da da da DAAAAA......
SIXTY lovely degrees!
We spent the morning bird watching - here is a slideshow of what we saw...
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Emily on birds...
A Bird Came Down
A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.
He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,
--They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head
Like one in danger;
cautious,I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home
Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim.
-Emily Dickinson
A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.
He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,
--They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head
Like one in danger;
cautious,I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home
Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim.
-Emily Dickinson
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Birds on the brain...
Those crazy coots have really set us onto a "bird-brained" track...We've been reading a book about BIRDS, and tomorrow we plan to go on a bird-sighting hike! There are really quite a lot of different water fowl out here on the lake - and the swans have returned! The swans returning has spawned a bunch of questions, all unknowns to the parental units in this household...Where do swans GO? How far do they go? We have heard they mate for life, but then again we've heard that's a myth, and they are only faithful to their partner for one seasons eggs/babies? We do know that a male swan is a COB, a female is a PEN and the babies are CYGNETS... We're in search of more answers, and will share as we find!
Although the temperatures are still in the chilly late-winter 50ish range, spring is definitely in the air - and the local birds are real proof of it! Lots and lots of paired off Canada geese around...and often we'll see a threesome - two boys doing their best to show their girl who will make the dandiest mate! Here is a fun kids page about Canada geese.
Incidentally, the Wisconsin DNR's kids webpages are really neat. Check 'em out!
Illinois' is not as easily navigated, but we did find these fun downloadable activities
Although the temperatures are still in the chilly late-winter 50ish range, spring is definitely in the air - and the local birds are real proof of it! Lots and lots of paired off Canada geese around...and often we'll see a threesome - two boys doing their best to show their girl who will make the dandiest mate! Here is a fun kids page about Canada geese.
Incidentally, the Wisconsin DNR's kids webpages are really neat. Check 'em out!
Illinois' is not as easily navigated, but we did find these fun downloadable activities
And this very informative site - where you can enter the birds you spot in your state to their data log!
We are hoping to have gobs of photos from tomorrows birding! Look for them soon!
We are hoping to have gobs of photos from tomorrows birding! Look for them soon!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
COOTS in our yard!!!!
We've been seeing these interesting birds, swimming in the lake we live on, and yesterday in our yard! We had been identifying them as "camerons" , but a little research on the www tells us now they are actually AMERICAN COOTS (also known as mud hens, blue-petes, moor-heads & pond crows, among others)! They appear to be locationally confused, though, as the geographic legend states they should be in our area in SUMMER for breeding...and the 32 degree temp today is certainly NOT summer-like... Check out this link and this one (fun) to learn about & listen to coots! Chef Daddy-O wonders how they might taste...I found this humorous old recipe.
More from the InHome Conference...
Here are the kids modeling the tie-dye t-shirts they created at the conference.
Here is the little girl mo
deling her t-shirt AND her felted necklace.
A close-up of the felted necklace - isn't it cool?!
Monday, March 10, 2008
2008 InHome Conference
This years conference was, I think, the best one yet! Conference was held at a new location - Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles IL, which was excellent - and A LOT of exercise! I wish I'd had my pedometer to measure the length from one end of the resort to the other (classes and workshops were held in every area of the huge resort)! I'm quite certain we logged miles and miles and miles of hoofin' it daily - which is a good thing since we also frequented the Ben & Jerry's store within the resort!Here is Hazel at the Kids Flea Market, selling her wares (bracelets). I regret not getting more photos, maybe next year I'll send throw-away cameras with both kids to their workshops...
The kids favorite workshops were: Big Run Wolf Ranch Wildlife Education - where they met a HUGE, beautiful wolf named Oden
...
...as well as a de-scented skunk & a cougar! The ranch is right in our neighborhood, and we plan to schedule a field trip there very soon!
The kids also attended workshops on Model Airplane Building, Lego Robotics, Comics for Beginners, Hula Dancing, Tie-Dye T-Shirts, Native American Traditions & Music, Irish Dancing, Felted Necklace making, Logic/Math Games & Brain Benders, and the boy's favorite - Barn Building & 1890's chores! They actually built a small scale barn with wooden nails! They also shucked corn with an 1800's tool, made rope by hand & whipped up some home-made ice cream with an authentic 1890's ice-cream making device!
Dad & I enjoyed our workshops, too. His fave was chaperoning with the Wolf Ranch and a "Dads Who Do It" round table where Homeschool dads had some time to share their experiences. I taught two workshops - BREATHE & RELAX - techniques for the Harried Homeschooler (I have a file I'm happy to share with the breathing exercises - just e-mail me or post a comment here & I'll happily send it to you) & KNITTING WITH UNUSUAL MATERIALS, plus attended a bunch of workshops - including a bookmaking session which was very cool. I was kept busy for the duration of the conference with my sign-making & placement duties, as I am the signage chick for the conference...Which is a busy but fun & fulfilling way to help out with this awesome event.
I think the best thing about the conference, from year to year, is the shot-in-the-arm it gives me at the time of year when my enthusiasm is sometimes waning a bit...Being surrounded by so many (1200+ was the estimate as of Sunday) diverse and interesting like-minded homeschoolers is just incredible - and always bolsters my (and the kids' & hubba's) conviction that not going to school is the right choice for us. Plus we see old friends, and make new ones and learn new skills & knowledge...what's better than that?!
Monday, March 03, 2008
Busy...busy...busy...
Whew!
We're on a real whirlwind these couple of weeks.
Between the little girl's birthday celebrations, cake orders
(check out the wedding cake I did last weekend at
lessons & this weekend's upcoming InHome Conference
(I'm a presenter & volunteer) it's been a bit wacky around here...
Check out the conference link if you have a minute - this event is one of our family's very favorite things on earth - we look forward to it all year long! It is an amazing weekend, run completely by volunteers, and it is really a special example of how wonderful the homeschool community here in Illinois really is. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun info & photos to share here next week - the kids are attending some very cool workshops...but for now I'm off to work on my signs!
OH, lastly - we've been having fun with grammar poems lately - so I thought I'd share them here...Here's the first one...
THE VERB
I am a verb, I like to act,
To walk, to run, to dance - it's a fact.
To plough, to build, to work, to strive,
I like to feel that I'm alive!
But sometimes I just say, "I am,"
And act as meek as a little lamb
Check out the conference link if you have a minute - this event is one of our family's very favorite things on earth - we look forward to it all year long! It is an amazing weekend, run completely by volunteers, and it is really a special example of how wonderful the homeschool community here in Illinois really is. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun info & photos to share here next week - the kids are attending some very cool workshops...but for now I'm off to work on my signs!
OH, lastly - we've been having fun with grammar poems lately - so I thought I'd share them here...Here's the first one...
THE VERB
I am a verb, I like to act,
To walk, to run, to dance - it's a fact.
To plough, to build, to work, to strive,
I like to feel that I'm alive!
But sometimes I just say, "I am,"
And act as meek as a little lamb
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