Thursday, April 4, 2013

April in Paris & Disneyland


We just got back from a long weekend in Paris and did a day at Disneyland. It's a 5 hour drive there and back, so they had lots of time to work on their reading list. Since Graeme is almost done, I need to take a look at the next level, but it seems like it is part of the core...anyone use Sonlight for that next level in reading?

We stayed at the Park & Suites, which I would recommend. It had two bedrooms (doubles), a sofa bed and a kitchenette, so it has plenty of space for our family of 6. It was relatively nice and had a complimentary breakfast each morning. It would have been nice if it had a pool, since it was so cold, but we weren't there long enough for it to matter. It was 5-10 minutes from Val D'Europe and DL-Paris  and had a free shuttle service, but we didn't use it. So, excited to see a MALL! Had some fun in Zara. I was hunting for some sweater UGGS for the girls, but the outlet there had almost no kids boots, and it was starting to get late.



At Disneyland Paris, we had lots of fun on the rides and checking out the Pink Castle - which you can walk through! Adventure Land has some really neat caves and grottos to walk through (and get lost in) and the Swiss Family Robinson felt bigger than California, but that could have just been me. We only stood in line once for a character, and Legend really wishes it had been Mouse - which we didn't see at all until we got to the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show - classic and entertaining show about what America is not like anymore. He got a stuffed one, but I think he would have really enjoyed it, since he adores Mouse. An interesting fact about DL Paris - they don't embroider your name in Mickey hats. In fact, the staff looks very much like you are crazy and has to ask many different people to verify, but no Mickey personalized hats to be found. :(


2013 Reading List | Graeme & Heidi

Graeme and Heidi have had a fantastic time reading these past few years and they wanted to share their current reading list and at the end of the list (when they are done) they want to come back and review each book (I will add these later). Heidi caught up to Graeme last year and they are doing the same reading list, which makes my job easier. 

For their "school readers" we are using Sonlight's grade 4-5 readers. They started them in late November, and we don't really follow the schedule, as they tend to complete them at their own pace. Some days they do a whole book, while other weeks it may take a bit longer to complete a book. Isn't it like that with every book!

More Stories from Grandma's Attic 
The Whipping Boy
The Children of Noisy Village
Ralph S. Mouse
Betsy & Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Henry and Ribsy
Encyclopedia Brown
Marco Polo
The King's Equal
McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm  Heidi is here currently
Socks
"B" is for Betsy
Lumber Camp Library
Emily's Runaway Imagination  Graeme is here
Ginger Pye
Misty of Chincoteague
Frindle
Along Came a Dog
Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West

Reviews to come....