Live and Learn Farm

Pictures of Surprise Baby Chicks

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Good morning!  Sorry I did not get the pictures of the surprise baby chicks posted sooner.  We got two White Leghorns and one Red Sex Link. We got our brooder, which is an old metal cattle trough with the bottom cut out and sanded smooth, and we washed out the baby chick waterer and got a small lid for their food.  Next we were going to get our heat lamp but we discovered it was missing!  So we all went on a scavenger hunt for our missing heat lamp.  Talk about a small crisis … we had less than 30 minutes to go pick up the chicks but couldn’t find the heat lamp.  Dad won the scavenger hunt, finding the heat lamp at the barn and even an extra one.  We used red lights for the heat lamp because they are supposed to be easier for the baby chicks to rest under. I have named one of the Leghorns April.  We are still thinking about names for the other two.  I’ll keep you posted on the naming them.  Ms. Pamela, if you are reading this, thank you! 

Here are some pictures of our surprise baby chicks…. 

 

Surprise Baby Chick April

Standing in their food red light

Surprise baby chicks

See ya’ soon!

Farmschooling – Montessori Middle School Part 1

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Maria Montessori AdolescentsI’m reading Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard again and this time I’m focusing on the adolescent / middle school aspects of Maria Montessori’s philosophy of education.  What I see in the homeschool world is many moms who are very excited about Montessori for their younger children.  However, finding middle school Montessori enthusiasts is rare.  In fact, I don’t know any other homeschoolers that are using Maria Montessori’s concepts for Middle School.  And that is a shame.  Montessori was brilliant and her pedagogy has withstood the test of time.  So, for those that are homeschooling and have children who are approaching middle school, I thought I would share what I’m learning and reading about Montessori middle schools … I’m calling this concept “farmschooling”.  This will be a long article with lots of detailed information, so I’m going to break it into several posts.  This is Part one and it will focus on the characteristics of this Third Plane of Development for adolescence.  It will certainly help you understand your teen better, at least it has helped me!  

Since not many folks are homeschooling with a Montessori slant, I thought I would explain some things we are doing and connect it with Montessori’s vision of an Erdkinder (middle school or adolescent envionment).  But I need to lay a bit of a foundation first before I jump straight into the teaching aspect.  In this post, I will be quoting from Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard.  (Note we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program.  Any money received via this relationship is used for our homeschool!  PS. I’ve made a grand total of $0.00 from affiliate marketing… but the FTC says I have to tell you that IF you buy it, I will make 4% of the sale as commission.)In some areas I will paraphrase and in other areas I will quote verbatim.  Suffice it to say, I think if you don’t have this book, you need to get it, especially if you are teaching 0-12 aged children.  It’s an easy reading book that really sums up Maria Montessori’s philosophy well.  When I was still the chairman of the board of our local Montessori school, we had multiple copies of this book on our bookshelf and we would literally hand them out to new families attending the school.  

Maria Montessori developed a theoretical framework of education for children from birth to adult.  She regarded the adolescent stage as a period of great vulnerability… she went so far as to liken it to the 0-3 stage.  Here’s why:  The infant is in a totally vulnerable state and requires careful attention and devotion on the part of adults, it is a new being, a child.  In this second period (adolescence), great weakness is apparent, and again, very special consideration must be given, a new creation is taking place but this time it is an adult.  Just like in the early stage where a child is in self-construction mode, so are adolescents.  During this stage they are introverted and self-conscious…. yet at the same time, they have a huge drive to join society as an adult member.  Therefore they show a keen interest in the social organization of the world around them, where they are trying to make sense of people’s behavior, in both the present and past. 

Maria Montessori Four Planes of DevelopmentIn the first plane of development (0 – 3) children are sensorial explorers, in the second plane (6 – 12) they are reasoning explorers, now in the third plane (12 – 18) they become human explorers… focusing on figuring out society and where they fit in.  Montessori believed that adolescents needed calm and solitude if they are to make sense of their self and the world.  She continued stating they are filled with doubts, hesitations, emotions and discouragement … being very sensitive, embarrass easily and lack confidence.  They have a great need for strengthening of self-confidence.  In addition, they have difficulty concentrating and are easily distracted.  

At the same time, adolescents are impressive intellectually.  They want to discuss big abstract ideas and reason through to conclusions, based on evidence.  They are interested in discussing moral and spiritual issues, the purpose of life and the meaning of death.  They like to debate what the author of a book is really saying, or an artist truly intended through his painting, or a composer expressing through their music.  They want to explore what others are thinking and feeling and are perceptive about their strengths and weaknesses.   

Montessori had a deep faith in the benefits of academic knowledge and intellectual study in spite of the adolescent’s diminished capacity to concentrate and we will explore how she proposed teaching adolescents in the next post.  Here is Part 2

Until next time….

 

 

 

Introducing….. Deluxe Clucks

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Cluckers, Rocky and Cutie Rhode Island RedsHi, I’m Gage, I am in 5th grade, homeschooled, and 11 years old. I am the owner of six chickens, about to be 36. I am going to be blogging about my chicken business on Live and Learn Farm.  My business name is going to be Deluxe Clucks and the business will be to sell eggs for eating, eggs for incubating, and sell chicks.

I am counting down the days till our chicks we bought are shipped out. It is a very nerve racking thing to order live animals through the mail, especially for the first time. We have ordered 30 chicks from Welp Hatchery.  The chicks should be alright coming in the mail. They will be shipped Priority Mail which will only take two days. They will not be hungry during their shipment because when a chick hatches it has a sack of food on its belly called the yolk and it will sustain them for a few days.  The chicks we ordered are five Barred Cochin Bantams, five Blue Cochin Bantams, 10 Red Frizzle Cochin Bantams and 10 White Frizzle Cochin Bantams.  The white and red frizzles have a mutation.  It does not cause them any trouble or dysfunction it’s just that their feathers curl out, not in.

Chicks are not hard to keep.  All they require is a brooder (a small area to keep them in until they are mature enough to be outside in the chicken pen), a heat source, food and water and, just recently, I found out chicks need a shady place to stay if they get hot.  And protection… we have had a problem with predators in the past. We once had about 25 Rhode Island Reds, now we are down to six, (5 hens and 1 rooster). The reason we only have 6 hens now is a coyote problem.

Right now we are preparing for their arrival. We are going to use a large box as their brooder, and as they grow we shall add more boxes. Chicks and chickens are very fun to keep and I enjoy being able to care for them. The other thing we will be using are… a heat lamp, food and waterers and puppy training pads (for flooring) I am looking forward to blogging about my experiences with my chicks and chickens.

And just today we got a surprise blessing! A friend went to Tractor Supply and was going to buy two chicks but the minimum was six. So she asked us if we want three or four chicks and we said yes! I have been so impatient that it was still a week till the chicks would even be mailed, so this is an answer to my prayer.  I’ll post pictures soon! 

See ya’ soon!

 

5 Scriptural Facts All Children Should Know About Passover

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5 scriptural facts all children should know about passover

 

Our family is Messianic and therefore we observe the Lord’s Feasts described in the Bible. Understanding the Jewishness of our Messiah Jesus (His Hebrew name is: Yeshua ) helps us understand our faith and the depth and richness of Scripture more fully. Remember the First Century Believers did not have the New Testament to read, they used the “Old Testament” to test what Yeshua was teaching and to determine if He was their prophesied Messiah.

Passover / Pesach is so much more than just a celebration, it is a remembrance of redemption that is taught and retaught every year during the Passover Seder. A Seder is a meal that marks the beginning of Passover. This Seder teaching is calling people to their identity as the People of God. By using all of our senses, the Passover Seder not only tells the story of God’s grace that is demonstrated throughout history, but also calls us to experience and share in the story, our story, our history. Passover is so much more than a sermon, it is commanded for us to remember. So, let’s teach our children about our Messiah, Jesus, and Passover and fulfill this command. The five scriptural facts all children should know about Passover:

1.  Jesus kept the Passover, from the time of His youth. Luke records:

His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast (Luke 2:41-42)

 

2.  Jesus continued to keep Passover His entire life., once a year as commanded in Exodus 13:10. It was observed on the fourteenth day of the month of the first month (called Abib in Deuteronomy 16:1 or Nisan in Esther 3:7):

On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover (Leviticus 23:5).

And Jesus had his disciples also keep it:

7 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. 8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.” 9 So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?” 10 And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”‘ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.” 13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. (Luke 22:7-13).

 

3.  Passover commemorates God’s redemption of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt (and spiritually redemption of the Believers from the world) and the creation of the Israelite people. Passover is actually three feasts Passover (Pesach), The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Firstfruits. Every single event in Jesus’ end days matches up with these three feasts of Passover. He was crucified as our Passover lamb, He was buried on Unleavened Bread and He rose on the Feast of Firstfruits.

 

4.  At a Passover Seder there are four cups of wine. The First cup is the “Cup of Sanctification” (I will bring you out of Egypt). The second cup is the “Cup of Deliverance” (I will deliver you from Egyptian Slavery). The third cup is the “cup of Redemption” (I will redeem you with My power). The fourth cup is the “Cup of Restoration” (I will take you as My People). Since Yeshua was keeping a Passover Seder (Luke 22:15-16) with His Apostles, he drank of these cups. But the last cup, the Cup of Restoration, He did not drink. He promised to do so with them in the coming Kingdom! Matthew 26:29. The fact that He took the bread and the cup after supper identifies the bread as the afikoman and the cup to be the cup of redemption (based on the order of the Seder.)

5.  The bread pictured at the last supper is usually of this beautiful full loaf of bread, but that is not what really would have been on the table. The bread of the Last Supper is unleavened bread (Matzah).  Here is another beautiful aspect of the Seder that we completely miss when we separate our Messiah from His Jewishness… there are three pieces of Matzah placed in a bag. The middle matzah is pulled out and broken in two with half of it wrapped in white linen and hidden. The children search for the middle matzah (known as the Afikomen) and the one that finds it brings it back to the father of the house to be redeemed for a price. The other half of the bread is passed around and eaten.

So you see, there is so richness that can be learned by studying our Messiah, Jesus, from a Jewish perspective. I hope you will continue to study and learn about Passover. Remember, we are called to be Bereans, to test everything we hear and read against His Word, the Bible!

To learn more about Passover, read: Exodus 12; Numbers 9: 1-14; Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16: 1-6; Joshua 5:10; 2 Kings 23:21-23; 2 Chronicles 30:1-5, 35:1-19; Ezra 6:19-22; Ezekiel 45:21-24.

Passover in the New Testament: Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 2 and 22, John 2, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 19. Acts 12:4; 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Credits: Artwork is by Walter Rane. A print of his painting can be purchased from here.

Peek-a-boo

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Peek-a-boo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t this just the cutest picture?  That baby looks like she is saying “peek-a-boo”!  It’s not one of our chickens, I just saw it on Facebook and had to share it!  We are all getting so excited about our baby chicks arriving in a couple of weeks!  My middle son, Gage will be opening the business centered around the chickens.  He will sell chicken eggs to eat and to hatch and sell baby chicks to raise.  If you haven’t read Pickin’ Chickens, that article explained in more detail why the boys each will have businesses in middle school.  For my Montessori friends, think practical life on steroids!  He will be responsible for cleaning out the coop and gathering the eggs, as well as feeding and watering them.  We all share chores in our house so he will have help, but it is his responsibility to ensure that all of this is taken care of daily.  This is another Montessori concept that is taking on a more mature dynamic.  He will also be creating and keeping the books for his business, so Gage will be learning all about accounting and economics, via running his own business instead of some esoteric, ambiguous case studies in a textbook that he cannot relate to.  

Gage will be the author for all the chicken posts on our blog once the chicks arrive (I will change the comments to be moderated once he starts posting). He will be photographing the chicks to document their growth and progress.  (Photography is one of those creative outlets that he is exploring so he won’t end up being an art vacuum like me! Thanks to his photography teacher Lori Lee, he will probably end up taking far better pictures than I do!)  So, he is learning how to market his business and write articles that will be not only informative, but also entertaining.

Gage is in the process of developing a name for his business now but he could use some help!  If you think of a great name for his business, he would love to hear it!  To give you some insight into Gage in order to help with the name suggestions:  He has a huge heart and an intense love for animals (this is why he has the animal biz).  He is our middle-son, so he is the peace-maker.  He is calm, loving and genuine.  He loves to kid around and is a bit of a prankster.  He loves legos, star-wars and the beach.  If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below. We look forward to reading your suggestions!  

Until next time… 

Are you an Art Vacuum Too?

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So, as I was saying, Pinterest has become my new muse!  Up until now, I have never had time to investigate my creative side and to determine what my talent might be.  And it has been a gap in my life, my whole life… I was an “art vacuum”, if you will.  Completely devoid of any identified artistic gift.  I am the fifth of five children.  All of my siblings have talent, and they have not only identified their talent(s) but they apply their talents to help them escape the “busyness” of their chaotic lifestyles. Or, these gifts have become their careers.  Over the years I have jokingly explained that all the talent was distributed in the family gene pool by the time I came along… masking the blatant artistic gap with humor.  So, needless to say, as a mom, I have been determined that my children will not suffer this same artistic void!  Ironically, in my quest to offer them creative outlets, I am starting to find my own gifts.  And… through this process, I’m starting to realize the goal is not to find the one artistic talent I have, but in exploring all the possibilities.   

With that being said, I must admit, I’m not terribly creative yet!  In our homeschool we study artists.  We study not just their art, but their life.  We search for what inspired them, what experiences in life shaped them, and other topics such as, did they have a muse (a person, place or thing that inspired them). To assist in our research of the various artists, I created a research guide that you can download here: Artist Research Worksheet.  (Note this is for upper elementary or higher level research).  For a research form for younger students, HomeschoolWithIndexCards.com has created a great free artist biography form.  

 

Art Vacuum

 

One of the ways we get to know an artist is by exploring the artist’s chosen medium(s) and attempt to recreate one of their art works.  For this post, I’ll show our Starry Night and Van Gogh project.  It all started with this coloring page from MakingArtFun.com.  I found it on Pinterest and pinned it, not knowing exactly how we would use it in our homeschool.   (Have I mentioned that Pinterest is my new muse? LOL)  Months later, we were discussing Van Gogh and pulled out this coloring sheet.  Even though it was a stretch, we decided to paint Starry Nights!  And for an artistically challenged person such as myself, that was a stretch indeed!  I loved being able to use this coloring page to help me see the transitional points in the painting.  It really helped me paint this artwork!  So, if you haven’t tried this yet with your children, I highly recommend it!!  

We then needed to see the painting, in color, preferably large enough to study it.  One of the many sites I found was the VanGoghGallery.  It gave a beautiful vivid picture of Starry Nights, but it also gave some details about the painting, what was happening in Van Gogh’s life when he painted it, etc.  Another great site is ArtCyclopedia.

Once we felt comfortable, we spread out our materials on the kitchen table and started painting.  Here are the results of our study: 

And, my painting…  

I hope we have inspired you to just start exploring the possibilities in order to avoid being Art Vacuums!  

This post is linked at Think Pink Sunday at Flamingo.

Until Next Time…

Scrap Paper Wall Art on Canvas

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scrap paper wall art on canvas

 

 

I don’t know about you, but a lot of my inspiration for art projects seems to be coming from Pinterest these days.  Pinterest has become my new muse! When I saw this scrap paper wall art on canvas pin last year, I asked the boys about us creating something similar in our homeschool.  They loved the idea!  And I love the idea of using old catalogues and magazines for something so beautiful!  

One thing I want to get better at is just being with my children.  Sometimes, I think homeschooling moms forget to just hang out and have fun with our children.  We always seem to be focused on the academics, but we need to step back regularly and just be. Remember we are their mom and they need plain ole mommy too!  This was one of those projects where we were just together.  We got the giggles after we realized that everyone had accidentally painted  our pointer fingers black.  There was no time table, no schedule, no right or wrong pieces of art.  It was laid-back fun and totally fulfilling!  We need to do this more often!  

The materials list is short and the directions even shorter for this art project, but I’ll list them out anyway.  

Materials:  

  • Art Canvas.  We used 11 x 14, but any size will do.
  • Black Matte Spray Paint (or any color of choice for your background)
  • Scrap paper (we used old catalogs)
  • Scissors
  • Glue (we used Aleene’s All Purpose Tacky Glue)

Directions:

1  Spray paint the canvas and let dry completely.  We painted very light layers and let each layer dry before adding another coat.  This process took less than 45 minutes.  

2.  Cut out scrap paper from any source.  I imagine even scraps cut from book print would look great if you used a more colorful backdrop.  We used lots and lots of catalogs.  I knew being on all those mailing lists would eventually pay off!  For my Montessori friends, if you look really close at the art piece in the upper right hand corner, you are going to see beads!  Sort of like the “Finding Waldo” prints!  I’ll never tell which catalog I cut up!  (hint, hint… the supplier was way too expensive for us to afford on our budget).  Finally, cut a circle for the center in a contrasting but complimentary color.  

3.  Organize the pieces on the canvas and glue in place once you like the shape and location.  That’s it!  

It was one of the most rewarding art projects we have completed in a long time.  Not because of the product created, but the process we used to get there!  I hung our pieces together to create a collage in our entrance foyer.  They serve as a reminder to take time to just be.  What do you think?  

Scrap Paper Art

 

 

Until Next Time…

Homeschooling on the Beach Part 1

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Homeschooling on the Beach Part 1

Disclosure

Are you in the process of planning your beach vacation?  If you are, be sure to not leave your homeschool at home.  Studying with the ocean as your backdrop can bring in almost any subject you can imagine.  And, if you don’t live in an area where saltwater creatures are geographically close, you don’t want to miss this opportunity to teach it while you are on location!  Since we homeschool, we are not limited to vacations when our children are “out of school”.  We get to be creative about the “out of school” and vacation timing which allows us to make the most of the discounts available for the off seasons.  So you might consider a longer stay to get even more homeschooling in!  We spent a month on the coast of North Carolina in August and we learned so much about zoology and saltwater life that we could only learn there at the beach!  We did get run off the beach due to two hurricanes, but the absolute best homeschooling occurred right after the storms.  The storms brought in fabulous sealife, amazing shells and treasures from the depths!  So don’t be afraid to go in the late summer months!  Because there are just so many great opportunities and activities to teach at the beach, I have decided to break this topic into several posts .  So, part one will be about some lessons you might want to teach leading up to your beach vacation.  

If you have been following our blog, you already know that we take traditional curriculum and make them more hands-on and tactile learning materials.  With Apologia Swimming Creatures it is already a hands-on learning text, but we have added even more experiments and activities to help make your beach vacation a great experience homeschooling on the beach!  (Note we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program.  Any money received via this relationship is used for our homeschool!  PS. I’ve made a grand total of $0.00 from affiliate marketing… but the FTC says I have to tell you that IF you buy it, I will make 4% of the sale as commission.)

Geography is one of those subjects that I like to teach before we leave.  I will assume you are heading to an ocean, if you are reading this article, so the first thing we want to cover is the oceans of the world!  

 

World Oceans Etc. Montessori

 

Etc. Montessori has a beautiful free set of hands-on materials to cover World Oceans.  Click here to download them from their site.  

 

 

 

 

Mapping Vacation with Martha Stewart

 

Another great way to teach geography is to map out the trip.  This is another project you can do before you leave.  I love building up the anticipation of going on vacation.  Believe it or not, Martha Stewart really adds a bit of an artistic flair to this one.  I LOVE this idea and will be doing this myself!  

 

 

 

 

Tides Teacher Vision

Another subject to teach before you go to the beach is about tides.  What causes the tides?  Here is a great print out from TeacherVision (if you are not using the Apologia Swimming Creatures textbook).  There is a great experiment on ehow to demonstrate how the gravitational pull creates the tides by using a magnet and metal shavings.  However, I can’t find a single picture of the experiment online.  So, I guess we’ll do it and post the pictures 🙂  When I do, I’ll add the link here.  

 

Animal Kingdom Nomenclature Montessori for Everyone

If you have not started studying Zoology yet, this would be a great time to introduce  animal classification, since so many ocean creatures are invertebrates (do not have backbones).  Montessori Materials has some free classification works here.  Matri Learning has a chart here.  The Helpful Garden has over 20 free sets of Zoology Materials to download including classification and sorting cards.  The Homeschool Den created some invertebrate cards and lots of other ocean activities! If you are in a position to purchase a beautiful set, Montessori for Everyone has wonderful nomenclature cards that are quite affordable.  

 

Here is a short “homeschooling on the beach” packing list.  If I have left anything off, please leave me a comment so I can add it! 

  • Nature Notebook to sketch / draw and journal in
  • Sketch Pencils
  • Magnifying Lens  
  • Binoculars
  • Camera (like we would go on vacation without one … )
  • Plastic Bags, Totes, Buckets, Bottles to take home some beach samples (sand, saltwater, shells, etc.)
  • Ocean Field Guide (can be borrowed from the library) 
  • Plain paper or a notebook and pencil
  • Ruler

Part two will be the various studies to do once you are at the beach!  I will add a link here once it is posted.    

 

Until next time… 

 

 

 

Apologia Homeschool Blogs

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Apologia Science Bloggers List

Apologia Science Bloggers List

 

I love to learn from other homeschoolers and get inspiration from  their blog posts about experiments, projects, research, etc.  We use Apologia Science for all of our boys (13, 12 and 9).  We have taught every Apologia Elementary curriculum available to us (and are anxiously awaiting Jeannie’s newest book, Physics!).  Our blog will document many of our experiments  over the last 4 years, with a heavy focus on tactile hands-on learning.  I also wanted to keep a running Apologia homeschool blogs list of other homeschooling families using the Apologia Science curriculum.  If you are using any Apologia curriculum and blogging about it, please leave a comment below so I can add you to the list!  There are many families out there that are using Apologia… but most are not blogging about it.  So, I’m trying to keep this list focused on those families that are not just using Apologia, but those writing posts about it too!  Not taking anything away from the others… but just where I chose to focus this list 🙂   Thank you!!!  

 

Elementary Blogs:

http://chickensbunniesandhomeschool.blogspot.com/search?q=apologia

http://thehomeschoolscientist.com/?s=apologia

http://traciebauguess.blogspot.com/

http://garnergoingson.wordpress.com/

http://ourjourneywestward.com/

http://homeschoolingjustnextdoor.blogspot.com/search/label/Science

http://mudpiesandmakeup.blogspot.com/

http://adventuresinmommydom.org/

http://fieldschoolathome.blogspot.com/search?q=apologia

http://www.journalofmommak.blogspot.com/

http://angelicscalliwags.wordpress.com/

http://proverbs2pursuit.blogspot.com/

http://www.mamaofmanyblessings.com/

http://weshallobtaindeliveringgrace.blogspot.com/

http://homemakingwithheart.com/

 

Middle School / High School Apologia Blogs:

http://mindfulramblings.com/apologia-biology/

http://homeschoolersresources.blogspot.com/

http://traciebauguess.blogspot.com/

http://www.thedaisyhead.com/

http://bankwhitt.wordpress.com/biology/

http://homeschoolblogger.com/amnbooks/apologia-biology/

http://appliejuice.wordpress.com/apologia-biology/

http://appliejuice.wordpress.com/physical-science/

http://martysahm.blogspot.com/p/apologia-biology.html

 

Blend of both (elementary and middle / high school):  

www.LiveAndLearnFarm.com

http://oursideofthemtn.blogspot.com/

http://homeschooljournal-bergblog.blogspot.com/p/science.html

http://our4kiddos.blogspot.com/

http://lilliputstation.blogspot.com/

http://charlottemasonway.blogspot.com/

http://anniekateshomeschoolreviews.com/?s=apologia

 

Until next time…. 

Apologia Flying Creatures Bird Nest Study

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Bird Nest Study

Apologia Flying Creatures – Bird Nest Study

This is another example of taking a traditional homeschool curriculum and supplementing with hands-on tactile materials to make it feel more Montessori. In Lesson 5 of Apologia’s Flying Creatures we studied Bird Nests.  Did you know birds only sleep in nests when they are incubating eggs and when their babies are young.  So, their nests are not their homes.  For most birds in North America, the nesting season starts in March and ends by the end of August.  Birds instinctively know, when the days are getting warmer and longer, that it is time to construct nests.   (Note we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program.  Any money received via this relationship is used for our homeschool!  PS. I’ve made a grand total of $0.00 from affiliate marketing… but the FTC says I have to tell you that IF you buy it, I will make 4% of the sale as commission.)

Nests are made with a variety of materials from the typical straw, hay, and leaves to yarn, string, and dryer lint.  Most birds like to fill the nest where the eggs and babies will be with soft materials.  Hummingbirds will even pull lichen off trees to soften their nests.  Nests are built by the female bird typically, with some assistance from the male.  

For our homeschool, I made Zoology Lesson 5 Nesting 3 part nomenclature cards that include all the different types of nests covered:

  • Bower Nests
  • Weaver Nests
  • No Nests
  • Ground Nests
  • Mound Nests
  • Earth-Hole Nests
  • Cavity Nests
  • Platform Nests
  • Cup Nests
  • Adherent Nests

The “Try This” for Lesson 5 is making nests.  I can tell you from experience, they are MUCH harder to make than you might think and certainly can make a huge mess!  

Materials You Might Use to Try to Build Various Nests:

  • Grass
  • Twigs
  • Leaves
  • Straw
  • Mud
  • String
  • Cotton
  • Dryer Lint
  • Fishing Line

Directions:  

Now take the materials and try to build the various nests in the nomenclature cards.  Some are easier than others.  Here are some of our finished nests:

 

A Bower Nest:

Bower Nest edited

 

A Cup Nest (and a platform in the background):  

 

Cup and Platform Nests edited

 

And the mess we made 🙂

 

Nesting Pictures

 

Let me know if you do make any nests and use the nomenclature cards. Leave a comment below with a link to your blog so we can see!  

Until Next Time…..

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