this moment - kitty attention

{this moment}

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Our cat decided that she should be more important than photographing a book for Book Sharing Monday. :)

If you would like to see what others have posted or if you would like to join in here is the link to SouleMama's Blog:
http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2011/01/this-moment.html

More RIO Inspired Things

Austyn has made a RIO game that goes all over our living room. Here are some of the characters (pigs and a lemur) hanging on a vine.

This is the bad guy (one of the birds).

This is the sling shot used to shoot the birds into the air.

We haven't seen this movie yet but I'm sure it is a must see in this house.

Here is a past post on this subject.

Finding Nature in the apartment.

Over the winter we have found a few insects in our apartment. Instead of squashing them we keep them and observe them. I don't have soil handy so we use cornmeal. We haven't had much luck with our insects. Eventually they just die on us. These beetles however, had babies. 

I know, I know... who does this!? Right?! Well, I've learned that just about any situation (yes, even creepy crawlies in your house) can bring a better understanding of our world. Why not!? What a great way to learn about nature right in our apartment. We've learned what they eat, how they drink and now we are learning about their life cycle.

The beetles we found are called Larder Beetles and are considered pests here. They are the most common beetle in Alberta. Here is a link: http://www.insectsofalberta.com/larderbeetle.htm

Spring Snow... Living in the moment!

Snow again... This is mid-April, for crying out loud!!! Right!?? Most people are sick of this by now, but kids are okay with anything as long as it's fun. Zoe knows how to see the upside. Adults should take note and learn from this behaviour. I know I'm trying. She truly knows how to live in the moment.

Doing It On Their Own

 From watching my children, I find it hard to understand how others can't see that children will learn on their own. They will naturally pick up and do important activities that they are ready for. People will ask my when I make them do Math or Spelling. I don't make them. In fact much of the time they do it on their own with the resources I keep around the house or they ask me to do it with them. Zoe decided to try and type to daddy on MSN Messenger. This is a great way to practice spelling in a real life situation (which is way better than spelling drills, in my opinion).

That same morning they decided to read. Austyn read me a book and then Zoe decided to read to him a book she chose. He helped her if she couldn't sound out a word.

Book Sharing Monday - Fraser Bear

 Moving out west, we are more interested in learning about the wild life that live in this new, interesting area. Bears are an interesting part of Alberta that we want to learn more about and this book follows the life of two cubs and the salmon that simultaneously go through their own life changes.

 These are two animals who require their habitat to stay healthy for their existence. It is interesting to understand how different animals live in the same area and develop in a sort of harmony that allows for the other to thrive. Without Salmon bears would likely starve and die off.

It's interesting to learn how male and female bears are different. Males leave after about two years with it's mother but the female can stay much longer.  This is a tale that gives examples of the dangers and the type of life bears have. A better understanding of them helps us to respect them.

To join in on the fun of Book Sharing Monday or to read other entries visit http://canadianhomelearning.blogspot.com/

Bringing Nature to Us

 Living in the city, where we live, it's hard to see much nature. We see a large pine tree out the window and not much else. We don't see many birds or even rabbits. They tend to hide until after the kids are in bed. So, I decided that I'd try bring nature to us. I made a bird feeder out of a milk carton and hung it in the tree out front. It took about twelve hours before we noticed chickadees feeding from it. Nobody has pulled it down yet. We got one compliment about it from a neighbour. 

We also threw cashews on the ground and that drew crows, magpies and seagulls.

No Snow Park

 We went to another park a few days before this and saw that the snow was not deep and it was melting before our eyes. Walking on ice as we arrived, our feet were squishing through slush as we left and everyone got a bit wet. This day was dryer and even less snow. The wind was stronger than usual and it got chilly as the sun went away behind the clouds.

 This seagull was happy that I threw food down, but he/she was too shy to get any closer to eat.

 Austyn played with sticks and Zoe liked the equipment.

Austyn made up a game of throwing the stick through the hoop.