Pet Isopods!

This is the third winter that we've cared for some Sow bugs and Potato/Pill bugs. In the end we usually only have Sow bugs left. I'm not sure why, but they seem more resilient. This year the kids haven't been as interested in them as other years that we've done this so I looked up an information page, got out some containers, a spoon, and some magnifying glasses. HERE is the information page I pulled up on my iPad to read to them while they observed them up close. In the process they discovered some baby snails living in our mini aquarium and some baby sow bugs and some really small white bugs that we couldn't identify. We also have a worm still. I saw it still alive the other night when I checked them.

If you are interested in keeping sow bugs it's easy. They are found under rocks in autumn and you can place them in a large jar (we are using a small aquarium). I've kept them in a small jar as well. They aren't picky as long as there is food, dirt, and moisture. Be sure there are air holes so they can breath. Put a bunch of soil in the jar from the ground where you found them and keep the soil moist. Keep adding organic leaves to the jar to feed them. They will eventually have babies. The mom keeps the babies under her belly for the first little while. Once they are big enough to go off on their own they crawl off of her and wander around the jar. They are very tiny versions of the adults. If you use a larger container they like small rocks to hide under. You can keep worms with them as well, or snails. They all live well together. The worms make tunnels that the sow bugs like to crawl through. Enjoy!!

Cells

When we went through our homeschool stuff the kids rediscovered this kit. I wish we had the other kits like it. I'd like other types of cells so that they could compare each model. It's a plant cell and the parts come out. There is a booklet and a card that help to explain the parts of the cell.

Project Feeder Watch

We have signed up for Project Feeder Watch. We've not been good at reporting the birds we see. We can do it when we want to but it needs to be two consecutive days each week when we do decide to report it. It's still not too late to sign up. HERE is the website. 

It's another great way to learn about birds through observation and helping scientists to monitor bird numbers.

There is another online activity we may do in February. It's called Great Backyard Bird Watch and the website for that is found HERE.

Journey North Tulip Test Garden

 This fall we planted a Test Garden for the first time. The test garden is a garden that citizens watch and report on a website when the tulips show themselves in the spring. This helps scientists to determine how climate changes affect plant life. Many schools and homeschooling families sign up for this and keep track. If you are interested in getting involved in this the website is found HERE.

 There are strict guidelines on what bulbs to use and how to plant it. The location, depth and distance apart are all important factors in ensuring that each test garden is planted in the exact same way. This will prevent inconsistencies in the results.

 We planted on one of the last warm days of this year. It was a great day to plant.

 Because our soil is clay it took a long time to do. When the kids got bored they occupied themselves with other things. Austyn played hockey on the street and Zoe rolled down the driveway on a skateboard. I couldn't resist getting a picture of her.

Sewing

Zoe has been into crafts and sewing lately. This is an easy child's sewing kit. She is making a teddy bear.

Nature around the house in Autumn

Over the past few months, we've been experiencing nature less than I want us to. We still have had some good nature experiences. Above is a picture of our crickets. We noticed that in the early fall there are a ton of them, so we kept some in our house for a little while to study them. 

These are the eggs that were laid by a cricket. They never did hatch.

These guys were fighting over sunflower seeds in our garden. We had many Blue Jays fly through and stop to eat. 

I don't believe that these plants are native to Canada, but we planted artichokes to see how they grow. The plant was HUGE!! It looks like a big, prickly, weed. Only it's not picky at all.  Here is a close up of the vegetable you commonly see in your grocery store. 

We learned of a family of mice living under our raised garden beds. Here is one of their holes. Going out to use the compost, I scared them. I heard squeaking and saw them run across the ground. They were so cute and fat! The kids looked all around for them and took close looks at their holes, trails, and poops.

Even if you are like us and haven't been out to the local trails lately, there are always opportunities to see nature, right in your own back yard.

Here are a couple of books that I would love to purchase someday.

Discover Nature Close To Home

Discover Nature Around The House

Sunflowers

 Some of our sunflowers are TALL!!

This picture really puts the size of them into perspective.

Butterflies

Our butterfly finally came out. It's a girl!! Here we are letting it go. 

Now we have another one and it's in it's chrysalis. I'm not sure that it's alive because of the colour of the chrysalis. I wonder if it died. I've learned never to be sure and to wait for a long time and see. So... we wait...

Oil Discovery

 I took Austyn to another museum. It was not far from the other one. There was a tour guide for this one. I found that although it was really cool to see more things live and working, the information that the guide had to give us at this museum was vague. We were able to get much more detailed information at the other museum.

 This is a real gum bed. "Real" as in not put here by humans but naturally occurring and left alone to be viewed. 

A wagon with a tank on it was always nearby to ship the oil to the train.

This is the old way of drilling for oil.

 This is the storage tank. We could walk up and look in. They also separate the water from the crude oil here.

 This was a favourite place for Austyn. Again... we may need to try and make a model or the jerker line and how it works with our K'nex.

One nice thing about a small-town museum is that Austyn was able to get close up and personal with a very old typewriter and now knows why Shift is on our keyboard and why it's named what it is. I think mechanical things are his thing! He loves to figure out how things work.

Oil Museum of Canada

I took Austyn to visit The Oil Museum of Canada. Zoe didn't come. It was nice! It gave him peace and quiet to learn what he wanted to learn and take his time on things that interested him. This is a model of the jerker line. It was broken and he fixed it as well as he could, without being able to tighten the one belt.

 He played and observed this model for a long time. 

 Although the real deal is just outside the doors of this museum the models are still cool to see. Here is another one of the first oil well.

 This was a tent that a traveler from the area would have stayed in while traveling abroad. The pictures you see on the inside of the tent are of a movie that is projected onto the sides of the tent and it tells a story that is all around us while we sit down to learn what happened in the past. 

 Although unrelated to oil, there were many old items in the museum. One that Austyn found interesting was this camera. We may need to research old cameras now.

 He also enjoyed the metals and coins.

 Here is another model. We were thinking that this may be a model that we could try and duplicate at home with our Educational K'nex kits. 

 Here is a real jerker line. It is working and there is still oil being collected on this site and the surrounding area. 

 This is one of the outdoor displays. There are many more, including a blacksmith shop.

 We purchased a toy that kids would have played with long ago.

 After viewing all of the displays at the museum we took a drive around the area and listened to the details of many of the original sites. There were displays set up with metal men.

The well that you see in the background is the site of the first Oil Gusher in North America.

We had a great time and learned so much about oil here in Ontario. This is so much more interesting after living in Alberta.

Book Sharing Monday - The Mushroom Hunt

This book is a great story about a family searching for mushrooms in the woods and goes into some detail about mushrooms. 

It's a great way to introduce mushrooms and create more interest in the subject. My kids didn't look at mushrooms the same again. It is my understanding that this book is part of a series called Read and Wonder. After going to their catalog HERE I'm surprised to recognize a couple of the books that we have enjoyed.

Pictures Of Our Garden

 We use a similar method to Square Foot Gardening. These plants are in raised boxes in our back yard and laid out by square foot. This is a red sunflower.

 This is the flower of the Hungarian Pepper.

 Peas!

 Cucumber!

 Dill! I didn't get to make dill pickles this year, but oh well. Life gets busy and the garden worked out okay, regardless.

 These are seed pods for radishes. I'm trying to make a sustainable garden, which means I can gather seeds for the next year so that I don't need to purchase them.

 Spinach!

 Cherry Tomatoes!

Mint! I use this for mint tea... yummy!!

Farm Cats

 Farm cats are so fun. Zoe and Austyn love to play with them. The adult cat at the back has nursed a bunch of the kittens. They all look so happy!

 This cat is Zoe's favourite. 

 Every spring there are a bunch of kittens. The old country porch ends up being covered in kittens running this way and that. 

 This one is so playful. 

The draw to visit for Zoe, this time of year, is definitely the cats!