Brain Unit Study

Brain Unit 2014
Click on the photo to see album

Nadia was really excited when I told her this unit study on the brain had come out and she asked me to buy it right away. It took us a while to get around to it because we were working on other stuff, but it was a great one! We learned all about the three main parts of the brain with lots of interesting videos and informational websites. Additionally there was a “Brainiac of the Day” which featured people like Dr. Ben Carson and Thomas Edison.

Brain Unit 2014

Jedi’s need to learn about the brain to use the force 🙂

Brain Unit 2014

Brain Unit 2014

Nadia made a neuron out of playdough.

Brain Unit 2014

Working on one of the parts of her lapbook. The favorite memories she picked out were very sweet and the pictures she drew are super cute! Nadia found so many things about this unit study amazing and was so happy to finally complete it.

Fall Fun and School

It’s fun to use all the printables that various sites share with pumpkin and fall themes for preschoolers. There were from Gift of Curiosity. Here are some photos from November school for Miss Amelie.

Fall Fun/School

Fall Fun/School

Fall Fun/School

And some of the fall crafts we have been making.

Fall Fun/School

Whoever invented the Do-A-Dot marker is a genius. I linked to Amazon, but you can also get them at Michael’s Craft store and use a coupon.

Fall Fun/School

Tissue Paper leaves.

Fall Fun/School

Fall Fun/School

Fancy turkeys. Even I made one 🙂 And in the photos you can see our “Thankful Pumpkin” – my friend Jennifer mentioned it on Facebook and we will definitely do it each year. It’s fun to add more to it each night and I plan on typing out the entire list before we toss it in the trash.

Fort Worth Field Trips

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The entire area of Dallas/Fort Worth area is filled with wonderful field trip opportunities, but this post is just going to focus on a few of our favorite places that we have been to recently. The Fort Worth Zoo, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and The National Cowgirl Museum.

Fort Worth Field Trips
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This is in the Texas Wild area of the Fort Worth Zoo. 

Fort Worth Field Trips

The lemurs are one of my favorite things to see and on this visit they were out and playing around.

Fort Worth Field Trips

We have a family membership to the zoo and it’s worth every penny (kids 2 and under are free and don’t need their own card). You can go every day of the year with parking included and as a side bonus your membership is tax deductible. Most of the time when we visit the MOLA exhibit (Museum of Living Art) they have a snake or some other creature out for the kids to touch and ask questions about. The MOLA is a fantastic place that we always go inside, even on our quick trips to the zoo. The Fort Worth Zoo is always rated in the top 5 in the nation and you will not be disappointed if you go.

Fort Worth Field Trips

Two baby elephants were born this summer and they are so cute! On this visit it was Homeschool Day at the Zoo and it was pretty crowded, but we had a great time with friends in from out of town. I plan on going back to the zoo soon to get some more photos of them without being jostled by the crowd. We have been members of the Fort Worth Zoo for years and we go quite a bit between October – April. The weather is great and during the week it’s not as crowded as on the weekends. If you only have a short time to go, try and go after noon and you will miss the bulk of the field trip crowds too. The zoo also allows you to bring in food and drinks or you can eat and drink at various places throughout the zoo. I have a nifty little backpack cooler I bought at Target that we take each time with snacks and bottled water.

Fort Worth Field Trips

Fort Worth Field Trips

The newest exhibit at the Museum of Science and History is all about Curious George. The girls were very excited to meet George and have their photo taken. The exhibit had an assortment of activities that the kids could try out and all the decorations were like the PBS TV show. The girls spent the bulk of the time playing “shopper and cashier” which is almost the same as the grocery store downstairs that they have played at a dozen times. But I guess because it was the store from Curious George it made it even more exciting.

Fort Worth Field Trips

Fort Worth Field Trips

After seeing Curious George and Dyno (the Museum mascot), we headed over to the National Cowgirl Museum next door. The Cowgirl Museum is a neat little place and there are enough flashy things to interest the kids. The girls enjoyed the videos of the women and girls who live on ranches and are cowgirls. Every time I go to the Cowgirl Museum I come out thinking those chicks are so cool and so tough!

Fort Worth Field Trips

There is only one place in the Cowgirl Museum that you are allowed to take photos and it’s the most fun for the kids. Here they are cooking us food on a campfire.

Fort Worth Field Trips

Amelie would have taken this guy home if she could.

We also have a family membership to the Museum of Science and History. Just like the zoo, parking is included so that saves $5 every time. An extra benefit of membership is that we can get into the Cowgirl Museum for free and more than 150 children’s museums in other cities. We have used this benefit on various road trips and it’s great fun to see other places.

If you are looking for more field trip ideas go check out the list over at Hip Homeschool Moms.