Friday, May 21, 2010

Library Days

WOW!! We had to have 2 field trips to the local Library this week! Someone is reading MUCH better then she thought!!

On Tuesday we finally got to plan a day of it. We stopped at 2 libraries, and at the second one, we applied for library cards. Then I taught the girls how to check out books. Each girl picked out 3 books to bring home, and checked them out "all by myself!!" After we had carefully selected our 3 books, and put them carefully back in the van, we drove over to the park. Kids were running about and playing in the sand, while parents either drifted along behind or watched from their own picnic blankets on the lawn. The kids played for hours, and I think feeding the squirrel grapes was the cutest part of the adventure... Well, that and watching Jacob and Kayleigh as they swung high in the air for the first time this season~ all fears melted away!

We got home, my house went silent...

for about 2 hours...

until every last book was devoured. "MOM!! I finished all my books! When are we going back? Can we go back tomorrow??!?" We'll see...

Wednesday, we did school work and chores. The garden has sprouts in the corn section, the sweet peas are all climbing like crazy, and the carrots need to be thinned. 28 Tomato plants are hoping for some cages too. Cleaned the pet habitats, and the toy shelves too. The children swapped books in desperation Wednesday night :-D

So Thursday, we did school work and chores, and found that the library is open later (yea!!) so as a reward for their hard work, we took our {non-overdue} books back and dropped them into the book drop. One child heads off to the main section to find Moby Dick {was dismayed and intimidated by it}, while the others wander over to the children's section to find good books. The girls create a pile on the table for me to look over, and the baby and I stroll over to the books that I know my oldest would find less daunting, but harder then what she tends to gravitate towards.

I can't believe we checked out 25 books and 3 materials!!!! It filled the entire backpack!!! I'm already aware that we'll need to plan another Library Day for Tuesday, this batch is 75% read too!

Today {Friday} I allowed to be a lazier day, until it was time to go turn in the application for the Special Needs Scholarship :-) We met Teacher Tim, and he allowed the kids to tumble and play and climb the rope while we talked, and he cleaned. It looks like he expects us to be accepted, and says the girls should start next week!! He thinks we'll make a day of it, with the little ones playing in Free Play, the Pre-K class, then break for lunch and have the big girls attend level 1 class in the afternoon :)

Thank goodness that this school week is over, because I have one kiddo sick again, and I am praying she doesn't pass it around again!!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

We're getting excited!!

I just got done filling out the first of 3 applications sitting on my desk. It was one that has been on our minds for YEARS, but until recently, we had no clue of how we would afford to do it. Our girls want to do Gymnastics for their chosen sport.

To some, this is nothing new. Kids love to throw their bodies around and learn to do cool tricks. For my girls, this is monumental! We have a genetic skin condition, that causes the skin to blister and tear very easily. Something like a day in Gymnastics could be the ruination of all our hard efforts to keep them healed up and wound free.

One local Gym has a program for Special Needs kids, though. It is paid for through a Grant, offering a scholarship to special needs children to use Gymnastics to build muscle tone, balance, coordination and self confidence. WOOOHOOO!! They will adapt the lessons to my children's needs, and they will get the thrills of tumbling that I could only imagine as a child!!

I'll let you know how that goes as we get closer to knowing more :)

Today, we're going on a field trip. We need to locate 2 libraries, apply for library cards, (pray there is no lingering fines) and look into these Homeschool Kits that one of our Librarians put together for the local Homeschoolers :-D One Library has a park around it, so perhaps a picnic lunch is in order too?? Oh, why not? I better get packing! *poof*