Geocaching

As part of our orienteering lessons, we did some GEOCACHING.  Scout and Shelby took Sierra for her first time and showed her how fun it was to find treasure and make trades.  They came home with some fun toys. 

This one didn't have any toys in it, but we still found it!

Eco Academy - Plankton and Cell Biology

Today was FANTASTIC!
  
 Panama taught us how to make plankton nets from a 2 liter bottle and a panty hose.

Everyone worked together!  What a great family activity!
 

The teachers use a smart board to explain the lesson each week.  I had no idea that sea stars and jellyfish started out as plankton.  So do crabs and shrimp. 

Champ posted facts about plankton around the room and the kids learned all about them.

Then we went outside to catch our plankton.

 

We walked along the bank, dragging our nets slowly behind us to catch all the little guys.

 

Then we pulled our nets out of the water and took them inside.

We looked at the water under the microscope and discovered all sorts of drifters.

Panama found a tiny live shrimp.  He put it on the microscope for the class to see and we all sat in awe as we watched; pump, pump, pump.  The class erupted in applause.  It was so fascinating to see it's microscopic heart beating. 

The kids loved taking pictures of the great discovery. 

 Far more learning goes on in these classrooms than in a conventional one.  Each child is engaged and interested, and therefore absorbing the information like a sponge.  It is so amazing to hear my daughter repeat the entire class point by point to her dad when she gets home. 

She DOES remember!

 

THANK YOU DEERING!!! 

Yearbook 2012

Hi Guys - Since we don't Facebook much, nor call, nor write... you're probably wondering what in the heck we've been up to.  Here is some highlights of our year -

January - Gray and I went to Las Vegas to celebrate our 17th anniversary.  We saw the Blue Man Group (which I highly recommend), saw the Grand Canyon via Helicopter tour, and took a tour through Ethel M Chocolate Factory.   Can I just tell you... Ethel M is the BEST chocolates EVER!!! 
Gray's brother, TopGun, flies tours into the canyon, so we had a double awesome time with him as our pilot.  We didn't get any special treatment cuz we were with a group - but it was great to hear his tour dialogue.

GRAND CANYON - Helicopter Tour

 

I took the Young Women to the Beach to watch the Sunrise for our New Beginnings activity and to introduce this year's theme: Arise and Shine Forth. It was momentous for our family because it was Shelby's first Young Women's activity. She is 12 this year!

These are all my young women of the Sunset Ward - leaders too!

 

 

This spring Shelby rode her first big roller coaster!  The Manta!

This year we also harvested a wonderful garden in our backyard.  We love eating our own foods and we grow bananas, peas, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, herbs, cucumbers, coconuts, monstera, avocados, mangos, mulberries, and barbados cherries.  We also have chickens and rabbits...yum, yum.

GRADUATIONS in APRIL

In April I took a trip to Utah to congratulate my brother, J, and Marcela graduating with thier Bachelors Degrees. Marcela was one of my young women when we lived in Mexico City.

In May, to celebrate our birthdays, we took a cruise around Miami Bay - we took Gray's mom, Sand, on the tour to see where all the celebrities live.  Scout was playing with my hat.

Each month we drive to Orlando with our friends, the Browns, and visit the Temple.  We take turns watching the kids, then all go to Sea World afterwards.  In June Shelby turned 12 and was able to come with the adults to the temple to do baptisms.  What a blessing it was - she had her mom, her dad, and her Stake President, with her.

ORLANDO TEMPLE - Shelby's First Time

 

In July we went to a cabin in Sundance Utah for a family reunion. We did some rock climbing in Rock Canyon above BYU. We also rode the Alpine Slide in Park City

When I visited Logan to pick up Shelby from her first Retreat for Girls - the Tarrs took me waterskiing.  Yep - just like riding a bike!

 

After that, summer ended and school started.  Scout started Eco Academy so the rest of the year is represented in individual posts.  That takes up most of my time.

 

Hope you come visit us soon!

 

Eco Academy - Photo Journaling

Eco Academy - PhotoJournalism

Today was Scout's first day of school. She is attending the Eco Academy at Deering Estate and loving every moment of it. They even have their own CLASS BLOG which contains photos and lesson plans of the amazing activities she has participated in.



 


They've got some amazing teachers, Panama and J.T.












Here, Panama is showing us the scarring left behind from the hurricanes of 1920, 1930, and Andrew: 1992. The waves punded the trees leaving scar marks 15 feet up.















They taught us how to recognize poisonwood and other indigenous plants and trees.

 

This is a gumbo limbo tree trunk. It looks wrinkly like an elephant's foot.

 

 

We learned about Banyan trees, mushrooms, and the endangered banded snail.



The kids took all sorts of pictures and had a great time discovering and exploring





Then someone spotted a snake in the grass. All the kids ran to see it and we learned all about rat snakes. This one was a baby rat snake. They are pretty harmless. It's wonderful when the teachers go with the teaching moment - not just the agenda!







There is a red-tailed boa in the classroom that all the students are able to hold.  Scout LOVES to hold it and asks me almost every day.


















Shelby was even brave enough to hold the tarantula.