A Well-Rounded Week

It was a well-rounded week at the AoA as we covered a lot of territory:  history, science, technology, engineering, math, sports, vocational work, and birthday FUN!  Here's a glimpse at our week:

It finally felt like fall when we headed to Jamestown Settlement on Tuesday.  Since it was Election Day, schools were closed so we almost had the place to ourselves!  It was perfect and the rain held off long enough for us to visit the outside exhibits.

We all fit in one of the Powhatans' longhouses.  

This interpreter, who was making a deerskin bag, explained how all of her clothing and tools were made from animals. Laura used a stone to sharpen the "hole punch" which was made from the very strong leg bone of a deer.

 

Sam then pounded the sharp tool into the leather to make a hole.  After several holes were aligned on two pieces of hide, it would be time to sew them together.

This interpreter enlisted our help to peel bark off of a plant called dogbane, and then roll the fibrous strands that were revealed to make very strong pieces of rope that would be weaved into a basket.  She praised our work ethic!

Over at the Susan Constant, an interpreter told us what we would see on the ship, and warned us to watch our heads as there were some low entrances!

Kevin tried to fit into this bed in the cook's very small quarters, but before we could photograph him all squeezed in, he was getting out!

Then, Devin came along and settled right in!  We believe he would have stayed there a while if we hadn't rushed him along!

Josie and Sam modeled the armor that helped protect the English from arrows.

We stopped by the church and managed to get this group shot with almost everyone looking at the camera.  Maybe Sam was praying for it to be time for lunch!

We thoroughly enjoyed dining in the Settlement Cafe.  The folks there were friendly and very helpful in making sure everyone got what they ordered.  😋  

Our guys showed a great deal of interest throughout our visit.  Here, Alexis answers questions about the Indians, English, and Africans who comprised Jamestown by 1619.

Kate and Chris test their geography knowledge.

Chief Powhatan watches over our eager learners.

Kate and Laura found a more recent picture of Pocahontas!

In this exhibit, we heard the points of view about the events taking place in Jamestown from a young Indian woman, an African man (brought over as a slave), and an English colonist.  Kacie, Kate, and Kevin were intrigued.

Photo op!  Patrick, Chris, Josie, and Laura replace Pocahontas' face on paper money!

In the special Pocahontas exhibit (which leaves the museum in January), our curious associates worked puzzles and perused books.  We love it when they get smarter!

Wednesday was National STEM Day, which brings attention to the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  Our group activities in the afternoon centered around these subjects.

Carol's group talked about sound vibrations and waves when they made kazoos out of toilet paper rolls.  They worked in the foyer and those of us in the other rooms got a kick out of hearing them humming into their instruments!

Lisa's group practiced math with one of our new software programs.  Here, Sam uses the white board to work out his problem before he will head back to the computer to select his answer.

Alexis worked out a problem, selected an answer, and was correct!

Nan's group explored engineering with an old favorite activity, building structures using uncooked spaghetti noodles and marshmallows.

They're smiling because they ate more marshmallows than they built with!

Our Learning Lab computers are getting a lot of use.  Patrick often uses Choice Time to check sports statistics.

Alexis helps Josie clear out an annoying reminder pop-up!  We need to have lessons on updating our computers...

Devin is very focused on a literacy program.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday we were super busy with Eaton work.  These pictures really capture the enjoyment our guys get from doing this kind of task.

Chloe is mastering a new skill - adhering labels to the PowerSlide doors!

For the first time in months, we had everyone in attendance on Wednesday.  We tried to get a picture of all of them at work, but Sam and Kevin were tucked in the left-hand corner and aren't in the shot.  Just look how engaged they are!

After work we hit the gym!  This group was practicing their dribbling.

These friends practice sinking the balls!

We've mentioned before how we always take time to thank the many supporters who provide so generously for our program.  On Thursday we worked on notes for Nancy, Drew's Meemaw, who had given us a donation for pizza recently.  She also works on Eaton parts whenever we have extra work, and she has helped us earn a nice chunk of change from them!  Once again, we were proud of the time and sincerity our guys put into the notes for Nancy, and how they helped one another.  

Part of the bonding experience with our guys is giving them time to share personal experiences with each other.  On Wednesday, we enjoyed watching Kate's video from a camp she recently attended.  Today, Chris brought a video from the time he participated in a Polar Plunge dressed in an Energizer Bunny costume!  Here, he points himself out to us.  

We celebrated Nachos Day thanks to our cooks of the day, Liz and Patrick!  Isn't that chef's hat that Kevin donated a great look on Pat?!

Here's what our version of nachos looked like!

No complaints here!

When Coach Teri came for Bocce Ball, we were surprised to hear that it had warmed up outside and stopped raining, so we were able to get outside for our practice.  This time, we set up in the smaller yard outside our back door.  Coach Teri worked with half of the gang at a time.

The half of our gang that wasn't playing Bocce stayed inside to play Disney Trivia, which is one of our favorite activities.  When Sam wasn't sure of an answer, he called on Bo and Chris for an assist...that's what friends are for!

We had a lot of smiles after today's Bocce games, as our players are showing lots of improvement after just two sessions.  

We also got to meet Coach Teri's mom, aka, Sam's "Nina," today...but we didn't get a picture.  We sure hope she visits again soon so we can properly document her time with us!  After Bocce, we played a game of Social Studies Jeopardy, and Nina and Coach Teri served as our "expert panel" to whom our guys could go for help if they weren't sure of the answers.  That was fun!  What a nice afternoon we enjoyed on Thursday.

Friday was double the fun because it was double the birthdays!  We celebrated Liz and Patrick who both have birthdays on Saturday.  Heike, our custodian, joined us for a high energy birthday dance party.  We knew we were having hot dogs and sundaes for lunch, so we boogied a little longer than usual!

After dancing, we spent some time discussing the history and importance of Veterans Day.  We have a lot of veterans among our loved ones.  Thank you all for your service to our country!  

Next, it was time to create birthday cards for Liz and Patrick.  Here's what their birthday board looked like!  We enjoyed a lunch of hot dogs and chips prepared by Patrick's mom, Sue, and for dessert, ice cream sundaes prepared by Liz's mom, Lise.  Thank you to those two moms for a fun and tasty party!

We dabbled in science again...chemistry, to be precise.  Our experiment should have shown that bleach decolorizes things (water)...but in our case, it only showed that bleach lightens colored water.  It was still fun to watch and anticipate what might happen!

 After lunch we enjoyed some extended Choice Time and then played games to complete our birthday celebrations.  We ended the day with Bingo, a game they take seriously!

Next thing we knew, rides were arriving and another week had come to an end.  It was a quick week!  We're looking forward to next week, and here are a few things we have on the calendar:

Tuesday:  It's been a few weeks, but it's back to bowling!  Please wear Arc shirts and plan to have pizza for lunch with thanks to Drew's Meemaw, Nancy!

Wednesday:  It's National Bundt Pan Day...how can we not "celebrate" that?!  But our twist on it will involve making a breakfast casserole for lunch.  We may also begin working with our new fitness instructor, so dress comfortably.  (Parks & Rec was closed in observance of Veterans Day on Friday so we were unable to confirm before this post went to press!)

Thursday:  Our friend Christina from the CW Art Museums has invited us for an extra visit this month so we can celebrate National Button Day!  We wonder what fun activity she has planned for us?!  Please wear Arc shirts!  Lunch on your own!

Friday:  Weather permitting, we will celebrate Take A Hike Day...though we aren't sure where!  It's also Mickey Mouse's Birthday, so we will definitely have some Disney fun, too!  Lunch on your own!

Unfortunately, we don't have an update about t-shirts as we did not hear from the vendor before the end of business on Friday.  😒  We are fairly certain they will be ready next week...

Remember we are in session Monday and Tuesday, November 20-21 and will be closed for Thanksgiving Wednesday-Friday.

Enjoy the weekend,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan