A Rainbow of Nature

We were all a little cranky this morning, so we didn't spend too much time at the table getting school work done.  We did some handwriting and math and tried to draw some pictures of flowers, but nobody was really into it.  What we really needed was to get outside!!  I had seen a post about mixing paint with glue and doing a pretty cool art project with things in nature, but I just wasn't up for it this morning and everyone was complaining, so we opted to go outside.  While we were out there, though, the kids were noticing all kinds of different colors of things they were finding.  So, finally, we had a bucket full of wild red berries, orange and yellow blooms off a tree in our back yard, green leaves, bluish-violet periwinkles, and pinkish-purplish flowers.  I ran in and got some paper and glue and we made a rainbow out of what we found in the yard.  Nothing too spectacular, but a pretty cool way of finding different colors outside.  It was amazing how all of our cranky moods lifted once we were outside (and I came to terms with the mud!).  It was so warm by the time we were ready to go in for lunch, that everyone stripped down and stood in the pool while I hosed the mud off of them.  We will definitely be opening the water park this afternoon!