Columbus Day - 2014 Edition

Happy Columbus Day!!

We had big storms last night, and woke up to a cold, windy, gray day.  Perfect for staying inside and breaking with our typical routine a bit.  We did our normal morning....Bible, math, handwriting, reading....then we took the portion of the day normally devoted to FIAR and science and dedicated it to Columbus Day.

First, we settled in to read some books I pulled from my shelf. 

Then, we played a few fun games....a simple puzzle and several rounds of tick tack toe, downloaded from http://homeschooljourneys.com.

Next, we settled in for some light work from that same site, as well as from http://www.123homeschool4me.com.  I appreciate these ladies who share their talent and creativity with the rest of us!!!

When they finally spotted land they must have felt "seasick and happy".  Love it!

It's also a great time to review the compass!

(I also found some cute ideas at Embark on the Journey, but I didn't have time for them, so I filed them away for next year.)

We watched an age appropriate movie about Columbus on youtube while snuggling under a quilt.  I'm surprised how much I use that as a resource, but there are some wonderful FREE educational videos available on every topic under the sun!

So, the wind was HOWLING and the skies were CHURNING and it just seemed to be the kind of fall day that BEGGED for some baking!  (I never have to be too strongly convinced in that area.)  I had a bag of Heath pieces in my pantry, so I googled and found this easy recipe.  I added some Ghiradelli mini chocolate chips and called them Columbus Crunchy Crinkles so it would sound super official.  I love how you can totally make it up as you go along in first grade.  :-)  They provided a yummy snack right from the oven, then I threw the rest in the freezer for a party this coming weekend so I wouldn't continue to eat them all day long!  :-)

We ended our day with this cute handprint craft from amomsviewfromthepew.  Here's what I know about crafts in homeschool.....I absolutely LOVE art and creativity in theory, but in practice there is never, EVER an "easy" time to make a mess and do projects.  Sometimes (like today) I really have to nudge myself to get on with the show, but I'm very rarely sorry for going to the effort.  These sweet memories, the ones where we get messy and have fun and talk as we work, are some of my most favorite times in our homeschool.  I don't handle messes well.  I really don't.  But I'm learning to stretch myself in this area, and God has blessed us with some really fun times.

It was a great day!  Happy Columbus Day!