January 5th

 Hi All!

Happy New Year!  

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's Day celebration!  

It's not wet!  (or at least not wet enough to affect co-op!)  So we WILL be meeting.  But it looks like it will be pretty chilly, so come prepared!

Before we get on to this week's activities...

Please Note:

If you missed the post from earlier this week, it is goat kidding season! We should not have any babies born this week, and probably none born next week either, however, there are four that we are unsure of their due dates, so if a goat goes into labor, all activities will be postponed and farm day will be a free day (You can still come, I just won't be around to see you ;-) ). 

Also, there are a couple more Fridays coming up where we will not be hosting a co-op.  Please put these on your calendars (those of you who are responsible and check the blog each week, please make sure you let your friends know):

No Co-op Days:

February 23rd-- My eldest daughter will be getting married that weekend (we'll be a bit busy!)

March 15th-- We will be at the Pinal County Fair in Casa Grande for the Dairy Goat Show. But they will be having Field Trip Friday again- 9:00am-1:00pm--Public, Private, and Homeschoolers can register for FREE admission to the fair. So, I highly recommend you all attend! Click here for more details: https://pinalfairgrounds.com/school-field-trip-day   You can buy 5 carnival rides for $5 before 1 pm, so if it were me, I'd watch some of the goat show ;-), ride some rides, watch some more of the goat show, get some lunch, then watch all the fair shows before heading home.  Great day! :-D

And now on to this week's schedule! 

(Please Note: If your child will be doing a lot of running around and is easily over-heated, please make sure to bring lots of water. The tap water in the shop kitchen is drinkable, but we will not be providing bottled water or cups)

 From 10-Noon(ish) we will break into group activities:

Group A-- Ages 5-8

You will be doing Project this week. We will be making whirligigs (like Group B did WAY back in November!). We will also be learning how to play a couple of pilgrim games...and making fresh lemonade.  YUM!  

Parents, if your little ones tend to wander, please stay close by. You are responsible for taking your child to the restroom or providing them with water if they get thirsty. Try to remind them that this is a group activity, and they should try to stick with their group as much as possible. That will really help keep things flowing smoothly for everyone. <3

Materials Needed: 

Sunscreen and Water Bottles...if you so desire. 

And clothes/shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.

Group B--Ages 9-12  

You will be doing the P.E. this week. As long as it doesn't rain too much, we will still be doing kickball.  Mr. D. tells me that playing kickball when the field is wet is extremely painful, so if it is too wet, we will play volleyball instead. Really hoping for kickball since my Conan has been begging to play! (I'm selfish that way ;-) )

Materials Needed: 

Sunscreen and Water Bottles...if you so desire. 

Clothes/shoes that you don't mind getting dirty and/or wet.

A great attitude!

Group C--Ages 13-18

You will be doing Gardening this week. Ms. Paula has been so excited to do bonsai trees with you all. I hope it works this week!

Materials Needed: 

Sunscreen and Water Bottles...if you so desire. 

And clothes/shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.

Garden gloves if you think you need them.

Those teenagers that do not feel like participating in Gardening are welcome to volunteer with Group A. Please note, you WILL be put to work if you volunteer in that capacity! 

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Picnic Lunch

Everyone is welcome to stay and have a picnic lunch in the backyard area. You are responsible for bringing your own lunch. Please do not feed any animals with that lunch and please make sure all garbage is disposed of in the dumpster or garbage can.

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Pinal County Projects

After lunch, those who live in Pinal County and are interested in participating in Dairy Goat, Chicken (or other poultry), or Welding are welcome to stick around. If you do not live in Pinal County, but you want to attend either the Dairy Goat or Chicken classes to at least learn about the animals, you are welcome to do that as well, but priority will go to those who can participate in the fair (so must live in Pinal County).

Dairy Goat: Meets right after the activities are over--around noonish. 

Chicken: Meets at 1 pm. 

Welding: Meets at 2 pm in the shop with Elai. This class will last for 1.5 hours. Make sure to wear a cotton long-sleeved shirt and pants (NO POLYESTER),and closed-toed shoes. Those who do not dress appropriately, will not participate.