Butterfly :: {NSM!}

A four legged butterfly.
How intensely interesting is that?! Read on if you are mystified... or even if you're not. You might learn something.
I did!! :)

Well, I promised a post, and I can't say that it'll be super interesting to everyone, but we certainly enjoyed ourselves! ;) Hopefully, you are getting outside (daily?) already and enjoying yourselves just as much this March in your own corner of the world! I know that at least several of you are doing just that and were mighty quick on the draw with your posts. Three of you beat me to the linky! Shoot. I can get the nature studies done, but the posts... Well, all I can say is, I claim tired-exammed-out-prego brain.

{Please do share your nature study posts for the month! See the linky below... AND there's a group of my fellow AOer's attempting to get outside everyday this month. Wanna join them?}

There's the evidence. Look closely, it seems to have only four legs. How is that possible? Don't all insects have six? We'll get to that. Meanwhile, have you ever noticed the names of butterflies...? How 'bout a Grecian Shoemaker, Red Admiral, Isabella, Julia, Esmeralda, Mosaic, Wizard, Common Map... Wow. Cool names! Well, some of them anyway. A few of them are rather common... poor guy.

I'm pretty sure we've narrowed down the possible identity of ours to a Tiger Butterfly, a Large Tiger or a mimicry of one or the other. It's not exactly like the pictures in the book, but it does say they vary. The antennae of ours isn't orange like the typical Tiger Butterfly, rather more similar to those of the Large Tiger. Its markings are not as like the latter's as to those of the former. So, you see, I don't know. However, both are part of the Nymphalidae family, which means it is a relative of "some of the world's most beautiful and spectacular butterflies," according to my book. And what's really cool is I recognize a good number from this family.

Either way, it was fun looking it up. :)

I mentioned that we read it might be a mimicry of something else, and so we were surprised by joy when we just happened upon this interesting tidbit:

"Poisonous butterflies of the same species often fly together so that their warning colors are more easily recognized. A number of poisonous species even share a similar warning pattern. In this way, birds have only to learn that one species is poisonous to avoid all the rest. Some nonpoisonous species mimi poisonous species, so that they too are left alone. In the past, these mimicry associations have confused entomologists, who have only recognized one species where several in fact existed."

Butterflies and Moths by David Carter

So, there you have it. We may have discovered a new species. You just never know. If so, I want everyone to note the date of this post. Just in case. :)

As to the question of legs:
My kids are the ones who pointed out to me that the butterfly only had four legs. I said, "All insects have six", and then I looked very, very closely and can I just say it's third pair seemed very non-existent? I told the kids they must be there... somewhere. I even showed them where they could be completely and perfectly hidden... practically invisible even. But, as motherly as possible, I kept my doubts to myself.

I admit, I looked it up tonight for backup. In the book it says reassuringly, "The most important characteristic separating this large group from other species of butterfly is the front pair of legs, which are usually undeveloped so they no longer have a walking function." So there. Apparently, in many butterflies (not just this mutant family), the first pair of legs are short or kept folded up. Such is the case with our butterfly. Phew. I'm glad I was right. :) I can't wait to tell the kids.

Oh, and, we are not the only ones to have doubted. Just do a google search. It's funny. Apparently, it's a common question. :)


Want a really great butterfly book?
Here's the one I use the most: (and you can get it super cheap!)(and at the same time throw us a tip since it's an affiliate link and all)

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! 

Snag a button if you wanna! :)
Come back and share your nature studies with us any time this month!

It's March! {NSM! LinkUP!}

Okay, so I've been too busy with getting ready for exams, planning for next term, making a person...
so much so, that I haven't been able to get my {NSM!} post up last week and now it's almost past today and all I have are the pictures, words and the ideas... still in my head. A really tired head, I might add. :)

So, in my upcoming post, I might talk about how our Nature Study exam questions went today,
or, I might talk more about our Squash studies,
or, the cool butterfly we found that seems like it only has four legs...
or, you just never know. I might surprise you. ;)

I'm going to go ahead and post the linky RIGHT here, RIGHT now and then I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully, with everything all tidily bound up in an amazingly interesting blog post. How's that?

So, if you're ready with YOUR nature study posts from March, see if you can beat me getting them all plugged into the linky before I get back with my post... ;)
Hah!

Yeah, I double dare you.

Snag a button if you wanna! :)
Come back and share your nature studies with us any time this month!

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! 

Nature Study Monday: Squashing Discoveries {NSM!}

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! 

Look what I discovered! Lots of leaves, blooms and several squashes in the making!


Of course, the kids have seen all of this LONG ago and have been making spontaneous daily reports.
It's just me that's finally gotten out to have a good long look *with* my camera. :)
Thankfully, Siah (9) was with me and could point out ALL the particulars.


Discovery, check. Daily observation, check. Pictures, check. More study to come...
For now, be especially encouraged by Jeanne's carrot studies. Check them out!!



Snag a button if you wanna! :)
I hope you'll come back and share your nature studies with us this month!

Izula - Bullet Ant - Paraponera Clavata, aka: Scary bugs! & {NSM}

'kay. So, we have BULLET ants in our house. Regularly. Um... yep. Those gigantic ants purported to have the most painful sting among insects alive today?! Yes, those ones. Bet you can't guess why they're called Bullet Ants?! A guy who has reportedly seen some in a jungle near ours, shares his ideas about that name here. But don't worry, they're common; we've seen tons. You know, in our house even... I just skim all these sites touting the exotic Izula, the Paraponera Clavata, and think... got one in my living room. Beat that!



At about an inch in length, that's about life size!
Every now and then, and there's no telling when, we'll find one of these ugly bugs galavanting around one of our rooms or flaunting himself down the hallway. You know, just walking around, checking things out. They like our place, I guess.

Usually about an inch long, they have beady black eyes, wicked looking chompers (mandibles) and a kind of wasp-like looking body. They have hairs on their abdomen and legs. They sport segmented antennae and a yellow section on their foremost legs. In my opinion, they are rather formidable looking... Oh, and did I mention they squeak? Yep, they make a sound when they're startled or bothered (we can make them squeak, but cannot yet communicate with them enough to know the exact squeak-causing emotion).



Check out those chompers...
According to those who know, these puppies bite AND sting. Thankfully, we've experienced neither, and I'm not eager to try my luck. We've trapped a few for observation, but squish most of them. Currently, we have three in captivity. Siah, the animal whisperer, found all of our current guests two evenings ago. Two were inside the house, one with wings (possibly a female) and one without. Later, when the kids were out with the dogs after dark, barefoot, he walked right next to another, this one without wings. Oh, for grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!

Everyone here knows and avoids the Izula. Many friends report the sting is very painful. Our neighbor said he felt the throbbing up his arm and it made his heart beat similar to, he thought, a heart attack. I can tell you, just looking at one of these beasties makes my heart beat faster! Yuckity. Besides feeling like a gunshot, the sting will cause fever, which is why I'm getting a bit anxious to fumigate our house again ASAP. I'm not really into having one of my kids accidentally stung. Nope, that would not be a happy day.



Yikes. :S
There are many interesting tidbits like, ancient rituals involving getting bit multiple times on purpose for rites of passage, mentioned around the web, particularly in the comments of this blog post. And apparently, according to that blog author, the classification for this giant ant is debatable for some who want to claim it as some evolutionary proof of something or other? I thought it interesting that, supposedly, the only other one kinda similar is found in a fossil? That's cool.

Anyway, the kids have been having much fun with these guys. They think they're pretty brave to have them in their house AND to keep them around. I think it's kinda crazy and kinda cool, as long as there are no prison breaks. We did a more in-depth study this time around, thus this blog post. The kids are learning lots from observation and are gonna share their photos and info with a couple of the sites we found, to report their findings. That should be interesting.



The ants' quarters
I've come a long way with bugs, let me tell you. I used to be pretty nervous around your medium-to-average house spider, and I'd become semi-paralyzed with fear around bees or wasps. Yep. Bullet ants, baby... in my house. God definitely has a sense of humor. :)

Q: How do you react to scary bugs/creatures?! Are you able to remain calm and reasonable or do you freak out? How do your kids do? 

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! (scroll down for linky).

a nature study.

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! (scroll down for linky).

This was part of our today. :)
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This post is shared with October's Nature Study Monday {NSM LinkUP!}  & the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival.
You're welcome to link up, just grab this image to share in your post...


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The Face of a Friend {NSM}

While we were trying to identify this moth in a HUGE book of Butterflies and Moths...

Whoa! check out that tail...

...flipping through the field guide, we came upon the picture of this moth we'd found and pinned last month.

Funny, we hadn't looked it up before. However, I do know WHY we didn't look it up. Same story as before. Have you ever tried to identify a butterfly?! There are LOTS of different butterflies and moths in the world, and it seems like the ones we find in real life never make it into the books.

So, it can be somewhat frustrating, that.

Anyway, a thrill came over me when I happened on the page...


It was kind of like spotting the face of a friend in a crowd, or more like happening upon a familiar face in someone else's photo album. 'Cause after you've spent time with a live thing and further, repeatedly come back to gaze at it on display, it gets to be rather like the familiar face of a friend.

Perhaps it helps that the upper sides of his wings actually LOOK like a face; an owl's face, to be precise. And we have an owl that lives nearby. Right.

Speaking of moths and butterflies...

Have you heard about Maria Sibylla Merian?! Thanks to Google, I recently learned about this awesome lady, who I am sure I would have longed to be familiar face-to-face friends with, had I too lived in the 1600's. She travelled all the way to South America to study insects... Yes. Go ahead and read that again. A woman. In the 1600's. Who travelled to S.America to study insects. Amazing.
You can read/see more about her right here:




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'kay, so we're accumulating posts here for April's nature studies... care to join us?

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orthoptera. sounds like...? {NSM}

helicóptero. that's helicopter in spanish. okay, so it doesn't really sound anything like it if you pronounce both words correctly in their respective languages... but still, one reminds me of the other. ;) which got me thinking, i bet there's some correlation with word roots, prefixes, suffixes and stuff... which got me looking around a bit, and i happened upon a very cool site with the following information, which may or may not be of interest to you:

orth(o)– {straight, correct}:anorthite, orthochromatic, orthoclase, orthodontia, orthodox, orthognathic, orthogonal, orthographic, orthopedic, Orthoptera, orthotics, orthotropic || Gr orthos: straight, correct

pter– {feather, wing}: apterous, apteryx, brachypterous, Chiroptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, helicopter, Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Isoptera, Lepidoptera, Mecoptera, ornithopter, pterodactyl, pterosaur, Siphonoptera, Trichoptera, accipiter ||  Gr  pteron: wing, feather


of course, i could have just looked up the word in a dictionary... which says:

ORIGIN modern Latin (plural), from ortho-‘straight’ + Greek pteros ‘wing.’

right. that would've been quicker.
but, i'd never have found the cool site with the cool name. cognatarium. that's cool.
(see helpful links, below)

i knew it had to do with language. i love learning languages. root words are super helpful with that!


we caught most of these a couple of days ago... but saved the study part over 'til today.

so this week we covered: waterfall. newt. ground cricket. round headed katydid.
i added all the orthopteras to that page in my nature journal. do you think those leaves might have been similar to those that eve used?

helpful links:

*"The Cognātarium is a lexicon of English-language cognates; that is, words related by common origin. In English many words are formed from compounds of two or more word stems from the original language. In the great majority of words listed here in this lexicon, those original words stem from ancient Latin and Greek. For example, helicopter and pterodactyl both contain the root stem pter–, which means wing in the original Greek."

*Learn that Word's Root Words & Prefixes - QUICK REFERENCE! & Suffix page

*{nature study monday!} see linky below...

It's fun to share!
Bookmark this post (or use the link in the menu bar), come back and share YOUR nature study posts for the whole month of April in the brand spankin' new LINKY right below...

Birds of Prey. {Nature Study Monday - April}

So, there I was, walking exactly 6.0 mph (I happen to know this for a fact, because I was on the treadmill). I was reading, I can't remember what, but whatever it was, I'm sure it was interesting. When what to my wondering eyes doth appear, but a BIRD OF PREY right outside my window.


Let me tell you, I tried not to fall off the treadmill. I tossed my kindle *gently* onto a nearby bed, grabbed my camera (always close by), and high tailed it toward the kitchen which is in the other extreme of the building we call home.  I suspect I may have pushed speeds upwards of 9.0 mph, but there's no telling for sure. I ran out the back door, up the stairs, over the ramp (I stepped softly 'cause it's made of metal, and I thought for sure it'd scare the bird away) and back through the length of the second floor of our 'building', which is under construction, over to the opening, that would be a window if it wasn't the size of an oversized garage door, stopping directly over the room with the treadmill.

Are you still with me?

Well, you'll be glad to know that the bird was still there too. He was right there on the wooden post that holds up all those ugly wires. You know, the one I'm generally ill-favored towards because of it's unsightliness. Yes, that one. Well, I couldn't have felt happier that day about the post. It upheld a bird I'd never seen before in our neighborhood. And it was a big bird. And for some reason, these things make me wild with delight.

I know, I'm weird like that.

Anyway. I took pictures. I listened to him. I was delighted. He was so... stately.

Not long after I watched him fascinated for a few minutes, I turned and saw, perched on the lines of the post nearest to where I stood, that there seemed to be a gathering of all of my regular bird friends. The nice little birds that visit us every single day, their very regularity is such that I can measure the time of day by their visit. The colorful, cute, conversational ones, that come around in pairs. They all seemed to be looking nervously in the same direction.


Suddenly to my horror, the previously perceived admirable bird, non-chalantly flew over to a nearby undecidedly bushy tree where I happen to know there are several of the friendly birds' nests. He flapped down directly from the top and landed there in the uppermost part and subsequently seemed to be pouncing and flouncing his wings all the while maintaining his incessant piercing calls. I even thought I heard baby birds, but I didn't want to believe it. And there I was, filming it. A Bird of Prey.

I stayed all the way to the end. I tried to communicate my condolences to the grave gathering on the power lines nearby. I stood appalled at the seeming injustice of it all, but mostly just felt compassion for my little domestically minded friends, who sat there thinking about how they would start their families over next year and hope for the best, I suppose. I tried to send telepathic messages warning that they'd better try and hide their nests a little better and not put them so near the top of the tree bush next time. What else can you do?

I continued to watch the hawks, in disapproval as he and she (there were two, actually) flew around the neighborhood, stopping at all the tallest places taking similar action as the one had performed upon our nearby tall tree-ish bush. And I mourned all the baby birds. The kids joined me for this second tree-hopping part, and we ran from opening to opening (someday they'll be windows), watching and listening. I didn't tell them everything I knew and all that I suspected. Not yet.


We watched our solemn doves, out early that morning. I imagined they were sad too. I had found their eggs empty and broken on the floor of the second story only a couple of weeks before. Empathetically, they looked down on us and cooed.

Why am I shocked by these things? We know it happens. But my mother heart can't help remonstrating at these birds' seeming mercilessness. Why can't they just eat the annoying things, like rats. Or even the frogs. The frogs keep us awake at night when it's rainy. The things that annoy me. Because I am the center of the universe, right? Well, there are answers and there are probably even deeper parallels that someday will be revealed to me. Until then, I comfort myself with the thought that God sends food for the little birds and for the hawks too.

Later, Siah and I took out the field guide, and he discovered that the bird of prey was called a 'Roadside Hawk'. And though, slightly disappointed that it wasn't something more tropical, I was happy to be able to put a face with a name.

Multiple times in the days since, Siah has brought up the Roadside Hawk. He seems proud of his new acquaintance. I did fill him in on what Roadside Hawks eat, and he was quick to console me by telling me that he already knew. He'd seen 'the red on the hawk's chest feathers in the picture'. He seemed to take it all in stride and think none the worse of Mr. Hawk. And I'm glad for that.



B. m. occiduus (Bangs, 1911) – east Peru, west Brazil (south of Amazon, west of Madeira River) and north Bolivia.

It's fun to share!
Bookmark this post (or use the link in the menu bar), come back and share YOUR nature study posts for the whole month of April in the brand spankin' new LINKY right below...

Look who hopped in... {for Nature Study Monday!}

I'm always ever so thankful for whatever comes our way on nature study mondays (or any day for that matter)!
Whether we have to go looking, or whether nature comes and finds us, we'll take whatever we get! :)

Mya made the first discovery today. She pried me up from my afternoon meltdown spot with her third insistence of, 'Mom, there's a bug I think you're going to want to take a picture of!' After 'just a minute' turned into four and a half, she was back. She was lured away again with, 'See if Javen wants to take a picture with his camera...' But she came back insisting AGAIN that I would definitely want to take a picture of it.

I'm SO glad.

We were fascinated with this guy for over an hour (okay, admittedly, I was by far the most excited, but the kids were pretty captivated too!). He was SO interesting; strikingly colorful armor, perfectly smoothed black oval eyes, striped waistcoat, pygmy wings and spiky legs. And best of all, "His face looks like a wrinkled old man's." ~ Mya



Nature loving links {from the archives}:
Some Grasshopper fun
Nature Walk... call it study if you will
Nature Study Focus: Insects {part one}



Share your March nature studies with the  Nature Study Monday {March} Linky! 

Click here to share your posts!
 

Nature Study Monday... Rocks!

We went out on Saturday this week to San Pedro de Cumbaza, in order to scope out yesterday's baptism spot (more on that soon, at the tuttle tribe, and probably a pilgrim's project as well since this time some of my offspring went under the spring). :)

I had in mind to suggest looking at tree bark because of something I'd read lately, and because on the way I was aroused by several trees with blatant orange bark, which took first prize over those with very round white spots, a close second.

Having arrived at the first potential site, while everybody was off doing their own thing, I embarked with full intention of looking at trees, but I couldn't help noticing the nice round rocks, some with pink twinges and well, I do love rocks. I was once again completely taken in. Have I ever mentioned my favorite color is grey? And I have a soft-spot for heart shaped rocks? Nevertheless, I quickly succumbed. [I'm pretty sure succumbed is the weirdest word I've seen today, just sayin']

I'm not sure that anyone else present particularly noticed the rocks, though certainly, you couldn't avoid seeing at them, stepping/tripping on them, etc. They didn't receive even one special mention. But you may be sure, we'll be going back to that spot. The rocks are calling me. I can hear them now... oh wait, maybe that's my bed.

It is getting late. I almost didn't make it in time for nature study monday this week. Last week was a complete fail. I can't remember if we had an out of the ordinary walk, or just a backyard browse, but either way, I posted nothing. I wonder if anyone noticed? Of course you can link up any day you please, but the fact that it's called nature study monday gives me a deadline. I need that sometimes. :)

Feel free to link up to your February nature studies in the comments of this post! 

It's fun to share. :)

Link up and find more nature study links for February by clicking HERE.

Nature Study Monday - Link up. {Mounting an Insect}

In just a few words, but with lots of pictures which are worth more, I'm gonna show you our latest nature study project. We did in fact find this inside our house, but that's nothing new. Thankfully, it was already dead. For one, we were spared the drama, and two, we got to mount him instead of smash him! ;)

Enjoy!

 Feel free to link up your nature studies posted in the month of January. I'd love to see! Just leave your link in the comments, and snag a button if you'd like! :)

Another early Christmas gift! Don't miss it!

WOW. What better way to mark the first day of winter than with something EXTRA special!!
To see a complete lunar eclipse might be worth keeping our kids up late tonight even if this isn't something directly holiday related!  After all it is not every day you can see this! 

Early Christmas Treat: 2010's total lunar eclipse

Visible from the US, Central America and parts of South America, I haven't figured out yet if we'll be able to see it from where we're at, but I'm certainly going to try!! 

I think I'll let my kids sleep though until I know for sure!  ;)

Helpful Links:

NASA's eclipse site
Griffith Observatory: Sky Report (download the image above from there)

Burgess Animal Book Resources

We're enjoying Burgess' Animal book again with Bria in AOy2, and this time around I've decided to accumulate my resources!  So, I'm putting them up here to share... of course!
(if you've posted additional helpful information, please feel free to link up in the comments!)

Helpful links:

Text:
Download the book here: AO_Year02 (available in .doc or .pdf)

Read online here: mainlesson.com

Audio:
Visit Librivox to download the audio version for free HERE.

Images:
We have picture files of the animals in WORD format HERE (thanks to Sandra Yarborough).
Or you can BUY the prints HERE! (hahah!)
I've worked up a pdf using her files and it is available in one file below or HERE.

(these images are the original images to the now out-of-print book)

Right click images (select save as) to download the (PDF) to your computer.

Photos: 
LindaFay from Higher Up and Further In has made a shutterfly album using real photos of the animals HERE. I used these the first time through with my boys. We filled a little 4x6 photo album with these.  Thanks LindaFay!

Extra help:
Kelly Kenar's taxonomy key for further research: online HERE. (or download a PDF - HERE)

In other formats:

KINDLE editions: for $1: for $4: Yesterday's Classics (we know it'll be good)

Print edition: from amazon.com around $5- 10:

Nature Study: Feathers as Clothing

Lora, Lora, escapadora! 
{escapist parrot!!}

I love her colors (or his as the case may be :).  She is beautiful, you'll probably agree.
But she is the most amazing persistent bird when it comes to getting out of her cage.
She spent weeks working away at the chicken wire until last week,
finally she'd managed to make a bird sized escape route.
We'd be all for letting her stay in the tree... but she has her mind set
on finding her soulmate and will not be convinced to stay put.
Her name is Aurora.  She is rather lovely.  :)
Her colors may seem rather attention-getting to N.Americans, but you
should see her in the lime tree...  but that's just the thing.  You CAN'T see her.
Her colors help her blend in perfectly in the jungle trees.
We're told she'll perhaps talk, if we're consistent with her... we shall see. 
When we first got her she seemed really tame, she would stay on a shoulder, or an arm.
But as soon as we brought her home and put her in the lime tree, perhaps she began to
remember her nest, but she has been restless ever since.


"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds."
Aesop

 

"Birds seem to know perfectly well the beauty
of their plumage. Not only do they try to show
it off, as the peacock when he spreads his tail,
but they seem to feel shame when their feathers
are injured or soiled. One white feather coming
in where it does not belong will make a bird
very unhappy. He will work and tug at it to
pull it out, and often make himself actually ill
over the trouble."

Olive Miller                           
The Childrens' Book of Birds

Different types of feathers:

(We cooked our chickens!  yes. I can't believe I just said that either, but it's true... :S

but before they went, I made sure that we would be supplied with feathers for our bird study... 

I know. I felt appropriately guilty. It was all rather grim. Tried to make the best of it!)

1) Flight feathers - stiff feathers found on wings and tail

2) Clothing feathers - those found on the breast and body

3) Downy feathers - white and downy under the clothing feathers (tighty-whiteys)

4) Thread feathers - among clothing feathers

5) Powder down feathers - particular to some cockatoos & herons

6) Plumes - fancy feathers for dress up :) - seen on ostriches, peacocks, roosters, etc.

Reasons for different colored feathers:

1) Mother birds are usually colored with drab colors to help hide them and their nests from predators!

2) The daddies have special colors to help them find a mate.

Discussion is about to resume on the AOy0 list soon!  Join in HERE.

A Day on Venus - an assignment

Astronomy

{An assignment.}

Draw a comic book strip called, "A Day on Venus".

{spelling has been corrected to aid understanding ;)}

The text:
* The unmanned space [craft] daring an exploding-proof robot to Venus.
** "Hello, I am sending this robot to find out what it's like on Venus and if we could live on it. The robot's name is R3D3.
*** "Here we go!"
**** "Ahhhhhh!"  CRASH.
*****Well, there goes the space ship, and I'm still in one piece!  Now, let's start with that..."
****** "Ahhh!  Run for the cave!"
******* "Huh?!"
******* As shown in the picture, not even robots can live on Venus.  "Help!"

But that's not all.  Maybe there's more.  There is some life...  [to be continued.]

*  *  *

They've decided to make a series about some robot-like creatures that live on Venus... may the fun begin.  I foresee an impending comic art tangent.

Science Junkie?

Have I ever mentioned that I REALLY like Jeannie Fulbright's Exploring Creation books?

Well, you might even say I have become an Exploring Creation junkie :)  A while back, I went ahead and bought about 4 from the series because I liked them that much... (well, that and they were on sale!)  I like them so much that apparently, I have gone completely hog wild with science reading requirements!  I'll have to do an honest to goodness review of the books themselves on another post.  The point of this post is to confess that, as of before working on this post, I was unaware that I have been requiring a double portion of science for two whole years in a row!  Oh my.  My poor over-schooled children.

Here's how it happened...

Since one of the options for AO science in y4 & y5 is out of print (and the library is not an option in Peru), I decided that meant I needed a substitution.  Obvious.  So, I subbed Astronomy in the missing book's place.  The problem is, I still have the boys reading the other two books, Fairy Land of Science & Nature Reader.  Not only that but I found an experiment book to replace the out-of-print book, that I also have them reading.  Yikes.  That's 4 science books. (*Note* It should be Exploring Creation OR the three other books; an either/or sort of thing)  I guess I just didn't want them to miss anything good!  I'm OUT of control! Well, for the last two years, it seems to have been perfectly fine and the boys certainly aren't any worse off :)  They didn't even notice!  hahahah!

Here's what the AO Advisory recommends:

Christian Liberty Nature Reader, Book 5 by Worthington Hooker, edited by Michael J. McHugh
The Fairy-land of Science by Arabella Buckley
Physics Lab in a Housewares Store by Robert Friedhoffer (another Friedhoffer book, or even another book of science experiments can be substitued if the book is hard to find - this book isn't worth paying inflated prices!)
OR   (somehow, I missed this ridiculously KEY word. perhaps I'd have actually noticed it if they'd at least emboldened the font. maybe.)
if you prefer, you can use any of the Exploring Creation With . . . series by Jeannie Fulbright for science in Years 3-6.

Unknowingly, I made the same double-up-fumble by using Botany alongside the other recommended books for AOy4, last year.  Again, the boys didn't realize it and though they would have been more delighted if we had had time to complete ALL the experiments, they still learned a LOT.

At the beginning of this year, we were still finishing up Jack's Insects from the previous year (it's yet ANOTHER added in science book... not an AO book, but a book that CM used. we LOVED it as a read aloud with everybody).  We finished that up by the end of the first term and again for some crazy reason, even though it wasn't even a scheduled book, I thought we needed something to replace it. 

Anyway, so there you have my confession.  Here's what science looks like this year.  We read all science related books and do Nature Study on Mondays.  We are using Astronomy as a read-aloud with everybody, the AOy1ers and the AOy5ers. 

Week 12 & 13: What is Astronomy? Week 14 & 15: The Sun Week 16 & 17: Mercury Week 18 & 19: Venus Week 20 & 21: Earth Week 22: The Moon Week 23 & 24: Mars	Week 25 & 26: Space Rocks Week 27: Jupiter Week28: Saturn Week 29 & 30: Uranus and Neptune Week 31 & 32: Pluto and the Kuiper Belt Week 33 & 34: Stars and Galaxies Week 35 & 36: Space Travel

My AOy5ers are also reading independently:

The Nature Reader
The Backyard Scientist - substitute for the Physics in Houseware's store
Fairy Land of Science - from which they really seem to be picking up some great ideas for thought.  I'm glad we stuck with this one.

So, we're crazy.  I'm crazy.  4 science texts?  oh my.  I can't believe I didn't get it 'til now.  Do I recommend it?  Probably not.  Next time around I'll know better :) 

Practice makes perfect, right? 

Isaac Newton's day

H a P p y  B i R t h D A y ! !

Isaac Newton was born today!

4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727

What a guy!  He was a serious mathematician inventing calculus, discovered that light could be split into different colors, and explained gravity!  The Lord definitely made him for a purpose, and he fulfilled that by not only using his God-given intelligence to pretty well close to his full potential, but he honored God acknowledging Him with his adoration and reverence.  I did not know that Isaac Newton was a Christian until very recently when we read this book for AOy5:

We read this book aloud with all my children.  It was understandable for my y1 girl yet not overly simplified for the y5 boys. This book did not have the "I can't put you down" factor going for it, and is very clearly written for a younger audience; identifies the young reader with Isaac's childhood, has simple vocabulary, short chapters, etc.  I really appreciated how it pointed out Isaac's spiritual growth alongside of his scientific advances.  I wouldn't mind reading another biography on his life written with an adult audience in mind.  This book definitely whetted my appetite to know more. This man accomplished a LOT!  The problem is, he was so smart, his discoveries so technical, that it might be difficult for a biographer to write about him in an engaging way without bogging the reader down in the details of his scientific development... but the main point is, this book did a good job of that because:

My kids enjoyed it.

Here are some impressive quotes from the book:

"We know [God] by his most wise and excellent contrivances of things, and final causes; we admire him for his perfections; but we reverence and adore him on account of his dominion."    ~Isaac Newton

"We must believe that he is the father of whom are all things, and that he loves his people as his children that they may mutually love him and obey him as their father."                             ~Isaac Newton

Exploring Creation - Contest

**UPDATED!!** Can you believe it?! I won my choice of these Exploring Creation Notebooks! I'm SO excited! I chose Astronomy since we will do that next... starting in August! YAY! I rarely win contests, but this is the second I've won within a week!!

We use Apologia for Science. They are SUPER! I cannot recommend them highly enough! So kid-friendly, and reverent too. We have used Botany so far, and have the others lined up waiting. Here are some new products Jeannie Fulbright is introducing with a contest:

Apologia is now producing notebooking journals that accompany each of the elementary science books. Both Botany and Astronomy are now available. These journals are beautiful spiral bound notebooks that will save you time and money. You won't have to print and keep up with your child's notebook pages, buy and maintain page protectors, or purchase and compile binders...everything that makes notebooking time-consuming and labor intensive for mom. Also, your child will adore having their own notebooking journal.

• A daily schedule for those who like to have a plan or would like their children to complete the book on their own
  
• Templates for written narrations, the notebooking activities and experiments
  
• Review Questions
  
• Scripture Copywork, with both print and cursive practice
  
• Reading lists and additional activities, projects, experiments for each lesson
  
• An appendix with beautiful, full-color, lapbook-style Miniature Books
  
• Field Trip Sheets to keep a record field trips
  
• A Final Review with fifty questions the students can answer either orally or in writing to show off all they remember and know at the end of the course.
  

See the sample pages here:Botany: and Astronomy:

Jeannie is giving away four Astronomy Notebooking Journals and four Botany Notebooking Journals to bloggers who post about this on their site. Visit her blog to learn more about this contest: www.jeanniesjournal.com

Blessings, and I hope either you or I win!

Amy

Humans almost extinct? If only they realized how right they are!

One of CNN's latest headlines for today reads,

"Humans nearly wiped out 70,000 years ago, study says"

How right can they be?!

Well, according to the Bible EVERY LIVING THING ON EARTH was wiped out, with exception to the family in the boat! Every living thing was on the verge of extinction!

"He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark."

They just got their dates wrong!

Paleontologist Meave Leakey, a Genographic adviser, said: "Who would have thought that as recently as 70,000 years ago, extremes of climate had reduced our population to such small numbers that we were on the very edge of extinction?"

If only he'd read and believed his Bible, he'd have known that our numbers were down to only eight! and that we were on the edge of extinction way more recently than he had thought...

Read the full article HERE.