Back at It

TABLE TIME: We started this morning with some worksheets on telling time, graphing and good ol' addition. The basics. The kids knocked it out no sweat.

SCRAPPY: We're still plugging away on the Florida scrapbook. Today, I asked the kids to write about two of their favorite attractions in the Magic Kingdom.

CJ chose to write about Space Ranger Spin (the Toy Story 2/Buzz Lightyear themed ride, which he went on three times) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (a rollicking roller coaster through a "mine"). Bee wrote about Splash Mountain (a classic!) and the Barnstormer - a small-but-frantic roller coaster in the Toontown section of the Magic Kingdom.

This scrapbook project is taking a l-o-n-g time. Lots longer than our vacation was!

SCHOOL YARD: The kids spent a good two hours or so playing outside. This is a Very Good Thing, as they spent too much time indoors with electronics this weekend while the adult types were busting butt on campus improvements (mostly a whole bunch of moulding - the entire downstairs got new baseboard moulding, for example).

At one point, Annabelle presented me with a dandelion bouquet (a common occurrence around here). While thanking her and sizing it up, I noticed that one of the dandelions had a curly part on its green stem. And then thought, "Wait, that's no stem!" Instead, it was a real live green caterpillar who just happened to be on the dandelion she plucked.

Naturally, the kids were both very interested in the caterpillar, and wondered what kind of butterfly it would turn into.

LET DOWN YOUR HAIR: Today's literature lesson was the fairy tale Rapunzel. We had a beautiful picture book from the library - a version adapted and beautifully illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.

Before we started the book (which came with a narrative CD), I asked the kids what they knew about Rapunzel, if anything. Both of them were familiar with the "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" refrain, but could provide no other details of the story.

As is often the case with fairy tales, Rapunzel certainly has its dark moments (a wicked sorceress who tears apart Rapunzel's family and sends her poor prince - father of her two children - wandering around in the woods blind for over a year). However, as is often the case with fairy tales, there was a happy ending. :)

Tonight, while looking around Zelinsky's Web site I found a link to a NY teacher's lesson plan to go along with the book. We'll be utilizing that tomorrow!

FIDDLERS ON THE ROOF: A good chunk of today (especially MY day) was spent toiling on the roof. Or should I say 'soiling' on the roof? ... Christian had finished framing the structure and this weekend he put about half the drainage rock on. This a.m. I went and bought the rest of the rock we needed (300 pounds), as well as 12 cubic feet of potting soil (another 240 pounds). Then came the really fun part - hauling it up from the alley to the yard, and then hauling it up onto the roof. I plugged away at it and eventually it got done. Then came the fun part - planting!

Christian had done research and found that sedum is the best bet to plant on a green roof. This weekend at Lowe's we found nice flats of mixed sedum. We bought five, thinking it was soooo many at the time. Yeah, well, we need 10 more flats. Yike$. So back to Lowe's I go tomorrow. ... Hopefully we can get the rest of it planted tomorrow evening.

The kids were up on the roof with me for awhile to 'help' out. (I think they just like the view up there.) Tonight, we watered our roof for the first time.