Summer Bucket List - Day #5 - Fishing family fun

I'm joining with a team of awesome bloggers to bring you some fabulous ideas 

Blog friends participating :

       Kelli @ Adventurez In ChildRearing

Honey @ Sunflower Schoolhouse

Joy @  My Home In The Smokies

Tonya @ The Traveling Praters

Jeniffer & Melissa @ Sisters ‘N Cloth

Tara @ Feels Like Home Blog

Lisa @ Creativlei

Nancy @ Proverbs 31 Jewels

Jennifer @ Teaching Boys

See our other Bucket List Days:
Day #1 - Young Eagles - learn about flying
Day #2 - Homemade Play dough 
Day #3 - Science Fun                                                                                                                                          Day #4 - Fun with Dolphins

Day #5 - Fishing family fun

OK, so it helps to have a daddy who is a professional fishing guide -but we are thankful to be heading into the time of year when he has time to fish with the boys. There is much to be gained from young men spending time out on the boat - in the wild - with their dad. We live in an area - and make a living fishing - so it's pretty convenient. But, no matter where you live there are ponds, streams, parks and wonderful places to fish. 

I have fond memories of fishing from a canoe with a cane pole on the river with my daddy as a little girl. Another fun childhood memory is fishing with stick poles and bread. I recently had the opportunity to share this "skill" with the boys at a friends pond. They fished for hours - happily. It may not have been as fancy as fishing with daddy - but it was a great outdoor experience and a memory we love. 

If you get a chance - I hope you'll add Family Fishing to your bucket list this summer! Girls and boys alike will cherish the time spent quietly stalking fish and comfortable conversation - not to mention the excitement of bringing in the big one! 

. . . or the tall fish tales about the one that got away! 

Do you have any fun fish stories or childhood memories of fishing? 

Are you planning to share time fishing with your own kiddos?  

Our Summer Bucket List- Family Fun ideas - Day #4 Fun with Dolphins

I'm joining with a team of awesome bloggers to bring you some fabulous ideas 

Blog friends participating :

       Kelli @ Adventurez In ChildRearing

Honey @ Sunflower Schoolhouse

Joy @  My Home In The Smokies

Tonya @ The Traveling Praters

Jeniffer & Melissa @ Sisters ‘N Cloth

Tara @ Feels Like Home Blog

Lisa @ Creativlei

Nancy @ Proverbs 31 Jewels

Jennifer @ Teaching Boys

Day #4 - Boating adventure - fun with dolphins

For the 4th of July - we had the privilege of taking some friends with us on a boat tour. One of the things we did that day was look for dolphin. This is my favorite one! He is looking right at the camera for me. 

We are also studying  Exploring Creation With Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day

  from Apologia -It is full of wonderful information about the creatures who live near us - in the sea. 

There is something very special about getting out on the water and  nothing says summer time quite like salt water and beaches! The fact that this area is teeming with wildlife only adds to the excitement as we explore with our friends and family. 

Even if a boat ride searching for dolphins isn't on your list this year - you can spend some fun time learning about these wonderful creatures. 

Read fun and interesting facts about them here on the National Geographic Kids page 

If you want to make an educational and fun lapbook with the kiddos about dolphins - download this awesome one for FREE from the Homeschool Share   - you are welcome to copy and print my pictures for your own personal use only. 

One idea is to use them to create your own board book. We like to cover old or dollar store board books with scrapbook paper and paint - and then add our own story with pictures! 

Download Dolphin notebooking pages from Notebooking Fairy - there are several to choose from: 

Watch a wonderful family movie about dolphins like Dolphin Tale - get it here: 

Meet Winter - the star of Dolphin Tale and learn more about her heart warming story :

Visit the site of Clearwater Marine Aquarium - where our favorite dolphin lives. Check out the Kid Zone! 

I hope you enjoy your adventures this summer. Whether you are enjoying family movie night or out looking at dolphins in the wild - you can have a memorable time together learning and exploring God's creation. It's not the location that matters - it's the special time as a family that really matters. You can make it special - It's the attitude and not the latitude that makes all the difference!

See our other Bucket List Days:
Day #1 - Young Eagles - learn about flying
Day #2 - Homemade Play dough 
Day #3 - Science Fun

*there are affiliate links within this post - if you purchase a product through them I may make a little money

Thank you in advance if you do - I am only affiliated with products I believe in or enjoy with my own  family 


Linking with Freebie Friday 

Summer time fun! Bucket List Day 3 - Science

I'm joining with a team of awesome bloggers to bring you some fabulous ideas 

Blog friends participating :

       Kelli @ Adventurez In ChildRearing

Honey @ Sunflower Schoolhouse

Joy @  My Home In The Smokies

Tonya @ The Traveling Praters

Jeniffer & Melissa @ Sisters ‘N Cloth

Tara @ Feels Like Home Blog

Lisa @ Creativlei

Nancy @ Proverbs 31 Jewels

Jennifer @ Teaching Boys

Day #3 - Summer Fun with Science 

We took a trip to our local science center and participated in their robotics class! 

As you can see - we sat in a class where the instructor projected the computer screen on the wall and showed the students how to use their individual laptops to program their personal robot to accomplish a simple task. It took several very precise commands to move the robot a few feet and have it swing an arm to hit a ball. The boys thought it was great! I liked that they used some math, and had the experience of working with those type of precise computer talk (that's my non-techy explanation). 

You can bet I was lost the whole time - but the boys didn't seem to have a problem with it and I stayed busy taking pictures - so no one noticed the dazed and confused look in my eye! 

We get in free with our ASTC membership. We joined one of the museums on the ASTC list within driving distance and it gives us access to some 300+ museums around the country! There are about 6 of them that we can get to easily enough from where we live. We even got a discount when we joined MOSI in Tampa, FL - 1/2 price for the annual family membership - because I told them we are  homeschoolers and ASKED for it! I did show proof with our (free)  homeschool ID from Homeschool Buyers Co-Op (also free to join).  

What kind of events are going on at the museums near you? 

I'll be sharing more science fun on the Homeschool Mosaics site in my new column                                        "Exploring Science . . . naturally"  I hope you'll join me there to gain ideas and information for creating an exciting lifestyle out of your homeschool science adventures! 

Here are links to a few of our favorite science projects:                                                                                #31 Days of Exploring God's Creation                                                                                                      A walk in the woods                                                                                                                                   #5 Days of Exploring Creation - Exploring Science step by step