Homeschool Bucket List

So after becoming stuck in  a homeschool rut, and after some finger freezing, late LATE night web surfing, i came across, not a new idea, but one good for us at this time. I tried to find again, where i got the specific idea from.....gone-skees!

Introducing....(as the title suggests).. Our "Homeschool Bucket List" Ta Daaah!!

Yeah alright, so it's not exactly a bucket.

So what is it i hear you ask?? (no, not really, my hearing isn't what it used to be) well I'm sure everyone knows what a 'bucket list' is, heck there was even a whole movie about it (maybe it was the original idea...nahh Hollywood can't be that clever!)

Anyways, Our bucket list consists of a heap of activities ranging from full day, half day and less than 2 hours to accomplish. We have one week to achieve our bucket list item. or...or...or else OK! The children rotate through them according to their mail day. (no coincidence that i have 5 children and there are 5 mail days hmmm..oh,... well, i suppose it is really?) 

but i digress...again.
Lily picked out a 'movie marathon/afternoon with friends' for our first item.
Now being the sometimes clever mummy, it isn't all fun and games, well it is for them because they haven't realised I'm actually getting them to do school work also - this is where the clever mummy part comes in ;D In order for us to have our "Movie Marathon" Lily had to come up with and format on the computer an invitation to our HS friends, which she did, and it was all movie themed too! woohoo plan working so far ;)

you see that mass of bodies!! that wasn't even ALL of them!!

In the end we had 14 children ranging from  2 -13years, and a popcorn covered floor to boot!! they watched Kung Fu Panda 2   *ahem* and the Road to Eldorado.  Was a great start to our bucket list.

Next up was Clairebear (whose mail day is next) She drew out.
"visit the zoo and do book report on your favourite animal" well, we only went today, so we'll try manage that book report tomorrow. We are heading back next week with friends since we bought a 'zoo friends' pass also.

We took a one hour 'zebra car' tour to get our bearings and a feel for the layout of the zoo first. I was mighty chuffed, when the driver complimented the children on their impeccable behaviour during the ride :D

Next we had a bite to eat at the huge picnic area. (we didn't get to the zoo until 12, and after the tour it was now 1:30pm) then we headed off to one of the keeper talks.

you see the puppy in the grass??

It was SUPPOSED to be at the African Painted / Wild Dog habitat, but they decided to move it to the rhinos next door instead which ended up being about 500m away!, Samuel was disappointed, as the dogs are his favourite animal.

I think there were 9 pups in the litter.

The so-called talk was a let-down, the didn't tell us anything, and were answering 'pretend' questions from their friends (other keepers possibly on their day off?)

next up were Giraffes and Zebras

You know that famous giraffe first kiss photo??

Well it was taken at the Perth Zoo!! how about that??!?!

lol,  funny story here, the children decided that these tortoises represented our family... The five children eating, Mummy on computer (see near the blue light in the 'cave'), and Daddy 'away working' (in a different enclosure). Well, yep it's pretty close, ESPECIALLY the children eating part!! :D

she's 'crawling' down the 'muddy bank'

The elephants were doing their 'tricks' showing apparently 'natural' behaviours. I overheard a girl asking why the younger (21yo) elephant was swaying, and the keeper replied  that he thought it was a learned behaviour first starting with boredom, but when keepers  tried to stop her by using food incentives, she realised, she could get extra food. Whether this is true or not i don't know, but i did notice a lot of repetitive behaviours from some of the animals. which is sad, but considering the zoo opened in 1898 in the middle of a capital city, there is only so much space available for enclosures. Did you know you could still feed the animals there until 1974? i wonder if that was early or late in comparison to other zoos?? Good news is a lot of construction work was going on for re developed bigger enclosures sorry, habitats for the animals. It will be an interesting thing to watch over time. OK off my soapbox.

yayy! finally something Sophie could see at her level

naaawwww, who doesn't love meercats :D

You see how TINY that little monkey is!!
I've never seen one of them before!
That's Kaytie's hand (and no, she's not touching)

This big boy, Dinar, shares Jamie's birthday, though is 14 years younger.

There were a few bubs about

this little fella was very curious,

in our esky! -
 that's his Mama, she was eating that blue egg carton??

I felt really awkward, I kept telling Samuel to shut the esky, because it had fruit and stuff inside, which i wondered if the little guy would've liked, were we 'teasing' him?? but Samuel resisted shutting it because the little orang was so interested in it, he did eventually, but not before i was able to snap this...

cute huh :D

There are plenty more photos, but i should probably leave it there, as this post was supposed to be about our "Bucket List" not our visit to the Zoo.

It was Kaytie's turn tonight as it is her mail day next, and she has drawn out "visit 3 garage sales" (in one day)
I'm planning to give them all $5 ea to spend. with conditions... they must not buy complete rubbish, they must figure out their own math, and whether to spend it all at the first or wait till the last or spread across all 3 plus some other things i can't think of at 12:30 in the morning!!.

so since it is so late i'll toddle off to bed, but before i do i'll leave you with one last photo. We went to an Animal Farm for a friends birthday just recently, and this photo with Samuel is a crack up!...he certainly has a way with animals lately ;D

OX(OX)oxoxoxoxox

B(J)slkcs