Catch-up Post: Art and Aquarium Adventures

Well, it's my first catch-up post and it's only my first week. Whoops... Hopefully, I'll learn to do better!

Last Friday was an adventure for sure! To round off our week in I Am An Artist, we played around with colors in one of the most fun ways possible: finger paints!!

I began by telling them that we were going to paint a picture that had six different colors, but there was a problem. I only had three: red, blue, and yellow. What on earth were we to do? As usual, Olaf had a brilliant response: "We mix them! You have the three primary colors that cannot be made." And so, that is exactly what we did: we mixed the colors, two at a time, to fill in our Color Wheel.

It was looking to be yet another rainy day, so we decided to spontaneously spend the rest of our morning at the Aquarium, a place we all love but hadn't been to together yet. This was also our first field trip together, so it was extra exciting! We cleaned up our paints as the first raindrops began to fall, put our socks and shoes on, grabbed some snacks and headed to the car. On the way, we listened to Beethoven's Wig, which has quickly become a hit... ;)

Once we arrived, we decided to start on the Ocean Journey, but were immediately told we needed to renew the membership. So, back outside and over to the Members Reception we went. Sunny and Olaf were champions, waiting so patiently while the family ahead of us figured out what they needed to do and while I figured out what we needed to do! After a fig bar and apple, a rousing game of I Spy, and 45 minutes later we were finally ready to go on our Ocean Journey.

This aquarium is near and dear to my heart. I visited it 5 times as a little girl (once as a bigger girl, about to graduate high school!) and with each visit, my love for sharks grew. Indeed, this place was the reason I wanted to be a shark trainer. I have 6 stuffed sharks from the aquarium to prove it! It was so much fun to share a love for this place with my two newest friends.

We spent a lot of time at the touch tank, petting stingrays and sharks, and even making friends with one stingray!

Next up, the Butterfly Garden. Sunny and I agreed that our favorite is the Blue Morpho. Olaf was lucky enough to hold one on his finger!

After we had visited the Butterflies for a good while, we moved on to the Penguins. They were playful and adorable, as always.

Then, it was on to the large tanks full of fish, turtles, and sharks (my personal favorite!)

Of course, while were there, we had to visit Olaf's favorite: the Octopus!

Although it was short visit, we enjoyed ourselves very much.

The Queen of Everything and a Demi-God in His Second Life

Every day just gets better. I keep finding that there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything we want. I had a long list of ideas for the day; we only did the first two things because we just had too much fun with them!

This is I Am An Artist week. This is a wonderful book that teaches us to find beauty all around us, to really see nature, and to stop and enjoy the world around us. 

Get it here!

To supplement this, we went on Land Art Nature Walk, where we looked for art all around us. We also collected some nature materials to make our own Land Art. It was a beautiful morning (one of the first in a few weeks!!), so we enjoyed a long walk, stopping all along the way to point out to each other the art we found, take pictures, and collect our favorite materials. We even found a Praying Mantis Ootheca (at least we think; it looks a lot like the one we ordered from Insect Lore!) that we have in a spare Insect Lore Pop-Up Port-a-Bug on the deck to watch over the summer to see if anything will hatch! 

These three trees almost made a "W"!

We found a couple of beautiful spiderwebs. They show up quite nicely against the bright green leaves everywhere.

Olaf found this cool tree growing out of the stump.
It reminded me of Isaiah 11:1: "There shall come forth a shoot from the
stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit."

One of my new favorite pictures of the three of us!

We found lots and lots of Dandelion wishes to blow! This one was
growing right in the middle of this circle.

Some see weeds, others see wishes....

We blew as many wishes as we could.

When we got back from our walk, we spread out all of our materials to make some Land Art. 

Olaf's face! (see the eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, and long tongue sticking out!)

Sunny's Fairy

We had so much fun making our own art that we decided we should go looking for more materials. Along the way, however, we found perfect climbing tree, which we just couldn't pass by. So, we stopped to climb it for a bit. About this time, Sunny announced that she was now the Queen of Everything and Olaf and I were her royal guards. At the same time, Olaf remembered our special notebooks that arrived yesterday... He ran a special mission to retrieve the notebooks and a box of markers so we could draw in/under the tree.

I have always wanted to make nature fairy crowns and the grass growing along the rocks was just perfect. So, I began braiding away while the Queen of Everything told her origin story. After her story, I was bidden to tell a story, so I requested some help: two names, a setting (or two), and any other special elements required. I was given the names Nester and Lillith, the settings of a Castle and Earborm, and the special elements of a Game of War to decide the fate of Earborm, giants, goblins, and ghosts.

After my story was told, it was Olaf's turn to tell a story. We soon learned that this is his second life and that he is part Egyptian God! (much credit for his story I think belongs to Rick Riordan and his Kane Chronicles ;) ) After our tales were told, their beautiful pictures were drawn, and the fairy crowns were made, it was time to go on an adventure. I was armed with a stick, the queen had her offering of meat for the lions we were after, and the Egyptian Demi-god had his many magical weapons (which we had to refuse for the sake of adventure!). Sadly, we realized part-way through our adventure that it was time for lunch and so we had to leave our crowns, scepters, and nature outside the door, waiting for more adventures.

The Queen of Everything and the Egyptian Demi-God

Picnics and Puppet Shows

Today was my second full day with Sunny and Olaf. Sunny had her second-to-last day at preschool this morning, so Olaf and I enjoyed a fun morning together before picking her up. While we missed Sunny's exuberant addition to our adventures, Olaf and I enjoyed a quieter morning full of board games!

To start the morning off, we played Ticket To Ride, one of many games I have been introduced to by Olaf. Although I had heard from many friends that it was a fun game (by many a favorite, too!) I had never had the chance to play it myself. I can attest, however, that it is quite fun and has definitely made it high on my list of board games I actually enjoy. After a little break to type up his letter to his pen pal (in Spain!!), we started a rousing game of Monopoly. What a whirlwind of a game it was, too!! We both almost went bankrupt a few times, but in the end, Olaf had Pacific, North Carolina, AND Pensylvania Avenues, plus a hotel on each one. And, of course, three turns in a row, I landed on one and had to cough up $1,400 each time..... sigh.... (Yes, buying Park Place was worth the first mortgage.)

Unfortunately, it's been a very stormy week, so when the sun peeked out around lunchtime, we just had to get outside for a bit!! So, we packed ourselves a little picnic lunch and took a little walk/bike ride down to a local park for a quick picnic lunch before picking up Sunny.

It was lovely to sit outside in the sun, making little bell pepper and cheese and meat roll-ups on the spot, and chatting about our plans for the summer. It was a very quick picnic this time (it's so hard to pull away from such a riveting game of Monopoly!!), but it is only the first of many.

I'm enjoying getting to know the city now that I'm driving around it, so it was fun to pick Sunny up today. As soon as she saw me walking over to pick her up, her adorable smile showed up and she waved her arm high. I asked if I needed to show my ID and the teachers said "Well, I think you've already been identified quite clearly, but just to be sure. *wink* We've heard so much about you and we've been expecting you!" Sunny gave me a great big hug, which combined with her big smile, melted me more than that walk in the hot sun.

On Sunday, Sunny crawled up on my bed with me and combed my hair :) 

Before our afternoon rest time, Petunia was requested, but, seeing how we've read it so many times (about three times a day, more if I let her!), we decided on The Velveteen Rabbit instead. We haven't finished it yet, but I expect to shed a few tears tomorrow. I must admit, as much as I absolutely love playing with little friends, I always appreciate a few hours of rest time. Those little bodies have so much energy bursting inside of them, I just can't understand how they do it! But, perhaps, we have the same amount of energy; we've probably just learned to slowly release it and make it last a whole day.

Buy it here!

After rest time, Olaf and I played a couple more rounds of our game of Monopoly (we played it in little spurts throughout the day!) and then we practiced some handwriting: Olaf practicing cursive through copywork, Sunny practicing tracing her letters. Hopefully, by doing a little bit every day, we'll see steady improvement. :)

After Mom and Dad had come home and we were beginning to get ready for supper, Sunny gave a little puppet show with her butterfly, dogs, penguin, puffin, seahorse, and dolphin. It was a delightful tale of the butterfly, dogs, and puffin bringing a baby penguin back home to the North Pole. 5 stars, award-winning, what a crowd pleaser! ;)

As always, after supper, we read a few stories (I finally gave in and we read Petunia, silly voices and all!), plus a few games of Stick (a hand, counting game!). Then, it was time for everyone to begin winding down, finishing chores, and getting ready for bed. A full day, but a wonderful day.

An introduction.....

Hello! My name is Miss Grace or Miss Gracie (whichever you prefer, honestly!!). I accepted my fate as a lover of children at the tender age of—actually I have no clue when I first realized I was destined to be a nanny, teacher, or whatever job allows you to always be with children. But, at some point in my life, I set aside my dream to become the first shark trainer and decided to focus my attention on education.

Although going by years of being alive I am 20, I am really a 5-year-old at heart. I still sleep with the quilt my Mamma made me when I was 5 (how could I not when three out of four of the corners are chewed, there are large foot-sized holes all over, it's quite faded, and the back fabric is of a little girl with my name written all over?!); my favorite books are children's books (more of that to come later!!); I still make blanket forts to study for finals in; and when I am tired, all I want is a PB&J (strawberry jelly, please), goldfish, and chocolate milk, and a nice long nap; and I really am happiest when surrounded by children.

Exhibit A.....

Exhibit B.....

I am currently attending a wonderful college, studying Elementary Education, and loving it. I spend almost all my free time and my entire summers babysitting, nannying, teaching, and playing with children of all ages. My dream job is either a full-time travel-nanny (think the old-fashioned governesses and au pairs) or a first-grade teacher, but my real, long-term dream is to start my own little cottage school. Thanks to the wonderful education I received from my mother, I have a love for learning that I love to see pass into my little friends and hope will last them a lifetime.

Gotta love when reading children's books is your homework.... ;)

Practicum days are my favorite :) 

With this journal, I hope to chronicle my adventures, sweet and sad, the good and the ugly, out-of-the-ordinary and every-day life. I hope you enjoy and can maybe get a little taste of the joy I experience every day with my little friends....

Meet Sunny (5) and Olaf (8), my newest friends who I will be spending most of my summer with!

(for privacy reasons, all my little friends will have special nicknames ;) )