardens.

displaying fantastic navigation skills

praying mantis

birds vs squirrels

the fox and the hare

Zoo Highlights

The Brevard Zoo was a highlight of our trip last month. The animals were a little slow getting going that morning but we were able to see the rhinos take their time ambling to their enclosure, really search for the lemurs on their island, and gawk at the crocs lazing around their lake.

ready to see some animals

the rhinos grazing on their way to their enclosure

the lorakeets liked Julia's hat

intent on the cockatiel

Letters to Santa

Getting into the Christmas spirit in Florida we attended an event called the Festival of Trees. Local schools, individuals, and organizations all decorate trees with different themes, there are gingerbread houses as well, and music, "ice" skating, and of course, Santa Claus. 

The kids each wrote a letter to Santa in the Santa's Village. They could have sat on his lap and told him their lists but Benjamin was adamant - "that is NOT the real Santa!" When asked how he knew, he replied "Because that is not Mrs. Claus. She does not look anything like Mrs. Claus."

He had a point. We all agreed and then they mailed the letters instead!

Fall in Florida

Flexibility is one of the mantras of our family. It's also one reason why we homeschool - to have flexibility over what the kids are learning, over how they are learning, and over our schedule. This last one is a huge benefit when it comes to vacations. We're able to decide when we want to go and not be beholden to school calendars. So we like to take advantage!

And we did just that by taking another vacation to Florida for the 2nd half of November. The trip was fairly uneventful. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Grandpa Herb, Grandma Su-Su, and their friends. We played a LOT of golf. We swam. We ate ice cream. We went to zoo and playground. It was just nice and relaxed.

yes, it's as big as his head!

lots of time for Pokemon

a beautiful Thanksgiving day

setting up trains with Grandpa

it works!

the best chicken wings ever - on the beach!

windy lunch with Mom

half our vacation was spent here

practicing his balance for golf!

Behind the Scenes

Julia was a stagehand in our Cooperative's performance of Little Red Riding Hood. She and the other girls took their duties very seriously, ensuring that each piece of scenery was placed exactly right and all props were set out and used.

The kids managed everything for the show - costumes, props, posters to advertise, scenery, and stage direction. It turned out amazing and all the kids enjoyed being a part of it!

Setting the stage!

Waiting for her cue

True New Englander

Ben is getting the hang of dressing like a true New Englander.

Hat?... check
Mittens?.... check
Warm coat with layers underneath?.... check
Flip flops?!?!?.... gotta cool off somehow!