Christmas break was filled with lots and lots of fun activities many of which were very educational - just don't tell the kids that! The week before Christmas was full of baking, wrapping, letter writing (Lily and Gabe wrote Christmas cards for their paper route), and crafting. Lily made Christmas presents for all of the family including scarves for Joanna and I, frames from Grandpa and Grandpa and baking for everyone. Gabe got in the crafting spirit too drawing/painting pictures for Grandpa Rene.
On Christmas Eve the church school put on a Nativity play that they wrote and staged themselves. Lily played a shepherd (above) and a wise man while Gabe played an innkeeper and was in charge of the lights. (Shining a flashlight on the star from the choir loft) Lily also had a solo. I was really proud of all the kids, putting together not only their own costumes and set but writing the lines and choosing the hymns.
Christmas break is a great time to work on projects and Gabe and I embarked on a big one. We are building a model of a Roman fort. The kids got three models for Christmas: a Roman fort, Trojan horse and the Ampitheater. I had no idea they would be so time consuming. But the great thing about doing them during a break is we don't feel pressured to hurry, no need to clear the table for other subjects and we're learning history without feeling like this is school work! Gabe and John also worked on lots of origami this week, looking up video tutorials and then making jumping frogs, kits, a shark, claws and boats. John impressed me by making a frog all by himself.
Lily has been spending her time reading; she's read at least four books in the last two weeks including finishing
Little Women (which we'd been reading together as a Read Aloud) and beginning
Good Wives. She has also been spending time in the kitchen and made an authentic Caesar salad including croutons and crepes. She's also been involved in the origami making which has taken over the kitchen table!
And finally, Lily's biggest project this week was Gabe's Christmas present! A K'nex roller coaster! It took her plus a couple adults two days to put together. This was incredibly complex to put together and requires attentiveness to keep running.
1 comment:
Hello Jaime,
Thank you for sharing snapshots of your family’s Christmas holidays! You made a lot of wonderful memories with all the hands-on projects. I am impressed that Lily and Gabe made many of their gifts this year. It sounds like Lily enjoyed some time in the kitchen too. Crepes can count as a cultural project for French!
I enjoyed reading about the dedicated effort the church school invested in their Nativity play. It is fantastic that Lily and Gabe took an active role in the production. How rewarding to see what the kids came up with for costumes, lines, and hymn choices. Gabe must have enjoyed being part of the production crew and shining a flashlight from the choir loft. Good for Lily for singing a solo! What a meaningful Christmas Eve celebration!
I am very impressed by model of the Roman fort. What an excellent job you all did of constructing a delicate structure! Gabe looks like he was making some very precise cuts in putting the model together.
Thanks for uploading the video of the K’nex roller coaster! What a great way for your children to experience gear mechanisms! I applaud your family’s handiwork! It looks very complex.
I appreciate all the reading that Lily did over the holidays! It is neat to see her reading level continue to advance. Those are not easy reads that she is doing!
Thanks again for sharing highlights from Christmas! It was very fun to see what Lily, Gabe, and John have been creating.
Karyn
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