Andrewisms

These are all from today.

Scene: Mom standing by woodstove when Andrew enters the room.

Andrew: Will you look at my invention. It's a flying house.

Mom: Wow. How do you steer a flying house.

Andrew (after a brief pause): With rockets

Scene: Mom is making.dinner and requiring Andrew to stay on the chair beside her.

Andrew: You're fired!

Later in the same scene Andrew repeats his favorite phrase.

Andrew: I like you when you be nice to me.

Nature Study: Nature Walk

After being sick half the week we finally made it out. We walked around a pond near our house. Total distance: about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile. Total time: about 90 minutes. But we had fun. We saw the following:

• A robin.
  
• Several schools of bullfish - under 1" long
• One adult bullfish, apparently protecting the school (that's what I've been told)
• Other schools of minnows - trout or sunfish.
• Sunfish of various sizes - one to four or five inches. A good example of the big fish [trying to] eat the smaller fish.
  
• Cat tale reeds. Clovers.
  
• Places where others had littered (we will bring a bag next time).
• A small turtle (Mom)
• Rocks
• Driftwood (David liked this)
• Andrew says he saw an alligator, which was probably driftwood. There was actually an escaped pet alligator found in the pond several years ago, so its not impossible. He was warning David that the alligator would bite him.
  
• Butterflies: black and yellow.
• Thistles (most of the taller ones had been sprayed)
• Grasshopper (Jonathan and David)

To do next time:

• Bring a bag for trash.
• Bring a small pack with a bird book and maybe a magnifying glass or binoculars.
• Bring the camera.
• Try bringing a sketchbook and some pencils or watercolors.
  

Nature Hour Challenge #3

We stayed in the back yard this time. My kids are young, so instead of drawing we did some leaf rubbings, which they seemed to enjoy. The eldest and I also found a feather for a "feather rubbing". It turned out well on the tip, but the ... stem? ... center was to thick further down. I need to make sure we do out nature hour earlier next week.

Nature Hour Challenge #2

We have completed our second Nature Hour Challenge today. The challenge includes both being quiet and using words to observe. With the wind blowing and the _____ goat maaaa-ing constantly, I didn't hear much else. The kids said they heard a bird. Anyway, I'm not sure how this one went, but all the kids picked daisies to show their Dad, so I guess it went okay. "Quiet" is difficult when you have a 3 year old with you. Oh well, learning is cumulative anyway.

Nature Hour Challenge #1

At long last, we have completed a nature hour challenge! We walked over to a nearby pond and then followed the shoreline for a bit. I saw a bird grab a fish out of the water and fly off. Unfortunately the kids missed it, they were watching a horse. They did find several flowers and some "sticky plants" (thistles). Jonathan found a small earthworm. David found a cool stick / log that was white from being in the water. Andrew decided to do the farmer thing and stuck a grass blade out from his teeth. Overall we had a good time, and the kids were VERY observant.