Monterey Bay

This past week we went on our first homeschool field trip to Monterey!

I loved watching the kids discover the ocean and all the life it holds. Such an amazing beauty.

Through our charter school, they will occasionally offer group field trips. There is always something happening, and we can opt in or out anytime. There are limits to the number of people that can go, so we kind of have to act fast when one opens up for registration, but when I saw the posting for a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium I was like, "heck yes!" I hadn't been since I was a kid, but I remembered LOVING it. And, the greatest part of being part of the charter homeschool community is that our admission was FREE because it was included as part of the school funds for the year! All we had to do was drive ourselves down there (a feat in itself, let me tell you...) but we were able to be in the comfort of our own car, we could be on our own timeline (except for where we checked in as a group) and we could stay as long as we wanted and travel home at our own pace! Definitely worth it.

It's a pretty long drive, being in the South Bay. (3-4 hours depending on traffic), so my mom came with us while Jon was at work. :) We were so glad to have Gram share the day out in Monterey!

It was a GORGEOUS morning in the Bay Area! I love living just a couple hours from the Pacific Ocean.

Edwin was having a lot more fun than he looks. ;) He's making that zoned out face on purpose. I'm not sure why he wouldn't smile, but we laughed about it right after this picture was taken:

The Aquarium has GROWN since I was a kid. I mean, it's been like 20 years since I was there... but still.

They have an "Ocean's Edge" display building complete with animals and creatures that live close to--you guessed it--the EDGE of the ocean near the shore. This would be tidepools, reef dwelling animals, kelp forest fishes, and birds. The next building over has the "Deep Ocean" fishes and animal life (jellies, larger schools, and tentacled creatures). They also had a whole "Baja California" display highlighting tropical fishes and even some land animal life in Mexico (desert tortoise, tarantulas, and a really cool snake that I can't remember the name of).

When we entered the aquarium, the first animals we checked out were the otters. :) :)

This was one of my favorite parts. I let the kids watch the sea otters swim as long as they wanted. They got to be right up at the glass with the otters twisting, turning, diving, and swimming in front of them!

Oh my gosh, hearing their giggles and excitement was the best! I loved that I could watch the otters be adorable, and ALSO see Kate and Edwin's faces reflected in the glass. :) I could have stayed there all day.

Next, we checked out the touchable tide pools:

Edwin was way more into this than Kate was, which surprised me! He doesn't always like to get messy, but he is more interested in details and how things work than Kate is. We got to see hermit crabs, get our fingers hugged by a sea urchin, and play with kelp! We also checked out a decorator crab (they camouflage themselves with bits of sea grass and such to stay away from predators on the ocean floor) and abalone.

The best part of starting here in the Ocean's Edge building was getting to see how the aquarium works with the natural ocean it's built on top of. Pipes bring water in from the ocean and filter it right back out, so these rescue animals and creatures are getting nutrients and environments as close to their natural habitat as possible while they are studied.

Some HUGE tanks were in this section of the aquarium, showing tall forests of seaweed and the fishes and sharks that hang out there. Some of these guys were REALLY big. I was surprised.

One of my favorite parts was a glass "tunnel" that a wave would crash over every minute or so. It was incredible to stand underneath and watch the water burst between you and the sunlight!

I loved how hands-on much of the aquarium was. So kid friendly! and I don't think I've ever been so up close to some of these fishes and creatures. They even have little bubble glass sections in some of the displays that you can walk right under and see animals like puffins and penguins.

By far the coolest experience for me personally was getting to touch the Bat Rays. I did not expect them to have much personality and sort of just meandered by when we entered the tide pool area, but HOLY COW. They were the cutest and most playful little things! We got to pet their fins, and when they saw us walk up to the edge they would glide by with the tips of their wings out of the water, and one of them even came up and poked his nose out of the water at me to give my fingers a kiss! We definitely had a connection. ;) It was incredible! I mean, I'm already pretty set on my patronus, but I think that maybe in another life I might have been a Bat Ray. New favorite sea creature for sure.

When we had spent a good couple of hours at the Ocean's Edge, we switched gears and headed over to The Open Sea exhibit. When you first walk in to this area, you are directly underneath a gigantic school of fish circling above you. Somehow Kate timed it just right to run ahead of us and be the only one walking in, so I was able to catch this quick picture. I just LOVED it. Her genuine awe, and wonder at the beauty of the ocean in a way she had never seen before was just so cool.

There was a darkened corridor of jellyfish tanks of ALL sizes. They were just fascinating to watch! Kate especially loved the window where you could turn off the black light and see how transparent the baby jellyfishes really are in the ocean. We are so lucky to be able to see them up close this way in all their amazing detail!

The kids each got to pick out one small toy at the gift shop (they each picked a spinning light up wand) and we were able to see the puffins be fed. I loved watching them dive into the water! It was hard to get good pictures because these guys move so fast.

There was a trainer there explaining how they feed the puffins and what sort of diet they prefer. We got to ask questions afterward. Edwin loved it! I took some videos but they are too big to upload.

The kids also got to each color their own fish on a cool touch-screen station, which was then uploaded to a virtual fish tank. They got to watch their creations swim around together!

Ok, last but not least, THIS TANK. It was the hugest tank of water I have ever seen. I don't even know how many thousands of gallons it must have held. And pictures cannot do it justice. When you come around the corner, it takes up the WHOLE WALL. I couldn't even fit it in one picture. It is immense. and Stunning. I literally gasped.

There was a school of fish circling at the top, and other huge fish and creatures that would swim around and occasionally interrupt the flow of circling traffic. It was amazing to see the group break apart and then come right back together.

Being here at the aquarium was such a spiritually humbling experience. I was so reverenced by the beauty of the ocean and the animals that are in this world and we don't get to experience like this every day. There is so much mystery and incredible power in these creations of our Heavenly Father. This world is amazing.

I am incredibly grateful for the work and time put in by these volunteers and scientists who have brought together the Aquarium for us to come and be part of with such ease. We learned about animal life in the ocean and how to take better care of our Earth. It was life-changing for me, and I hope for Kate and Edwin too.

When I asked them questions about our field trip, here is what they said:

Where did we go?
Kate: To the 'quarium.
What do they have at the aquarium?
Kate: Animals! Penguins and fishies, and some other animals.
Edwin: Sharks, and lizards! And other colored fish!
Kate: There's otters there, and bat rays! And at the aquarium they had a spider!
Edwin: Yeah, it was a baby spider--he was so fuzzy.
Kate: And I saw a snake, and his skin had come off inside out and was sitting on a rock, and he had new brown skin.
Edwin: Yeah, and there's a little tunnel of creatures that were just to look at.
Kate: And the aquarium has crabs.
Edwin: Yeah, and we use two fingers to pet softly. Not to pinch. That would hurt them. We have to pet them to be soft.
Kate: And they have water that comes in from the ocean and then goes back out! There's a little pipe.
Edwin: The anemones like to kiss you a lot!
Do you remember what they call a group of puffins?
The kids didn't remember. But it's called a circus ;)

They had so much fun and were worn out on the way home!

Much needed. Thanks, DePaolas!

We're so grateful for these awesome homeschool experiences and can't wait to go back again!

RADDISH

The best part of our homeschool exploration so far is discovering the personalized learning that can be designed. At a neighborhood elementary school you are provided with all the opportunities that the school offers, has designed, and planned. With homeschool we are developing our own methods and opportunites for our individual kids' needs and interests with the guidance and recommendations of our Homeschool Teacher and wonderful charter school team. :)

One of the coolest homeschooling projects we've started this fall is a Raddish Kids subscription box!

(I didn't even know before we started homeschooling that these subscription boxes would be eligible for our charter funding, but there are TONS of varieties, and so much fun already!)

Raddish Kids is a monthly cooking box that gets mailed to you. Inside there is a kitchen tool for the month, and recipe cards that outline your shopping list, there are games to play, dinner table conversation cards, and a patch to iron on to your very own apron!

The goal is to help kids find the joy in cooking healthy meals, but also to build safety skills, help with reading comprehension, learn organization, some cool geography, and how to plan.

First of all, Kate LOVES getting mail. The kids enjoy checking the mail with us, even if it's just flyers and junk. When Kate saw a package show up with her own name on it, she was thrilled! The surprise of things inside was a major bonus. haha!

The boxes are themed for the month, and October was all about Monsters. :) A potato masher is the tool, and all the culinary dishes were monster themed: 5-Eyed Breakfast Bake, Broccoli Swamp Fritters, and Monster Mash Meatloaves.

Together we looked through her box of supplies and she got to pick which recipe she wanted to make first. It was really cool to see her naturally take ownership of the box and tell us what days of the week we would be making each meal. She would also "read" her recipe cards to anyone and everyone. The artwork and pictures in these menu cards are adorable! It makes the steps easy to follow, and even with a 5-year old she was able to easily tell me what she needed and what ingredients to use first.

Kate was very confident that the 5-Eyed Breakfast Bake would be the best meal to start with. This dish is inspired by traditional Shakshuka of North Africa.

We practiced writing our "S" and wrote "shakshuka" on a post-it, then located Tunisia/Libya/Israel on our world map.

We wrote a grocery list together and went to the store. Kate picked out all the food she wanted and we used the self check-out so that she could scan all of her own groceries. :)

At home I was there to assist her, but let her lead on getting all the food out she needed and all the kitchen tools.

I helped with some of the chopping work, like the onions... While covering her eyes with her hands Kate said, "Why do they put so many spices in onions??!" haha. I think it was quite the surprise for her. Kate mixed everything together with a spoon, poured ingredients into the skillet, and cracked the eggs all on her own! She has never been so involved in making an entire recipe from start to finish. 

It was wonderful to see Kate so excited about her food. She helped clean up the counter and asked me to take pictures of her with her dish.

If this was a dinner I decided to make for the family, she hardly would have touched it. But because she got to choose the dish and make it herself she was excited and ready to dig right in and eat lots of bites!

 The very next night Kate wanted to make her Monster Mash Meatloaves for our friends. They turned out amazing! Individual meatloaves cooked in a muffin tin with mashed sweet potatoes on top <3 best="" definitely="" dinners="" ever="" had.="" nbsp="" of="" one="" span="" the="" ve="" we="">

I really appreciate these Raddish boxes already. As a mom of two young kids (who are sometimes very picky eaters), as a homeschooler, and also as a studying nutritionist, it is really cool to see how Raddish has developed these learning tools. I'm sure it takes a lot of research, planning, and preparation, but the result is SO well worth it. Kate has been raving about her meals, and loves to tell everyone about it. We can't wait to keep cooking together!

Our Year of Learning

This year is 3/4 of the way through, and our Year of Learning has been a great success so far!

This year's theme is not as structured as themes of past years. We don't have set days or months that we do certain things. But that wasn't the point of this year. The goal was to focus on cultivating a family culture of learning and progressively engaging in lifelong education.

For instance, our homeschool method has been pretty organic and guided by what Kate and Edwin are interested in learning. Some days Kate works on her Alphabet Workbook:

Recognizing letters, being able to write them, and sounding out basic words is pretty standard in Kindergarten, but we're not pushing Kate to learn to read in any certain amount of time. She pulls out her book whenever she wants, and on her own does a tracing or matching picture a couple times a week.

In the meantime, we read a TON. The kids are always bringing me stacks of books, and we visit the library every week. I love when I find Kate and Edwin reading together. :)

Even when we go to the park they love to read with friends!

Edwin, Kate, Liz, and Caleb reading a library book at Night Ridge park in Rocklin

While Kate is at her Learning Center on Wednesdays, Edwin and I go to the library for story time. This week was all about DINOSAURS and they even got to make their own fossils!

Edwin was in heaven. He was so focused and worked on his clay footprints longer than any of the other children.

The stories we read direct the lessons and projects we work on. For instance, this week Kate brought me a book about volcanoes. We read about types of volcanoes, and where they are in the world. Then Kate and Edwin used our World map to mark the Ring of Fire (a border around tectonic plates where 452 of the World's most volcanic activity can be found). Afterward we watched some YouTube videos showing lava flows and the volcanologists who study them.

We also read about deep sea creatures and marked on our map where all of the oceans are and named them, largest to smallest (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern).

Sometimes our craft projects turn into great opportunities for learning! With all the pumpkin painting and Halloween decorating we've been doing lately, Edwin had asked for a spider project this week. Thankfully we have an abundance of paper and crafting materials in our house, haha! Together we cut out spider bodies and legs with black cardstock, and practiced our scissor skills while we talked about how many legs spiders have.

We practiced counting, and learned about fractions and sets of numbers, then Kate asked where on spider's bodies they have their eyes, so with the National Geographic Kids website we watched some spider videos and learned that spider bodies are VERY fuzzy, and many spiders have eight eyes. :O We learned about black widows, tarantulas, jumping spiders, and peacock spiders, as well as where they live and what they eat.

Cutting, gluing, crafting, cute holiday fun, and a science lesson all-in-one!

As a family we also focus on daily gospel learning. Reading illustrated scripture stories together has become a stronger habit, and we recently started indexing name batches with the kids (as part of a stake conference goal, but also just a good excuse to help Kate and Edwin understand family history and genealogy work.)

The kids get to practice letter-recognition, basic reading, and typing skills, while we help process records for family history research. :) Win-Win!

The homeschool chart has also turned out to be an awesome visual representation of our day. The kids love pulling cards to see what we've done and what we can still find to do, and they love helping with family work along with other projects. They are my little buddies, always by my side, and we build our day of work and learning together!

The Year of Learning hasn't been reserved to just kid-focused learning either. Jon started his PhD studies this month, focusing on neurological research to fuel his critical analysis portion of a 3-year Creative Writing doctorate.

The kids love looking at daddy's "brain book" with him, and it's fun to see how much the kids notice and pay attention to the learning that Jon is doing after work each day.

I also started a program this month for certification as a Nutrition Coach!

This course is a jam-packed guide to nutrition science, the design of the body, and how to work with varying individuals to meet their specific nutrition needs (managing disease, stress factors, and other issues that may complicate the overall balance of nutrients and maximum wellness).

The kids helped me set up my study schedule and carve out some daily school time:

Edwin, however, was more interested in when we would be eating lunch. ;)

Even working on this blog post today the kids helped me type, upload pictures, and arrange everything together. :) It's awesome to see their little minds at work.

I'm so excited to see how our Year of Learning has evolved in ways I never would have imagined back in January! It makes me hopeful that homeschool will keep growing into a lifelong love, and that we'll never want to look back. I also hope that when our kids remember their childhood they will see colorful experiences, lots of family outings, and opportunities to learn with constant creativity.

I'll leave you here with Kate's name that she typed out all on her own:

kate alston/