This week we were excited to celebrate two birthdays, Lisa's and Abraham's! We never complain about parties, in fact, we also had a Mad Hatter Tea Party this week! It just happens that Mad Hatter Day is October 6, so we had to do it. But we didn't just party all week, we also had a fantastic experience at the Watermen's Museum on Tuesday, and enjoyed learning about England, heroes, and pumpkin seeds this week, too! Check it out...
Tuesday
Our week began with a trip to the Watermen's Museum for a lesson about oysters, led by Educational Coordinator and Arc friend, Mike Steen. He was ready for us upon our arrival, and got right into telling us about these amazing bivalves whose very existence is threatened by environmental factors such as pollution and climate change, as well as the impacts of human decisions.
We learned that oysters grow in "beds" and like to congregate in what Mike called a "condominium," which is sort of like a reef. Oyster larvae search for an appropriate surface (or habitat), often other oyster shells, to attach to, and at this stage are called "spat." They will stay attached to the structure until they grow, for about 2 years. Kevin, Drew, and Patrick examined oyster shells, looking for rings, which give a clue as to how old the oyster is.
Mike showed us several types of oyster tongs, which are used to pull oysters up from the water, and floats, which are used in aquaculture. or the farming of new oysters. At the Watermen's, Mike works with other scientists, as well as school students, to actively grow more oysters.
Here, Mike is putting shells in a (mostly) predator-proof cage that we will submerge into the York River off of the pier. As oyster larvae find their way to the shells, they will attach (becoming "spat") and begin to grow!
Down on the pier, Mike pulled up an existing float, and explained to us that it can be a home to more than just young oysters. Tiny shrimp, mud and spider crabs, and sponges are a few other organisms we saw today! Mike was showing us a tiny sea squirt, which, like oysters, is a "filter" feeder. It takes in water, absorbs what it needs by running the water through its gills, then squirts cleaned water back into the river. Mike explained to us how the loss of so much of the oyster habitat over the years has had a very negative impact on the cleanliness of the river. He said when John Smith navigated these waters (and the James River), and when George Washington fought on the fields nearby, the York River was so clear you could see the bottom!
Here, the gang was watching a spider crab that fell out of this oyster float Mike pulled up...the red "stuff" covering it is sponges. Some very small shrimp fell out, too! They can "jump" off the pier and back into the water!
This spider crab was missing some legs, which made us sad, at first. But then, Mike explained the molting process, during which a growing crab sheds its outer shell and grows a new one. Each time it loses a shell, it emerges bigger and with all arms and legs!
Mike also told us that there are pirates in our waters, who try to come at night to steal the oyster floats so they can sell the oyster spat to other growers on something called the black market (not a good place!). That is NOT a very nice thing to do, but there are cameras and water-patrol who help deter these nefarious pirates. Mike ended our fascinating lesson by lowering this float into the water, just enough so it will stay covered with water during low tide, but not so low that it can't be seen from the pier.
Mike told us something fun to do is paint oyster shells! We were all allowed to select some from under these stairs (where they are used to help stop erosion), and we're going to try and make holiday ornaments in a few weeks! Thanks, Mike, for an awesome lesson today! We learned so much, and had a lot of fun, too! Can't wait to return for another of your excellent experiences!
We ate lunch under the tent at the museum with Mike, and then recorded a couple of sweet messages to send to volunteers Becky and Meemaw, whom we miss so much. Today was National Do Something Nice Day, so we thought sending them messages would brighten their day. We heard back from both of them, that their day was, indeed, brightened! Unfortunately, the videos are too long to upload, but they were very sweet! 💙💚💛💜
Next, we hopped on the trolley for a ride to the battlefield!
We got off the trolley at the battlefield so we could take a walk. It was a sunny and warm day...what happened to that fall-like weather we had last week?? It wasn't too warm to walk to the monument and back, but we sweated a little! Our leaders of the pack today were Sam and Devin, until Drew and Kevin jogged to catch up with them! Way to go, guys!
Here are a few more of us rounding the base of the monument. With the York River in the background, this is always a scenic walk! We took the trolley back to the museum, and loaded the vans to return to AFCC.
Back at AFCC we had Choice Time, then Lisa read us a book she picked up at the Watermen's Museum called Pearlie Oyster. It was about an oyster who grew a pearl, and was not the kind of oysters we learned about with Mike, but it was a cute story. Laura and Michelle enjoyed looking at it again after Lisa read it.
Wednesday
This morning we learned about pumpkin seeds, since it was Pumpkin Seed Day! Pumpkin seeds provide good nutrition, including high amounts of zinc (good for immune system), iron (good for red blood cells), and a fair amount of protein and healthy fats. We sampled some that were raw and lightly salted (from Trader Joe's) and thought they tasted a bit like popcorn! We ate both the outer husk, and the meaty inside, called the pepita!
Pumpkin seeds are easy to dye (with liquid watercolors) and provide lots of uses for crafts. We put raw seeds in plastic bags and dyed them in fall colors. Friday, we will use them to make a colorful tree!
Next up was movement time. We stayed indoors and tried a new fitness routine with a trainer named Donovan, who does chair workouts!
We did a beginner segment, and after about 10 minutes, we were feeling the burn! Donovan says the important thing is to keep moving, and chair workouts with him are for everyone, no matter your age, size, or (for most) mobility level.
This looks like an easy move Devin is doing, but try moving your arms/legs in oppsite directions (Devin was getting there) for a whole minute!
We were surprised at how intense the workout with Donovan was. After 10 minutes with him, we switched to GoNoodle and did a couple of fun dances. Here's a clip from "The Addams Family." 👀
Since it was Mad Hatter Day, we made England our country of the week. We learned that it is one of four nations that comprise the United Kingdom. About 55 million people live there, including 8 million in London! Laura enjoyed our worksheets that told us about iconic English things, like the royal family, double decker buses, and Big Ben.
Of course, we enjoyed music by English artists like Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and the Beatles! Our guys were aware that a only a couple of the Fab Four members are still alive, Paul and Ringo, but couldn't believe that they are aged 79 and 81 now!
When asked which Beatles song to play, several of them asked for "Here Comes the Sun," and then they sang along!
After lunch, we learned that the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was Lewis Carroll, who was born in England. He was inspired to write the story about Alice after spending time with the daughters of a friend. The youngest, named Alice, is thought to be the inspiration for his story. We were most interested in Chapter 7, "A Mad Tea Party." We listened to that silly chapter, and then wore our silly hats (and acted silly) while enjoying "afternoon" iced tea and English tea cookies, which Carol had made for us this morning! It was fun celebrating Mad Hatter Day!
We had just enough time left in the day to color these pieces Kevin is showing. We will use them tomorrow to make a cute something to add to our fall decorations. What could it become?!
Wednesday Evening
It's an annual photograph, and we love it more every year! Pam presenting Patti with flowers, and a refreshing beverage (in the bag), and Patti presenting Pam with the generous donation from WOTM! Cam loves to be in the pictures, too! Thank you so much, Patti and friends, for your love for The Arc of Greater Williamsburg and the Arc of Abilities Day Program. We love you, too and look forward to continuing our amazing partnership!
Who could blame Devin and Sam for trying the swings on the playground?! We're all kids at heart! Thank you to Devin and Sam and their families, as well as Michelle, Lexi, Liz and their families, for coming to support The Arc tonight! It was great seeing all of you!
As if making an incredible donation wasn't enough, leave it to Patti to also make homemade cupcakes to celebrate Lisa's birthday, which is tomorrow! Also leave it to Patti to light so many candles Lisa had to take an extra breath to blow them out! This was a very kind gesture, Patti, and Lisa was touched by your thoughtfulness. The cupcakes were quite tasty. We are proud of your baking skills!! Way to go, Patti! 👏🧁👏🧁
Thursday
Aren't they a perfect addition to our wall?!
We made thoughtful cards for Lisa's birthday, and then had to complete a bit of Eaton work before partying. Alexis was applying gaskets and Kevin was packing this tub, and serving as a "runner" to keep Alexis (and Liz at another table) stocked with needed parts.
Michelle, Sam, and Laura enjoyed counting screws together, while Drew and Abraham showed Nan how many pieces they had sorted!
We needed Devin and Kate, and Annmarie and Xavier to count screws, too. As fast as everyone counted, Carol was filling small plastic bags with them! Also shown here is Liz, who was applying gaskets to lids at her table.
Today was Chocolate Covered Pretzel Day, and we wanted to incorporate that tasty treat into a cake for Lisa. We needed to make some chocolate covered pretzels, so Lisa asked Nan and Carol to do it, but first, it reminded her of the scene from I Love Lucy where Lucy and Ethel try to keep up in the candy factory! We watched the video clip and everyone laughed out loud! Next week we will actually celebrate I Love Lucy Day (October 15), and we're looking forward to watching more clips from this classic comedy show!
Our very own Ethel and Lucy, aka Nan and Carol, did a great job making chocolate covered pretzels, and had no trouble keeping up without having to eat the extras!
The cake turned out beautifully, and tasted great, too. It was iced with peanut butter frosting, bordered with chocolate covered pretzels, and topped with fresh Virginia peanuts that were actually a gift from Alexis to Lisa, that they decided to share with us!
Nan and Gdad treated us to lunch today, which included Gdad's "famous" barbecue and Nan's "famous" cole slaw! Lisa has been eating Gdad's barbecue for decades, and she never gets tired of it! Thanks, Nan and Gdad, for this delicious birthday lunch. We enjoyed it very much!
We were thrilled that it wasn't raining after lunch, so we took a short drive to Newport News Park for a birthday walk! We didn't go on the wooded trail this time, instead, keeping to a paved path. We spotted a little bit of color in the trees, and noticed quite a few leaves had already fallen.
After a brisk walk, we noticed we were near a playground and there were no little kids using it! That meant we could channel our inner 6-year olds and have fun on the equipment with our friends! Abraham wasted no time climbing to the top!
Ahhh! The joy of swinging! Xavier, Liz, Annmarie, and Kate were the first to feel the wind on their faces today!
Hello, Friends! Laura, Alexis, Abraham, Liz, Drew, and Michelle hammed it up for the camera!
Later, we spotted Kevin, Liz, Annmarie, and Sam on the swings.
What a great group! We missed Patrick today, as he is traveling, but everyone else helped Lisa have a wonderful birthday! So much fun!
Friday
Today we were excited for the second of our October birthdays, as we celebrated our friend, Abraham! His 26th birthday is Sunday, and one thing we all love about him is his enthusiasm for dancing! Here he is with his friends during this morning's dance warm up!
Our gang loves Bingo, so we played Birthday Bingo during our party today. Abraham wasn't the first winner, but he made it known when he finally got 5 in a row!
For part of today's movement activities, we set up one of Abraham's favorite games, corn hole. It was boys v. girls, and the boys needed a win, as the girls are ahead in our Fall Series, 2-0. The boys had to manage without Sam and Patrick today, as both were traveling. They felt pretty good about things, though!
The girls were playing with all but Michelle, who was spending time with her brother today. With this toss from Alexis, the girls found themselves up 17-12! (We play to 21.) The girls felt really good now, but Devin refused to let the guys give up! He was super-encouraging!
The boys rallied! It came down to the guys' last throw. They had 20 points and the girls were at 21. The guys sent the birthday boy up to toss, and he nailed them 2 points for the victory! So exciting!!!
The girls were great sports about it! Congrats to the guys!
We're sending a huge THANK YOU to Abraham's mom, Mona', for treating us to pizza, salad, and birthday cake today, including gluten-free cupcakes for Xavier! How thoughtful was that?! She made sure we had everything we needed and we enjoyed it very much! Happy, Happy Birthday to her favorite son, Abraham!
After lunch, we used the pumpkin seeds we had dyed to make pretty trees with colorful "leaves."
After the glue sets over the weekend, we'll find places to hang them in our room, which looks very fall-ish now!
October 8 is Hero Day, which focuses on everyday heroes, such as any of us, instead of superheroes. We discussed that anyone who is kind and helpful could be considered an "everyday" hero. After our discussion, we did a fun/silly activity that really got us moving. We found a checklist of movements that supposedly help you tap into your inner hero! 😉 Here, the guys were galloping 10 steps forward...unless they were doing something else! 😛
In this move, Abraham was balancing on one leg and Laura was doing twists.
Toe touches will help you find your personal superhero powers! Just ask Devin and Drew!
Not sure what all they were doing here, but this checklist really got them moving, and that's what matters! Plus, they had fun!
Our joyful day ended with Jaime, and some short segments she has called "Superhero Yoga." One of the segments was about Batman, and it's yoga moves, but also Jaime talking to us about facing our fears and making confident decisions, like Batman does.
Batman is one of Abraham's favorite superheroes, and he also loves yoga. His birthday celebration ended on a happy note!
In fact, everyone's week ended on a happy note! We can't wait to see what next week brings. Here's a look at our plans:
Tuesday: It's time for another visit with our MG friends, so we will be at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden today. We'll check the progress of the fall colors on the trees, and see what interesting lessons the MGs have for us! We'll also have lunch outside and take a walk. Please wear your Arc shirt (you can add the 5k shirt to your "official" Arc shirts if you have one) and bring a bagged lunch!
Wednesday: Today is National Fossil Day, so we're going to learn about them and make our own! And while lots of fossils have been found in the United States, some of the BIGGEST dinosaur fossils ever found were discovered in Argentina, which will be our country of the week, too! Lunch will be empanadas with chimichurri sauce. We'll also work on Eaton after lunch today!
Thursday: We're heading back to Eaton for a work day, so wear your Eaton shirts and bring a bagged lunch.
Friday: We'll laugh today as we watch video clips from "I Love Lucy" in honor of I Love Lucy Day. It's also White Cane Safety Day, so we will learn about the achievements of blind people. Wednesday was Train Your Brain Day, and that means we'll work on puzzles and riddles, too. We'll wrap up the day with yoga, so dress to stretch! Lunch on your own; if you order from the JRES cafeteria your choices are corn dog nuggets or chef's salad. The menu has been posted online and it's here: https://wjccschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/October-Elementary.pdf
Enjoy your weekend!
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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