Whitman Mission Field Trip

I went on a field trip with Rachel on Tuesday. We had a fantastic time. I was reminded of what it's like to ride a school bus - something I hadn't done in several years. We had the most beautiful weather - you'll see below some of the amazing views we got to see throughout the day. AMAZING!!

I will just post some pictures - not an awful lot of explanation is necessary, although I may add in some tidbits here and there. As it turns out, there are quite a few pictures, so I hope it doesn't take forever to load the page. Sorry. But there are so many good ones!!

This is on the way there:

 

And now the walking tour begins:

 

 A portion of the real Oregon Trail:

 And the covered wagon replica:

 Next we took a break and ate our lunches.
Then we all went inside and watched a film about the Whitmans and their story:

 On to the Museum:

 And now we're finished and about to get back on the bus...

 ...but first, a group picture!

 Now back to the bus...

 And these were taken on the way home.

God gave us such a beautiful day for this field trip.

Music Class

"That's a big niece."


What a 2nd grade boy said about Emma when she got up to take a turn in the game in Tasha's music class.




This weekend we are visiting my sister Tasha in Portland.
Today we went to school with her and are sitting in on all her music classes. It's fun to see her teach, and the girls have gotten to play some games with the kids too. They have played several different games now with several different age groups.

The 2nd grade class was especially cute today. They sat in a circle, and had some instruments in the middle of the circle. All but one student would close their eyes, while one student in the center played an instrument, then sat back in their place in the circle. The other students would then try to guess what instrument was played. A great game to develop listening skills!

When it was Emma's turn to play an instrument, she got up off the floor to the center of the circle. That's when the boy said she was a big niece. Tasha went on to explain that she was a 6th grader, so it was normal for her to be that much bigger than he was. Of course Tasha and I exchanged glances and smiles, and I proceeded to write it down - because you just have to write these things down!

Fun times.

Easy Playdough

I made up a batch of playdough for the trolls, they're loving it. It's been a long time since we've even had playdough in the house - but even big kids like it. So I thought I would share this easy recipe. Make up a batch, and store it in a ziploc bag.

No Cook Playdough

Ingredients: 
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Cup Water (or less)
Food coloring

Directions:
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl; stir to combine.
Add the oil, stir again.
Mix the food coloring into the water; stir.
Add the water gradually until mixed; you probably won't need the entire cup.

After it's all mixed together, take it out of the bowl and knead until it's playdough-y. If you added too much water, all you have to do is add a little more flour until it's the "right" consistency.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

This is an easy recipe to double or cut in half; make as much as you need. It's super easy and super cheap.



Enjoy!