Jello Oranges

I saw something on Pintrest recently and though it was too fun and too easy not to try. You cut an Orange in half then eat out the inside making sure to get it all clean. Make some Jello then use the Orange halves as bowls to pour the Jello into and then let it set in the Fridge. Take it out, cut it in slices and enjoy.

He's A Robot

Chance's has been playing in the boxes that the new bed was packed in (aren't the boxes the best part?) At his request Scott turned this one into a Robot suit.

Found Objects Collage

For the past few months we have been collecting little things that we find on our walks to and from school in order to make a found objects collage. We finally found enough stuff to make something nice so we sat down this weekend and made our collage. Chance did all the design and then he ran the hot glue gun while I stuck the pieces on where his design indicated. It was a lot of fun and the finished product is really nice and is now sitting in his room. I hope to hang it up soon.

Chance Drawings 6

We were setting up to carve pumpkins yesterday and Chance drew this picture.  It is a house on fire with two firetrucks putting water on the fire and smoke.  Just the day before we saw a house on fire with fire trucks on the way home from the Children's Book Festival.

Fete Marigny

Yesterday we went to the first annual Fete Marigny in Washington Square Park. A celebration of French culture and heritage of the Marigny (the neighborhood we live in). There was art, crafts, music, food a guy on a unicycle and great kids activities.
The weather was wonderful so we stayed for quite a while listening to music, eating crepes and letting Chance create art to take home.
  He has really gotten into drawing and painting recently, he has always liked painting but until recently was not into drawing at all and really not interested in crafts too much either. Now though he wants to draw, paint or craft at every opportunity. At the Fete there was a station set up for water coloring where Chance made two wonderful works of art.
  I love how he takes him time to really feel the art and decide what he wants to put where instead of just jumping in all little kid crazy like. He also did a coloring page of a sketch of one of the actual houses on Royal Street. He took his time getting it just right. When he finishes he is very proud of his work and we are very proud of the detail and attention he gives each of his pieces. We all played Escargot too. Which is a French game a lot like hopscotch but the numbers go around in a spiral like a snail instead of in a straight line. It is harder than it looks.
  Here are his two finished water colors.

Father and Son

Walked into the front of the house the other day to find Scott and Chance playing a game on the iPad like this:

Water Balloon Playdate

Last weekend we got together with the other kids in our playgroup for a water balloon fight playdate. I pre-filled a few before we left the house and then we filled a LOT more after we arrived at the park. At the park the parents put together an assembly line to get more balloons filled fast near the end we were getting pretty good. We had three rounds of water balloon fight. It took us that long to get some good rules together so all the balloons weren't gone in ten seconds
In the end round 3 lasted all of 2 minutes and 3 seconds but the kids had tons of fun. These action pictures are from that round three. You can see the smiles on all their faces. Chance is in the center of these shots throwing a balloon in Octavian's direction. He came pretty close but one of the fun things about this little kid water balloon fight was because they can't throw them very hard most of the balloons bounced off the kids and broke on the ground.

School Videos

This first video is a little concert Chance put on for us before school one morning not long ago:
This next one I took while we were waiting for celebration to start. His class reading Goldilocks and the three Bears: And here is Chance (he's in the middle row) and his class dancing. They play the song on the stereo the lyrics tell the kids what activity to do and then they have to freeze when the music stops:

Chance Drawings 5

Every Monday Chance brings home a three or four page booklet that he draws and writes himself. It's theme is always what they were reading in class that week. Can you tell what he learned about last week? They are reading Knights at Dawn, the second book in the Magic Treehouse series. Here at home we have checked out a lot of books on castles and knights and the middle ages in general from the library. Each Magic Treehouse book has a nonfiction book that goes along with the fiction title. So they are reading the fiction title at school and we are reading the nonfiction book at home.

Chance Drawings 4

I don't know why Chance has to go to the bathroom every time I am in there but here is another drawing he slipped under the door to me the other day.

Armstrong Park Celebration

Last Friday at celebration we walked with Chance's class down to Armstrong Park. It was super cute with the whole class walking in a line singing little songs they learned in school. After we arrived at the park all the kids ate Popsicles and had some snack crackers. Really tasty one by the way. Here is Chance and his classmate playing popcicle swords:

Chance just enjoying his popcicles:

After everyone finished their snacks we walked around the park, looking at the sculptures walking over the bridges and investigating the park. Chance's class sitting on the steps at the park: At the end all the kids got some free time to run around and play then we all walked back to the school. Hanging out for celebration is so much fun. I love getting to see him interacting with his teachers and classmates. Also, he usually ends up getting out of school a little early since we are already there to take him home. it's a win/win/win.