Mummmmmmyyyyyyy!

We went with another homeschooling family to a local Museum in Wichita (Museum of World Treasures). We are currently learning about Egypt and Mummies. I liked what they had but wished there was more and maybe some hands on activities for the children to do.

Checking out the inner casket of the sarcophagus

In front of a sarcophagus

A real Mummified Lady (this really freaked Edward out)

A Canopic Jar

Just a cute little Castle Play area that they had for the children in the Museum.

Tap Dancing

Edward has been taking Tap Dancing Lessons now for almost 2 months. He seems to be enjoying it greatly. I like that they are private and I hope because of that he gains a lot of knowledge and skills from them.

Do Flaps across the room.

Young Child 3

This is Edwards last year with Kindermusik. He has Young Child 3 right now, then at the beginning of the new year he will start Young Child 4. He will graduate from the program pretty much in May but he will be able to attend the summer camp in July (or whenever it is). We will be sad to be leaving Kindermusik. It is such a wonderful program. Next school year, he will begin taking piano (for 2 years) and then after that he wants to move on to Guitar. I am hoping that during his piano lessons, that I also pick it up and then we can keep the piano when he is through.

Edward's Young Child 3 Kindermusik Class with their Dulcimers

Teacher: Diane Walters
Edward with his decorated Dulcimer

Edward playing his Glockenspiel

Being a part of a "band"

Each child got a turn at playing the tambourine, cymbals, dulcimer, glockenspiel and a rhythm block

Happy Un-Birthday Party

This afternoon, the Co-op Party Commitee (I am a chair for it), had a Happy Un-Birthday Party for the kids. We figured this was easier because we could celebrate everyone's Un-Birthday together instead of the expensive of trying to have a monthly Birthday Party for the kids. It was great fun. We played musical carpets (we used carpet squares instead of chairs they were easier to set up and put away), Drop the Tea Bag (played like Drop the Penny but instead of pennies we used tea bags (with strings and tags) and instead of bottles we used tea cups from a child plastic tea set. We were going to do a "tea" relay race but it was way to cold outside for this so we opted out (basically you were trying to get water (tea) from a bucket with a childs plastic tea set cup to the other end of the yard and pour it into a teapot). I think it was a success and the kids had a great fun.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip (HEA Co-op)

Today we went to a Pumpkin Patch for a co-op Field Trip. We had a great time seeing a pig race, taking a hay ride and picking our pumpkins (some of us were braver than others and tromped through the mud (it has been raining on and off pretty much all week) to pick a pumpkin for the patch) that they had already picked and up on the front lawn to take home. It was a great time together however, I was greatly disappointed it wasn't as long or fun as I had hoped it would be. Next year we will schedule our PP field trip to a larger PP (one with a huge corn maze). This is what happens when you try to please the masses.

Edward in the Pumpkin Patch

Looking for the perfect pumpkin to take home

Some of our HEA co-op Kiddos!

Edwards "Coat" of Many Colors

This is the finished product of our Josephs Coat of Many Colors Activity.

Coat of Many Colors

In Myster of History this week, we learned about Abraham, Esau and Jacob, and Joseph. To represent Josephs coat of many colors that Jacob gave him, we tie dyed a T-shirt. Below are pictures of Edward (and I) tie dying.

T-Shirt prepared
Applying the color to the shirt (we choose to do the dry method)

Completed dying process, we wrapped and it now has to sit for 6 to 8 hours before I stick it in the washer. I will take a picture of Edward wearing it later and add it to my blog.

Barbie (Ken) Mummy Project

In our Mystery of History Lessons, we learned about Egyptian Mummification. To take our lesson a step further, we mummified a Barbie (Ken) Doll. Here are pictures of our Mummification Process:

Preparing the body by cleansing it with Wine (water down red wine vinegar). Then we removed the Intestines, Liver, Lungs and Stomach (placing them in Canopic Jars). There is a incision mark down his left side to represent where he would have been cut open for the removal of these organs. Next we removed the Brains with a hook through the nose (hence the black dot on his nostril). The brains were thrown away because that felt that it was the hear that thought for you not the brain.

We used a basting brush to cleanse him but we know that they didn't use one. The red heart represents the fact that they left the heart in tact, later it will be used in the Weighing-of-the-heart ceremony. In the back corner you will see that we have Anubis (the God of Embalming) present during this embalming as they would have had someone with a mask of his head on during this process.

Next we wiped him down with spices of Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Allspice, in an olive oil.

We put him in Kosher Sea Salt (this represents the Natron Salt that they would have used). Then we let him sit in the salt for 40 minutes (1 minute to represnt each day that they would have left the body in the Natron Salt...however they would have completely covered them so that you couldn't even seen them). We accidently did the spices/oil and salting backwards. The salting should have come first, then the spices and oils. Then they would have replaced the eyes onions stuffed into the sockets. Then they stuffed the body with mudd, sawdust, rags and chaff to make it appear plump.

Next we began the wrapping process (they would have saved Linen to be wrapped in for their burial, their whole lives). We used muslin and a mixture of flour and water (1 part to 3 parts) for the paste. It took them about 15 days to wrap the body and about 20 layers of linen bandages. We put the Amulets inbetweeen the layers of Linen (a scarab beetle (which they believed prevent your guilty secrets from being found out during the weighing-of-the-heart ceremony), the protective eye of the sun god, Horus).

We allowed him to do a little drying before the final wrapping.

Here he is after the final wrapping. Our hired Mourner (Daddy) and the Priests (Edward and Mommy) took our mummy to his tomb (it will be a plastic shoe box). We used Sacred Tools for the opening of the mouth ceremony (this was done to restore the body's spirit to it), this was done by touching the "lips" with the tools. Next we had the Weighing-of-the-heart ceremony. You will see that we have Anubis and Thoth present (we didn't have Ammut). In the Weighing-of-the-heart ceremony your spirit was believed to be led to a scale by Anubis, who weighed your heart against the feather of truth. The result was recorded by the ibis-headed god, Thoth. A monster, Ammut waited to eat the heart if it has been made to heavy by bad deeds. In his tomb, we put (not really just pretended) the Book of the Dead, food, clothes, wine, furniture, weapons and tools (these things were to be used by your KA(your spirit double, this was said to stay in your tomb with your body all the time) and BA(the spirit of your personality, this was said to be able to leave the tomb during the day but returned at night). Then we sealed the tomb.

Homeschool Zoofari Day Field Trip

The Wichita TPA (Teaching Parents Association) and the Sedgwick County Zoo teamed up together to put on a Zoofari Day for Homeschoolers and their families. Below are pictures of us on our Field Trip. We had such a great time and they did a great job putting together the day. There about 10 stations set up to stop at and learn about animals in that area of the zoo. We learned a lot of things we didn't know (even I did and I taught Animal Science all last year...see you still can learn things, even if you have done an extensive study of a subject).

Learning about Farm Animals (goats and sheep) in the Farm area of the Childrens Zoo portion of the Sedgwick County Zoo.
Edward has grown he is now as tall as the Tallest Penguin (the Emperor Penguin), last time (when the first put in this exhibit) he was about 3 to 4 penguins down the wall.

In the Jungle Building

Feeding the Giraffes with friends.

Best Friends feeding the ducks together.

Look Mom, A Mustache

Edward got this "mustache" from a vending machine, you know the kind that you get plastic rings and tatoos from. Just had to take a picture of him wearing it. To cute!

Tippy Tap

Here is Edward at Tap Dancing Lessons. He loves it and is learning a lot.

Stonehenge

This week in our Mystery of History Lessons, we learned about Stonehenge. We built our own version of Stonehenge using rocks (from the alley, all about the same size), a paper plate and a hot glue gun. Here are pictures of our Stonehenge:

The 2009 Kansas State Fair

Edward had so much fun at the fair this year. He was able to do a lot of hands on activities which just thrilled him to pieces.

There was a barn where you could do some hands on activities and Edward decided to shovel up some hay into a wheelbarrow.
There was a construction site set up for children to do hands on construction related activies. It was the neatest and most educational thing that I have seen at the fair in a long time for children of about all ages. Edward is checking out the drill and learning how to use it (little did the man know that Edward already knew how to use it...LOL!)

Screwing screws...this is cool, must go home and try it (and trust me, he did).

Learning to get the aim just right.

Driving a remote control front loader.

Driving a Simulator and learning how to work a back hoe.

Helping to build a play house for a children's center. He even got to sign a plague that will be hung by it there.

A lesson in Masonry

Edward got to learn about Masonry and laying bricks, at the construction site set up at the fair for children. He probably would have laid the whole row of the wall if the man would have allowed him to do so.