It was a Firetastic Day

Yesterday we had the most amazing day!  It was full to over flowing with experiences !

The day started with a friends Fireman themed birthday party.  It was so much fun seeing all the little people enjoying the wonderful food and fellowship.

After a good play together we all headed to the local CFA firestation to meet the people who work there.

As we arrived at the station this truck returned from being out.

They graciously opened all the side compartments for us to have a look at and took out a breathing kit for the children to touch.

Then it was time to hold a hoze and play with some water !  Every little fireman's dream.

Sir N had such a delightful time and so did I watching him learn through experience.  I have spent the day looking through Pinterest to find some ideas to help me do a follow up week on fire safety.  In January we made finger firefighters which was super easy and fun.


Have you visited your local fire station (department) and what have you used to teach fire safety in your home ?

In Sir N's words:  "Mom, it was a Firestastic Day!"

Blessings
Chareen

National Library of Victoria

Sir George & the Dragon.

On Thursday I had the pleasure of going to the

 State Library of Victoria 

with the T Family.  I am so pleased that I did.  

The library has some wonderful things on offer

• Outside-in cinema
• Guided Tours
• Browse Newspapers, journals etc
• Listen to music & watch films
• Visit a gallery.
• Play Games
• School Holiday Programs

We started on level six the Dome Balcony and worked our way down.  The architecture was simply beautiful.

Click on any of the pictures to view them in full screen.

Beautiful stain glass window of William Shakespeare.

We visited the Dome Gallery and had a look around the two permanent exhibitions.

The Changing Face of Victoria (Level 5)
The changing face of Victoria exhibition brings together historical artifact's, photographs, drawings, maps, letters and diaries to tell the stories of the people, places and events that have shaped life in Victoria over the past 200 years. (Source State Library Website)

Sir N standing with Ned Kelly's armour.

Mirror of the World (Level 4)

The exhibition is divided into five major themes
(Source: State Library website)

1.  'Books and ideas', which outlines the early history of books and printing
2. 'The book and the imagination', which looks at the way books and texts are imaginatively created, while at the same time acting imaginatively upon us
3.  'Exploring the world', which investigates how books have been used to explore and document the world including, its landscape, topography, inhabitants, flora and fauna
4. 'Art and nature', which looks at how botanical illustrations unite the scientific and artistic worlds
5. 'The artist and the book', which highlights the art of the book and the role of the artist in its production

Exploring the World & Art and nature

It was rather amazing in this section seeing the detailed drawings and sheer size of some of the books on display. I have never seen such large books before.

The Artist and the book section.

This is the fifth theme. It highlights the art of the book and the role of the artist in it's production. These books had actual gold leaf on the covers and pages.  They were in one word: extraordinary.

There was so much more to see and do but alas when one is seven only a couple of hours of exploring will do.  So I think another trip here is in order.  (I am considering this one: Making the Ned Kelly Armour Workshop)

So from here we went and sat at the entrance and had a rest before we took the tram back to our car.

We had a wonderful day together exploring this free resource to the people of Victoria.

My favourite quote of the day was by Aristotle
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.

Have you visited any old building lately ?
Blessings
Chareen

HSMJ - Like thieving quilters we steal ...

In my life this week…

 I have had so much fun using the rafflecopter to draw and announce the winners of my blog birthday giveaway.
Visiting homeschool friends and planning a birthday dinner later this month, and realising that it's only four months till we drive with my parents on an adventure to far north Queensland to see the TOTAL solar eclipse in November.
Exploring the resources available on Pinterest and discovering some great YouTube clips for a unit study on the Olympic Games.

In our homeschool this week…

• We continued with ABeka maths.
• Continued studying the life of plants and watched episode on Traveling on The Private Life of Plants.
• Finished reading Long Walk to Freedom (children's version) in our South Africa Studies. I grew up in South Africa and still learned a lot from this book.  I have the original and am inspired to now read it.
• We continued reading The Story of the Olympics.
• Sir N is making good progress on reading book one in the I Can Read It! series.
• We explored the Zoo at Night.
• Went to the State Library of Victoria where we had a look at two exhibitions: Mirror of the World and The changing face of Victoria.

Top L - built a lego Sea Shepherd  R - Colouring the South African Flag
Bottom L - Night Zoo  R - Expedition Earth Passport

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

• 10 pieces of advice you would give to a new homeschooler Blog Hop over at Many Little Blessings.
• Deborah over at the Paper Maid has a new blog roll for you to link up with.

I am inspired by…

• Loving the Mothers we are.  This is a must read for every homeschool mom you know.  I think I need to read this once a month !  Short sweet to the point and deeply impacting.  Here is a snippet:
  
  One of the hardest jobs we face is learning to appreciate the mothers we are. Like thieving quilters we steal bits of other mothers, from dreams, books and playground conversations, and stitch them together into an ideal mother. We hold it up to the light and admire its colours and patterns and despair that we will ever match its splendor....
  
  do pop on over and take a moment to finish reading this over at Handmade Homeschool. I have struggled in this area for years. My goal this year is to be true to myself.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

• On Saturday we went to see Peter Rabbit's Birthday at the Clock Tower.
• Wednesday we visited with some friends for a play date.
• Thursday we joined another family to visit the State Library of Victoria. We had a great time exploring this beautiful old building.
• We also went to Werribee Open Range Zoo to explore the Zoo after dark.

My favorite thing this week was…

• Having some of my thoughts on blogging confirmed when I read Guidelines for Blogging by Keenpin' it Real. I feel so encouraged when I see the Lord answering my questions through others.
• Looking through my Sonlight Catalog and deciding what we need to purchase to upgrade my Sonlight Core B 

What’s working/not working for us…

• 
  

Questions/thoughts I have…

• I am looking for bloggers who homeschool and have an "only" child.  With Sir N being ten years younger than his siblings I feel like I am on this steep learning curve and looking for some support.

Things I’m working on…

• Finding balance and catching up on my One Year Through the Word.
• A blog post on resources to do a unit study on the Olympic games.

I’m reading…

• What I don't show you (and why I blog carefully) over at Small World at Home.  Great article on the ethics of what you blog about.
• The Silence of Older Homeschool Moms over at  Take Up and Read.  An encouraging post on blogging about home schooling high schoolers.
• Parenting Boys: What Boys Need From Moms Really encouraging read for us Mom's who are home all the time with our boys.   
• Rules for Blogging Like a Good Girl over at Apron Strings and Apple Trees.  (Pssst confession time I struggle with this too ....)

I’m cooking…

• Gluten Free bread. 

On Pinterest I found...

• Teaching Blog Addict.  Wow what a great set of boards.  If numbers are anything to judge a board by they have those with 6685 followers. They have 64 Boards and 2380 Pins. The boards are set up by Grade and subject.
• Sara Hart  has 71 boards and 10 430 pins for you to have a look at.
• Penny * Arnold has 156 Boards and 6860 Pins.

I’m grateful for…

• The extra hours my husband has been given at work this week. Our car needed a service and now we have a little in the bank to take it in.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

"If you are in a "lonely place" its because God is calling you to "The secret place". Its a place away from the praise band, choir, noise, and the view of man. Its the place God calls all of humanity, though very few find it...Intimate Fellowship.."  - Deborah's status on Facebook.

Wow what a week !  My favourite part of this journal is linking up and reading what my new bloggy friends are all up to.  Don't forget to pop on over and check out, support and encourage others on this journey.

Blessings

This post is linking to:
Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
iHomeschool Network
Collage Friday