Dino's, Rabbits & History- The Candy Bomber

With myself on the mend, our daughter has started not feeling well. So, the weeks been rather slow moving during the day. The evening brought our 4H Christmas party and the end of the week brings more 4H fun with Awards night and participating in the town Christmas Parade. Last week our son wanted to study frogs and toads for this week but as the week began his interests quickly shifted to dinosaurs, stating he would come back to the frogs next week. Go with the flow as we do- sure why not, let's have a dino week instead! Our daughters interests remain on her animals, Japan, Victorian time period, sewing, and sketching for now.

So we gathered up what dinosaur books and workbooks, figures we had, set them all up then set off on the computer to do some research...we made a fossil dig site in our yard...but with the rain last night we are hoping for it to set up better to be able to dig up tomorrow otherwise we may have to attempt this again!

 Dinosaur Train from PBS has a great Field Guide Resource here that our son loves- Dinosaur Field Guide

 Make your own dinosaur fossils here- http://www.papervinenz.com/2011/06/gots-kids-make-your-own-dinosaur.html
And make your own plaster of paris here- http://www.kidsplayandcreate.com/make-your-own-plaster-of-paris/

Doing some rabbit studying for Science during school time....matching up body types with all 47 breeds of rabbit. She also spent time this week working on studying her poultry, math on the computer, reading, and sketching. Resting plenty and catching up on a few tv shows while laid up on the couch, its going to be an easy going week since the end of the week brings several activities she's got to be well for.

Beautiful even when she's not feeling well! Pretty girl before heading out to her 4H Christmas party.

History today was spent watching this short 10 minute video below on Gail Halvorsen, 'The Candy Bomber'. Both kids enjoyed it and thought it was really awesome what he did.  When looking for Christmas /Christ centered books for our December month I ran across this book- which I read the description to the kids which prompted us all to want to learn about him.

Link to Book: http://deseretbook.com/Christmas-Heaven-Tom-Brokaw/i/5108410

Excerpt taken from the book: on the site: Desert Books - Christmas Heaven

Christmas from Heaven is the story of the humble beginnings of what became a beacon of hope to a war-torn land, the story of Gail Halvorsen, a young pilot in the US Army Air Corps who was assigned as a cargo pilot to the Berlin Airlift, in which US forces flew much-needed supplies into a Soviet-blockaded Berlin.
As he performed his duties, Lt. Halvorsen began to notice the German children gathered by the fences of Tempelhof Air Base. Knowing that they had very little, he one day offered them some chewing gum. From that small act, an idea sprang: He would "bomb" Berlin with candy. Fashioning small parachutes, he and his crew sent them floating down as they approached the Berlin airport, wiggling the wings of their C-54 as a signal to the children that their anticipated cargo would soon arrive.
Lt. Halvorsen became known by hundreds, if not thousands, of children in Berlin as "Uncle Wiggly Wings" or "The Candy Bomber." Word soon spread, and donations of candy and other supplies poured in from sympathetic Americans. Lt. Halvorsen's small idea became a great symbol of hope not only to German children in a bombed-out city but to all those who yearned for freedom.
Famed broadcast journalist and author Tom Brokaw brings this remarkable true story to life in a stunning live performance with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, captured on the accompanying DVD.

 May we all think of others not only in this time of year but all throughout the year and find ways to bring others a bit of happiness in hard times...and may we teach our children compassion for others.