Cal Earth

Our latest field trip was to a place called Cal Earth. And I have to admit I was a little leery about this one. I was worried that they would be overselling the whole"green" thing, which frankly drives me batty, but it was amazing and what these people are doing is truly a magnificent thing.

 

They are using nothing but earth, water, sand bags and barbed wire (and 10% cement in CA to meet regulations) to make homes in 22 countries throughout the world. They have been tested and were so earthquake safe that they broke the machines used to test buildings.  And while the ones the kids are standing in front of here are more like huts than homes, we saw some that were amazing; kitchens, bathrooms, garage, the works. One was bigger than our house. The smaller ones can be built in a day and they are incredibly inexpensive to make.  If I remember right, the largest one only cost 5grand and my family could live in it very comfortably. My children were asking if we could move in! (I wish I had taken a picture of it!)

This is how it is done. They take long sand bags and fill them with a mud mixture then tamp it down until it is hard. Lay barbed wire over the top and then another bag. Then when the building is complete it can be covered with a mixture of earth and water to give it a smooth finish. 

This is the inside of one of the buildings left without the finish to show how it is done. It's like a giant coil pot! 

The children were allowed to climb all over them afterward and let me tell you they thought that was the coolest thing ever. "You mean we can climb on the buildings?"

This one was a different approach to making the homes, but just as strong. They told us that you could extend it as far as you wanted but it can only be a certain width before it starts to lose it's strength.

They also made a dome out of brick and it is very similar to the Pantheon in Rome with the oculus and everything, on a much smaller scale of course, and brick... but you get the idea.

Before we left the children built an arch. It was a little harder than they thought and didn't stay up for more than a second, but it was still fun!

It was so much fun to see some of the things we have been learning about, domes, arches, etc, put to a practical and worthwhile use!

A sweet tradition

Christmas when I was a kid was synonymous with graham cracker houses. I don't ever remember a Christmas at home without them. Some years we made dozens and then delivered them to friends and neighbors. It was one of my favorite Christmas traditions, yet this is only the second or third time I have done them with my kids and it was only because Grandma came with all the goodies in tow!

It was so much fun that we just might do it again next year...maybe....if I'm in the mood...and I have the time...and... well, you get the idea. 

Fun with math

While we were on our Thanksgiving break we had several learning experiences. We tried Greek food, visited Caesars Palace in Vegas and found examples of Greek and Roman art, and my favorite was the abacus presentation with Grandpa Petersen. He is a treasure of knowledge and I am so glad that he his willing to share some of that with my children!

painting pots

We have been learning about Greek and Roman art and architecture and the kids wanted to paint their own pots.  We have also been playing with a lot of clay, but my hands are always too messy to take any pictures! I will try to get some when we have finished products!

A white Thanksgiving

We went to visit family for Thanksgiving and were lucky enough to see some snow! It was beautiful... and I was happy that we were just visiting! HA!HA! I like my warm weather!

The kids had fun playing in the fluffy cold stuff and Robert loved helping Grandpa shovel. He is a very hard worker when he wants to be!

Merry Christmas, Davie!

I always miss him a little more this time of year. It was nice to visit his grave and decorate it for Christmas. Normally my grandma and mom take care of it for us, but whenever we get the chance we like to do it. It helps David, I and the girls to remember him and it helps teach the boys that they have another brother waiting for them and watching over them. We all feel a little closer to him when we are there.

Goodbye Grandma

My mom just left this morning and we are all a little sad. She came down after Thanksgiving to help with some of that "frosting" stuff I mentioned before, like deep cleaning and Christmas decorations. It was wonderful having her here and I am thoroughly enjoying my sparkling clean house and Christmas decorations. We also got our new bookshelves put together and organized and even had time to make graham cracker houses with the kids. Have I ever told you how awesome my mom is?  I have? Well... I'll say it again anyway. My mom is AWESOME! I love her so much!