This Black-Crowned Night Heron greeted us at the entrance.  There are loads of wild birds all around as well as birds that have been treated at the sanctuary that come and go as they like.

This Red-Tailed Hawk had a such a personality, I could not believe how he was interacting with us.  Following our movements and at one stage it even looked like he was mimicking us.

These American White Pelicans were all males.  The male has a large pink flap on their beaks to attract the females during breading season.

The American Kestrel is North America’s smallest bird of pray.  These guys are tiny, but fierce hunters.

As we were exiting the back of the sanctuary toward the beach, this Brown Pelican came waddling up the beach and into the sanctuary.  We found her to be most amusing and had to follow her to see where she was heading.   She headed straight to the Brown Pelican shelter and made a big noise for one of the keepers to open the gate.  They promptly opened the gate for her and she joined the other Brown Pelicans for lunch.  We were told that she has been coming up and down the beach for 3 years now.  Going for a swim and then coming back to eat and rest.

Here she is waiting outside of the enclosure for someone to open the gate.

The beach was peppered with wild birds of many kinds, probably lured there by the food and sounds of the birds in the sanctuary.  We spent a few minutes on the beach before heading out for lunch.

I’ll get it!!!

Below are two alligator pics from our walk today.

It is alligator mating season and we are seeing a lot of them out and about.  These guys are also not scared of people, as soon as they see us coming, they head for the edge of the water for a closer look.

Getting ready to start the tour around the Citrus Grove.

Our guide was wonderfully knowledgeable, and very good with the kids.

The grove has an animal rehabilitation/sanctuary center, the kids got to feed a deer and rooster, they touched the Burmese python and iguana.  They even got a photo opportunity with an eastern screech owl.

They have the same expression on their faces!

After the grove and animal sanctuary tour we went back to the farm stall and had lunch with our friends.

It was so hot, but these kids were bouncing like mad things!

Butterfly garden and flower maize.

My Lex.

My Em (although she does not like it when I call her that).

This little turtle was much smaller than this picture conveys.  The kids stopped to feed the fish and turtles in a lovely large Koi pond.

I seldom get a picture of the kids and I, but thankfully we had a friend with us to take the picture.  Thanks Laura!

Yum, orange ice cream.

We spend almost 5 hours at the farm, there was so much to do and the kids and I had a blast with our friends.

Emily – 3rd Grade
Math Mammoth 3a and 3b
We started kindergarten using Singapore Math and RightStart, but neither were a good fit for Emily.  By the middle of 1st grade we came across Math Mammoth and gave it a try.  It worked much better and Emily started improving in math.  By the middle of 2nd grade she no longer loathes math and I am enjoying teaching it. We still play some of the RightStart Math games and Alexia joins in at game time.
Life of Fred
We use the books as fun reading and as a supplement to Math Mammoth.  Fred is a 5 year old Math professor  at an University and he finds plenty of ways to work math into his everyday life.  Fred is fun, and there is much more than only Math in these books.  The kids love Fred!
Spelling Work Out C
We have done Spelling Work Out from the very beginning, it is a hit!
First Language Lessons 3
We have done FLL 1 and 2 so far and will continue with level 3.  The author has written levels 1-4 and I hope the next levels will come out before we catch up with her.
Writing With Ease 3
I love, love, love this curriculum!  It breaks the writing process up into smaller parts and it teaches each part individually at the elementary levels.
Story of the World 3
This covers both History and Geography and both kids love to listen to the stories, color pictures and do the activities suggested.
Real Science Odyssey Chemistry
This is a new curriculum to us.  We are doing Chemistry next year and this looks like a good 3rd grade Chemistry option.
Latina Christiana I
We have had lots of fun with Latin up to now, the girls and I have memorized Latin vocabulary, learned songs, chants and common phrases; but 3rd grade we will need something a bit more formal.  There are a few elementary Latin curriculum out there, but this one often comes up in conversation as the best, a bit boring, but the best.  I am holding my thumbs on this one and hoping that it works out well.
Art and Music study
I plan to do more music and art study this coming year.  We will do AmblesideOnline.org for at least 12 weeks next year.

We also do plenty of great children’s literature, folk tales from around the world, and several library books on any subject the girls want to learn about.  We spend at least an hour a day reading books together and Emily spends 30 minutes to 1 hour in her room reading additional non-fiction books.  Alexia normally plays in her room during this time, or she will sit with a chapter book for ages and just stare at it.  I assume she is looking for words that she knows, but when I ask her, she says she is reading.  These books are way above her level, but she is quiet so it works for me.

Alexia – Kindergarten
Wow, Kindergarten already!  I cannot believe that Alexia is starting K next year.  She has been doing school with us for some time now, but next year she will officially be in K.  We are currently doing An Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and will continue for at least another year or possibly 2.  It teaches reading up to a 4th grade level.  It is the same book that I used to teach Emily to read and it does a great job.

Alexia is learning her letters and numbers in the old fashioned way, I write them on the board and she copies them on paper.  I used a workbook with Emily, but I find it easier to do on the board now that I have 1 year under my belt.  During this time Emily is learning cursive from the board and Alexia is learning how to print.

Math is Alexia’s favorite subject, she just gets it.  It takes almost no time to teach her a concept and she is off!  We are currently doing Math Mammoth 1A with her, it is a 1st grade curriculum, but I plan to stretch it over 2 years; unless of course she is ready to move at a faster pace.

For Science, History, Geography and Literature Alexia sits in on Emily’s lessons.  Once she is in 1st grade we will start including her more and she will have her own work books.

We are all looking forward to a 3 week break in July when my sister is here, but we will not take the full 12 weeks off as the schools do.  I always find there is so much learning “lost” during long breaks especially with the little ones.  As the kids get older, they may need longer breaks, but for now 3 weeks are plenty.

Here are a few pictures of our trip.

Alexia, ringing the school bell outside of the Harris school room.

We loved to see the kitchens from the different times.

We had to go back a few times to watch this lady spin the yard.  Alexia had a great time talking to her.

Playing in the butterfly garden.

Bananas in the tropical fruit garden.

Having tea in the Victorian house.

Relaxing after a long field trip.

I am going to be sad when we move, and we have to give up this back yard with all the lovely wild life.