Our baby birdie is all grown up. Hydro flew the nest today for the first time. Just his two little un-hatched sibling eggs remained. Kids these days. They grow up so quickly. One minute they are a tiny egg…then poof, they’re flying in the wild blue yonder. Continue reading
Happy Monday! A later update than usual because I spent my entire day observing Challenge classes at a local CC community. In a strange twist, one of the classes has an assignment this week to watch birds as part of their Science lesson. More on all that fun in another post. I know you really want the details on our nest happenings. It’s nasty out today and Hydro looks none too pleased about it. Continue reading
This is a fantastic game for munchkins embarking on early math. Kids journey through Sum Swamp
Happy Saturday! Hydro (and the nest) looked a little worse for wear this morning after a mildly blustery night last night. He almost seemed to be shivering, huddled at the back side of the nest. There were bits of nest coming loose everywhere and tufts of his feathers kind of flying around. Continue reading
Boo-hoo! Hydro is tricky just like his momma. Hiding eggs and making me all excited, then dropping the boom today. No new babies. I’ve officially given up on the other eggs at this point. Hydro was born a week ago. I cannot imagine a scenario where eggs that were incubated at the same time hatch that far apart from each other. Anyone with vast birding knowledge want to correct that thinking for me? Continue reading
Do you have any old grungy pennies around the house? I’ll bet you do. Check under the couch cushions. Oh. Is it just my couch that collects money? Try the cup holders in the car. Still just me? We’ve been studying the first 12 elements on the periodic table, and this little experiment is an easy lesson with some pretty cool chemistry going on. Bonus, it’ll make your gross pennies look brand-spankin’ new. Like magic. Disclaimer: Vinegar is (apparently) the absolute worst smell on the planet. According to my kids, it may kill you with prolonged exposure. You may want to add “noseplug” to your list of materials.
Lots of excitement at the nest today! As usual, it was occupied when I peeked around the corner, but as I glanced at the fence, another Junco appeared from next door and dropped off some grub. As soon as the food was deposited, both birds flew away. Gazelle to a nearby tree, the other up to the fence line where he sat, glaring at me. All that, and I haven’t even arrived at the exciting part.
During the 6 weeks of great composers at CC, we study various composers, the parts of the orchestra and lots of musical vocabulary to give a broader understanding of the fine art of symphonic sound. As a classical music nut, I adore these 6 weeks. I had the opportunity to introduce my kids to Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade this week as we studied the Romantic Period of classical music. I whipped up a little lesson plan that you can easily use to introduce your own kids (or yourself) to this glorious and exciting tale, woven into beautiful melodies!
Good morning everyone! Hydro is still an only child. I’ve decided either he’s an overachiever from way back, or the other eggs are just not going to hatch. We are learning about odds and probability in CC. 1 out of 3 is pretty lamesauce (lame sauce…yes it is too a word) when you are talking babies. Sheesh. For the first time, I didn’t grimace in horror when I looked at him. Finally! Continue reading
Quick update with zero pertinent information. Really. It’s our CC day, so I was out of the house early in a mad dash of backpacks and orchestra materials. No nest checking. Now that we’re home, Gazelle is hiding any activity with her big fluffy keister. I’d wager she’ll remain on the nest the rest of the day since it’s turned cold and drizzly. Hopefully I’ll get a better look tomorrow and there will be more ugly babies.
Dissonant Symphony 