Last Day of Homeschool

Yesterday marked our very last day of the 2011-2012 school year.  I now have a fourth grade, first grade, K-4, and preschool learner!  Although we will be doing some exploratory learning throughout the summer months (Look for more to come on that later.), our days will mostly be spent enjoying a nice break.  I have a "last day" very intentionally...but that's for another chat...

To celebrate the day, I told each of the kids that we had a few MUST DO school happenings to accomplish but that they could choose the rest of our "learning fun".  The only criteria was that the activities they chose had to be FREE.  I thought it would be fun to share A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...

with you and show you what they came up with.  

As usual, we began our day with Bible time.

Apparently, the Newbie didn't get the memo that it was time for school...he hunkered down for a nice morning nap.

Personal devotions came next.  

Then, after a few practice run-throughs of their presentations for our up-coming Co-op spring program, Sweetie Pea and Super Boy joined me in the dining room for Super Boy's choice of last day learning...origami.  

He found a book earlier this week that had detailed steps of making a paper crane and was just itchin' to make one during art time.  

This is the part where I'd LIKE TO show you a picture of our beautifully crafted paper cranes (which he had hopes of calling pterodactyls), but since we didn't have ACTUAL origami paper and used scrap book paper instead, our cranes only made it step 16 of a 24 step process.  FYI...scrapbook paper is just too thick to fold that many times.

After a mid-day lunch with the Hubs, the kids and I hopped in the van and headed to the local pet shop for a field trip...Sweetie Pea's choice.

She and the Hubs have been investigating small rodent-type pets.  For a while now, she has desperately wanted a hedgehog.  But, after learning that a hedgehog would cost her around $200, she set her sights on a more economical fur ball...a hamster.  

While at the pet shop, she did some SERIOUS reconnaissance for the "I'd like a pet hamster" plan! 

The boys and I were more than happy to tag along for her research.  We got to meet everything from a hoard of crickets to a chinchilla...with some bunnies and a scorpion thrown in, for good measure.  Oddly enough, there was not a puppy or kitten in the whole place.

Greased Lightning was ecstatic when I said we could go and watch the "big trucks." 

In our state, we have two seasons...WINTER and CONSTRUCTION.  It just so happens that one of two major thoroughfares in our small town is being expanded.  Every time we drive that road, Greased Lightning gets saucer-sized eyes and wants us to go very slowly so that he can ogle over every digger and dumper.

I decided that this would be a great day to pull over and meet some of these big engines.  I felt rather silly piling all my kids out on the side of the road.  But, we introduced ourselves to a few men on the road crew and they excitedly did an impromptu demonstration for us with one of their largest back hoes.  (When we got home later in the day, Greased Lightening dug out one of his favorite books...Digger...and asked me to read and re-read the truck filled tale several times.)

Although I sincerely question its educational merit, Blonde Warrior's choice came in the form of the golden arches.  Now normally, a trip to visit Ronald with a brood of five kids would NOT be considered a FREE activity.  But, it just so happened that I had a few coupons for free fruit smoothies.

We wrapped up our "learning" with a cup of liquid berries and a trip...or two...or ten down the tunnel slides.

Add in a spill or two and a few diapers to change and you have a pretty accurate DAY IN THE LIFE...

Not a bad way to end a great year!

Do you have an "end" to your year?  If so, how will/did you mark the day?

Linking up with the Hip Homeschool Hop.