Weekend Date with Bug

I've been wanting to take this budding Paleontologist to the La Brea Tar Pits and Natural History Museum in LA all year. We finally had a double excuse to head down that way when good friends adopted their first baby. We drove down after I dropped Peanut off at school on Friday and spent the weekend exploring this amazing history of the area, cuddling the baby, and playing games with friends.

The tar pits were way more impressive than I remembered. I hadn't been since I was a kid and honestly thought that it was just one little re-creation of a pit. But there is real tar bubbling up in multiple places. It's really amazing to watch to the little bubbles expand until they pop and then slowly settle back in to the pool.

The museum was also pretty incredible. I wish we had something like this up in the Bay Area. but they are sadly lacking in dinosaurs. We both learned a lot, and I will say, it's really fun to take him to a place like this on his own so he doesn't have to feel rushed by the rest of the group. Bug likes to take it all in, and I was mostly able to let him (we did eventually run out of time when they closed the museum.)

So many saber tooth cat skulls have been found in the area--the display is impressive.

It was a great afternoon with my Bug. 

And then A. made his day by playing the Star Wars X-Wing game with him. I didn't play, so don't know exactly what it's all about, but Bug loved it and couldn't stop talking about how great the game is and how maybe he could make the little pieces (it had a LOT of pieces.)

And, of course, getting to meet baby B was a huge part of the trip. He is such a sweet little guy and Bug was so great with him--

I loved getting to watch him snuggle B and give him a bottle. I don't think he's held a baby since Peanut was a baby.

Tech Museum Field Trip

When you are studying human anatomy and find out that a museum nearby has a Body Worlds exhibit, a field trip is in order. We went with three families from my science class--I've tried to tie in a couple field trips each semester where we can experience a little more of what we've been learning about and am happy that I've had at least two or three families want to go each time.

The human bodies were fascinating. I didn't take a lot of pictures--it just feels a little disrespectful--but the kids loved exploring and noticed several things that we had just recently talked about in class, which was cool. A group of them ended up at this drawing station, sketching the brain. Note to self--include more drawing and art in class! 

Then, we moved on to other parts of the museum. They created their own digital animal after scanning in a Lego shape they'd built.

We were able to do a 45 minute inventing lab where they tried to create, and then improve a design to protect something they would drop 10 feet.

They all worked really hard building, and rebuilding their designs.

These two were diligent with their note taking on each test, and had a lot of ideas of how to change things. It was a fun lab.

There were a lot of other areas where they could build things as well.

Peanut and his little buddy had fun designing furniture 

while the big kids did a mini escape room (they made it out!)

A couple of the kids took a turn directing a hover craft "jet pack" vehicle to hit targets above them. It was a lot harder than it looked!

And then we had time for one last lab--a genetics sequencing activity which was also perfect for our genetics unit we did a few months ago. I had wanted to do something like the activity they had there, so was happy the kids got to try it.

I'm glad we found this museum--it's got a lot of really fun stuff to explore that goes great with all of our science. We'll have to come back  again sometime for sure.

Earth Day at Curiodessey

We spent the day across the bay, meeting owls

and falcons,

solving puzzles

and playing with light,

exploring shapes,

and building arches. 

The raptor show was impressive and the STEM exhibit was a lot of fun. We finished off the day with a stop at a nearby dragon themed park and dinner at an El Salvadorean restaurant for pupusas

Puppy Tamer

One of the best parts of homeschool right now is definitely the daily visits to my doggy clients. Especially little Sophie, who has been the best entertainment this spring. Getting to watch her in all her puppy silliness has been so fun and a great break from the frustrations of math and projects gone wrong, for both of us. Bug has been so good with her and Lucy who is always down for some petting, and been patiently winning over Brinkley (on the right) who is really skittish, but will now come up to lick Bug occasionally. I've got a couple other kids who sometimes wish they weren't in school so they could come, too. There are trade-offs, for sure.

Book Fair Week

One of the favorite weeks in schools everywhere--Scholastic Book Fair week! Peanut was so excited to pick out books, and then came home and promptly spent the whole afternoon reading all three of them, haha. Hope there is some re-read potential in them.

We went the next night to the family night to help the school get to their goal of reading 300 books that evening (but considering there were only a dozen families there, I don't think they quite made it). But Peanut loved meeting Dog Man, and I think he enjoys the chances he has to share school with us. It's been a big year for him, with a lot of tough parts, but I'm so proud of how he has stuck it out and worked hard at everything in school and is doing an amazing job of learning and making friends.

My Week In Photos

Lots of walking, lots of dogs, a field trip, some school, a little game playing, and some siblings getting along. When I accept the fact that re-entry after a vacation is going to be messy, we can still have a good week.

Nike Missile Site

Field trips with friends are the best. We're so glad that we've got good friends who are with the same charter as we are this year, so now we know people on the Valley View field trips.

This was supposed to be a trip to the Point Cabrillo Light House but all the rain that we've had this winter caused a rock slide and they weren't quite done cleaning it up, so the park ranger took us on a tour of the nearby Nike Missile Site.

Someone tried to join the tour, but then decided that we were a little too noisy for her taste.

These kids were enthralled with the stories about the Cold War from this area.

And we even got to go down below where the missiles were stored and got to see how they would raise them up. This was one of almost 300 missile sites, and is the only one that is fully restored and open to the public.

(Peanut tagged along for this field trip--I'm so glad that he's been able to come with us on a few of our fun days this year, even if it means that I have gotten several truancy letters from the school district. There is no way that he would be learning more in school on any given day than he learns when we go places, so I just keep pulling him out when I think it's worth it.)

After the tour, we had a picnic, with a great view of the bridge

and did some exploring.

There is such great hiking in this area. We didn't have a lot of time, but we did a couple short little trails. This view is of Rodeo Beach. I went to 6th grade science camp in those buildings down there. I fell in love with this area 30 years ago.

The kids had fun exploring the old bunkers. 

And running wild through the hills.

It was SO windy that day. It's pretty much always windy out there.

Our friends all had to take off, but the boys and I stayed for a little while to go see the visitors center and get started on the Jr. Ranger badge. We'll have to come back sometime to finish.

We made a quick stop to take pictures of the bridge on the way home. I have always loved how it just pops up behind the hill when you drive out of the Headlands.