Homeschool Preschool Week 6 - Field Trips Galore!

This week quickly became full of field trips! Now, our school year is planned out on paper through May but in the pursuit of a wild and free child, my plans are flexible so that we can take in every opportunity for an adventure and exploration to help us both learn together through play! 

We started the week off with a hike to a new to us waterfall with friends quite local to Greenville, SC. The Waterfall is known as, Pearson's Falls and you can read all about it, Here. It was such a nice way to start the week, friends and falls. 

After the hike we went to dance then home for more activities. Once we were home, we made a pumpkin volcano from one of Ellie's pumpkins. How? Very simple! Cut the top open on a pumpkin, scrape out the guts...you don't have to make it perfect or pretty, just the main gutsy junk. Next, without the necessity of measuring, add in plenty of baking soda. I did 3 cups for a medium pumpkin - just do what you want, but do a lot. The more the better, and a gallon jug or 2 of white vinegar. Best to have more so you can do it again and again if you want. These supplies are cheap enough to have plenty of for repeat activities. Once the baking soda is in the pumpkin, pour quickly in the vinegar and watch and listen to the volcanic like bubbling and spilling over. Once the explosion fun was done, we used spoons to stir and mix, Ellie wanted to add back in guts, wanted to blow the fizzy bubbles, and make a potion! So we then turned the volcano into witch's brew and potions! 

Another day, Ellie and I started our morning making very special pancakes. As noted in previous posts, one of our curriculums we love is BFIAR. Our book this week has been, "Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?" Such a precious story you can reap much from with conversation, observation, and activity. On day two of reading the book, we made Jesse Bear pancakes! Ellie did almost all of the work in the kitchen as usual and I just supervised. In two years she will be making all the meals and I am here for it! We made the pancakes then fashioned them on a platter into a bear wearing a shirt and pants and She got to use gel food colors and sprinkles to color the clothes, spreading the gels with a mini spatula. Oh my stars but did she enjoy that! And she ate them all up. As we cooked, we read the book. 

After the big pancake breakfast (for her, oatmeal for mommy, ha!) we took a field trip to SkyTop Apple Orchard for our second time this year. Amazing the difference a month makes in the orchard, in apple picking and selection. We got Honeycrips in early September when we visited and Golden Delicious and Pink Lady Apples this visit. We actually took 5 hours to ourselves at the orchard, taking our time, roaming around, climbing, running, playing. We played on the playground, took a wagon ride, read books, had a pic-nic, and shot the apple cannon. Ellie is like a dang pro at that because home girl hit the furthest and smallest target spot on and she couldn't even see! 😂😂 So she got a free apple to shoot! Wooo! We also visited the animals and journeyed through the bamboo forest. Ellie sooooo enjoyed her day. We were sad our friends were not able to join this time but mommy and Ellie time is always awesome too! Such awesome bonding! 

Once home from the apple orchard, we painted with a few of the apples. Her project began as apple stamping and turned into wonderful, hand painted masterpieces. 

She needed a bath so following, we did a "Paint with shaving cream bath!" A lot of these activities also coincide with the BFIAR book this week and I love when curriculums can be combined and double purposed. Ellie painted the tub and herself...mostly herself... with the shaving cream. She had bubbles as well! We played with her letter and number foams in the bath and we did our phonetics and played games with those so she could absorb them as well simply by playing. This bath was a hoot. After 35 mins I had to make the girl get out!

Wednesday morning Ellie was up and dressed and had her baby stroller packed down with a pretend pic-nic for her baby dolls. She requested a walk to the "big dock" on the little lake we live on and so I quickly dressed and packed up our breakfast and we walked down to dock for a foggy morning pic-nic and bible time together. We looked at leaves and acorns, watched some fish jump, and we enjoyed the quiet morning before the field trip of the day. 

This day we went to Hagood Mill Historic Site in Pickens, SC. Only 30 minutes from my house! I have passed by it countless times on the way to a hike, I have followed them for years and desired to attend their incredible events I always hear about, yet, did not get the opportunity until this week when a darling friend invited me and Ellie to do a school morning there to explore! Well it was wonderful, especially in this fall weather and colors. It is free to visit but donations are appreciated. They have a Mercantile in which you can make donations, purchases of wonderful craft arts, and also pick up a map. There is a cotton gin, (Daniel Pratt style), cabins, pottery barn, grist mill, and moonshine distillery, a petroglyph display and so many artifacts and Native American Indian history. There are chickens, a garden, a creek, and a nature trail. Read about that, HERE. We spent 3.5 hours exploring, learning and playing. 

After the historic mill, we came home and made applesauce, made pumpkin spice home made play dough together, began the process of making our own leaf garland with leaves we found, glitter, and glycerin, read books, chased butterflies, and worked in the garden.

As for the fall leaves in glycerin, this is one of our curriculum activities! Very exciting! We gathered beautiful leaves on the nature trail at Hagood in pristine fresh fall condition. We hammered the ends of the stems so the veins could be open to absorb the glycerin water. So after you gather, the hammer the stems, boil water, at least 2 cups worth. In a deep baking tray, pour your boiling water, 2 parts water, then one part glycerin. lay your leaves in. Cover them completely, add glitter if desired. Set in a well ventilated place out of direct sunlight for a week. The leaves will be soft to the touch in a week's time. Remove them then from the glycerin and tie together with twine to make a garland or use in other ways to display for your fall decor. This was a very interesting project to start and Ellie so enjoyed her role in discovering leaves and helping me mix the glycerin water and lay in the leaves. This was totally new to me!

On Thursday we did our Kindermusik movement and music class to start our day! We love Thursday mornings at Kindermusik of Greenville. This Thursday was the week of my art classes I teach at our dance studio so in between music and art, we came home to rest, read, and eat.

At breakfast, Ellie made snack structures with candy pumpkins and mini marshmallows. She told me she made a chicken coop and a lollipop. The chicken coop was very interesting because she explained her process to me, and I love hearing her brain. 

 Thursday's art class was natural windchimes made with gathered twigs, painted, then strung with strands the children beaded and adorned with bells. Every one was unique! 

We also did some super fun dino math! This involved color sorting, noting the difference in light colors and dark colors, number recognition, counting, and organizing. 

Friday we had another special field trip! Off to the unicorn farm, Hidden Pasture Farm, for a fall festival! Read about that if you desire, Here! Meanwhile, here are photos of the fun we had on that field trip. 

Books from the past couple weeks: