The Daily Coffee

My kids have done it again, they've gone and impressed me. Earlier this week the older two had the idea that we needed a family newspaper. Titus is gone at work all day, and they felt he needed to hear all about our days. After something interesting happens, they write an article.

I love their dedication! They each write different parts of the paper and they came up with cute names. The paper is called The Daily Coffee because their father can't go a day without his pot of coffee! They have in the issue a joke section, titled Laughing Caffeine. Even Zechariah is involved in this paper. While he doesn't write the articles himself, he does dictate what his article will say.

Summers are normally spent playing and having fun with education taking a bit of a back seat. Not in this house. We keep it at the forefront at all times. This has been an excellent way to continue education. And the greatest part, since it's their own idea they are excited about it. They can't wait to put together each issue and read the final copy. The only part I help with is typing up their articles and inserting photos. I am the official photographer for The Daily Coffee.

This is such a great idea for kids in school. They get a chance to write and practice their skills, and you are left with a keepsake worth treasuring. I hope they keep this up, even if the paper cuts back it's printing to only once a month, it would still be a significant advantage.

The Daily Coffee

Our latest edition is highlighting all the fun we had this Independence Day. The kids get so excited holding their paper, they can't wait for their dad to walk in the front door so he can read their hard work.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!  

Backyard Safari

Ever think about taking your kids on a safari, but don't have the means to get there? Why not host your own backyard safari? You could make it a party and invite your friends. It's easy, it's cheap, and it gives your kids a chance to go on an exciting adventure, without even leaving your home.

During my week alone with Zech, we chose to explore the wild side. We went on a hunt for animals in the rainforest in our own backyard. He loved this activity.

For $8.99 at Hobby Lobby you can purchase your own set of Rainforest animals! They always have %40 off coupons, and if you coupon, you can get your animals for only $5.39 plus tax. If you aren't too into the rainforest idea, they have tons of other animal toobs to choose from. There are reptiles, dinosaurs, ocean animals, horses, farm animals, sharks, and much more.

After I picked out my animal toob, I put together a worksheet of all the animals we would be hunting for. I Googled different coloring book pictures of each animal. Once Zech found the animal, he could color it on his sheet, and it helped him keep track of the other animals he still needed to find.

He was so excited to go on this hunt. The hard part for him was waiting inside while I hid all the animals in the backyard for him to find. I tried to put them in their natural habitats, but you can imagine how that might get a little tricky when you don't live in the rainforest. We went for as close as possible.

I handed him a magnifying glass and he went to work. (These animals are really small when looking for them in the big backyard!) I tried to find this old safari hat we had in the basement, but it seemed to have disappeared. He didn't mind.

We hunted for... an Alligator

Anteater

Iguana

Jaguar

Parrot

Poison Arrow Frog

Red Eye Tree Frog

Snake

Spider Monkey

Tapir

Toucan

It was such an easy activity to put together, and it gave the greatest satisfaction to Zech. He begged me to hide the animals again. He has also taken to putting together "safaris" for me in the computer room. I have found all these animals time and time again. It never gets old for him.