Through Pinterest, I found (and archived) some fun leafy art lessons to go along with our botany studies this autumn.

While we didn’t get to all the wonderful ideas – this autumn – we found time for two of them.  The first was a lesson about layering oil pastels from Art Projects for Kids.

And the second was a fun shaving cream transfer painting from Little Wonder’s Days.

Speaking of botany, the last couple of weeks have been full of wonderful botany related field trips.

At Hallway Feeds, we were able to view the creation of specialized animal feed from start to finish.  What an amazing and utterly detailed process.  The kids were even allowed to EAT some of the feed!

At Color Point Nursery, we walked through state-of-the-art greenhouses and learned the process of growing and shipping plants on a very large scale.  At the time, there were 600,000 poinsettias set to ship out soon.  This place was huge!

I’ve lived in Kentucky my entire life and have never been to Churchill Downs.  My father-in-law owns a thoroughbred racehorse that happened to be racing at Churchill Downs last week.  Even though “our” horse came in 6th, we had a great time taking in all the sites and sounds – which can certainly count toward biology hours, right?

Enjoy your Thanksgiving week!

Related posts:

1. Nature Study – Leaves
2. Chromatography – or Why Do Leaves Change Colors?

Eli (our preschooler) has been begging to go to the zoo for months.  Lucky for him, we won two free tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo not too long ago and last week was the perfect weather for an outdoor field trip.  While the trip was as much for the little guy as everyone else, we definitely took advantage of our middle and high school studies in biology this year while we were there, too!

Here are a few fun photos from the day.

We found zookeepers throughout the zoo allowing us to pet animals and ask question. This little penguin was WAY cute!

Another zookeeper was asking the kids to hunt for a snake in the sandbox. Notice who isn't in the photo? Me!

The children's petting zoo was full of farm animals.

Eli has a fascination with animal ears - always has. Maybe he'll be a vet who specializes in hearing difficulties!

What kind of strange tortoise is this?

Eli's "wing span" was the size of a red-tailed hawk. He thought that was pretty cool since he enjoys watching hawks fly around our farm.

I think all three of my children weighed the same as something like 45 million insects!

I love watching my children love learning.

We enjoyed listening to zookeepers present brief shows about various animals.

Everyone's favorite and noisiest animals - the gibbons.

One of our favorite photos of the day.

If you’ve been to both, which is your favorite – the Cincinnati Zoo or the Louisville Zoo?

Related posts:

1. Cincinnati Museum Center
2. Cincinnati Art Museum Field Trip
3. Spring Fun

We attended on their special school/homeschool day.  While I didn’t like dealing with the loads of middle and high school students who were forced by their teachers to unload from the yellow school bus (it was very obvious from their behavior that many of them didn’t want to be there – shameful!), it seemed as if “adult” weekends could’ve given us even more fits.

In spite of the “real” teacher in me coming out a few times to rebuke some of the unsupervised public school kids, we still enjoyed the sights, sounds and performances.

My children and hubby were trained as medieval warriors. I think they're ready to go to battle!

This one's really ready for war. I think his tactic is to make the enemy melt from the sweetness on his face.

Sword fighting was one of Caleb's two favorite things to see.

Leonardo DaVinci (at 39) told us all about himself and his inventions/art.

William Shakespeare shared about his life as a playwright.

Queen Elizabeth shared about her life before and after becoming queen.

Or wait, maybe this was Queen Elizabeth?

Craftsmen were sharing their trades (and selling their wares - quite expensively.)

Musicians made beautiful music.

A little lesson in Renaissance art fit in perfectly.

We even found pirates!

This one had to be rescued!

Everyone's favorite - a real jousting session!

And as we were leaving, we found Excalibur. I wonder where King Arthur was?

Related posts:

1. Renaissance Study
2. Spring Fun

As my son ventured out into the creek on some large rocks, I found a bountiful area of shells and pebbles.

As my daughter worked her way to the bottom of the dam, I found an amazing wall of rock layers to explore.

As my little guy “fished” for moss, I spied a mallard duck couple searching for an afternoon snack.

See what I would’ve missed if I had stayed home to catch up on laundry and answer emails?

Related posts:

1. Nature Study at the Creek
2. Exploring a Dry Creek Bed
3. Seining – A Family Event at Church

Nature study can come in many forms. Since we live so near to the Kentucky Horse Park in Central KY, we had the awesome opportunity to visit the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games last week. This isn’t what some people might classify as a nature study trip, but in my mind it most certainly was since we were observing and learning about the mighty and majestic horse. Ofcourse, I considered it a trip of history, science, technology and culture, too. Rarely does one topic fit into a neat and tidy package in my house!

Below are some of the sights and sounds we observed.

There was so much more to see and do than I have room to post photos. We were very blessed to be there!

Related posts:

1. Around The World
2. Welcome To The World
3. Equine Hospital Field Trip

In the outdoor zoo, they have unlikely animals placed in a confined area similarly to how they may have been housed on Noah’s ark.

The walking trails take you into a variety of land types like ponds and streams to marshes and tropical areas. You’ll find everything from typical plants to exotics. Choose a topic and you’re sure to find a sample to study.

Inside you can continue the nature discussions as you talk about how life in the Garden of Eden might have been different; why everyone thought Noah was crazy when he said a flood was coming; and how dinosaurs compare to animals today.

Can you tell how much I love this place? It’s truly one of the most wonderful and pertinent museums I’ve ever had the privilege of attending! Nature study or not!

Related posts:

1. Nature Study at the Creation Museum
2. The Creation Museum and an Astronomy Class
3. Cincinnati Museum Center

A field trip to Old Friends, a retirement home for famous race horses.

A baseball parade kicked off the ball season. All three of my kiddos are playing ball this year!

A field trip to the Lexington Arts and Science Center taught us all about energy.

Homeschool Days at the Kentucky History Museum was great fun.

A tour of our Old State Capital included some reinacting by our kids.

The local post office was a very interesting field trip!

Caleb's Upward basketball games didn't end until April!

Of course, the farm life has been busy this spring, too!

Related posts:

1. Spring Preschool
2. Where I’ve Been
3. National Missionary Convention

Every once in a while, blogging has nice perks.  As a blogger in the Greater Cincinnati area, my children and I were invited to tour the traveling exhibit, Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt, at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  We just so happened to be finishing up Ancient Greek history and moving into Ancient Roman history.  Can you believe the perfect timing?  (Thank you, Lord!)

If you live in the area and have children upper elementary and older, it’s a super exhibit!  Two archaeologists have unearthed amazing artifacts that have been buried under land and sea for nearly 2,000 years in the area of Alexandria where Cleopatra once ruled.  On the self-guided tour, you’re supplied with a listening device that acts as a “tour guide” as you press numbers relating to the displays.  The listening device allows each person to go through the exhibit at their own pace, listening to a new bit of info (1-3 minutes worth) only when ready.  So, those who want to take more time to read signs, observe artifacts, or view a short film aren’t hindered by the rest of the tour group.

The artifacts are outstanding!  At the same time, remembering that the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were idol worshipers, there are a lot of artifacts relating to idols and idol worship.  This is all part of the history.  As uncomfortable as it made me to view a giant statue which people of the time bowed to in worship, it only served to strengthen my trust in the Lord knowing that He would never be found buried and partly eroded at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea!

It wasn’t all idols, though!  There were beautiful examples of hieroglyphics, ancient jewels, Egyptian, Greek and Roman coins, architecture, Egyptian canopic jars and much more.  There were also short films highlighting the archaeological digs, legends of the time, and how Cleopatra has been immortalized throughout history.

The exhibit takes you through the life of Cleopatra, one major event at a time.  So, in one area, you learn about her culture, then move into a section highlighting her relationship with Julius Caesar.  Mark Antony and all the tumultuous events surrounding their relationship and the political situations are covered in the next area.  Finally, you learn how her life ended and how her legend lives on.  With Cleopatra’s life revolving around selfish gain, power, scandal and affairs, the exhibit is not suited for younger ears and eyes.  I was fine with my 5th grader taking part, but we talked about the sticky issues later.

The entire tour only took us a little more than an hour.  At $23 for adults and $15 for children, it’s pretty costly for the time spent.  However, hoemschoolers can save $4.00 per ticket using the code found HERE. And, for a small additional fee (you’d have to call to find out exact prices), you can get an all-museum pass and spend the rest of the day visiting the:

• Children’s Museum with a ball factory, water play area, indoor treehouse and dramatic play areas
• Cincinnati History Museum that takes you on a WONDERFUL tour of history from WWII back through the time of the Native Americans
• Museum of Natural History and Science that has some really good points BUT is VERY evolutionary at the same time
• Union Terminal which is what the entire building used to be – an old-fashioned train station

We had a great day and are very thankful for the invitation!  Let me know if you have a chance to visit the exhibit.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

Related posts:

1. National Underground Railroad Museum
2. Cincinnati Museum Center
3. Vacation Highlights Part 4 – Jamestown, VA

Tens of workshop choices and hundreds of missions booths left us both filled up and worn out at the same time.  We were filled up with such a passion, vision and resolve, yet worn out by the fact of our continual fight against the devil in this world.  The two workshops I chose to attend were about our battles with eastern religion quietly finding its way into Christianity, and the fight against the huge and devastating pornography/s*x trafficking business.

One thing was so evident  – in each workshop, at every booth and in every face – everyone knew without a doubt that God is on our side and we will not lose in the end!  Praise God!

We had such an amazing time Friday that we took my husband back on Sunday for their closing worship service.  An awe-inspiring message by Barry Cameron and wonderful concert by the Martin’s were only topped as we witnessed over a hundred people come before God to dedicate their lives to the mission field!

Even if God never calls me to go into what most people would consider the mission field, I know He can (and does) still use me mightily here in my own community and in my own family.  Join with me in praying for ourselves as missionaries  – either at home or abroad.  Pray for missionaries who are in areas of our world where they might be in danger.  Pray that God will raise up an army of missionaries to take His Word into the world to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Downtown Lexington with Rupp Arena in the background

A view from one of the very busy vendor halls

A missionary to Native Americans sharing the culture with us

One of many booths from missions our family or our church have supported

The coolest find - waterproof Bibles!

The Martin's singing at the Sunday worship service

Related posts:

1. National Underground Railroad Museum

Game time at my Daddy's birthday gathering. Anyone else ever played Farkle?

Cousins being silly together.

Cousins who think they're big enough to climb trees. They're not.

My birthday dinner that Mahayla made from scratch - Dijon Crusted Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes Broccoli Casserole and Honey Wheat Bread. Yum!

Precious time spent with my Granny who's 89 and in poor health. Anytime we have the opportunity to see here (she lives in Alabama) we count as a blessing.

Campaigning, campaigning and more campaigning!

This is from our trip to the World Equestrian Games. It was such a great day!

Related posts:

1. Family Fun
2. A Precious Family Reunion
3. Seining – A Family Event at Church