I realize I am a bit behind on posts and need to catch up before the New Year! The holidays have been a whirlwind of fun! Madison is an extrovert and is always wanting to be on the go and be around people. I am in the middle where I enjoy being around people, but definately need my quiet alone time. I try to accommodate her the best I can and I am blessed to have my husband to help out with the ‘on the go’ part she needs. 🙂
At the beginning of November Madison enjoyed the Dallas Arts District. We started off at the Crow Collection. They have so many great activities for kids on the first Saturday of each month. They also have free face painting and Madison was thrilled to have hers done.
She also enjoyed learning how to make Origami with Paper for Water. Paper for Water is a great organization and the girls that founded this organization have accomplished so many amazing things for such a wonderful cause. It’s worth checking out the link to find out the story behind this non-profit organization and becoming a fan of their Facebook Page to see their amazing accomplishments! They are a great example and inspiration to all children that show a dream or a goal can become a reality.
We visited Sea Life for their Homeschool Day and learned a TON! They had educated speakers that gave talks on different ocean life throughout the day. We will definitely be back!
We also attended Lego Land’s Homeschool Day as well. It is more commercialized and geared for younger children.
The Rainforest Cafe is located within the same mall as Sea Life and Lego Land so we enjoyed lunch and the atmosphere.
Madison enjoyed performing her play for the parents in her Drama class at The Actors Conservatory. We look forward to the next session to begin in January.
Madison LOVES her art class at the ArtHouse. I cannot say enough good things about her teacher and the valuable lessons she is learning.
The Mensa Youth Group of North Texas hosted an event at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth Texas. Madison really enjoyed sketching one of the pieces of art in the gallery.
Before Thanksgiving Madison enjoyed going to a High School Robotics Competition. She was intrigued by all the different entries and had a really good time going to the booths and experiencing all of the hands on demonstrations. Madison was especially excited to see Homeschoolers at this State High School Competition. They were very successful! 
For Thanksgiving we traveled to Kansas City, KS. It was perfect timing since we were finishing up our Moving Beyond the Page Tornado Unit and were getting ready to begin our Sarah Plain and Tall Unit. We learned about Renewable energy before our trip and saw many wind turbines as we drove through Kansas. Madison was able to understand what the Prairie looked like as we drove through it. There are lots of fun things to do in Kansas City! The night we arrived we had dinner at the T-Rex restaurant. 
We also enjoyed Kaleidoscope. I attended Kaleidoscope as a child as well as my older daughter and it was great to experience it again with Madison. From Kaleidoscope’s website: Kaleidoscope nourishes the creative spirit. It is a place where children are invited to be creative, have fun, and feel good about their own special ideas. Provided by Hallmark Cards, Kaleidoscope is FREE! At Kaleidoscope, children use their imaginations to make art with left-over materials from Hallmark’s manufacturing processes. Some materials are cut into shapes, while others are left just as Hallmark sends them. And Hallmark provides different materials so the projects are ever-changing! This is a MUST to go to if you are ever in the KC area!
Nothing beats BBQ at Jack Stack! 
Madison worked very hard to complete Second Grade before the end of November and her reward was a party, so she chose to go to Power Play when we were KC.
Family Games are Madison’s favorite. Even Solitaire Chess! 🙂 
Madison was elated to feed the horses in her sister’s backyard when we dropped her off at college on our way home. 
When Madison arrived home, she was surprised by the arrival of her Elves. She proceeded to wake up at 5am every morning thereafter to find them. 
We enjoyed having a lot of fun in November. The first part of December was a bit more calm and we were able to utilize that time to really move forward with our schoolwork. Work Hard. Play Hard.
