3D Plagues

The kids have taken up playing punch-balloon-volleyball-four-square in the foyer.  Basically, the balloon cannot touch the floor.  There are many four-square rules associated with the game because four-square is the favorited game played at recess. This is not a quiet game.  Ever.  There is nothing like making up your own rules and then arguing over the rules that were made up.  

We bought them a basketball to have an extra one when we go to the SWU courts.  Josiah remembered he had seen some sidewalk chalk, so they moved their game outside for a while, but the weather has gotten much cooler lately.  This is the 'real fall' that we were told we would have.  It was 36° this morning - cold enough that Henry went back inside to get his hoodie for school.  He was really trying to hold out until December, but it was necessary to cave.  

The kids did their service project at the end of this week at AIM (Anderson Interfaith Ministries).  They were tasked with packing 1000 Thanksgiving meals.  They completed that in an hour's time, so they were given more bags to fill.  Caroline said she never wanted to see another can of corn again.  Josiah had fun asking the third graders which bag of rice or box of potatoes they wanted every time they reached his spot.  

This last week of school was filled with many tests and quizzes.  While rough for a time, the no homework for the week-long break made it worthwhile.  Caroline worked on her 10 Plagues of Egypt project for a week.  She had to represent all the plagues in some sort of 3D fashion.  She chose clay.  Josiah was happy to assist and they worked every day on a new plague.  There were frogs.  

Lice

Locust

Death of livestock

A lamppost with no light to represent darkness.

Water turning to blood

Boils

Josiah made the angel of death with blood on the doorposts

Caroline was happy with the end results and the clay baked well for the most part.  After a few heads fell off (frogs), they learned to use toothpicks as dowels.  

Henry had his first debate this week.  His side had to argue that the American Revolution cannot be biblically backed up.  It was interesting, because when Josiah did debate in CC, they never allowed them to use the Bible because they never wanted one team to have to argue against the Bible.  Henry said it went well overall.  His role was to talk about how it could not be backed up because it goes against you shall not murder.  

Josiah finished his week of school listening to his science teacher's friend from NASA.  This man used to buckle in the astronauts on the launchpad.  He worked on over a hundred launches, ten of them as the seatbelt-buckler.  I inquired further as to all the duties of his job.  He came on after the Challenger explosion as a safety inspector.  Josiah enjoyed his talk very much.  This science teacher is Josiah's favorite teacher by far.  He spent his life as a chemical engineer and his retirement as a school teacher.  Whenever Josiah is homesick for Texas, he says that he would like to move back, but he would bring Mr. Arledge with him.    

We had our Thanksgiving Program one evening at school.  It was only the 5th grade and lower, but Caroline came along to sit with her friends who had younger siblings.  I had no idea how things would go because earlier that day I had one kid in my class who completely fell apart.  She cried for 45 minutes because she did not get the blue playdoh scissors.  It was so bad that she had to leave the room for over an hour before she was calm enough to rejoin us.  So, that was our morning.  I assumed all the kids had a nap before coming to the program in the evening, because they rocked it.  They smiled, they sang, some lip-synced, a few did the hand motions, but it was enough that you could tell we practiced.  

Thanksgiving Break is upon us.  I have an entire list of things to do that, if completed, will have us completely unpacked and settled.  The kids have no such lists, but they are looking forward to spending time with grandparents.