Home school Fun...

At 'school' we have been reading about different styles of homes around the world. It has been an eye opener for the kids to learn about how people around the world still live. Many people still make their own bricks or mud walls to build their homes. 

Pierson thought this was cool and that it wouldn't be so hard... 

Instead of trying to convince him with words I decided to let him try himself. 

 That afternoon we promptly hiked down to the creek (about a 1/2 mile) with buckets and shovels to find the right kind of mud. We each had two buckets and a shovel/scoop. Both kids were excited and eager to try this out!
 The mosquitoes were out that day with a vengeance. Reason #1 it wasn't easy.

 #2 We weren't sure what type of 'mud' would be best for bricks. (Mommy had an idea but she wasn't telling). Was it rocky mud, sandy mud, gooey mud, mud with leaves and sticks in it? Who knows?! :)
#3 You had to get a little wet. What did clever Pierson do? He had his sister wade through the water to pull this log into just the right spot so he didn't have to get his feet wet!

 Maylin had wet soggy feet and Pierson's stayed perfectly dry. What a gentleman. lol

 So we filled our buckets. Some of our buckets had handles, some didn't.  Nevertheless it was time to head back to the house.
Reason #4 this job isn't easy, the way home is all UPHILL!
#5 not all our buckets had handles.
#6 because our buckets didn't have handles wet mud was running down our arms and ALL over our clothes.
#7 some of us had wet feet.
#8 sticks and leaves were sticking to our wet itchy legs!
#9 THE MOSQUITOES!
#10 the hysterical crying sister who wasn't happy that her feet were wet and who couldn't scratch her legs which were being attacked by mosquitoes and sticks because her hands were full with buckets of heavy mud with NO HANDLES!
Oh the drama!
I suggested leaving the buckets behind and we would come back for them later.
#11 suggesting leaving buckets behind.

(It's OK. I can laugh about it now)

What does a mom with two FILTHY kids who are hot, tired, itchy and unhappy do when she FINALLY gets back to the house with buckets of mud with no handles? She drops those buckets and jumps in the pool. Muddy clothes and all! This was going to be way easier than trying to get them to the bath tub without making a mud trail through the house.

What do her kids do when she jumps in the pool with her clothes on?  Stop crying, stand and look at her as if she has finally 'gone off the deep end'. (no pun intended).  After a good bit of coaxing they finally followed suit.

 This eventually made the whole experience seem... well, not quite SO bad.

Pierson was surfing on the knee board. 

Fast forward several days...

After we let the mud dry out we wrapped each brick in tin foil and burned them in a fire. (which served a double purpose for s'mores). We left them over night in the embers and checked on them the next day.

 Some of bricks crumbled with the force of their hands.

 Some... well they didn't make it at all.

 But there was one which made a nice sturdy brick.

 They were both pleased that they figured out how to make a brick! Now we only need several thousand more to make our own house.

Too bad we didn't label our mud so we knew which type made the brick! 
LOL
Mommy is pretty sure she knows where we got this mud... but Mommy is NOT telling for fear of trying again!

Lesson learned: Brick making the 'old fashioned way' is HARD work!  :)