FAO Schwarz Style

There are few places more magical than a toy store.

Say what you want about consumerism and a material culture, but a visit to a toy store will put a smile on a child's face every time.

My own memories of toy store visits as a child are nothing less than sheer delight.

So what was I to say, when one year ago, Jack asked if he could spend his 7th birthday in New York at a toy store?

I initially laughed it off. Then I thought, why not?

That's why we headed to New York last week to celebrate birthday number 7, and we did it in FAO Schwarz style.

There should be no surprise that we left with a LOT of Legos.

My dancer and I had to try out the "Big" piano.

Jack got to demonstrate the coolest paper airplanes ever!

Spider Man roamed the aisles.

And, of course, we couldn't leave without letting little miss pick out something as well.

The only disappointment was that some of our family members coming to celebrate with Jack had to back out at the last minute. I guess that means we'll just have to go back!!!

"Road" Scholars

I heard this term used last week in relation to homeschooling and have taken it on as my new mantra.

These "road" scholars will be heading out again tomorrow on our latest adventure.

It's a place familiar and loved by at least three of the four of us.

We'll be making some museum stops as well as celebrating a little boy's 7th birthday in the city I can only describe as "the place where I can breathe."

New York, here we come again...

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

This is one fun book!

We've been through it so many times in the three weeks since we checked it out at the library that mine know it by heart.

And when you get done reading, you can make your own coconut tree and attach magnetic letters.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!

Slinging Like the Master

Jackson Pollock-style painting, complete with slinging and movement, makes for a fun and messy art lesson any day!

I think as much got on their legs as it did on their canvas.

We worked our way through the second DVD of Home Art Studio for first grade this summer. So here's what else we were up to - art wise.

Tigers in the jungle:

An Egyptian sunset:

Some African masks:

Chinese dragons:

And my personal favorite are the South Korean-inspired fans, complete with cherry blossoms on one side and bamboo on the other:

Someone Else's Travels

As much as I wish we could take a trip about once a month, finances and responsibilities just won't allow that sort of lifestyle.

But it's always nice to hear about a great trip, even if I'm not part of it.

My in-laws recently returned from Alaska, and my mother-in-law was telling the children and me all about it yesterday.

The best thing about grandparents taking trips is they bring back goodies!

Mattie spent at least two hours playing with these Russian dolls last night. My mother-in-law knew just what to get. She actually has a set similar to this in her house that her mother bought on a mission trip to Russia years ago. Both of my kids love playing with them, and because Alaskan history is deeply connected to Russia and Russian culture, she knew not to pass up on these authentic dolls.

Jack had this totem pole to capture his attention, and we've decided to devote time this week to researching Alaskan totem poles.

A Southern Twist

It's a straight forward story.

Those bears go for a walk and a blonde-headed girl decides to sleep in their beds, check out their seating and eat their porridge.

Except my Mattie wants me to substitute grits for porridge when telling the story.

As an aside, Mattie asks for grits almost every morning.

So, I guess it's only fitting that a classic tale should include some classic Southern food for my classic Southern girl!

Mushrooms

We aren't foraging for them, but we are in observation mode.

And lucky us, we came across plenty in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard this past weekend while we visited them in Pensacola.

Don't mistake this one for a flower. It is, indeed, a fungus.

We even spotted a few on our afternoon walk today and are hopeful with all the rain these past few days to find and identify more tomorrow!