Week 14: Hosting Co-op

 We had so much fun this week! Because of the continued freeze and gathering bans in Oregon, we opted as a co-op to continue meeting but in our own backyards. It is the same four families getting together as it has been all summer, and we have all agreed that these are the only children for the most part that our kids will be playing with. That feels fairly safe to us and of course, any member who is sick or has been exposed stays home instead.

On Monday the boys went to forest school. Tuesday we hosted co-op for the first time at our house and we dipped leaves and branches into beeswax. They turned out so pretty! Everyone was pulling leaves from our herb garden and strawberry patch and it was awesome. 

Wednesday we did school. Avery is reading me Bob Books once a week. Michael and Emmet are enjoying their new Minecraft writing books very much! We also finished the last chapter in our math lesson last week, and the boys are still finishing up their worksheets. We read two chapters in Story of the World. The first was about the rise of Prussia and the forming of Germany. Second we read about wars between the new colonies and native peoples, outbreaks of smallpox, and finally it covered a little about William Penn.

We had multiple days of rainbows!!

Emmet spent most of one day this week crafting this amazing airplane out of paper!

Thursday we hosted co-op again! A shorter day, as after us moms were all freezing it started to rain and we decided that was enough for one day, ha ha. The kids ran and played and everyone took turns stringing popcorn, cranberries, dried fruit, peanuts, and more items to decorate a tree for the wildlife. we also made homemade suet cakes and one family brought supplies to make bird feeders out of water bottles. It was a lot of fun and looks so pretty! Here is the Audubon Societies' recipe for homemade suet cakes for your own families wildlife tree! https://www.audubon.org/news/make-your-own-suet

Friday we did science, learning about how each element's protons, neutrons, and electrons are placed inside the atom. We also did art and the boys painted winter scenes, which I never took photos of apparently! 

And then over the weekend we made Christmas cookies and decorated them with my parents. 

Hope your days are slowing down and you are ready to tuck in for a peaceful holiday season. I know I am ready for a slow, calm week!

The Dillmans