Last Day of Homeschool


Yesterday marked our very last day of the 2011-2012 school year.  I now have a fourth grade, first grade, K-4, and preschool learner!  Although we will be doing some exploratory learning throughout the summer months (Look for more to come on that later.), our days will mostly be spent enjoying a nice break.  I have a "last day" very intentionally...but that's for another chat...

To celebrate the day, I told each of the kids that we had a few MUST DO school happenings to accomplish but that they could choose the rest of our "learning fun".  The only criteria was that the activities they chose had to be FREE.  I thought it would be fun to share A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...
with you and show you what they came up with.  

As usual, we began our day with Bible time.


Apparently, the Newbie didn't get the memo that it was time for school...he hunkered down for a nice morning nap.


Personal devotions came next.  


Then, after a few practice run-throughs of their presentations for our up-coming Co-op spring program, Sweetie Pea and Super Boy joined me in the dining room for Super Boy's choice of last day learning...origami.  

He found a book earlier this week that had detailed steps of making a paper crane and was just itchin' to make one during art time.  

This is the part where I'd LIKE TO show you a picture of our beautifully crafted paper cranes (which he had hopes of calling pterodactyls), but since we didn't have ACTUAL origami paper and used scrap book paper instead, our cranes only made it step 16 of a 24 step process.  FYI...scrapbook paper is just too thick to fold that many times.


After a mid-day lunch with the Hubs, the kids and I hopped in the van and headed to the local pet shop for a field trip...Sweetie Pea's choice.


She and the Hubs have been investigating small rodent-type pets.  For a while now, she has desperately wanted a hedgehog.  But, after learning that a hedgehog would cost her around $200, she set her sights on a more economical fur ball...a hamster.  

While at the pet shop, she did some SERIOUS reconnaissance for the "I'd like a pet hamster" plan! 


The boys and I were more than happy to tag along for her research.  We got to meet everything from a hoard of crickets to a chinchilla...with some bunnies and a scorpion thrown in, for good measure.  Oddly enough, there was not a puppy or kitten in the whole place.


Greased Lightning was ecstatic when I said we could go and watch the "big trucks." 


In our state, we have two seasons...WINTER and CONSTRUCTION.  It just so happens that one of two major thoroughfares in our small town is being expanded.  Every time we drive that road, Greased Lightning gets saucer-sized eyes and wants us to go very slowly so that he can ogle over every digger and dumper.


I decided that this would be a great day to pull over and meet some of these big engines.  I felt rather silly piling all my kids out on the side of the road.  But, we introduced ourselves to a few men on the road crew and they excitedly did an impromptu demonstration for us with one of their largest back hoes.  (When we got home later in the day, Greased Lightening dug out one of his favorite books...Digger...and asked me to read and re-read the truck filled tale several times.)


Although I sincerely question its educational merit, Blonde Warrior's choice came in the form of the golden arches.  Now normally, a trip to visit Ronald with a brood of five kids would NOT be considered a FREE activity.  But, it just so happened that I had a few coupons for free fruit smoothies.


We wrapped up our "learning" with a cup of liquid berries and a trip...or two...or ten down the tunnel slides.


Add in a spill or two and a few diapers to change and you have a pretty accurate DAY IN THE LIFE...
Not a bad way to end a great year!


Do you have an "end" to your year?  If so, how will/did you mark the day?

Linking up with the Hip Homeschool Hop.

A++

13 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a great day! I was just talking to a (non-homeschooling) friend of mine and she asked how the end of the year was going for me. I told her that it started fizzling in March or April with all that warm weather. I just had Emilia complete an end of the year project (report and presentation on Japan) that she shared with our extended family. Jonny didn't want to share the verses he learned, so I didn't make him. We had the majority of our work done in April and the beginning of May, so it really ended well, although we didn't really have a "last day". I'd like to try for that next year. We shall see. :)

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    1. Japan? Sounds fun! We have our presentations tomorrow. The kids are very excited!

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  2. That's the first time I saw the new addition. He is so cute!! I was trying to be creative with a great way to end school, but just didn't get around to it. We finished last Thursday and that was it. In the summer we do weekly field trips with a few other families. I love doing that. The first trip will be to Fort Snelling.

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    1. You must have so many great opportunities for places to visit. Have fun at Fort Snelling.

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  3. Your kids had some great choices for the end of the year. Nothing really great happened here, just ended. lol.
    Blessings
    Diane

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  4. What a wonderful way to end the school year! My little boy would have loved the impromptu visit to see the big trucks too. :)

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  5. What a fantastic end of the year. Delightful glimpse of your homeschool day.

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  6. your homeschool days look awesome, i bet by the end of the sumer they will be clamouring for more. Diggers and animals in one day is Goblin's idea of heaven

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  7. aww this sounds like a really fun day. So neat some of the workers put on ahow for you and yay for free coupons. Today is our last day of school we're in public school here but I now have 2 in high school and one heading to preschool. Wow.

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  8. Congratulations to all of your children and to you for doing such a great job! We ended our day with a swim party with friends and passed out little bags with swedish fish that said "It's o"fish"ally Summer!"

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    1. What a fun idea! I'll have to remember this one for next year.

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  9. I think it's great that you mark the day!

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  10. What a great family day full of fun, togetherness and learning. Thank you for sharing :)

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