Deck the Halls

I love this time of year. I know for many it's hectic, but for us life slows down quite a bit. I get my shopping done in November. School wraps up the first week of December with the kids finishing up on their own during the second week. Clubs, classes and activities finish up early in December too. Then the fun begins.

The fancy tree goes up in the living room amidst carols and cocoa. The trimmings are pink, cream and gold. It's a Victorian tree with ornaments we've been collecting for 17 years.

I love the Dickens Village under the tree. My mom and husband have given me all the pieces. Ladybug loves helping me set up the village each year. We have fun talking about the period and imagining what it would have been like to live during that time.

The tree ornaments include parasols, ballet slippers, china tea cups, angels, Victorian dolls, pearl beaded stars and pink and cream floral bows.

The family tree goes up in the great room with a classic Christmas movie playing in the background and bowls of buttery popcorn nearby.

Most of these ornaments are ones that the kids have made or ones they have been given. Some of Bookworm's favorites include her polar bears and her snowmen. Ladybug loves her angels and Busy Bee loves his hockey skates.

My favorites are all the ones the kids have made and the ones they buy me each year. I appreciate the effort they make to find just the right one.

The manger scene gets put up without Baby Jesus in the manger and we keep the wiseman off to the side.

The kids take turns putting Jesus in the manger on Christmas morning. We also move the wiseman a little closer each day after Christmas to symbolize the Wiseman's travel to the Christ Child.

We usually read a nativity story or 2. This year we read one we bought at the Creation Museum last year. The kids arrange and rearrange the manger scene frequently throughout the season.

The dining room gets decked out too. I love the fresh burgundy poinsetta. It goes great in there. I made a pair of window swags for the corners of the window. I love the brown, cream and icy blue together.

One of the fun parts of blogging is learning about other's Christmas traditions, family recipes, craft ideas and heirloom recipes.

I have several ideas that I want to try out for next year that I got from other blogs. The Jesse tree is one I am planning on implementing. The other is to have a friends party that has a service focus. What traditions do you hold dear? How do you hold up Christ during this time of year?

4 Star Recipe

My daughter's very favorite bread:

Honey Oatmeal Bread

2 1/2 cups boiling water
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flax seeds
4 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup honey

Place all in medium bowl and let cool to just warm.
Sprinkle over the oat mixture and let sit 1 minute:

3 teaspoons active yeast

Add in remaining ingredients and knead 5-7 minutes.

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dry milk

Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour. Lightly grease 2 bread pans. Gently deflate dough and roll into loaf shapes. Allow to rise in pans for 1-2 hours. Bake 350 for 45 minutes. Brush with butter and cover with bread towel while cooling on a wire rack. Freezes well!!

August Activities

August was pretty eventful for us. Initially I planned to start school the first week of August but everyone else had other ideas. Our new volleyball coach scheduled 2 a days for the first week. Our speech and debate coach found a good speech and debate camp for the second week. The third week my girlfriend and her family were able to come to the lake for a visit.

The best laid plans is really code for I need to learn to be more flexible. Flexibility is overrated! It really means I'm not getting anything accomplished and I'm trying to be okay about it. All the activity was fun and I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it, but it also put me behind with lesson planning, gardening, home keeping, etc.

Amidst all the fun this summer, we received troublesome news about Brad's grandfather. He was diagnosed with cancer. He is scheduled to have surgery soon. The family had a party for him and we were able to visit with him. The kids call him "Candy Man" because he always has oodles of candy in his pockets. Ladybug was ill so she wasn't able to come. Below is a picture of Candy Man and his wife Joan with a small portion of his great-grandchildren.



We made several more trips to Lake Michigan with friends. Busy Bee really enjoyed his new wake board. He stayed busy on the shoreline most of the day riding on it. People were stopping him constantly and asking him about it. Grown men were tumbling into the surf left and right trying to ride the board. Busy Bee made it look easy but he was also much lighter than they were.

Ladybug, Bookworm and her friend had a great time together. The waves were huge that day and I was still recovering with a bout of vertigo. Let's just say that I wasn't always sure which way was up. The kids thought it was pretty funny.



We walked the beach and watched the big ships going through the channel. The sailboats were so pretty to watch and I've always liked lighthouses.



Now it's time to buckle down and get moving on all those lesson plans. I also have some Charlotte Mason mp3's to listen to. I am definitely ready for a schedule again. Hope you're enjoying your summer.

Back At It

I hope you have all had a wonderful summer break. We are ready to get back to a regular routine. You can add up on one hand the number of times our whole family spent an entire 24 hours at our home. We spent the majority of our time at the lake with a week here and there at camps or visiting friends.

We'll start lessons in a week and I will be posting more regularly now that I'll actually be at home. We have no internet at the lake and that's okay with me. All I want to do when I'm there is swim, float or fish and visit with good friends.

I plan on deep cleaning our learning room and doing a little more organizing this week. The kids are chomping at the bit to open their new books. My non-homeschooling friends think we're strange. It's like Christmas when those book orders start arriving!

We have our books and materials all ready to go. We're trying out a new spelling program this year- I'll post about that after we've been into it for a few weeks. I have also written up my own history curriculum for the most part for this year. I loved Mystery of History, but we finished Book 3 and Book 4 won't be done for awhile yet. I couldn't find anything I liked quite as well, so here goes nothing...

Detroit Zoo

Bookworm wanted to go to a zoo for her birthday. She LOVES Polar Bears. I'm sure you all think Polar Bears and right away the Detroit Zoo pops into your head. Right? Well that is what popped into Bookworms head. I admit to some very low expectations, but it was her choice. We each invited a friend and off we went.WOW! I was blown away. The zoo was clean with beautiful gardens, reflecting pools and fountains. The exhibits were huge and the animals seemed content. I never saw one thing referring to evolution. I know, I was shocked! The signs were educational and focused on the animal and it's habitat as well as what the zoo keeper's do to enrich the animals lives. They also shared about their research and ongoing efforts to save endangered species.

The Arctic exhibit was awesome. The Polar Bears were active and moving around their 4 1/2 acre exhibit. We went through 3 separate times and every time they were doing something different. This was definitely the highlight of the day for us.

The girls at the reflecting pool. I highly recommend this zoo. The prices were very reasonable, especially compared to Cincinnati or Indy.

This guy had me a little concerned. He kept staring at me and I don't have a good track record with the Gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo. He threw a clump of sod over the ravine and it narrowly missed my head.

A Very Pink Wedding

My good friend's son got married this week. His favorite color is pink. They had a very intimate, personal and unique wedding. We wish you all the best, Sean and Christy!

My girls... through thick and thin! They are amazing, strong women of God. I am blessed to have them in my life! We started homeschooling together and have watched our kids grow up together. We've grown up together!

4 of the 5 young ladies- one was at Oxford University in England for a Summer Studies Program.

Ladybug with her good pal and in front is my BFF (otherwise known as "Little Bit"). She was a surprise, when she came along, but a very welcomed addition. We all spoil her to pieces.

I helped the groom's Aunt cook for the bridal shower. We had a good time cooking together. We also put on the Rehearsal dinner. We cooked a big Norwegian breakfast for the dinner. That is what the groom wanted and that's what we gave him. It was really tasty too!

Early July Highlights

We made a few trips to Lake Michigan in July. The kids like the bigger waves. I prefer our quiet and much calmer lake.

Bookwork with one of her best friends who was visiting from Ohio.

Busy Bee had the girls bury him in the sand. I admit that I don't get why this is fun, but he was thrilled.

I love this shot of the kids watching the sun set. They knew their time was drawing to a close.

Bookworm found this injured butterfly. She made it some sugar water and put it in a protected spot. After about 10 hours the butterfly flew off on it's own.

Busy Bee got a lead part at Drama Camp- Waldo Pointer, the GPS Operator who was directionally challenged. He had a lot of fun and did really well.

Busy Bee got up on skis, a very big deal to him. Ladybug learned to slalom and even to start off on just one ski.

Sandhill Cranes have been seen all summer. I missed all the babies crossing but so beautiful.

Woodchucks invaded the garden shed. They make such a mess but are soo adorable.

It's perfect! The waterlilies have been beautiful this year. I'm having a Monet moment.

June Highlights

Here are some highlights from the month of June...

The girls had TLC Volleyball Camp.
We spent about 98% of our time at the lake, submerged.
Bookworm got 8 mowing jobs at the lake.
Ladybug babysat a few times for some friends up there.
Busy Bee dog sat for some friends.
They were happy to earn some extra spending money.
I got absolutely no lesson planning done.
We had lots of friends visit- no pictures- I guess we were having too much fun and forgot!

If really feels like we have been in a month long episode of "Wild America" around the lake. Here's a list of what we have seen or heard: Box Turtle, The Large Snapping Turtle above- you can't tell from the photo but he was bigget across than my elbow to my fingertips, Painted Turtle, Muskrats, 2 Beaver, 3 Otter, Deer- running up and down the dirt roads, Rabbits, Coyote, Barn Owls, 2 Blue Herons, Sand Hill Cranes, Geese, Ducks, Cougars- think we heard one, some neighbors saw one, DNR finally confirmed one in the area, Wild Cats, Barn Swallows, Orioles, Humingbirds, Goldfinches, Fish- all kinds, Snakes- mostly Corn and Garter, normal summer birds, Turkeys- everywhere, still haven't seen the Eagles though.

My personal highlight- catching 4lb 6oz and 3lb Large Mouth Bass on the same morning. My friend and I caught 50 some Bass in 3 hours that day. I was actually in the lead of the Summer Bass contest for a whole 6 hours. Dinner really is in the Freezer!

We surprised Brad with at Father's Day Weekend trip to Frankenmuth. We had a great time at the waterpark/hotel. Ofcourse a little shopping at the Christmas store and a Zehnder's Chicken Dinner was a must. We kind of rolled to the van that night.

I feel a little bit guilty for not getting any projects going around the house, but not guilty enough to change anything for July!!

Summer Break

We're on summer break for now. I'm looking forward to time at the lake, vacation, visits with friends, gardening, grilling, plenty of time to tackle my reading list and for working on my new history plan. Hope you all have a blessed summer!

Be back in August...

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today:
Outside my window... the snowball and hydrangea bushes are blooming, the sun is shining and it is already over 80 degrees.

I am thinking ... about the summer schedule. I don't know how it got so crowded, I must have forgotten to plug in the NO button.

I am thankful... for the wonderful weekend we had at the lake and the great time we had with our friends there.

From the learning room... the kids have finished all of their regular school year. We are beginning our summer reading and projects.

From the kitchen... we finished some cookie baking and have a freezer meal planned for the grill tonight.

I am wearing... jean capris, a purple blouse and amethyst earings.

I am creating... lesson plans for next year, it's that time.

I am going... to take Bookworm and Ladybug to the first Lady Crusaders' Volleyball Open Gym Day of the summer.

I am reading... a lot of Colonial period books in preparation for history this fall.

I am hoping... to get some more baking done later today.

I am hearing... the girls laughing at Busy Bee's funny antics.

Around the house... I want to work on the patio and finish up a lawn project.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Ladybug's Sewing Class, Library Visit, Lake Time and a couple of graduation parties.

To see more Daybook entries visit:http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday: Family Fellowship Night

Herb Roasted Pork Loin

Scalloped Potatoes

Spinach Salad

Refrigerator Rolls

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Filling

Monday: Doctor Check-ups

Northwoods Wild Rice Soup- Freezer Meal

Broccoli Salad

Homemade Crackers

Tuesday: Volleyball Open Gym

Cheddar Jack Chicken- Freezer Meal

Crash Hot Potatoes

Glazed Carrots

Buttercrunch Salad

Wednesday: Sewing Class/Piano Lessons

Leftovers

Thursday:

Grilled Sausages

Creamy Italian Pasta

Garlicky Broccoli

Friday: Swimming

Campfire Burritos

Chips and Queso with Fresh Salsa

Blueberry Pudgies with Ice Cream

Saturday:

Crockpot Stroganoff

Egg Noodles

Green Bean Saute

Romaine Salad with Homemade Croutons

Please visit www.orgjunkie.com for more menu planning ideas.

Explorer Lapbook

Our MOH Co-op is working on an Explorer lapbook. The link below will take you to photos of the lapbook as it now stands. I added comments with descriptions. I hope that helps to explain what every thing is. We will add to it as we move through history. We plan on working on this lapbook throughout Book 3. You can check back to this post and I will add files to the links below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24059365@N04/3297861530/in/set-72157614258270750/
Here are the resources and templates for the mini books we have so far.
http://www.mediafire.com/myfiles.php
This includes the following:
1. 5 Reasons to Explore
2. Anatomy of a Ship
3. Aztec and Inca
4. Cape of Good Hope
5. Caravel, Nao, Conquistadors
6. Explorer images
7. Images for some of the mini books
8. Scurvy mini book

Geography Club

• Each month our homeschool group hosts a geography club meeting. We have a different country each month and the children do short presentations on whatever topic they choose that relates to the current country. My kids like to present their information in the form of lapbooks.
• The families study and work on projects at home during the month leading up to the meeting. Each family brings a dish from that country to share. We have a craft and usually a game. The kids bring their passports and get a stamp that represents that country.
• February’s country was the Philippines. One of our own families just came back from 2 months there. In May, they will be leaving to be missionaries in a small village. They shared a lot of information with our group. Most unusual to my kids was that they had to take bucket showers.
• We generally check out several books from the library and start reading the first week of the month. The kids choose their topic and start planning.
• My 7 year old chose to cover wildlife on the islands. We used pictures from the internet. He either does all of the writing himself or dictates to me and I help. It depends on the day. He loves picking from our file of cool templates.
  
• He chooses all of his colors and we work together on layout. I tend to prefer more of a 2-3 color, symmetrical kind of layout. He likes a lot of color and some of his own designs. His mouse deer looks remarkably close to the real thing. I always end up appreciating his creativity.
• The second week we try to complete our lapbooks. Our meetings are the third Thursday of the month. We start at 5:30pm and go until 8:30. Its nice to include the fathers in the dinner and give them a chance to see their own kid’s presentations.
• My 9 year old had an easy time choosing her topic. She is turtle crazy! She has a Russian Tortoise named Noah. His name is kind of ironic because he can’t swim. Anyway, she went with Green Sea Turtles. She spent a lot of time researching the life cycle of these turtles. She did’t like finding out how few survive into adulthood.
• The timing worked out well for this topic. We started Apologia’s Swimming Creatures in January and just got to the Sea Turtles. I love when things like that happen! She did a great job on the anatomy of the turtle. She also likes to include a question, quiz or game in her lapbooks. This one was "How did the Green Sea Turtle get it’s name?" a) shell is green b) body fat is green c) hides in sea grass If you check back, I will give you the answer in the next post.
  

• The week of our meeting, we choose what recipe we want to make. We work on our presentation and practice in front of each other. My 9 year old is shy, so this is harder for her. She improves each time though. I hope this will give her more self-confidence.
• My 12 year old chose to cover art and architecture of the Philippines. It was very interesting to learn about all of the other cultures who influenced their artists.
  She is a little more like me in her layout tastes. I encourage her to break out of the box every now and then. She is quick to point out that she did cut curves around her title.

• We really enjoy participating in Geography Club. It’s only once a month, but it is more than just geography. The kids learn about the culture, history, science and art of the country. They also learn to give oral presentations. Admitedly their favorite part is being with their friends!

4 Star Recipe

Stuffed Chicken- 2 options

2 c. sour cream
2 tbl. Worcestershire
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 c. lemon juice
12 chicken breasts

2 c. bread crumbs
1 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tbl. Italian seasoning

Mix first 5 ingredients. Pocket chicken beasts. Place chicken in sour cream mixture and refrigerate 2 hours. Mix crumbs, cheese, and seasoning in pie plate and set aside. Take chicken out of marinade and stuff with the following options.

Option 1: Provolone Chicken

6 slices of good ham, cut in half
6 slices of provolone cheese, cut in half

Add half slice of ham and provolone to pocket. Close opening with toothpick and roll in crumb mixture. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Option 2: Chicken Kiev

1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. chives

Combine butter and herbs together and roll into a log. Chill while chicken is in marinade. Slice log into 12 pieces and put 1 in each pocket. Close opening with toothpick and roll in crumb mixture. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove toothpicks before serving.

National Day of Prayer

Check out the site:

http://nationaldayofprayer.org/blog/

The theme for this year:

For Such a Time As This

Bible Verse:

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." - Nahum 1:7

• Why a day of prayer?

Why date your husband? Why have special times with your children or friends? It helps you build your relationship, it shows God that He is important to you, it is a time of refreshment, it builds intimacy, it strengthens you, it is a time to praise, it is a time to worship, it is a time to seek His direction for your life, it is a time to ask God to choose the priorities for your life, it is a time to gain perspective.

• My list of things to pray over:

Relationship with God

My husband

Our marriage

Bookworm

Ladybug

Busybee

Homeschooling

Finances

Health

Our activities

Extended family members

Friends and Friendships

Family Fellowship Group

Homeschool Group

Church

Neighborhood at Home

Neighborhood at the Lake

Our community

Our country

Our leaders

Specific requests from family and friends

Anything else God lays on my heart

• If you have never taken a good block of time set aside for deep prayer, I highly recommend it. God has done wondrous things in my own heart during these times.

• If you feel grim about the future of our nation or are dealing with tough issues, no one will understand like our God.

• If you are struggling with a child, no one else loves them more than our Lord.

Seek His face!!

Talent Show

The Niles Area Christian Homeschool group held our annual Spring Talent Show last night at our local library's auditorium. It was a wonderful evening of listening and watching the display of talent that God has blessed these kids with.

We prayed together before the start of the show and asked God to calm our nerves. One of the kids asked that their efforts would be glorifying to God. I can say that they definitely did that. It was a moving evening.

Bookworm performed Sonatina No. 1 by Beethoven. She did a great job with it. I have really enjoyed listening during her practice times at home as she has become more accomplished. She has a lovely touch on the piano, a lot like her personality, very gentle.

Ladybug performed Spinning Song by Ellmenreich. It's a very lively song that suits her personality as well. She plays piano with passion for sure.

Busy Bee played Symphony No. 1 by Brahms. He didn't show any nerves at all. He actually seemed a little in his element. Maybe it has something to do with being the youngest, but he seems to enjoy a crowd. He is a ham!

Ladybug and two of her closest friends performed a stick routine together to the song Who Am I? by Casting Crowns. The girls choreographed the routine themselves. Several people commented that it brought tears to their eyes. It's a very powerful song anyway and several of the movements that they added really brought home the lines "not because of who I am, but because of what You've done, not because of what I've done, but because of who You are."

After the show we went for ice cream with a few other families. There was a lot of chating and laughter. It was a great end to a great night!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY:
Outside my window... the sun is shining, it is only 52 degrees, but it will get warmer.

I am thinking... about our upcoming surprise trip for Dad. We do this once in awhile- pick a place to go for a few days and get everything packed up. When he gets home from work, we take off. He doesn't know until we get there or at least pretty close.

I am thankful for... God's grace.

From the learning rooms... Bookworm is working on finishing her science reading, Ladybug is finishing Math, and Busy Bee is completing his free reading.

From the kitchen... I am thankful that we got our freezer cooking done. We had talent show rehearsal and homeschool group meeting yesterday and shopping for a new bathing suit for ladybug and talent show tonight. So now I just have to choose from the stash!

I am wearing... tan capri's and a blue and green top.

I am creating... new garden stakes for the veggie garden.

I am going... to take Ladybug to choose a new bathing suit for our trip. Tonight is our homeschool group's annual Talent Show. All 3 kids are playing piano pieces and Ladybug is in a stick routine to the song Who Am I? by Casting Crowns.

I am reading... John Adams by Mc Cullough. We start American History next year and I need to get a head start on Bookworm.

I am hoping... for nice weather for our trip.

I am hearing... birds chirping at the feeders.

Around the house... I want to deep clean the refrigerator this week.

One of my favorite things... my Virginia Bluebells and Persian Lilacs have opened up, just as my Double- flowering Cherry tree and daffodils are fading.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Talent Show, Biology Lab, Surprise Trip, Lake- help put dock in, clean up the yard now that we've cleaned up the inside, maybe get some fishing in?

To see more Daybook entries visit:http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Freezer Cooking- April 22- Part 2

We did it!!! We got all of our meals in the freezer and finished around 9:00 pm. Below is a picture of the dining room table with Ham and Hash brown Casseroles, Pizza Roll Ups, Northwoods Wild Rice Soup, and in the back left corner is the dehydrator full of beef jerky.

In the picture above, we had to set tables up in the living room to hold more soup and more pizza roll ups. We had coolers full of meat and Debbie's coolers in the garage. It was a lot of work, but when you see the next picture you will understand why it was all worth it!

A very full freezer, it's a beautiful thing, folks! The very top shelf holds homemade breads, biscuits, English muffins, coffeecake muffins, blueberry muffins, scones, English muffin sandwiches, ham and cheddar biscuits and cinnamon rolls. The next 3 shelves hold our freezer cooking day's efforts. The 5th shelf holds what's left of last year's garden- 3 bags of shredded zucchini, 4 bags of green beans, 3 bags of blueberries for muffins, 1 bag of blueberries for pie and 4 hash brown casseroles. The very bottom shelf/bin holds all our remaining meat. The top 2 freezer door shelves hold the remaining jars of strawberry jam, sweet corn and squash puree. The 3rd door shelf holds my Amish butter. The 4th door shelf holds various boxes of frozen treats. The 5th door shelf holds my surplus of milled wheat and other baking flours.

We'll start to use up some of this bounty in time for berry season. Then when it starts to get low, I'll have room to put up my garden produce. Believe it or not my kitchen freezer is practically empty. Maybe we'll have to fill it with cookies, short cakes, pound cakes and coffeecakes!

Freezer Cooking- April 22- Part 1

Freezer Cooking has been a great blessing to my family. It is nice to not have to stress about a good meal on busy days. I generally bulk cook every 3-4 months. I usually do it with a friend, which helps to lighten the work load and makes it more fun too. My friend Debbie has been doing the cooking with me for over 2 years now. Sometimes we have added in a third person but this time it's just us!

We usually prepare between 40-55 meals per family and spend between $185-$250 each. You can do it cheaper, but we are both particular about our meat quality, all of our meat is organic, has no growth hormones or antibiotics and is from Yoder's in Shipshewana. It is a balancing act, but I would rather spend a little more for quality than to skimp. I don't think $3-$5 an entree/meal for a family of 5 is bad at all.

Here's what we have planned:

Grill Ready Items:
Sweet Asian Chicken- 4 meals
Italian Chicken- 4 meals
Cheddar Jack Chicken- 4 meals
Teriyaki Chicken- 4 meals
Jacki's Pork Chops- 6 meals
Grill Packets- 8 meals- hash browns, onions, carrots, garlic & smoked sausage
Bacon Cheeseburgers- 6 meals
Mini Garlic Herb Burgers- 8 meals
Glazed Ham Steaks- 2 meals
NY Strips w/ Steak Sauce- 2 meals ( a splurge!)

Indoor Prep Meals:
Chicken Enchiladas- 4 meals
Ham & Hash brown Casserole- 8 meals
Pepperoni Pizza Roll-ups- 8 meals
Sausage Pizza Roll Ups- 8 meals
Pulled Pork- 6 meals
Pork Chimichangas- 6 meals
Turkey Chimichangas- 2 meals
Cincinnati Chili- 6 meals

That's 96 meals total.
That's 48 meals per family.

We are also making:

• homemade beef jerky
• cinnamon rolls, if time allows

Tomorrow is the big day! I'll try to remember to take pictures! If anyone would like any of these recipes, I'd be happy to post them. Leave a comment on which one(s) you want.

NACHS Science Fair

Our homeschool group puts on a science fair every spring. The kids make display boards, prepare reports, prepare speeches, create models or an apparatus and study so that they are prepared to be questioned by judges and visitors. It was a great day!

Busy Bee worked on simple machines. He experimented with his own pulley system and learned to calculate mechanical advantage. He also created a complex machine using several of the simple machines that he learned about. He really enjoyed himself and had fun talking to people about his project.

In the picture above, Ladybug is watching her car go down the track in the Derby Race. Both she and Busy Bee participated and had fun. They like working with Dad on their cars.

Bookworm completed her study of Sir Isaac Newton. She seemed to particularly enjoy learning more about inertia and created a simple apparatus to show what happens to a person in a car who doesn't wear a seatbelt. The car comes to a sudden stop and inertia causes you to stay in motion. Who knew you could do so many motion experiments with a grocery cart?