Backyard Critters

We have a few bird feeders in our back yard - one of which is a hummingbird feeder. This little guy was standing guard when I caught him with my camera. The kids and I love to watch him defend his territory from other hummingbirds trying to feed. I wonder if our curriculum will feature this amazing animal?!

Animal of the Week: Deer

Almost as common as squirrels, the white-tailed deer adapt to changes in their environment. I know I've seen them in the woods and the on the outskirts of cities. It doesn't seem to affect their numbers. In fact, when I told the kids deer were hunted by man, they were confused. I told them their natural predators were not as numerous and without a predator, there would be too many deer around. So man created laws that allowed a season or part of the year in which hunters could legally kill deer.

The most interesting fact we found about deer is that their babies, called fawns, have spots when they are born. That is their best defense. And since the fawns rest most of the time lying in the grass, their spots hide them well. When a stranger comes around, the mother leaves to distract the threat, hopefully luring them away from the fawn.

The most memorable thing about deer for the kids is the white tail. When they see the tail up and the white showing, they say, "Danger! Danger!" They know it tells the other deer to be aware too!

Animal of the Week: Porcupine

This week we learned about porcupines. Though they are slow-moving and only about 2-3 ft in length, they are intimidating! On their backs, they hold more than 30,000 quills! We watched a "Wild America" video in which the porcupine clicked it's teeth when threatened. It turned it's back to the predator and would forcefully back up into it. The only successful predator of the porcupine is the fisher which has the ability to flip over the porcupine and attack it's underside.

The porcupine loves salt and will chew on anything a sweaty human touches! Ax handles, boat paddles, gloves, doors, boots. All these attributes described above we are reading about in the story, "Ereth's Birthday" by Avi. The kids and I are enjoying it thoroughly!

Our Tree

Our science journal is asking us to choose a tree to watch throughout our school year. Here is the tree in Summer.

The kids measure the tree's circumference to estimate it's age.

Animal Habitats

Our curriculum focuses on animals and their habitats. This week we were introduced to all the habitats we will study. Woodlands, Wetlands, African Savannah, Arctic Tundra, Desert, Tropical Rainforest, and Ocean. We'll be traveling all over the world this year!

First Day Of School!

I had to get a picture of everyone as we started the first day of our school year 2010-2011.
Here's my Kindergartener...

My Pre-Schooler...

My Toddler...

And me.

Morning Surprise!

This morning my husband discovered a luna moth. The kids were amazed at how big it was!!!

Nearby, I found a butterfly enjoying some breakfast in our yard.