Learning or Un-learning about FLIES

Flies are so gross!  There isn't much to say about them. They are gross. When Tanner and I were deciding which bugs to learn this summer he picked flies and this last week we were going to learn about them. I started out with a video I found on You tube. We watched a fly eating some orange stuff with this straw like thing coming out of it's mouth and then it rubs it's front legs together. Then we watched a video of a fly laying eggs. They lay lots of white long eggs. After that Tanner decided he didn't want to learn about them. Although during breakfast on another day we read a book about Gnats and another book that talked about the flies eyes. They have so many eyes so they can see everything that is going on around them at all times. So thus ends Fly week. Yeah!

Summer Fun: Pioneer Day Breakfast

This year we celebrated our 20th year of Pioneer Day Sour Dough pancake breakfast. It's always a great breakfast and lot and lots of pancakes. Three days before my mom gets the Sour Dough out to ferment on the counter and then on pancake morning my dad gets up a couple of hours before to get it going. One of the steps takes 45 minutes tom complete but they are totally worth it. A family tradition that everyone loves.  This year we had 108 people. In other years we've been close to 200. That's a lot of pancakes. 

 Melissa, Dan, Tanner, Max, Brandon, Preston and David

 Violet thought the sausage was hot. But she loves having Grandma Jan hold her all day long. 

 Our family- Tanner, Violet and Dan  

Racheal, Violet and Dan

My mom, Missy and Logan- they all did a great job on getting the yard ready for this big day.  

 My Dad making pancakes. 20 Year pancakes

 My friend Nat- since 6th grade- She comes every year with her family 

 Wayne, 

 Ben & Elliot

 Bob, Hannah, Sherri, & Uncle Russell

Grandpa Lloyd used to make Sour Dough pancakes all the time. 

Nate, Ally, Miriam and Violet

 Scott and my dad, He normally doesn't get to sit and visit. He's always flipping pancakes but this year we had less people so he got a little break. 

 Tanner loves playing on the hill by the house

Tristin

Rachel, Jeri, Camille, Devin, Amanda 

We had an awesome day

Grasshopper week

This last week we learned about Grasshoppers. It was a lot harder than I thought. We did read some books and saw lots of pictures of different grasshoppers, katydids, Walking sticks, Cockroaches and preying mantis' but I had a hard time coming up with fun things to do and projects. It didn't help that it was my birthday this week and we had tickets to go the the Natural History Museum and it was Chick Fil A day too. So many things were going on that we ran out of time and Dan had Friday off so we went to the Gateway. But I did buy a bag of Grasshopper cookies. Yum!  I told the kids they were made from Grasshoppers. Tanner didn't believe me. But the cookies were good. 

For our Art project we did some water coloring. It's the first time that Violets water colored. She did great and she didn't even eat the paint. That's a plus. I had the kids water color a scenery area for the Grasshoppers to live. I printed some Grasshopper stickers off the computer for them to put on their pages. It was a fun project. 

We did learn that Grasshoppers lay their eggs in the ground in the fall and they hatch in the spring time. As long as the other bugs don't eat the grasshopper eggs. Most of the grasshoppers are green and brown because they match the plants and it's harder to see them. But there are some more colorful Grasshoppers. There aren't as many because they are easily spotted for birds to eat. And a Cockroach has been around since forever and they haven't changed a bit. They carry their eggs with them so they are protected. That's why there are so many of them and they will eat anything. Where Grasshoppers eat leaves and Preying Mantis eat other bugs. Bugs are interesting. Even after we have been learning about all these bugs = Tanner still seems to freak out when he sees them. Oh well. It's still been fun.  

Summer Fun: Clark Planetarium

After the Children's Museum we walked across the street to see the Clark Planetarium. We didn't watch the show but I wanted the kids to be able to see some of the space stuff. 

 Dan, Violet and Tanner looking at the first Senator in Space- Jake Garn

 Playing in the machine that makes clouds. Violet really liked that

 Playing on Mars. Very fun and rocky

 Violet and Tanner playing on the moon. He wouldn't hold still so I got an edge picture with another child. 

 This machine helps the kids learn about Black holes. It has magnets in it so when the pendulum swings and then reverses you've hit a black hole. 

 Looking at the Astronaut suit

 Studying the Planets. Tanner has read some planet books and seem to like Saturn the best

 The kids like touching this ball of light. 

We had a good time at the Planetarium. I took the flash off these 2 bottom pictures so I could get the blue light 

Summer Fun: Children's Museum at The Gateway

On Friday the 17th Dan took the day off so we could do some fun stuff with the kids for my birthday. So we went up to the Gateway to let them play at the Children's Museum. I like the museum but I like the one in Virginia so much better. But Kids love to play with just about anything and they had a lot of fun. 

 Violet playing with the balls

 Making Music- Tanner, Dan and Violet

 Tanner climbing up the tree

 Violet is such a good mom taking care of the babies

 Tanner  using the crane in the construction zone

 Dan was teaching Tanner and Violet how to change the oil in the jeep

 Violet and Racheal shopping at the grocery store

 Violet loves playing with pretend food

 Tanner and Violet cooking at the store 

 Horse rides - Violet loved getting on the horse

 Dan and Violet rock climbing together

 Tanner sliding down the back of the helicopter

I hadn't been to this section of the museum before. I liked the medical area. They a small helicopter with the slide in back and the regular size helicopter that the kids can pretend to fly around and also transport a patient to the hospital. It's a fun area 

 Violet flying the little helicopter

 Dan and Tanner did some brain surgery on this patient. They all did great and the patient has had a full recovery. 

 Tanner inside the big Helicopter

 Tanner and I reported the news- there's a huge bug problem in the area. Watch out!

 Tanner running from the green screen of a wind storm 

 Green screen image of Violet and Dan telling the world about the turtles 

 This program helps kids decide what they want to be when they grow up. Sort of. It's actually a cut and past to put clothes on your character but Tanner had fun iwth it. 

 Building with light blocks

 Giant hand chair- that's always fun to sit in

 Energy car- Tanner loved driving it. 

Tanner and Violet playing in the produce market in the upstairs area- it's based off the book- George saves the world by Lunchtime. That was a new area.It's cute. And less crowded then the other areas so it was nice. 

  Dan and I tired at the end of the day!