Nature Class, April 17, 2012

We did the Chipmunk Experiment in nature class today. 

Then we did a nature scavenger hunt.  Eli and I made a list of things to find and glued them to paper bags. 

The kids paired up and searched for the items.  It was cool to watch these guys work together, crossing items off their list and hunting for them. 



Even the youngest of them were interested in what was happening...

The Chipmunk Experiment, part deux

Back in September we found a dead chipmunk, courtesy of our cats, in our yard.  It was unmarred.  You can read more about it here. 

I started leading a nature class for our friends and fellow homeschoolers.  Yesterday was "Unearth the Chipmunk" day. 

A quick overview...we buried the chipmunk hoping it would decompose and we'd only find the skeletal remains.

I talked about chipmunks with the kids, introducing them to the Eastern Chipmunk.  I forwarded some curriculum links to the mamas.  I bought a box of latex-free gloves for all who were participating.
We turned over the pot I buried the 'munk in.  I gritted my teeth and we set to work with little shovels, carefully wiping the dirt away.  The kids were really gentle.  I was still gritting my teeth...expecting to find a half-rotted carcass and getting ready to be grossed out. 

We got through the entire pile of dirt.  No chipmunk remains.  WHAT?  The kids were mildly disappointed and some made a few..."are you sure there was a chipmunk in here?" comments.  Others thought the worms at the whole thing. 

Then someone found a teeny tiny bone fragment.  We all started searching and sifting.  We found more bones.  The kids got bored and another mommy and me were still plugging away. 

We put all the bones in a jar of white vinegar.  This will eat away all the yuckies and clean the bones. 



side view of the skull



Tiny bones

The kids were pretty excited about it.  I was glad we were able to find some...nothing worse than an experiment gone wrong! 

We talked about what archaeologists do while unearthing dinosaur bones.  One kids asked if we were like scientists... you bet, buddy.  

Next week we'll look at the bones and figure out what is what...once they're clean and bacteria-free.  No weird chipmunk bone bacteria for these kids. 

Grape Arbor

We've expanded our garden.  Well, we've cleared a whole other area on our land that measures probably 30 x 40.  I'm just guessing, though. 

We're teaming up with some friends and starting a little community garden of sorts.  As long as they come and help weed, they can take home part of the result. 

We've got grape vines galore over here.  I don't know what kind of grapes they are.  They had attached themselves to trees and grew upwards of 30 feet in the air.  The husband built an arbor for them upon my request.  I love it.  He originally suggested using store-bought wood.  I wanted a more rustic look.  We've got tons of wood from fallen trees...why not use those?  Here is the finished product...

I had to yank down the vines from the tree.  There is still one left that won't budge...and I'm not climbing up there to unhook it.  While pulling them down I hit my face with a vine.  I've got a nice scab on my nose now.  It also busted my glasses...  I need to start wearing protective goggles when I go outside. 
From the vines and from pulling up saplings and roots and such, I've now got poison ivy on my face.  Saw that one coming.  I'm thinking I'll have poison ivy on my face from now until November. 

Walking in the Woods

The husband and the boys go walking behind our property all the time.  It's usually when I need time to relax or time to clean, so I haven't ventured as far as they have.  Today I saw the much talked about truck that is just sitting out there.  I also got to witness the beauty that is the wilderness I live so close to. 


Who leaves a truck in the middle of nowhere?




I was freaking out and had to walk away because there was glass everywhere they were climbing. 




I didn't capture how very cool this all looked in person very well.




Deer tracks.




Littlest Man.




Beautiful moss covered rocks were everywhere.




My middle guy.  He's just so handsome.

 It was 25 degrees out and sunny.  All bundled up and moving, it was almost like it was 30 degrees out.  It was a beautiful day.

Homeschooling Cub Scouts

I haven't posted in a while.  Well, I posted stuff about my psoriasis and GAPS diet endeavor.  I started a separate blog for that.  It just didn't seem right to post it all here. 

Last month I started a homeschooling Cub Scout pack.  The beauty of it is that it's during the day and siblings can come along.  Meetings are chaos, but the kind of chaos we're used to and love. 

So far, we've visited an old school  house and the fire station.  We've done flag ceremonies (complete with incorrect renditions of the Pledge of Allegiance) and made paper airplanes.  We've gone to see Doktor Kaboom!  We've created scrapbooks and learned about health and safety - making first aid kits and learning about Stop, Drop and Roll.  We've done hands on fun with simple machines.  We've done a ton of science experiments - liquid, gas, solid.  This weekend we'll be venturing out with our map and compass skills. 

The really excellent thing about this is that we can work it all into our homeschooling "curriculum" or standards.  We have done enough science, working on the belt loop and pin requirements, to last a few months!  Not that we'll stop anytime soon on that learnin'. 



Team work to move that incline plane.




Incline plane to move a heavy log onto the wagon.




Old School House...no knuckle rapping for these kids!




Tiger Scouts



Mentos and Diet Coke explosion.

Bernoulli's Effect/Law/Principle (I've seen it called all three)
Blowing into a playing card and having the flame come towards you rather than away. 
Pretty cool stuff there.



I love homeschooling.  And I love homeschooling Cub Scouts. 



Take a Walk

The unseasonably warm weather we've been having in Massachusetts is weird.  I'm expecting a horrific summer, or terrible snow storms in April.  Darn global warming.  The earth couldn't have warmed up that fast. 
We took advantage of the 40 something degree weather today and went for a jaunt.  Not only did we wear ourselves out, we exercised, breathed fresh air, collected pine cones for bird feeders/Christmas tree decorations, collected rocks, ran races and were just together. 
Cesar Milan, you know, the Dog Whisperer, always reminds owners to just take their dog for a walk.  That should be extended to kids.  The boys were climbing the walls, tumbling over one another before we left.  We've been home almost an hour and they're playing so quietly and cooperatively.  Oh my, I should go knock on some wood...
I am totally famous for telling my kids to go play outside, but it's not the same as a.) going with them and b.) getting them to move.  I don't know about your kids, but mine will be wrestling and throwing one another around inside the house.  As soon as I get them outside they start doing individual activities...quietly.  They'll come back in and immediately resume their wrestling matches.  Um, so that's not what I had in mind. 
I am with my boys 24/7.  And I love it.  But it's a whole different ball game when you take them out of the house and do something that doesn't involve lists or errands or other people.  We just got to be out together. 
I don't do this nearly as often as I'd like.  The husband usually takes them on hikes into the woods so I can get stuff done around the house.  I think I'll have to schedule in times like this from now on. 



There's a collection of rocks in that sweatshirt pocket.




"I think that's Land Coral, mum."




He was in the middle of singing...





I almost died...they all actually stood still, posed and smiled...



Customizing Family Games

I came home the other day to find this on the kitchen table.

  I love that husband o'mine.  Odin was thrilled to be operated on.

Keeping Track of Homeschool Progress

We don't really do a lot of "school".  At least, my kids don't think of the things we do as "school".  The few things I do have them do are met with such resistance.  For instance, I thought it was a good idea to have my kids track the temperature of the month by graphing it every day.  They thought it was fun for all of 2 days.  Then I was met with "Why DO I HAVE TO?!"  Sigh.
"You don't have to, but I'd like for us to see how the weather changes."
"You're the worst mom EVER!"
Sigh, deep breath.
"Perhaps that is so.  Let me pick you up so you can see the thermometer."

Then I thought it was a good idea to chart Eli's money saving.  He's saving for a Nintendo DS.  Ugh.  I am not very excited about this, but it's his money and if he actually saves for one, I'll be completely impressed, and he'll learn about the value of saving...right? I also thought it be useful to track what we've done so far this school year.  We're more unschooly/interest-led than anything else, so it was tricky.  The only way I keep track of things is via blog, photos and calendar.  I had to look through all of those things, month by month.  Then I put all the activities on a spreadsheet categorized by subject.  Holy cannoli, Batman.  That was time consuming.  But, it was also validating.  As a homeschool mom, I get the anxiety driven by not knowing if my kids are learning enough or are where they are "supposed" to be by school standards.  To me, it looks like we've done a lot.  I filled up spreadsheet after spreadsheet of academia.  I then showed it to my husband who had previously laughed at me for snapping pictures of the kids at the playground and holiday parties, jokingly saying, "You're just going to use everything they do as curriculum, aren't you?"  You bet, baby.  I then pointed out all the things they've done and how it applies scholastically.  Eyebrows went up..."Really, the grocery store applies?"  You bet, baby. 
I now mean to keep track a little better, but we'll see how long that lasts. 

Happy New Year, 2012

The holiday crazies have now passed us.  While I love the holidays, even the crazies, I love the calm after the storm...and the re-energized activities that find their way into our lives again. 
We have spent the past couple of weeks doing a lot at home.  We took New Year's weekend and rearranged a lot of furniture and created more usable space.  It was a great way to start off the year. 
We swapped out old activities for new ones.  The boys were taking some nature classes.  They have ceased their desire to take those classes and opted for something more active - karate.  We'll be doing a lot of nature based activities in Cub Scouts, yes, you heard it right...Cub Scouts.  I've started our own homeschool Cub Scout pack.  This ought to be fun!
We finally found an economically right karate studio for the boys.  Incidentally, it has a homeschool class smack dab in the middle of the day - not at dinner time.  Their previous instructor was really calm and the class was subdued.  This new guy...holy cannoli...he's loud and forceful.  The boys love it. 

"Mom, I need my face painted like a ninja so at karate everyone will know i'm a ninja."

We've started swimming at the local center again.  Yesterday was our first invasion.  Between seven and eight homeschool families showed up for this family time swim.  I had to giggle a bit.  The lifeguard sure hadn't planned on a busy morning!  She had to call in another lifeguard and did this with a look of horror on her face.  I felt a little bad for the moms with their under-one-year-old babies, though.  They sure weren't expecting a bunch of older kids jumping into the pool! 
While I'm not enjoying the cold, I am enjoying the new opportunities that it brings every year!

Dog Biscuits

Grandma, if you're reading this, perchance, go away.
Okay, now that that's dealt with...
The boys decided they'd love to make dog biscuits for grandma's new dog, Buddy.  Buddy is the sweetest Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier.  And he's 6 months old. 
I found a recipe by Googling.  I can't remember which recipe it is and I've misplaced the print out of the recipe.  Yes, I'm that organized and helpful.
We all gathered around the table and got to making the biscuits.  Measuring was off...some of the little ones don't quite understand that in order to complete the measure you've got to fill the spoon or cup...
They enjoyed kneading and stirring the dough.  They wanted to taste it...2 liked it and one just about threw up. 
Ingredients:  5-6 cups whole wheat flour, 1.5 cups chicken broth, 4 garlic cloves, 2 tbs parsley, and the rest I cannot remember. 
The recipe called for rolling out the dough to a 1/4" thick, cutting and baking for 30 minutes, then flipping them all over and baking for another 15 minutes, turning off the oven and letting them sit there overnight so they get all crispy.  Um, so we rolled out the dough to a 1/4" thick.  The kids fought over who's turn it was to cut and how many they could cut before the next child could partake.  They were baked for 30 minutes and were way crispy.  So I didn't flip them over or leave them in the oven all night. 
I'm wondering if Buddy will ever get to taste these treats.  I asked my husband, "If you had a dog and someone made him treats, would you feed them to him?"  He said, "I'd say 'thank you' very politely and mean it."  Well, that didn't answer my question.  Then he said, "Maybe."  I think that's better...
We didn't have dog bone shaped cookie cutters.  The boys also thought our Christmas cookie cutters were too big.  So, we used a biscuit cutter and a knife.  Check out these masterpieces!


Using the garlic press...Oh, look, there is yeast! 
There was yeast in the biscuits.  One more ingredient uncovered....2 tsp.




Cutting biscuits is very serious business.





Shmorgasboard of biscuits...




Mmmm...crispy.

I will totally not blame grandma if these end up in the trash.  However, I'm hopeful that she'll allow the kids to give Buddy one.

Homemade Christmas Ornaments

I made this little guy on a whim.  We started out making snowmen with the large sized pom poms.  Then our snowmen needed scenes, trees and santas.  This santa was pretty easy to make.  The head is a pom pom.  The body is a pom pom wrapped in a square of red felt.  The arms and legs are rolled up pieces of felt.  The boots are triangular pieces of black felt glued to the leg to look like a boot.   The hat is a triangular piece of felt wrapped around the pom pom and glued together.  Everything is hot-glued together.  I like hot glue. 

This was our Christmas tree ornament.  It's stuffed with Poly-fil, hot-glued and beaded.  I had more insight to take pictures of the tree.  The santas went by so fast I didn't even think of documenting every step. 

Lastly, we experimented with an ornament idea from another site.  The melted snowman ornament.  Too cute of an idea.  I tried.  I don't know if I need an industrial sized hot glue gun, but I couldn't get the glue out fast enough before the existing glue started to cool and harden.  Hers are much cuter than mine.  This is what ours ended up looking like:

Not very cute.  Now I have a zillion little black hats...  

What's With The Weather?! ...and some mud fun...

It's December 7, 2011.  I am in Massachusetts.  It is 52 degrees out.  What in the world?!
My husband said, "This is going to be a warm winter!"  My brother-in-law said, "Farmer's Almanac said we're going to have a very snowy winter!"  We'll see.
A mama I know is trying to graph the weather to show how November and December are the cold months.  It's not working out so well.  After saying, "So, are November and December warm or cold months?", they responded with, "WARM!", very emphatically. 
All I know is that it's raining and my kids were out there having a blast.  Let your kids out, in the rain, to play in the mud.  It's good for them.  And it gives you a moment's peace before you need to mop the floor, do some laundry and give baths.