Family Weekend Bonding and Fun While Doing their Science Project

 It's Thanksgiving weekend already?  What, what just happened?  I felt like November just  flew by!

I finally got done decorating our  house for the holidays.  I  did it when my kids were in school so they were surprised  to come home  where decorations are up already.  They used to help me decorating the tree so I kind of felt bad that I did it without them.  I told them that  they can help  their Dad  in putting the lights outdoors this weekend.

 I am glad I got it done though because they have few projects that needs to be done before the Thanksgiving break so hubby and I were able to help them with it.

 Last Sunday, we  focused in finishing their Science project which was  collecting 20 different  leaves.  They were stressing out about it since most of the leaves have now fallen on the ground and they said that their teacher  don't want  crinkled leaves.  We told them that  we need to  work on what we have available, it is what it is.  If point get's take out from them for having  dried leaves, so be it.

 Luckily though, we  found  some that are still in good condition.  We  roamed around our  neighborhood trying to find leaves but it was a fun family bonding.

 This project would have been perfect  if  it was done before November but as I have said, it is what it is and we worked on the circumstances given.  Glad it still turned out well.

 I told them that if we can't gather the total number that they need that they can use my tropical plants that I brought indoors.  The only problem with it is they can only use a few  that doesn't grow regularly in the area.  But that was our  last option if we did not have enough.

 Finding the leaves was the easy part, identifying each of them was the  challenge.  Luckily, the teacher provided them an app that they can use to identify the leaves, even with the app though, we still found it  hard to  identify some of them.

 This Ginko tree is a favorite one that we always go to during summer time.  There's a great memory that we had with this tree when  our neighbor friend was still alive.  He was the one who introduced us  about it and explained  to us it's benefits.

 You don't normally see Ginko tree around  here but  there is one  by our neighborhood.

"Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct. It is found in fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China, the tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history." source 

 Ginko leaves have a very beautiful shape.  It's shapes remind me of anahaw leaves.

 The wild berries and the  fruit of  Japanese barberries makes the almost-bare wooded  area  still look  bright and beautiful.

 I love this area   where we live because although we are in the heart of the city where business stuff  surround us, there is also a wooded area close to us.

 We used to take the kids here when they were younger and  discover a lot of stuff.  We didn't get to do it this summer due to  fear of ticks but now that  it is cold, I don't think tick are still around so we were able to  roam around.

 We have such great memories in  this area.

 It's a great feeling to  be able to do things with our children.  Activities as simple as gathering leaves can be so entertaining and make a great memory that would last a long time.

It is also a great  opportunity for us to talk to them about their future and other important  matters concerning about their studies, dreams and aspirations, and the importance of family as a whole.

 Open communication with children especially in this generation where technology is almost an everyday part of their lives is a  so important.  It is only with open communication that you can clearly  tell your children about things that matters and also a great avenue  for us parents to know what they are thinking and feeling.

 I am glad that our children are not afraid to tell us  things.

 I always love this quote from Frederick Douglass.  He said that   "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men" which is so true.  While we are  busy  trying to  do our jobs, we should always set aside time to talk to our  children.  They will remember this when  we are old and  value the importance of having the family around  you.

 It was an hour of fun and adventure.

Since it is almost  Thanksgiving, I would like to acknowledge the company that  sent us these hoodies that my children were wearing (Thank you!).  TeePublic has a great variety of products to choose from  which includes adult and kids apparel, home goods, cases and stickers.   So if you are looking for a unique gifts for love one these holidays, check them out.

 One of my daughter's dream is to visit New Zealand and see  wombats so I chose this hoodie for her, she loves it.  My son  also loves his hoodie since it has cars in it.

Anyway, here is the project that they have  made .  They were able to put it together  last Sunday and turned it  in one day ahead of it due date.

"Parenting now is a two-way relationship 

where you learn from each other. "

Juhi Chawla

Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review.  I was provided with the complimentary product/s mentioned  for testing purposes and to help me  facilitate this review but  opinions are my own.