Navy Pier

A couple weeks ago we went to see the Tall Ships at Navy Pier. They're only there for one weekend each summer and since Gavin has been so interested in pirates lately, we thought he'd like it.

The Pier also has a 150 foot tall Ferris wheel and he had never been on one.  This one keeps going (slowly) even as you board!

He wasn't afraid here, just grumpy. 

One view of the gorgeous buildings:

Gavin was fascinated!

Next he went on the Thomas the Train ride:

And then it was time to see the Tall Ships.  We were able to see several that were out in the lake, while we were up in the Ferris Wheel.  One was docked, but Gavin had had enough by that point.  This was as close as he got, for all of five seconds:

 

Tae Kwan Do Test

After two months of Tae Kwan Do, Gavin was ready to take the test for a new belt color.

Here he is (center) going through his blocking sequence:

 He had to show the "grand master" (the owner of the school, who is in charge of the other instructors and whom Gavin had not met before) his kicking sequence and break a REAL wood board with his fist.

He passed and got his yellow belt!!

His "yellow belt club" friends with one of their instructors:

We're so proud of him!  He's already talking about getting his orange belt!

First Day of Kindergarten

I snapped this picture on the playground in the morning, as the kids were lining up.  The sun was still kind of low and Gavin didn't want to stand facing it, so I turned him around.  There was a glare and I couldn't quite see what the picture looked like as I was taking it, so I took a few and hoped for the best!

And I got this.  Perfect.

Some people have said Gavin looks angelic and others have said it looks like Evie was with him.  

Both true.  Gavin had a GREAT first day!

Morton Arboretum, Round Two

Gavin and I made another trip to Morton Arboretum last week (really trying to pack a lot of activities into this month)!  We explored some sections that we missed last week.

Last year, he couldn't climb to the top of this acorn:

Never mind that the weather was a bit cool - he really wanted to get into this "hidden stream."

He loved the Maze Garden, and ran through the whole thing!  We made it to the center and back out without getting lost.

All About Okapis

Gavin and I went back to Brookfield Zoo last week, and he was THRILLED to get this close to the okapi!

We easily spent an hour by that animal.  Gavin had talked about him all week and was excited to see him again.  Then we went to look for the second okapi in the other enclosure, and that one was eating and making a mess, so of course that was fascinating!

It's hard to tell from my photo, but there's a kangaroo resting in that patch of sand.

Gavin loved this wire frame giraffe that "guards" the stuffed animal store:

Play Date!

We got together with one of Gavin's buddies from his old preschool class, Jayden.  The boys ran around Airtastic for two hours and I think they actually got tired!!  Five year old boys don't tire easily!

Morton Arboretum

 Gavin and I are trying to cram a lot of fun stuff in these next two weeks!  We went to Morton Arboretum last week, and hope to go again this week!

There are some classic favorites:

And some new ones (somehow, he hadn't gone INTO the pond before):

You can see he's soaked, from playing with the stones and frogs in the next picture down:

I learned very early on to bring a full change of clothes for him, and not to put the dry clothes on until we're back at the car!  He has SO much fun there!

Brookfield Zoo

Gavin and I went to Brookfield Zoo last week.  We are going to go as often as we can before school starts!

He wanted to see the zebras and the giraffes, and we easily spent an hour there.  Good thing they are right next to each other!!  He ran back and forth.  Totally enthralled!

The zebra was eating (very messily!) and banging his food dish, so that was fascinating:

The other animal he loved was the okapi.  He remembered them from a "Diego" episode, and they were kind of hidden at the zoo, so we were lucky to find them.  He was so good that I got him a stuffed animal of each: okapi, zebra, and giraffe!

Tae Kwan Do

Gavin LOVES Tae Kwan Do.  He learned a new skill - how to "break" a board.  (It was supposed to break if enough energy is applied. Then it snaps back together for the next student to give it a try.)  He surprised himself - he has the cutest smile on his face!

He was on the other side of the room, so this was as close as I could get.

Engineering Class

One of Gavin's favorite play places, Airtastic, recently partnered with Engineering For Kids.  They offer several "Junior Engineering" classes and Gavin got to go to three of them.  The first day was Mechanical Engineering and the theme was "Catapulting Marshmallows."

Here is the catapult Gavin built:

They also used Lego catapults.  The kids got breaks to run around and play, which was an added bonus!

Another day was Civil Engineering (theme: "We'll Huff and We'll Puff") and they talked about buildings, and how skyscrapers need to sway in the wind.  

They built "skyscrapers" from Dixie cups and tape:

The last day was Aerospace Engineering ("1-2-3 Blast-Off"). Gavin had fun on all three days, but I think a big part of it was having play breaks during class.

Artwork

One of the weeks of summer school, the theme was "Cruisin' Kids."  Everything was related to going on a cruise, the ocean, sailing, etc.  Here are some of Gavin's projects:

A "porthole" on a boat:

A "lei:"

A sailboat: