Learning By The Way

Samuel thought up a contest, and appointed me the judge. Everyone was to design an island. Here are three of them.

Elsie made Mask Island (the head shaped one), and due to the two hotels, received the certificate of Best Planning for Tourism.

Toby designed Pirate Island, and got the award for Best Geographic Place names. His monikers included:
The HoHa Ocean
Sinking Sands
Mount Ghost
Mount Skull
The Swamp of Ghosts
The Woods of Death
Lake Tata

Samuel made Cookie Island and was awarded the certificate for Best Use of Desserts in Island Design. (Check out pink, bubbly Soda Ocean, below).

Moriah’s entry (not pictured) got the award for Cutest Island Shape (ahhh, it’s a bunny rabbit!). Peter’s (also not pictured) got the award for Most Interesting Use of X’s and squares. I am supposed to be choosing a grand prize winner, but so far I am stymied.

So much for life returning to normal. Moriah has been sick for a week with an illness that I assumed at first was allergies. As the coughing and congestion increased, and she started a low grade fever, I thought it was the flu. But when I found out that she had been exposed to whooping cough, I realized that she has it. I think all of the children have whooping cough (pertussis), but don’t have the classic symptoms she has.

They have been coping well with the sickness, and have maintained their workbook pages and reading throughout the crazy last week. Since they couldn’t go to the library, I went and picked out extra books for them. I got some DVD’s , too. They have watched two of them- one an IMAX presentation on dolphins, and the other on pirates. There has been a renewed interest in dolphins in our house since Peter got a dolphin toothbrush. The DVD was very good, and had some fascinating dolphin facts.

The saddest thing about them getting sick is that they likely will not be taking fencing and ballet classes. Ah, well, there is always next semester, if they don’t recover soon enough.