Home from Hawaii !

Well we have been home for 72 hours. I am still exhuasted. Shayna and I traveled to Hawaii for two weeks with very close friends: Amanda (mom), Brendan (10), Araglin (8) and Ayla (5). It was an amazing trip. Exhausting but amazing. Traveling solo with your nine year old for two weeks - being a "solo parent" is quite an experience. However, it was awesome ! Shayna was quite the trooper !

To prepare for this 'vacation', Shayna was required to make a lapbook. A lapbook is a learning tool where children can independently or "teacher/parent guided" do research and compile their "newly gained knowledge" into little "minit" books. The minit books are so cute and can be folded all different directions. Then all the "minit books" are placed into a file folder with a decorated cover. Shayna was required to research certain aspects of Hawaii so she could find out what she wanted to go visit.

In Hawaii we first visited "The Big Island of Hawaii" where our first stop was Hilo. We had a fabulous time in National Volcano Park in Hilo. The kids loved seeing what they learned all year while homeschooling. We took hike after hike, visited the Lava Tubes and went to the black sand beach ! Our favorite place was where the 1982 Lava Flow was. The kids loved walking down the craters, checking out Obsidian Rocks, observing the different layers of lava flow. And of course the kids can't stop talking about Rainbow Falls. After visiting Hilo, we traveled around the island to the Kona side. Here the children played in the Pacific Ocean until past sunset, swam in the pool, visited with green turtles, dolphins and all sort of fish.

Then we spent the next week in Oahu. Here the children had an amazing time ! They visited the Polynesian Cultural Center, Dole Planation, Pearl Harbor, International Market, Beaches and swam in the hotel swimming pool. When Shayna and I went to Pearl Harbor there was one of the four living survivors that was ashore the day the USS Arizona was attacked. I was so impressed with Shayna's questioning skills asking the elderly gentleman what life was like that day. I wish I had my video camera !

Who says school can't happen daily thousands of miles from home. The world is our classroom and all four children had the best "school lessons" to remember for a lifetime !