Autumn with a chance of Winter

The week started off normal enough, walking the dogs, hiking in the woods (well Comet and I did have a near run in with a black bear but all's well that ends well) doing science experiments, learning about Mexico and some about Brazil, dissecting owl pellets, getting ready for Halloween and autumn in general. It was just a normal October week until the first snow arrived and then the second much larger snow! WE are certainly not ready for winter yet, hopefully it will melt and then the temperature will warm up again for a month or two.

Tristan keeps asking for more science experiments. I pulled out a few science kits that never got finished or just the older kids did them. Tristan had some fun making a telescope, and testing out his puppy's senses (well Comet kept wanting to be involved!). The  Tristan said isn't it about time we did some serious Chemistry!? So yes we'll work on that Tristan. He means crash,bang, make a mess and some explosions chemistry so I think we'll have to buy a kit.

Here are a few of the science experiments Tristan worked on this week:

Outdoors we see many signs of fall and winter to come. This wasp still refuses to leave it's nest (it was there last week too).

 Lots of leaves have fallen.

 Something is working hard on this tree below:

Midweek we went to see a presentation about Ulysses S. Grant with our homeschool group. How funny to learn that there isn't really an S that starts his middle name at all! We learned many fun facts.

 The dogs pose for Comet's 26 week photo as our first light snow of the season arrives.

 Comet is baffled by this cold, white stuff!

 We did some owl pellet dissecting as part of our week on rodents since we would most likely find rodent skeletons in the pellets. We have dissected many an owl pellet before, it's one of the kids favorite science investigations.

With winter barging in so fast and early we got the dogs these matching coats.

On Saturday we went to a farm one town over where they do a big pumpkin carving event each year. In addition to carving pumpkins we were able to watch squash and pumpkins flung with a trebuchet that the teen son build as a homeschool project. Colin and Tristan are thinking that they might like to do such a project too. We also saw quite a few oxen.

These below ended up all out of order but are mainly the mess that was the first big snow from Saturday-Sunday.

This photo is so funny, Comet pulled too hard on the slick snow and Tristan went right down and slid along. Since I could see Tristan was unhurt, well there was over a foot and a half of snow to cushion him!!!, I said wait don't help him, to his brother Colin, I want to get a photo of this!

 Hayley's Halloween decorations, her pumpkin and legos and some spider lights she has mainly because she likes spiders.

More snow pictures, Bonkers was unimpressed, being a little dog it's hard for her to walk in deep snow.

 CRAZY dogs chased after the soccer ball that had gone into the water!

So unexpected October snow, that's for sure. I'm typing this on Monday and the snow is still hanging around.

another fall week

Sunday

Rocket Launching with the area rocket club.

Monday

Tae Kwon Do class with other homeschoolers.

Tuesday

We are learning about Australia this week. Our geography curriculum was getting a little monotonous so we spiced it up with some cookies shaped like Australia.

Wednesday

After our homeschooling for the morning, work began on some Halloween Tie Dye.

In the afternoon it was art class with a local-ish homeschool group.

They're working on terra cotta pumpkins.

later on more progress on the tie dye.

Thursday

Flower the cat outside watching all the busyness of fall. leaves falling, chipmunks gathering. Leave those Chipmunks alone, Flower!

Later Thursday we head to Boy scouts where the boys hold a disaster day, with mock injuries to help them with their First Aid Merit Badge.

Tristan pretends to be a snake bite victim.

This scout below pretends to have suffered a major injury after falling out of a tree.

This scout below apparently suffered a shark attack, who knew there were sharks in the local lakes?!

Friday

We worked on more first aid skills at home. Freeze the dog so badly wanted to eat the fake blood (karo syrup based) and fake skin (cocoa is in that).

Below, look close some of our tiny tree frogs. We brought in the last tadpole stragglers from the pool and now most of them are tiny tree frogs. They seem to enjoy the large terrarium. We had this spare having bought it for Colin's crested gecko only to find it was far too large and overwhelming for such a small lizard. It's perfect for a dozen little tree frogs to spend the winter in.

Comet's 25 week photos.

Saturday

We update and replace items in our home first aid kit. The boys needed to do this as the last step for the first aid merit badge.

a walk in the woods finds this persistent wasp unwilling to leave his home even though the cold has set in and the home has fallen apart.

Wild and crazy Comet has a run in the woods. We put caution tape on him to make sure that wayward hunters don't mistake him for something else.

Comet zigs....

...Zags...

...and flies through the air!

There ends another fall week in our home.