Angela

Utah 4

In Phil and Nicole's house, Phil is center-right "I need this legislation to go through!!" Tucker with Cameron. Cameron was on a Ballroom Dance team in highschool. The Joseph Smith Memorial Building, where the anniversary dinner was The Hogle Zoo This is a couple we met

Holding Cicadas

We were doing a scout fundraiser and were in a different neighborhood where there were a lot of cicadas on the ground. They are very docile; don't bite and don't sting.

Visiting Italian, Danish and British Embassies

We decided to spend the day touring Europe, without leaving the area.  We visited three foreign territories: Italy, Denmark, and the UK. To celebrate Europe Day, each of the embassies in Washington DC representing countries in the EU hold an Open House.  The city fills with people, excited to share

Angela's birthday surprises

We went out for a Thai food lunch, yum! Tucker gave me an Almond Joy candy bar with this sweet card Savannah added a '3' to this figure 8 to celebrate my new age Savannah was eating chips and came up to me to give me this heart

Smithsonians, Natural and American History

We went to a 'Special Collection' exhibit at the Museum of Natural History; they have lots of cool stuff and they can't display all of it I guess, so this exhibit allows them to display some of the cool things that are in their storage room.

Kids' show and tell displays

Tucker's stuff, minus his coin collection. Books Tucker has been reading. Savannah's display. Carson's stuff. Painting by Tucker, from a Bob Ross episode.

The Creek

Carson took these pictures during the recent walk to the creek The lean-to the kids put together the bridge

Homeschool Testing

Every state has different laws regarding homeschooling. Virginia requires homeschooled students to take a standardized test at the end of the school year to prove progress. We ordered ours online and they came in the mail. The boys will complete their tests next week and I'll mail the

Bob Ross painting class

The kids have done two Bob Ross 'classes' so far. We have this craft table in the basement, so the kids watched a Bob Ross episode and painted along with him.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center

We go to the Nature Center (about 5 minutes away) every week. Carson is working on his Reptile Merit Badge, and one of the requirements is to observe a reptile once a week for 3 months. It has all kinds of hands-on exhibits about local nature and animals there'

Museum of Natural History

We went to the Museum of Natural History again, and this time we walked through the entire museum and saw it all. There were lots of school groups there, it was very busy. We first looked at the ocean exhibit and looked at fossils Great White Shark teeth There is

City of Fairfax Regional Library

We go to the library almost every week. It's only about a 10 minute drive. It has mostly self-checkout and is really neat and organized. You can see the children's section in the background in the above picture. Lots of good books to choose from for

Planetarium Movie

We went to the Air and Space Museum on Tuesday and Keith met up with us to go see another Planetarium movie called "Journey to the Stars". It was very good, of course. Then, the kids and I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the exhibits we

PE class at nZone

It's about a 30-minute drive from our house; the kids go to a PE class twice a week at nZone in Chantilly. This is the main hallway towards the fields and workout facilities. The kids all love to look at all the stuff in the vending machines and

The kids do their own dioramas and stories

When I was in the 6th grade, I remember making a diorama in a shoebox, with an ocean scene and tissue paper over the top, just like Savannah's. So I had the kids do their own dioramas and stories to go along with their creative scenes. Savannah'

Homeschool Valentine's Day Party

I am a part of a homeschool email group that is made up of local homeschoolers and they have two parties a year, for Valentine's Day and Halloween. They reserve a room at a local library and bring decorations and everyone brings food and drinks and games and

Fairfax Museum

Carson has a merit badge class on Monday; it's for the Citizenship in the Community badge. I decided what better way to prepare for a community presentation than to walk through the local Fairfax Museum. This building was originally Fairfax Elementary School, back in the late 1800s. The

Planetarium and Smithsonian Castle

We ventured into DC a couple of days ago to go see a movie at the Planetarium at the Air and Space Museum. It was AWESOME.  It was called "Dark Universe". We will go back again to see the other movie they have there: "Journey to the

School Room

Daytrip to DC and Smithsonian

The trains have been under construction for a while, and they will again in December, so we went into DC on Tuesday. That is the White House and the area in front of it is all blocked off as they are building the inauguration platforms and stages. This is across

Frying Pan Farm Park Junior Farmer Classes: Farm Chores and Games, Making Food for Turkeys

This junior farmer class was about farm chores. The kids played a relay game with the wash bucket and a water pump. They had to pump water into a little bucket and carry it over to another bucket to fill it up. Then the kids learned how laundry was done

Pentagon Tour

We took a tour of the Pentagon this week.  You have to schedule the tour at least two weeks in advance for them to complete a background check to approve you for the tour. The kids decided to hold a press conference. The 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon. We

Homeschool PE

We just started homeschooling this year for all 3 kids. We are tying it out for a year a least and so far it is going well. I heard about a homeschool PE class at an athletic facility about a half an hour (everything is about half an hour away)

Frying Pan Farm Park Junior Farmer Class

There's a Fairfax Parks and Rec property about a half an hour from our house called 'Frying Pan Farm Park'. They are offering a Jr. Farmer class for the next four Thursdays, and after experiencing a little farmlife in Lancaster, PA, I wanted to give the

The Turkey Hill Experience

what is Turkey Hill? an ice cream company that makes really good ice cream Inside, there was a small museum area that told the history of the family that started the company Then there was a hands-on section for kids to milk a cow and drive a delivery truck These