Character Lessons with the Advent Calendar

I love the Advent Calendars but am not a fan of the girls eating sweets everyday. I'm also trying to focus the family on being SELFLESS and less materialistic so toys don't really work either. So, I had an idea!!  I found a free template to write your own fortune cookies and decided that every morning, as we count down the days... we'll open the doors and read the slips. That will become our focus of the day. The slips don't say a lot but its for us to discuss and talk about and practice. Also, if I wish to take it a step more.. I can always print out stories and worksheets/coloring pages that go along with the word of the day. 

My Daisy Kaper Chart!

* NO, not EVERY post will be about Girl Scouts!  :-) *

It's not perfect but it works! (Need a petal near the stem)

 The girls picked either a butterfly, a bee or a ladybug from a template I made on the computer. They colored them and I glued a photo of the girls for the face. The bugs and the petals have velcro dots to attach them so that they are easy to move around. 

                The middle of the flower is the "leader helper" spot.

Girl Scout Promise!

The 10 laws!

I bought "grass" from Michaels and then hot glued
each piece to the board.


Want my template for the bugs?  Click HERE

Now how can anyone say "NO" to her?

Beach Clean Up

My Favorite part of Girl Scouts?  Service Projects! It was raining today and so very few people showed for this Beach Clean Up.  The park rangers admitted to being disappointed when they saw our crew of 5 to 8 year olds. But the girls worked for over TWO HOURS nonstop and cleaned up the entire area. I was SO proud of the girls and very pleased to hear the praise and surprise from the Ranger's. "We'll be inviting the Girl Scouts again in the future for sure." they said. What a way to represent! 

Messy Job! 

Yay! Another Badge! 

There were literally THOUSANDS of cigarette butts that they picked up. We're thinking of making it our TAKE ACTION project.

Girl Scouts!

The girls finally started Girl Scouts and they and I are LOVING it. I decided to put Aidan in Brownies and Ainsley in Daisies. (They don't care what grade level Aidan is in since she's homeschooled.) I am the co-leader of Ainsley's Daisy troop and the helper Mom for Aidan's troop and except for my propensity to overextend myself...  I think I'm going to love this year! 

 Their 1st service project was to participate in the Tunnels for Towers run in downtown Savannah.

First Field Trip

For our 1st school field trip we went to the Planetarium with the homeschooling group!

Watching a show about the planets.

Using their bodies to show the distance from the sun.

Safely looking at the sun.

Another August

I've been watching all the parents and kids preparing to go back to school in the next week or two. It feels odd watching all these preparations.  We're not starting until the first week of September.

Yup, I do indeed plan to blog again.

So where have we been?

Here

Unschooling!

Yes, unschooling!  I put it all away and let the girls learn what they wanted... with a little tweaking here and there.

I have a new-found respect for this method when its used wisely.

It was good for us.

Aidan's brain, I think, suffered a bit because she wasn't receiving the stimulation she needs... but she compensated by finding other things to concentrate on... like starting her own series of books "The M & J Adventure Co." (Madison and Jameson), reading the entire juvenile fiction's section of the library (or nearly), quickly becoming a mini chess pro (she beat 2 grownups), trying to break a hula hoop record or learning how to start an online selling business. Yes, she can post photos of things and list them for sale like a pro. LOL

Ainsley blossomed! She spent her time bonding with Mommy and Grandma, playing, imagining and enacting all her dramas and she learned to read.... like really read. Soon we will be starting the Junie B's together.  (Ah Junie B! Such an ISSUE)

And lately I've been busy signing the girls up for all their socializing.

Aidan will be in  Level 3 Gymnastics, Art classes, Brownies, and *hoping for* Spanish.

Ainsley will be in Soccer, Drama classes, Daisy Scouts, and *hoping for* Spanish.

This will be such a busy, event-filled year!

No, we are not continuing with Unschooling. It served its purpose for last year but now its time for "real" school. Schedules and notebooking and all.

Oh my!