Fun Friday

Friday Fun School at Ben & Me

We had a fun Friday, how about you? 

One of my goals for this school year is to get our required work done in four days each week so we can take Fridays off to go places (like the library or a field trip) or just do more creative sorts of things at home (like games, arts and crafts, movies). You might want to check out my post of twenty ideas the kids came up with for fun things to do during Friday Fun School.

Today I got stuck with a migraine, as the weather is very overcast and it is threatening to rain all weekend, so I didn't have the energy or focus to go all out or to go out at all. Thus, I came up with simple, not too rowdy things they could do fairly independently. 

Here they are:

The Three Amigos got to try out the new Creative Writing Briefcase I made for them. I found an old, hard briefcase at a thrift store very cheap, so I snagged it with the idea of using it as a storage container. I stocked the Writing Suitcase with new boxes of markers, Twistable Crayola Crayons (I love those things), a 24 pack of colored pencils, scissors, construction paper, glue, stickers, white out, a ruler, stencils, pads of primary story paper (the kind with a space to draw) and primary lined paper, and surplus stationery I have collected over the years. I'd like to add stamping supplies eventually, but I figured that this was a good start.

I offered a prize to anyone who used the suitcase, and Ladybug was the first to give it a try. She drew a picture of a lion on yellow construction paper and cut it out, then she wrote a story about Sandylion, a happy lion who loved kids, and missed them when the zoo was closed. She plans to add more pages tomorrow or Tuesday (we are taking Monday off, since Daddy will be home!) I love your story, Ladybug. You are so creative!

Firefly also participated in that challenge, and chose to use the construction paper to make a card to send one of her grandmas. I try to encourage REAL letter writing, and not just using email and texting as a way of communicating in written form...especially when older relatives are concerned. Good job, sweet Firefly!

I also issued a challenge that whoever read the most books that day would win a prize (I found some candy, and it is a rare treat at our house). Cowboy was the one who jumped on that challenge and read five books out loud to Firefly and Boo. Way to go, Cowboy!

The Three Amigos also had time to play their favorite online games, such as Bibletown, Starfall, and Reading Eggs. Boo watched some of the time, and then he watch Signing Time (My First Signs) with Firefly and took a nap the rest of the time. It was sort of a lazy day.

We plan to play a board game tonight after supper. They like Cat in the Hat: I Can Do That! a lot, so I think that will be the one we try. Either that one or Charades for Kids. The cards are simple enough in that charades game that the little ones can read them, so they do not have to be on a team (except for Firefly and Boo), and they like that.

Tex did work on his Khan Academy math review today, and read some of his Left Behind book (he decided to study Revelation this year...with the earthquakes and hurricanes and forest fires, oh my! it seems rather timely). I am impressed that he is so interested in learning more about that special book of the Bible. Did you know he has read it through three times already? He's awesome.

He also logged onto Brain Pop and played Executive Command, a great game about how our government works. Then he tried out a game on AE Mystery Spot for another fun, but science related, game. 

He played around with our new Scruble Cube some in the afternoon. I am no better with it than I ever was with a Rubik's Cube, but he seems to be catching on fairly easily. I think we will play Scrabble with him after the little ones are in bed. I whomped the boys during the hurricane (okay, I really only won by about twenty points, and only because I managed to go out first and they had lots of points to add to mine...but I started out with five "i"s, an e, and a u, so what can you expect!)...or, if my migraine persists, his dad can play chess with him. He'd like that since the aftermath of the hurricane (no power) caused him to miss chess club this week. Bummer.

We plan to find a National Geographic sort of movie about the pyramids at Giza on Netflix, or one about the pharaohs, as we are studying Egypt right now. I will be reading from Boy of the Pyramids tonight during dinner.

Well, dinner is in the crockpot (it's Fiesta Chicken Pronto from Gooseberry Patch served with rice..and I did add corn and substitute Rotel diced tomatoes for salsa since I was out of salsa...it's great!) and the boys are all on their way to the dump with Daddy. That gives the girls a few minutes to clean up and set the table, and to pick out the games and movie for the evening. I hope you are all having a Fun Friday, like we are!!

Blessings,

Heather