Just a couple random pet store pictures because well .........must take pictures!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Fish on Friday
After two busy days out romping with reptiles you'd think we'd need a day of rest. In fact we had shopping to do on Friday. We needed some Halloween things, some supplies for our new pets from the animals class and Colin wanted a couple new fish for his tanks. Colin now has two fish tanks going, one for gentle fish and one for the aggressive sorts. He has learned that certain fish don't mix! Friday he was able to have a good talk with the fish department person at the pet store, who also started HIS first aquariums at age 11-same as Colin. I think Colin has a better idea of how to keep his fish happy and healthy now. 
Animal Academy-October
This month at Animal Academy the lesson was about snakes, this went along very well with the previous days visit to N.E.R.D. (post below). In fact the owner of the place which hosts Animal Academy said he worked at N.E.R.D. in his younger days.
The kids had a lecture about snakes, their anatomy and some fun facts and then learned about snake handling tools. They were then able to try the tools and wrangle some snakes back into their cases. Later we went to the reptile room to meet more snakes, a legless lizard and other reptiles. We have a wonderful time at Animal Academy. 'm glad we made the choice to take on this course even though it's a 2 hour trek each way. The people at Animal Academy clearly love their work and enjoy sharing what they know with the kids and the parents. So far the classes all have run long too, it a fun way to spend a morning.
After class we were given a chance to choose an animal or two to adopt and learn more about at home. So this was a special treat. The Animal Academy takes in quite a few rescues when people get pets and then decide it's too much work. Or have pets they aren't allowed to have where they live or other such reasons. Often these pets which have been turned in are pregnant and when they become over run the animal place looks for new homes as was the case today. they had quite a few rodents and turtles for adoption.
Snake Handling 101- I like how they don't talk down to the kids here. They assume the kids are intelligent and want to learn much about the animals not just a collection of cute facts.
Colin loved snake handling!
Did I meet your twin yesterday at N.E.R.D.?
Not a snake-Legless lizard
Lizards
I think the kids have named them Pumpkin and Bongo. We will be breeding them one time (they are easy to sex and are not prolific breeders) and setting up two habitats, one for males and one for females for these social creatures who like to live in groups.
The kids had a lecture about snakes, their anatomy and some fun facts and then learned about snake handling tools. They were then able to try the tools and wrangle some snakes back into their cases. Later we went to the reptile room to meet more snakes, a legless lizard and other reptiles. We have a wonderful time at Animal Academy. 'm glad we made the choice to take on this course even though it's a 2 hour trek each way. The people at Animal Academy clearly love their work and enjoy sharing what they know with the kids and the parents. So far the classes all have run long too, it a fun way to spend a morning.
After class we were given a chance to choose an animal or two to adopt and learn more about at home. So this was a special treat. The Animal Academy takes in quite a few rescues when people get pets and then decide it's too much work. Or have pets they aren't allowed to have where they live or other such reasons. Often these pets which have been turned in are pregnant and when they become over run the animal place looks for new homes as was the case today. they had quite a few rodents and turtles for adoption.
Snake Handling 101- I like how they don't talk down to the kids here. They assume the kids are intelligent and want to learn much about the animals not just a collection of cute facts.
Colin loved snake handling!
Did I meet your twin yesterday at N.E.R.D.?
Not a snake-Legless lizard
Lizards
Our new friends...
I think the kids have named them Pumpkin and Bongo. We will be breeding them one time (they are easy to sex and are not prolific breeders) and setting up two habitats, one for males and one for females for these social creatures who like to live in groups.
New England Reptile distributors Trip
Last Wednesday we attended a tour of New England reptile distributors. This is a large facility that breeds all manner of snakes. They had thousands of snakes from fairly common ones to very, very rare. We saw one snake which there is reportedly only 4 known from that exact species. N.E.R.D. as they use for an acronym, ships snakes worldwide and had just shipped a $20,000 snake to the UK. Some of their snakes retail for up to $200,000!
The tour began in one of the snake rooms. These rooms we extremely hot, humid and smelly! A couple of the children in the tour had to leave as the heat was just too much. The rooms need to be very hot since these snakes come from much hotter areas than New Hampshire. We were shown 2 or 3 snakes in each room, with the kids being given a chance to touch some snakes and hear some information bout snakes and their care and also info about specific types of snakes. There were 4 or snake rooms, a lizard room and a fun cave room where a variety of reptiles were kept and brought out for the children to see and touch. This included one snake that was more than 10 feet long, some lizards and a large turtle. I didn't get many post- able photos of the snake rooms since there were quite a few kids in the group whom I don't have permission to post their photos.
I did take pictures of a few snakes, this top one was my favorite.
The varied colors of the snakes were so interesting and often beautiful.
a sleepy lizard below.
In each snake room there were rows and rows of bins as in the photo below. Each bin houses a snake.
Some snakes live in larger enclosures but the tour leader said many prefer the bins. The tour was informative, we learned a lot about snake reproduction, snake genetics and snake laws-quite a few snakes at N.E.R.D. were police confiscated from people not licensed to own them or pets that people could not handle. Our tour leader said they are called out at all hours to help catch or confiscate dangerous snakes.
There was also a large pet shop attached to N.E.R.D. The pet shop had all the usual cats, dogs, fish, more reptiles, small furry things and of course pet supplies. We ad almost as much fun i the large pet shop as on the reptile tour.
Large fish tank:
Hard to see but there were kittens in these cages, we wanted them! They were pricey though.
Tristan decided to dress nicely for the animals :-).
Much time was spent with the puppies, what fun!
We spent about 4 hours at N.E.R.D. and plan to return again another time. Fun place!
The tour began in one of the snake rooms. These rooms we extremely hot, humid and smelly! A couple of the children in the tour had to leave as the heat was just too much. The rooms need to be very hot since these snakes come from much hotter areas than New Hampshire. We were shown 2 or 3 snakes in each room, with the kids being given a chance to touch some snakes and hear some information bout snakes and their care and also info about specific types of snakes. There were 4 or snake rooms, a lizard room and a fun cave room where a variety of reptiles were kept and brought out for the children to see and touch. This included one snake that was more than 10 feet long, some lizards and a large turtle. I didn't get many post- able photos of the snake rooms since there were quite a few kids in the group whom I don't have permission to post their photos.
I did take pictures of a few snakes, this top one was my favorite.
The varied colors of the snakes were so interesting and often beautiful.
a sleepy lizard below.
In each snake room there were rows and rows of bins as in the photo below. Each bin houses a snake.
Some snakes live in larger enclosures but the tour leader said many prefer the bins. The tour was informative, we learned a lot about snake reproduction, snake genetics and snake laws-quite a few snakes at N.E.R.D. were police confiscated from people not licensed to own them or pets that people could not handle. Our tour leader said they are called out at all hours to help catch or confiscate dangerous snakes.
There was also a large pet shop attached to N.E.R.D. The pet shop had all the usual cats, dogs, fish, more reptiles, small furry things and of course pet supplies. We ad almost as much fun i the large pet shop as on the reptile tour.
Large fish tank:
Hard to see but there were kittens in these cages, we wanted them! They were pricey though.
Tristan decided to dress nicely for the animals :-).
Much time was spent with the puppies, what fun!
We spent about 4 hours at N.E.R.D. and plan to return again another time. Fun place!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tie Dye Tradition- shirts & learning in my own way
Just like the leaf rubbings of 2 weeks ago, tie dye is another activity that we've done since the very earliest days of our homeschooling. Each fall we tie dye new shirts. I have even run this activity for homeschool groups a few times. There's just something about tie dye shirts that I equate with homeschooling. I think it's the freedom to decorate your shirt any way you want to, there are no firm rules and it should fit your personality or whim of the day. Many of Trevor's tie dye shirts have just yellow or green patterns depending on which color he liked best that year. Hayley's shirts are always artistic masterpieces full of colors. Colin's are haphazard and fun and Tristan's are well thought out and specific. In homeschooling we are free to learn and grow at our own paces, follow the whims of our likes and dislikes and customize the children's educations to best fit them. The tie dye t-shirts are one of a kind as should our home education be. One style doesn't fit all in shirts, favorite colors and designs or math and reading!
I don't have after pictures as the many shirts the kids made are still tied up and drying. They should be done tomorrow.
I don't have after pictures as the many shirts the kids made are still tied up and drying. They should be done tomorrow.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Good News At The Eye Doctor
Tristan had an appointment with the eye doctor today, Hayley came along to keep him company while the older boys stayed home. It was one of the longer checks, with dilation and such. Not fun but he got good news. Tristan's eyesight with his glasses is improving! Also there is no need to have a check up every three months now, he can go yearly. That's good news since a trip to the eye doctor, or any doctor for that matter is a long-ish drive. The eye doctor said that although Tristan will not likely ever have perfect vision even with his glasses, they have corrected him to a point where he can see well and learning to read is getting easier. Just have to remember to always wear those glasses! Thankfully he's very good about it.
After the eye doctor we took a ride to the natural foods store to get some needed items. They always have nice fall displays outside the natural foods store.
Last we went to Petco for pet supplies. Once in Petco I thought I saw the kids dropping something out of the corner of my eye. I turned around and found them dropping their Webkinz to the ground with "leashes" (yarn). I asked what was up with THAT they said, our animals are allowed in Petco if they are leashed. Very funny!
After the eye doctor we took a ride to the natural foods store to get some needed items. They always have nice fall displays outside the natural foods store.
Last we went to Petco for pet supplies. Once in Petco I thought I saw the kids dropping something out of the corner of my eye. I turned around and found them dropping their Webkinz to the ground with "leashes" (yarn). I asked what was up with THAT they said, our animals are allowed in Petco if they are leashed. Very funny!
That's about it for the day. The kids played outdoors for awhile when we got home and soon we'll have supper and then the kids can watch a bedtime movie.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wiped Out Wednesday
Busy day. One Wednesday a month we have multiple commitments but since they don't start until later I still try to get some work in here at home in the morning. Then there is the rush of getting out of the house on time at 11:00-ish. Well we made it anyway. We got in Spanish and a couple other things, did lunch then met our friends before mixed class day. Trevor stayed at our friends house with their teen boy to play video games as they are too old for the mixed classes (and Trevor wouldn't want to do them anyway). Kids played for a bit then off to the classes. This month in Mad Science the kids learned about physical and chemical changes and some things about elements. They did three experiments and got a game called Atomic Coins about the elements to bring home. I think they had fun.
For the animals class this time the theme was Australian animals. The kids learned about introduced species & the different areas of Australia and met Australian animals including a rabbit, an unusual frog, a type of parakeet, a large snake, a skink, a duck and a tarantula. I didn't get good photos of the animals this time, my battery was low and my camera won't zoom then.
Below my kids watch curiously to see which animal will come out next.
snake skin
shed exoskeletons from tarantulas.
For the animals class this time the theme was Australian animals. The kids learned about introduced species & the different areas of Australia and met Australian animals including a rabbit, an unusual frog, a type of parakeet, a large snake, a skink, a duck and a tarantula. I didn't get good photos of the animals this time, my battery was low and my camera won't zoom then.
Below my kids watch curiously to see which animal will come out next.
snake skin
shed exoskeletons from tarantulas.
After mixed class day we had a cub scout meeting. The boys learned more about the Boy Scout Law, motto, etc. They will soon be crossing over to Boy scouts and must learn these things first if they want to earn the arrow of light award.
We got home about 5:30, had a quick supper and now the kids are playing until bedtime
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Just an autumn Tuesday
Today we did another little activity from the TOS Autumn Treasures e-book. The kids made this lapbook part and also labeled one of the other papers about seasons. The photo is Tristan's pictures of what reminds him of each season. Hayley also did some cute drawings. Colin chose to write words. For spring he chose the word salamanders, because that's when they all come out again and he misses the, after the winter!
After learning time the kids did their jobs of the week and I detailed how we work that in the post below. I started this system when I found housework was the thing getting attention last this year and it was stressing me out. I then realized I hadn't been having the kids help as much as I should be. We tend to slack off in the summer. Probably because have more time to do the cleaning myself and the house just gets less messy with much of the kids play being outdoors in summer. I should have added a disclaimer that I am not a neat freak and my house is not super clean. I just like things to stay fairly decent, not get to the point where it seems impossible to ever see the floor, furniture and counters again! Maintaining is much easier than overhauling. This years system is just a simpler variation of last years. Now that the children are getting older there are not as many random messes which is nice.
We got outdoors some in the afternoon, there isn't nearly as much creeping and crawling around this time of year. Colin was happy to spot this caterpillar though.
In the afternoon a kids movie was on and Poppy (below) was actually watching it for a long time...and it wasn't an animal movie! It was cute.
Meanwhile Freeze napped on the laundry pile.
Late in the day I went out to take a new leaves on the trees (or lack of) photo and Snowflake the cat was doing his I'm cute so come pat me game.
It worked, he is cute and can always get some attention from me!
Here is what the trees in my side yard are looking like at the moment, getting pretty bare:
After learning time the kids did their jobs of the week and I detailed how we work that in the post below. I started this system when I found housework was the thing getting attention last this year and it was stressing me out. I then realized I hadn't been having the kids help as much as I should be. We tend to slack off in the summer. Probably because have more time to do the cleaning myself and the house just gets less messy with much of the kids play being outdoors in summer. I should have added a disclaimer that I am not a neat freak and my house is not super clean. I just like things to stay fairly decent, not get to the point where it seems impossible to ever see the floor, furniture and counters again! Maintaining is much easier than overhauling. This years system is just a simpler variation of last years. Now that the children are getting older there are not as many random messes which is nice.
We got outdoors some in the afternoon, there isn't nearly as much creeping and crawling around this time of year. Colin was happy to spot this caterpillar though.
In the afternoon a kids movie was on and Poppy (below) was actually watching it for a long time...and it wasn't an animal movie! It was cute.
Meanwhile Freeze napped on the laundry pile.
Late in the day I went out to take a new leaves on the trees (or lack of) photo and Snowflake the cat was doing his I'm cute so come pat me game.
It worked, he is cute and can always get some attention from me!
Here is what the trees in my side yard are looking like at the moment, getting pretty bare:
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