A Little Visit from a Feathered Friend

Yesterday, we had an unexpected visit from a feathered friend. This picture is obviously not the best, but Olivia really wanted me to blog about it, so here we are.

The hummingbird bird was remarkably tame, if one considers tame equivalent to our ability to catch and handle him rather easily. I mean, he (or she) did fly away at the very first opportunity presented and did not answer to any of the names with which each child attempted to christen him, but our ability to climb up to the place where he perched and gently but firmly replace him into our hands is good enough for the label tame in our household. Um, by this standard, he's more tame than my own Fiona!

The children were fortunate enough to see the hummingbird's tongue in action and really hoped to keep him much longer than the more than handful of minutes I allowed, but alas! We set him free and refilled the hummingbird feeder to the brim in hopes that Peter, Charles, or Mary would stay nearby.

Now, I'm off to dust the blades of that ceiling fan---yucky-yuck! Figures, it would take a teeny bird to point out the fact that I'm slipping in the housekeeping department! Somebody dock my pay. Wait. I take that back.

Hey, Mommm....?

Living in a more rural setting than previously and now having neighbors who own sheep and steer and chickens, we most definitely have more yucky flies hovering about, demanding our attention if not our compost. And, having a daughter who loves every living creature without preference nor prejudice, I should have known this day would come.

"Hey, Mommmm...I caught some flies and I wanna keep them and observe them and see what they eat and how they live. Is that okay? Oh, and can you find me something to read so I can learn more about them? And can I use the microscope to look at their eyes and wings and legs and stuff? And..."

Houseflies. Filthy dirty houseflies that we once swatted when bothered by a stray and rare visitor but now catch by hand and release back into "the wild." Ugh.

But what home-schooling Charlotte Mason mother can say no? All living creatures seem to possess an inherent attraction for the youthful mind, right?!

Even houseflies.

"I guess so, as long as you keep them well contained and wash your hands for thirty full seconds when finished handling them and don't accidentally release them all through the house and..."

Within three days, Fiona learned:

• Flies eat almost anything, as longs as it's moist and maybe rotting.
• Flies don't live very long.
• Flies have the coolest eyes.
• Flies have hair all over their bodies.
• She's seen maggots before and now knows were to find more of them so that she can raise some flies herself whenever she wants.

Greeaaatttt.

Nature Study, Naturally

"The child who spends an hour in watching the ways of some new 'grub' he has come upon will be a man of mark yet...some day he will come across the name of the creature, and will recognise the description of an old friend. (Charlotte Mason, Home Education, Volume I, p. 58)"

David made a discovery this week:

"Momma, look what I found out!!  This insect is a Ladybug larvae.  We've played with these before, but I never knew what they were until now!!"

A son's delight and old books filled with fab illustrations are just a couple of the many Things I Love.

And don't miss any of the amazing giveaways, from my month-long birthday party.  THIS WEEK: the most fantabulous baubles from my Etsy fave, Stella Jade Designs!!

Nature Study, Naturally

My son, David, was a maniac with the butterfly net yesterday and this was his fab reward.  

In recent months, we have had several moths in our home that went on to glory from the extensive observation and pet-making processes that my creation-loving kids put them through, but this was a special case, and the kids seemed to instinctively know it.

This lovely butterfly, an American Painted Lady, common to California, was treated as a lady should be: with respectful tenderness.  And, although that much loved and used butterfly net was part and parcel of a whole Entomology kit I purchased last year, the kids cannot yet bring themselves to pin and label one single mini-thing.  Somehow, although I shelled out a pretty penny for said kit, I respect that.

And, here's a li'l video for you ((but don't bug about the dirt---we live on the side of a hill, remember?!))

A Wordy Wordless Wednesday: That Time of Year Again!

My sister-in-law just loves it when my kids clean out her gardens!!

Believe it or not, this is year #4 of collecting and observing snails.  Totally love that the kids do all the care and c l e a n i n g, 'cause I'm just not that into snail tar-poo.  But, I gotta admit, those snail eggs and babies are just way too cute.

Ahh...and here's a bit o' snail trivia:

What makes snails so terribly prolific?

Outdoor Hour: A Year with the Birds

In our neck of the metropolis, Spring has totally sprung: I've got the fe-vah to prove it, and it is highly c o n t a g i o u s!  As of Monday, I revamped our entire school schedule to reflect the effects of this lovely burning passion for the Vernal Season we call Spring.  

Instead of busting a move with our core studies first thing in the ante meridian, we are getting out-and-about nearly every blessed new morn.  Hey!  We've only a few months of this kinda fun, before the sweltering summer sun beats down upon our wooly heads, ruining all the family-trekking fun, so we're going to have-at-it until then.

But, let's not think anything but verdant thoughts right now, um'kay?

For now, it's just we, the earth and the birds...

...and a California Poppy or few;

...a West Coast Painted Lady, lounging on our path;

...some yet-to-be-determined critter tracks found by the shoreline;

...a very lucky Ladybug;

...some mating Mallards--ducks are birds, right?!

...a very protective Red-Winged Blackbird of the male persuasion;

...same said Red-Winged Blackbird in flight--I suppose he figured out my sweet boy was a bigger threat than he and all his tough-guy chirping.

Oh! and I discovered a flock of Happy Campers, too--

a very rare and precious breed indeed!

So, has Spring yet sprung in your neck of the woods, fields, sticks, suburbs, or 'hoods?  Do you too get all feverish when the sun is brightly shining and the birds are waking the Vernal Equinox from its slumber with tender melodies?  Aren't Happy Campers the very best breed of babes?

Wordless Wednesday: Love 'em and Leave 'em

From the information we could find on common northern Californian lizards, it looks most like either a Coronado or Skilton's  Skink, although both are mainly found in southern California--it wouldn't be the first time we found a little lost creature, far from home, though!

The Outdoor Hour: Nature Study for Dummies--Like Me...Obviously!

Barb, from The Handbook of Nature Study, is holding my flying-animals-of-creation-fearing hand every Friday, as we study birds together.  I'm linking up with her, as we study one bird each week because it's all I can really handle without an abundance of intoxicating medication.

You see, I had this ridiculous Biology teacher in high school that loved to tell his personal horror stories about how many times he was afflicted with worms inside his nasty body whilst growing up, instead of actually teaching his scholars a thing or six about the science itself.  

Ew.  

And I still have palpitations about birds as his final exam was a slew of his hobbyist taxonomy projects--all 100 of 'em--which we had to identify by sight and which counted as 60% of our final exam grade.  

Creep.

Needless to say, I passed by the hair on my flightless chinny-chin-chin, and it had nothing to do with birds and everything to do with acing the rest of the year's work.  

Hated him for messing with my average--ruined my life.  Today, I only repeatedly fantasize that I was Valedictorian of my class, while routinely crank calling the gal with the disgusting photographic memory who unfairly was.

But I digress...and incriminate myself.

This particular Outdoor Hour Challenge started last Friday but, somehow, I missed it.  No worries: Barb isn't posting Mister Linky for three weeks, while we get our study on with Masters Robin, Cardinal and House Finch.  And, like I said, Barb literally holds your hand through the whole process of studying these wretched fine creatures, by giving you a step-by-step checklist, consisting of Inside Preparation Work, Outdoor Hour Time, and Follow Up Activities.  She even tells you which pages to read in that uber-intimidating Handbook of Nature Study, by Anna Comstock!!  How cool is that?!

Won't you come and join us?  And, if not now, you have about 72 weeks before we're done.  Maybe you'll mosey on over before then?

Hey!  Here's a thought: Maybe this study will free me from the wicked damage of Mister T's Biology class.  And then again, maybe not.

The sacrifices I make for these kids...

A Fun Nature Study Resource Freebie

I received this in my inbox this morning, and I wanted to share it with you: Nature Study Made Easy, by Shallow & Cullen.  I found it last summer on Google Books, used it for our fall term nature study and plan to return to it again for spring term.  

This lovely book, especially geared toward the elementary- and preschool-aged child, is chock-full of delightful poems, illustrations, short narrative stories, and simple activities and experiments.  

But, don't let the age-range fool you.  This book is so sweet and the exercises and activities so simple yet concrete that my oldest daughter has also enjoyed the lessons immensely.

Today, Wholesome Childhood, is providing a free PDF copy of the book.  And if you haven't heard of Home School Freebie of the Day, also owned by Wholesome Childhood, you should really jog over to their site and fetch something fun and FREE!  This home-based company, run by a Christian home-school family, includes so many fun and free resources, you cannot miss.  One of our fave resources is the weekly and free Home School Radio Shows, and, this week, up to bat is Leo Tolstoy's "God Sees the Truth But Waits."  

Fun, fun, fun!

Hope y'all had a blessed weekend!!  Welcome back.

Winter Wednesday ('cept we're two weeks late!)

As a fun supplement to our nature study this term, we are joining Barb at Handbook of Nature Study and reading through a fantastic winter resource called, Discover Nature in Winter: Things to Know and Things to Do, by Elizabeth P. Lawlor.  

...although we seem to be two weeks and two days behind Barb, since we started our term later and don't get our hands into God's creation until Friday afternoons...but, don't you just love virtual co-ops?  I know I do!  Yes, digressing...

This week, I read the first chapter of the book entitled, Winter ((how predictable was that?!)), and then shared with the kiddos what I knew they would find fascinating about winter.  

We talked about migration and how plants and animals protect themselves in winter, if unable to migrate.  We explored wind chill and heat loss through convection, radiation, conduction, and evaporation ((and then we warmed up again with some hot cocoa)).  We developed a chart which will help us track daylight hours, as well as daily high and low temperatures, until spring arrives, too.  But, decidedly, best of all we tuned in our keen nature-eye to winter's unique colors.  

Although we don't get a lick of snow here, did you know that snow actually helps sharpen the definition of colors?  No wonder snow pics are always fantastic!

But now, as Northern Californian transplant-folks, winter looks almost like spring, except the damp fog lies lower longer and, beautiful as it is, cries out for a blazing fire--now!    This week especially, we had to really challenge ourselves to see winter during our nature walk: it's been a consistent seventy degrees and we're loving every short-sleeve-minute of it!  But, I think we got it, finally.  Well, as best as we, not being Winslow Homers, could:

So, how do you tackle nature study in winter?  Do you live where it snows, or, like us, not?  What special winter colors could you capture this week?

Wordless Wednesday