Spring Arrives, 2022!

We welcomed spring with a beautiful day on Tuesday, and it wasn't too bad the rest of the week...well, except for that rain, but spring is a good time for rain!  The picture above is of one of our "mystery" bulb pots.  We planted the bulbs back in October with our master gardener friends, and we now know, that there were some pretty hyacinths included in the mystery!   We'll be joining our master gardener friends in less than 3 weeks for our spring sessions and we can't wait!  Meanwhile, here's a look at how we spent this week.

Tuesday

Our plan today was to visit Jamestowne Island, but we stayed at AFCC for a while before heading that way.  We wanted to make sure the sun came out, and we needed to do some "brain work" to warm up our thinking before getting our history on at the island!

Carol and Nan's group worked on phonics skills.  The coloring was a way to self-check their answers.

This group went to the kitchen area to work on addition skills.  They were allowed calculators, but Lisa went around and helped each one try "mental math," too.

When we arrived at Jamestowne Island we met Laura's parents, Tom and Lisa, who joined us for a picnic lunch.  It was a glorious day and perfect for eating outside!  Thanks for hanging out with us, Tom and Lisa.  We enjoyed catching up with you!

After checking in for free admission with some of our friends' National Park Access Passes (thanks for sharing), we made our way to the bridge that links the Visitor Center to the historic area.  We saw turtles, both "parent" and "baby" sized!  They were well camouflaged in the swampy water, so our pictures of them didn't turn out well, but we saw a lot!

Today we mainly visited the "New Towne" area on the island, as we wanted to get a good walk.  This is the area east of the fort where the settlers expanded in the years following 1607.  

We learned that Jamestown eventually developed into a bustling port town fueled by the thriving tobacco industry.

As we made our way along a path beside the James River, we spotted a heron standing as still as a statue.  We watched it for a while, but it never budged.  Maybe it saw us out of the corner of its eye and decided to stay put!

With the beautiful river in the background, we paused for a group picture before moving on to visit John Smith's statue...something we always check out when we come to Historic Jamestowne!

The gang was into group pictures today!  As they sat here and relaxed, small waves from the river could be heard lapping ashore.  Someone said, "I could sit here all day."  Someone else added, "This would be a great place for yoga!"  Both good points!  Note:  We missed our friend Annmarie all week as she wasn't feeling well.  We hope she'll be back with us next week.  Take care, Annmarie!  😍

On our way out, we asked these archaeologists what they were working on and they explained that within this small area, they saw different colors of dirt and/or things in the dirt.  One of them told us that different colors like that can mean that they have found things that were left behind over a period of several years, and that the remains had formed layers of different colors.  Very interesting!

After a lengthy walk and some historical education, we were ready to head back over the bridge to our vans.  It was a great day and the perfect way to welcome spring!

Wednesday

Happy National Goof Off Day!  Lisa wasn't with us today, but we managed to goof off without her!  She's the author of the blog, so here's what she thinks happened today, based on the pictures we took...

Kate wore a perfect hat for Goof Off Day!

We enjoyed watching the movie UP and had a popcorn treat, too!

Our workout was led by Joe, an online coach that we jokingly refer to as "The Man Bun Guy" because of his hair style!  He gets us moving, though!

Yummy!  PB&J on whole grain bread, a banana, and chips for lunch and celebrating National Chip and Dip Day!

The afternoon was filled with funny poetry readings, a game of Hangman, and our old favorite for Goof Off Day - the Pie in the Face game!  Looks like we may not have had a lot of volunteers this time, but Devin stepped up to challenge the takers!  Wonder who got the pie between him and Patrick?!

Drew took a turn, but we have no picture revealing who got this pie in this round, either?!?!

Alexis informed the blog writer that she got the pie in this round!  

Hey!  It's Kevin vs. Devin in the pie in the face battle between the guys with rhyming names!

We got a picture of the "loser" this time!

Sam and Abraham were brave in this round.  Look at the seriousness on their faces.  The object of the game is to press your button fast enough to send the hand over to your opponent's side before he or she gets it to your side!

Sam had was the faster button pusher, but Abraham was a great sport!  What fun!

Alexis also reported that everyone was demanding a matchup between Nan and Carol!  "Nan and Carol!  Nan and Carol!  Nan and Carol!"  (Can't you hear them now?!)  Apparently, Carol was the "loser" in this round...and maybe the picture got deleted by mistake?!   Another Goof Off Day in the books...and be warned, Lisa comes back tomorrow!  LOL!

Thursday

What a downpour we had this morning!  Most of us arrived as the rain was really coming down, and it didn't let up until almost lunch time, only to start again around dismissal time.  Abraham was enjoying our dance warm up when he noticed the rainwater pouring off the gutters outside like a waterfall!

The best thing about dark and rainy days is that our disco ball lights up the room and Liz plays "You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees!

We made "art" out of old packing peanuts today!  Can you tell what springtime animal Kevin is creating by gluing the packing peanuts on the paper?

Little lambs!  We're going to save these to use as part of our April room decorations.  Next week we will find ourselves in Colonial Williamsburg where we hear lambs are out in the pastures.  What a great sign of spring!

Several of us are dealing with seasonal allergies as the pollen is already out with a vengeance!  So, we had a lesson about why pollen is important.  We listened to a story about a sneezing bear who learns that pollen is important not only for pollinating plants (many of which provide food for us), but it's also packed with protein and is a food source for many insects and animals!  Spiders and ladybugs eat pollen, as do bees, so they can make "beebread" to feed their larvae.  Even deer, bears, and other animals eat pollen because it can be frozen in snow!  Wow, we didn't know that!

We followed the story with a Mystery Doug episode that explained what happens when we have allergic reactions like sneezing, coughing, itching eyes, and runny noses.  He said our bodies think pollen is kind of like a germ...even though it isn't a germ.  Our bodies react in ways similar to how they react when real germs invade, and that helps us deal with the pollen, even though it may make us feel miserable.  So, we learned today that pollen has something in common with plastic:  It's both good and bad!

The rain kept us inside today so we walked laps in the hallways.

Once we get going, there is plenty of room to space ourselves out, and even pass if we need to. 

We finished the morning by making some celebratory posters for a special "day" that's coming up next week.   Next, we had lunch and Choice Time, and then tuned in for a webinar being presented by our friend, Wisteria, at The Mariners' Museum.  It was about female pirates, and it was very interesting (in parts).  Some of these gals were quite ruthless!  We always enjoy seeing Wisteria, even if it's online!

After sitting for a while during the pirate presentation, we had to get moving again, so we found a pirate workout on Go Noodle!  After that, we ended the day with a game of "Guess in 10" where we get clues one at a time until we figure out an answer.  We did a lot today!

Friday

It was great to see the sun this morning!  It was PSP day, so we were splitting the group into two teams and were thankful that our store workers wouldn't get wet on their travels.  When they arrived, Liz worked alongside DiDi to place product on the top shelf.  It helps that Liz is tall! 

Karryna and Devin handled cat food duty.  They had a full cart to unload onto the shelves!

Xavier assisted Scott in arranging dog products on this shelf.  Scott didn't have to get up and down with Xavier in place to hand him things!

Laura, Sam, and Devin worked as a team to find spaces for these animal crates!

Looks like Erik knew what mission he was on, and we're sure he accomplished it!

Tracy was on hand to help with coaching our guys, too!  Thanks, Tracy!  We appreciate the asssitance.

Before leaving, our team presented Scott with a letter of congratulations from the AoA for being a successful small business owner...and we also thanked him and Roxanne for giving us this worthwhile vocational opportunity.  Tuesday, March 29th, is National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day, and we were happy to acknowledge it for them!

 

Back at the center, our Cooking Crew was learning how super-nutritious spinach is because tomorrow is National Spinach Day, and we were having it for lunch!  Alexis, Abraham, and Drew used their senses to check out spinach leaves, and then nibbled on them!  

We already knew spinach is very nutritious, but in our video, Tasi and Zac introduced us to what they call the "fix-it workers."  That's what they call things in foods that are good for us, like antioxidants and phytonutrients, which are words we can't easily pronounce, but which work to help our bodies' natural defense systems work.

Movement helps our bodies work better, too.  Today's activities included bopping balloons again with the pool noodles while being on our feet in the hallway.

After the balloons both popped early into our workout, we got the beachball out and played our own version of hockey!  It was fun!

We call the gang that stays at the center on PSP days the "Cooking Crew" because they prepare lunch for us all while the other guys are at the store.  Here's today's crew with their finished product of pasta with ground turkey meat sauce and fresh garden salads loaded with spinach!

Knowing we were going to finish our story about the donkey named Winslow, Michelle brought in a stuffed donkey who looks just like him!  Thanks, Michelle!  It helped bring the ending of our story to life!

If we're on mats and stretching, it must be yoga time!  We enjoy yoga any day of the week, but it's really nice to wrap up the week all relaxed and stress-free!

We were happily interrupted between yoga segments by a special delivery.  We would like to send a huge thank you to Devin's family for sending us a few goodies this week, in honor of our anniversary.  Amazon delivered paper products, printer ink, and this yummy-looking box of healthy snack bars, too!  Thanks Scott and Roxanne, for your generosity.  Your kindness is much appreciated!

The first week of spring was an awesome week at the AoA!  It seemed to fly by, too.  Here's what we will be doing next week:

Tuesday:  This will be another Tuesday where we aren't traveling, because we have a chance to visit somewhere new tomorrow.  So we will stay at AFCC for a brain work morning that will include a lesson to help us prepare for Friday's trip to Yorktown.  After lunch, we will use the computer lab to work on the April calendar, and we'll  welcome visitors from the Isle of Wight Parks and Recreation Department, who are interested in how our program works.  We'll also begin a new read-aloud about a mystery surrounding a treasure that may have belonged to Thomas Jefferson!  Lunch on your own; JRES cafeteria is offering Taco or Pizza (school made).

Wednesday:  Carol will be on an adventure in Mexico the rest of this week (and next week), but we're off on an adventure today, too!  It's a surprise and somewhere we haven't been before, and it involves our friend Christina from the Art Museums of CW...but it's not a museum!  We're not giving any more details, just wear your Arc shirts, bring a bagged lunch, and be prepared for a special treat!  It's also National Take a Walk in the Park Day, one of Lisa's faves, so wear your walking shoes for sure!

Thursday:  It's National Tater Day so we're going to celebrate with potato lessons and games, and we'll prepare a twice-baked potato casserole, along with grilled chicken and green beans, for lunch!  We'll have another lesson to help prepare for tomorrow's trip to Yorktown, and since we will be traveling tomorrow, we'll also have YOGA TODAY!  Dress to stretch!

Friday:  Today we'll welcome Patrick's mom, Sue, to assist us in Carol's absence.  We're going to travel to the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown for a self-guided tour and, weather permitting, we'll ride the trolley over to the picnic area and enjoy lunch by the river.  Wear your Arc shirts and bring a bagged lunch.  Thanks, Sue, for helping us today.  We're looking forward to hanging with you!

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend,

Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang