Oh, the joy! We were so happy to be back with our friends at the AoA this week. It was different, with only 1/2 of the group at a time, but it still felt wonderful! Zooming with the guys who were at home helped keep us connected. All in all, our "new normal" (almost) felt like old times! Here's a peek at our week!
With only 8 associates scheduled for each day, it's easy to arrange the tables for safe social distancing, and everyone has their own table. Once we got set up, everyone in the Tuesday/Wednesday group (T/W group) helped wiped down their own tables.
The Thursday/Friday group (Th/F group) also had plenty of room for safe distancing at their tables. We only have 6 in this group. Abraham and Chloe will hopefully be back soon!
We were happy to see that our friends had not forgotten how to use their "whole hands" when using cleaning wipes! Good job here, Drew!
Wearing face coverings didn't seem to bother our guys. When they are at their tables, they may remove them. The rule is, "If your feet are walking around, you have to cover your face." Here, the T/W group practiced keeping a safe social distance while putting together their own supply bags. Tracy from Parks & Rec was with us for most of the morning on Tuesday, and she helped distribute supply items. Thanks for your help on Tuesday, Tracy! We appreciate the extra set of hands and eyes!
The Th/F group also practiced keeping a safe distance when they assembled their supply bags. We're so proud of everyone!
We plan to continue to Zoom with our at home friends on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the top row in the middle of this picture, you can see the T/W group at AFCC and some of our friends from the Th/F group checking in from home! Laura's mom, Lisa, Bette Faye, and Becky joined us, too!
Our joy in dancing came back with us! The T/W group was dancing to "Best Day of My Life" during our Zoom with the Th/F group! It felt strange at first to be dancing with the tables up, as we usually dance before putting them up for the day. Just one of a number of changes for our new normal.
When we Zoomed with the T/W group on Thursday, the Th/F group was getting down to "Make Some Noise." In both of these dancing pics, everyone was staying in their personal "dance zone," which is the area behind their individual tables.
It's great to see Patrick and Sam back in dance mode!
Time seemed to have stood still in our room. When we got back on Tuesday, our calendar board was full of March information.
Over on this side of the room, Sam got busy removing the kites and leprechauns that we left up when we went home on March 13!
Devin can be seen in the back of this picture taking down our "Happy 4th Anniversary" banner that was up when we left! Meanwhile, Drew and Xavier were busy coloring some new decorations that would go up soon.
By Friday, we were on the way to having a colorful, summertime theme in our room!
We also picked up where we left off with our study of the 50 states. This week we studied California, the 31st state to enter the Union. Here, the T/W group was watching a Homeschool POP video about the Golden State. We learned that over 300,000 people flocked to California during the goldrush around 1849, but a few years later, many of them left with less wealth than what they had when they arrived. 😕😧
When the Th/F group watched, we also learned that the grizzly bear is the state mammal of California, and is represented on their flag.
We were happy to see that our guys were ready to get back to our "brain" work, too. Xavier, who was wearing his mask while at his table because Lisa was nearby assisting him, worked on his California map skills page. Look at how neatly he has his things arranged!
Alexis helped Drew with his California assignment by outlining areas for him to color on the pages for his folder. Drew then colored inside the outlined areas. He did a particularly good job on the flag's bear!
Devin, Kate, and Annmarie worked on an assignment about baby sea animals. This one wasn't really too hard, but it was fun. The pictures were so cute!
Remember the herbs (parsley, rosemary, and thyme) that Liz and her mom planted in our pots when they went down to AFCC during quarantine to check on our garden area? This week Liz clipped some beautiful, fresh parsley for us to use in our homemade Ranch dressing! 💚
Our cooking theme this week was a mashup of National Parchment Day and the fact that Ranch dressing was invented in California, our state of the week! We made the most delicious homemade Ranch dressing after learning that it was first created (invented?) on a real ranch near Santa Barbara in 1954. For Parchment Day, we wrapped ham slices that we had on hand, pineapple, and honey-glaze (homemade, too) and baked it until heated through...it smelled, and tasted, delicious! We learned that en papillote is a technique the French contributed to the culinary world. It means to cook something wrapped in paper, and the result is sealed in flavor!
Drew was our honey-glaze chef on Friday!
Here, Kacie shows our African violets that are blooming like crazy after spending quarantine at Carol's house! We first got these from Kacie's mom last year, and we never saw this many blooms on them before. Carol must have given them lots of attention while stuck at home for 3 months!
Liz was back in our garden area putting fresh hummingbird food in the feeder on Wednesday afternoon. We sure hope the hummingbirds we've had for the past 3 years make a return. We saw a lot of songbirds at our feeders this week, but so far, no hummingbirds.
We celebrated National Bomb Pop Day this week. It was sure hot enough to enjoy a popsicle! Kevin went with the traditional red, white, and blue Bomb Pop, while Kacie and Laura chose a fudge/banana combo. 😋😋😋
On Friday morning, the humidity was a little less oppressive than usual, so Kate suggested we get out early for a socially distanced walk, which we thought was a great idea! Masks were optional, as everyone was able to keep safely separated.
The T/W group couldn't use the gym this week due to the floor being polished, but the Th/F group was able to get in on Friday afternoon to shoot hoops and kick balls around. We only had 5 on Friday, since Devin was out of town, so they had plenty of room to keep a safe distance and get exercise!
That's a wrap on our first blog since reopening the AoA in our "new normal." It was challenging getting our story told since we did the same activities with the different groups on different days. Taking pictures began to feel like deja vu! But we're sure you get the idea. We had a super return to the AoA! Here's what we'll be doing next week:
Tuesday/Thursday: We will Zoom with friends at home each day at 10 a.m. for social time and a mini-lesson. We'll talk about folk tales as we celebrate Paul Bunyan Day. We'll also create the July calendar and make a summer craft. Lunch on your own.
Wednesday/Friday: We'll learn about the 32nd state, Minnesota, and celebrate with Bundt cake for dessert, since the Bundt pan was invented there. We'll also have a pre-Fourth of July celebration to include hot dogs, baked beans, and Caesar Salad for lunch.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend,
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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