Giants

I watched a video on the computer about giants and this is a link to them.  I was most amazed at how big the people were.  One was even taller than the ceiling in my house. I was also amazed that their bodies changed so much because of their enormous growth. 

How to Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

I found a wonderful post on The Simple Dollar about making your own liquid laundry detergent and thought that I would give it a try.  It turned out wonderfully, but it didn't start off so well.  I started the water boiling on the stove while I helped Joshua shred the soap.  I looked up and out of the corner of my eye I saw flames!  I had caught my hot pads on fire by turning on the wrong burner.  Keith was sick and was soaking in the tub trying to feel better when I yelled out, "I'm on fire!"  I have no idea why I said that, but it came out.  I quickly poured some water on the hot pads, turned off the burner and all was safe.  Joshua told me, "Wow, that's the first fire we had."  I took this as an opportunity to "teach" the kids what to do in case of a fire. :) Ahh, teachable moments...

St. Louis Zoo...Free, Hands-On Education!

The boys and I went to the zoo this afternoon and had a terrific time, as always.  I cannot speak high enough praise for the St. Louis Zoo.  We focused on insects, primates, apes, and reptiles on this trip.  The boys on a sculpture outside of the Insectarium.

Resting for a bit outside:)

  The "begged" me to take their picture with this statue.  They loved the snakes, especially the Burmese Python. 

On the gorilla statue before the real thing.

Ahh...brotherly love...with sun in your eyes.

Ready to go home????

Joshua learned about endangered animals on this trip and tried to figure out if each animal we saw was endangered or threatened.  He deciphered the map for us and we took our time reading along the way. 

Fire Station Open House

A local fire station had an open house this past weekend that the boys absolutely loved!Joshua exiting the "smoke house" after being trained on what to do in case there is ever a fire in our home. 

He got to put out a "fire" with a real fire hose!We got to see a very old fire "truck"!

We also rode on the back of a fire truck...totally awesome!

It's All Relative

The kids were pretending to be scientists today and calling themselves Dr. Einstein, Professor Einstein, and Baby Einstein.  I asked them if they knew who Einstein was and they knew that he was a scientist.  This started us on a quest to find out some more information.  We discovered a         nice article for kids about Einstein and the theory of relativity.  Joshua really seemed to latch onto the example of an infinitely tall building in which you are in the elevator  falling.  It doesn't feel like you are falling at all, but if people saw you from the outside, they would see you falling.  If you saw them, they would look like they are flying up.

This Little Piggy Went to Market...This Little Piggy Stayed Home

Joshua helped with unloading hogs from the truck with Grandpa K yesterday.  Joshua and Brian were in charge of counting pigs as they passed the empty pen they were in.  (Quite challenging for a 6 and 4 year old!)  *Pigs do not cooperate:) 

Fire Station Field Trip

Joshua got to go the Fire Station for a tour today.  We were able to see where the fire fighters work, relax, and sleep.  The captain slid down the pole for everyone and put on all his gear.  We actually got to see some fire fighters go out on an ambulance call.  Really cool! Joshua got to ask questions and learn what to do in case of a fire.  He checked our smoke detectors when we returned home. 

Charts

Joshua watched the premier of Sid the Science Kid today.  He learned about charts and then decided to make some on his own..  He decided to make a chart using library books.  He chose to see if the books contained four things: animals, people, plants, or anything else.  He made some interesting observations from looking at the data.  All of the books have some other things in them.  Most of the library books have people and animals.