Craggy Pinnacle Hike

It was a beautiful day for a hike.  I wanted to see if the rhododendrons were blooming in the high mountains and thought Craggy Gardens would be a great adventure for the day.  The azaleas at our campground were finishing their blooming season and the rhododendrons were starting to bloom at the lower altitude.  So, we ventured up the mountain to the Blue Ridge Parkway to take a look.

We stopped at Craggy Pinnacle to check things out.  We didn't want to hike Craggy Gardens if things weren't in bloom.

The weather was a bit more extreme at over 5,000ft.  Spring was just really starting on the mountain top.  We enjoyed the exploration.  It wasn't too steep, but it was not flat!

The views were breath taking at several points before arriving at the top of the pinnacle.

At the top, we could see the clouds rolling in from the south and the clear skies to the north.

We enjoyed our adventure and loved that Granddad made the journey with us.

This was the view of Craggy Pinnacle from Craggy Gardens Visitor's Center.  We were at the tip top of the mountain for our hike.  We can't wait to venture back up again!

Discovery Place Science - Da Vinci's Machines

Our homeschool group traveled to Charlotte, NC to Discovery Place Science.  Da Vanci's Machines was the featured exhibit and we wanted to see it.  Most of our group had never been to Discovery Place, so this was exciting for everyone.

We also enjoyed the permanent exhibits and science shows.

This was a great science outing for our group.  They had a great time with all the hands-on activities. We will definitely return when a new traveling exhibit arrives.

Balloon Art!

One of our dear homeschool friends has an adult daughter that happens to be a balloon artist.  Her daughter and two boys were in town visiting and she wanted to do a balloon art class for the kids.  Of course, we obliged!  This was a unique class and screamed FUN!

Christine made balloon kits for all the participants.  Each participant received a huge bag of different sized and shaped balloons plus a pump for inflating the balloons.

She told them about the different types of balloons used and what they were called.  She then gave them a bit of background information on how she got into doing balloon art and how they too could start in balloon art.

Next, she started showing the class how to create a puppy dog from a balloon.  She made it look easy!  Most of the kids caught on fast.  I was helping a younger student and was always afraid the balloon would pop.  Needless to say, I was slow at this process.

After the dog, everyone learned how to make a sword.  Of course, the boys loved this one!

The last thing we made was a flower. This endeavor required the use of two balloons!

She told us between the dog and flower we learned how to twist and create most of the patterns used in balloon art.  Of course, making other types of animals or items could require more balloons of different types and weaving them into the desired shapes.

She had created many examples to give away to the kids.  They were elaborate in design!  She can tie, twist, and shape the balloons effortlessly and fast!  It was mesmerizing to see her work.

This was a fun class and even LM said he really enjoyed it.  He wasn't too sure at first, but loved it!  In fact, he played around making different sizes of dogs with his balloons all weekend!