Easter Snakes

One of the ways we are celebrating spring is by doing a unit study on birth and the animal kingdom in general. We visited a goat farm last weekend and learned a lot about caring for baby goats. This week we visited the Iowa Reptile Rescue and cuddled with snakes and other reptiles. It is amazing how much the kids learn when they are able to interact with animals and their caretakers. The caretakers know so many intimate details about the animals and were very patient and happy to answer all of our questions. It was such an intimate and educational experience! I think the photos do a good job of showing just how "intimate" it was - LOL!

Of course it is always fun for the kids to visit local farms, animal centers and zoos. However, to make the experience as educational as possible (without doing a lot of research or preparation) I do the following:

1. Find small groups, organizations or farms that offer programs our tours for small groups. You can learn more and get more of a hands-on experience if your group is between 4 and 10 people.

2. Find opportunities where the tour leader or host(ess) are the direct caretakers of the animals so they have not only a general knowledge of the animals, but also a more detailed knowledge that comes from daily interaction with them and so they are more comfortable showing and allowing interaction with the animals.

3. Find situations where the children will be able to hold and interact with the animals instead of being told "Ok, now, just use one finger and touch the turtle very carefully" or where they will be seeing them behind bars.

4. Use these tours as a way to support local farms and organizations. By paying for tours or classes or purchasing products at the farms, you are supporting local business and wonderful organizations like "reptile rescue" or ARL.

5. Listen to what excited the children about the visit and ask THEM questions. Usually this gives them a chance to recall some of what they learned and it may also inspire them to look up some of the answers.

I would love to hear about other trips other people have taken. I am always looking for more ideas!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

http://www.earthschooling.com/

PS: Remember - For lessons and video tutorials you can join the member's BLOG at http://www.herbnhome.com/

Sunii's Hawk

Sunii had a close-encounter with a hawk today and took this photo with my cell phone. We were out biking at the time. He got within one foot of the hawk and stood there with it for about 5 minutes. Way cool! I didn't get very close because I didn't want to scare it away for Sunii. He has this "magic" with animals and I figured he had more chance to get close to the hawk than I did :)

Nature Walk Adventures

Our newest series on The Waldorf Channel is a series of nature walk adventures and you are welcome to share your own! Have you seen a deer, fox or other animal while walking? Did you make something beautiful in the woods? Videos in this series will be focused on the unusual, inspirational and/or educational. I will not be including videos of people walking in the woods and doing nothing. Although these kinds of videos may be beautiful I am aiming to create a series that is more educational and unusual. If you have anything to contribute please contact Kristie at: herbnhome@yahoo.com

I do have many clips to share, but I decided to start small. This one is a very short clip of a chipmunk chirping. Did you know that chipmunks chirp? I never knew...I always thought it was the birds...until one day the sound was driving me crazy so I went outside to see what the ruckus was and I found something like this little guy...tune in and see. Your kids will be watching those chipmonks very closely after seeing THIS 30-second clip!

Chipmunk Chirp at The Waldorf Channel

Blessings & Health,
Kristie
http://www.earthschooling.com/

Even Birds Build in the "Flood Zone"

Remember the other day when I was asking myself WHY to people continue to build in flood zones? There are so many reasons we thought of but I didn't think of the most basic reason - instinct. Is there something about us that causes us to just want to stay in a familiar place no matter how dangerous it is? If we are anything like the birds that live in my Gazebo then the answer is YES! We have lived in this house for 3 summers now and this is the THIRD summer that these birds have built a nest in the gazebo roof. A cozy place...

...see the baby bird peeking out of the nest?

The only problem is that every year we find dead baby birds on the floor of the gazebo. So I was sure they would not build there AGAIN! But they did. So when Sofi and I were having our tea party this morning we decided that they needed some help. We took some scrap fabric and made a baby bird hammock! We could hear the little babies chirping as we hung it up. Hopefully they are safe now! Mama has a couple little openings she can get into. I'll check on them later and make sure mama is coming back...

Let's Count BIRDS!

This post can now be found on our new BLOG HERE.