As I sit here Hamster and Gerbil sitting...

I thought I might as well update my blog as I neglected it last week. I'm hamster and gerbil sitting while their various cages are being cleaned. Hamsters and gerbils are quite pleasant little creatures. I like them a lot especially since I do not have to take care of them, the kids are old enough to care for them independently.

This is Puffy, Hayley's hamster.

Puffy again.

two gerbils

two more gerbils

On to my blog post. It's definitely autumn here. In fact most mornings it feels like winter. It's shocking to have morning temperatures in the teens and twenties, I'm not ready! The days do tend to warm up though so it's not all bad...yet.

The children are enjoying their perpetual leaf pile which they fix after each use.

The dogs are escaping from time to time although we do try not to let this happen Freeze and Bonkers especially do try hard to make a break for it when they know we are busy and rushing in and out the door such as when we're bringing in shopping or company comes over.

Good thing the kids are able to round up the dogs pretty quickly.

Colin on dog round up duty:

Last week on Thursday we joined the relaxed homeschoolers for another 4H activity.This time water bottle rockets. The children thought this was one of the best activities EVER. Also on Thursday Hayley started back to scouting, this year as a Cadette scout.

Some photos from last Thursday.

Cadette Hayley gives Tristan a hug.

Ready to make water bottle rockets, NO they're not for battle Hayley and Colin!

Basically to make this type of rocket one needs two, 2 liter plastic bottles, duct tape, corrugated cardboard, bobby pins and water.

One bottle is cut so that just the top can be used as the tip of the rocket. The other half of that bottle will be saved to carry water outdoors for the rocket.

The new tip is duct taped to the bottom of the complete bottle. This becomes the top. The top of the complete bottle becomes the bottom.

corrugated cardboard fins, 3 of them, are cut out, bent bobby pins are added to stabilize the cardboard fins and this is duct taped on.

Although it is hard to describe here a google search for 4H water bottle rockets brings this activity up.

Then it was outdoors to launch! Water is poured into the bottom of the rocket and then it's hooked up to the launcher. The 4H organiser let the kids do a lot and launch their own rockets but he also made sure they stayed safe.

The rockets went incredibly high!

The children had to go find their rockets after shooting them off, this led to some long treks since these flew so high and far! Colin LOVED this activity.

Hayley and Tristan's turn for launch.

It was over all too soon but the homeschool group is going to borrow the launcher from 4H again next month so the kids can try their rockets again or make new, improved ones at home to bring.

Back at home more fall fun is happening. Fall Fun of the FERRET kind!

Ferrets like leaf piles too!

In our homeschooling last week the kids made Ojos de Dios or our Spanish craft and they loved it so much they made billions of these...ok maybe dozens. Below are just a couple.

We are just starting week 8 of La Clase Divertida and still enjoying this Spanish curriculum a lot. In our study of countries and cultures we are finally moving beyond USA and Mexico and we're learning about Canada this week. Math is moving along for all, I'm still loving the Math U See for all the kids. It;s funny how at some ties a curriculum just doesn't work for you but later it's an ideal fit. Go figure. I'm still not thrilled to bits with Switched on Schoolhouse for Hayley but she seems to like it so we will see how that goes. Trevor is enjoying the teaching Co's "my favorite Universe" much more than he liked their Chemistry and the younger boys are plodding along with reading, writing and spelling.

We have had to use the wood stove increasingly and the dogs just love the stove heat. They tend to gather on the couches or floor near the wood stove and take power naps.

Here is Poppy all cozy.

The last Hamster has just been reclaimed so I guess my work as hamster/gerbil sitter is done. Just as this blog post is done, good timing!