Field Trip :: To the Theatre: Annie

Yesterday, we went with other homeschoolers to see a production of Annie at the Migration Hall . It was amazing! The sets were very well done, the acting and singing perfect, even the costumes were right on! We didn't take photos or videos during the musical, but here are two favourite songs:

Science Rendezvous 2011 ~ University of Windsor

We participated in the Science Rendezvous for the second year on Saturday. Science Rendezvous is a free science festival for all ages that started in Ontario in 2008. You can read more about this fun and educational event here: Science Rendezvous 2011.
Here are a few photos from our day:

Using a metal detector at the Archaeological booth

Digging using archeological tools

Robots!

CSI booth, identifying hair samples and dusting fingerprints

the stacking cups game (always fun!)

more stacking cups fun

the community garden at the university
we helped by planting cucumber seeds and zucchini seeds

the community garden at the university

Field Trip :: Recycling Sorting Plant

We took a field trip to the recycling sorting plant today. We were given a guided tour and it was very interesting to find out how they sort all the stuff that we put in our blue boxes every two weeks. We were able to tour the facilities, see the conveyor belts, how they made the bales, watch a truck drop off a new load and more. The first building we visited took care of all the fiber products, the newspaper, office paper, cardboard and boxes. The other was where they seperated all the metals and plastics.

Field Trip ~ Stamp Collecting Show

The kids and I spent last Friday morning at Royal 2010 which is a stamp exhibition. There were over 40 different booths set up, and a special youth program booth as well. We spent most of our time at the education book with two wonderful program leaders. They explained stamp collecting to us, how to handle stamps, and even a bit of stamp history. The children were each given a reusable bag full of supplies.

I will go over what they received a little later in this post.

They also gave each child a $10 coupon to use at any of the stamp dealers in the main show hall.

Each child was asked what they thought they might like to collect, topical stamps or stamps from a particular country.

Once they chose something, they were shown how to put used stamps in a small container of warm water to loosen the stamp from the paper, then how to dry the stamp, how to handle it with tongs and why that was important, and finally how to safely stick it with a special mount in a stamp album.

There were many boxes of "used" stamps that they could choose from and take home. 

My children enjoyed this so much. Adrienne has been collecting stamps for a few years, picking up stamps that she liked at the post office. We have also been saving stamps from letters we have received over the years.

Celeste and Andre were both new at this, and were very interested. I was surprised how much Celeste enjoyed it! The lady that showed us everything told me that Celeste was at the perfect age (6) to get started and that this could become a life long interest.

Celeste set up everything from her bag to show you what they received at the show:

tongs to handle the stamps (not show)

magnifying glass

various envelopes

100 hinges/mounts

a few special stamp album pages

"the world of stamps" book

world stamps collecting book

my first stamp collecting album

perforation gauge

 

Celeste used her coupon to buy two Hello Kitty stamp sheets and a beautiful butterfly stamp. She also received more flower stamps from the education booth and a day of issue envelope for a Canadian flower stamp series. 

Adrienne added to her collection at the show. She decided to start collecting stamps with old ships on them. She also was given a day of issue envelope that went with her theme of ships.

Andre really liked these animal stamps that the educator showed us and was so surprised when she told him he could keep them! What a great start for his collection.

He found shark stamps and dinosaurs stamps in the vendor hall that he liked and used his coupon to buy them. The kids were so pleased to have these coupons. The education session was great and they had already received a bunch of stamps already, but to be able to go out into the vendor hall and choose something themselves was very special!

This weekend, Celeste and Adrienne have been busy getting stamps wet to seperate them from the paper:

Stamp collecting can be a fun hobby for kids, and very inexpensive. I think as homeschoolers it can have an educational part to it too, learning about geography, different cultures, currency, history, etc..

I found a lot of useful information that reviewed what the kids were taught at the exhibition here.

Field Trip :: Train Station

We visited a restored stone railway station that was originally built in 1887 with a homeschool group.

The building was interesting and we were shown a short movie that explained the history of the station and the railway. We were able to go aboard the caboose too.

I really liked this sculpture in the picture below.

Field Trip :: Dairy Farm

We visited a dairy farm today. We loved seeing the cows, letting them sniff us and even lick us (yeah I know...yuck!). Did you know that a cow's tongue is actually pretty rough, almost like a cat's?

We were able to see calves, pregnant cows, and many cows of different ages and stages.

And many many barn cats!

Science Rendezvous 2010 ~ University of Windsor

What an amazing event! I noticed a poster at our local library a few days ago announcing this free event. Science Rendezvous is a festival that celebrates all things related to science. We saw so many cool things today, and as my friend Carol said to me (she attended the Toronto one last year) "we had a wondeful time at the one last year, more science in one day than they learn in school in years lol!" How true!

Our first stop was at the University of Windsor, we attended a Chemistry Magic Show put on by two students. This was an amazing presentation and the timing was perfect since we have been studying chemistry this year. The two students did many experiments! They made slime, foam, changed copper pennies into silver and brass, nylon threads...so so many!

The other portion at the University of Windsor was a Science Carnival. Many tables were set up from the different departments. We visited each one of them, and learned so much! Adrienne was especially interested in the Forensic Science and Andre in the Robotics and Computer Science. Each table was great, with wonderful people explaining and taking the time to show us everything.

A few robots:



Andre tried out this stacking cups game:



I liked looking at all these human bones!


At the Engineering table:


And the Forensic Science: