Bird Houses

This project is again a bit of a cross over with both kids.
DS5 was to make a bird house out of a milk carton...I think what we ended up with was better.
The lovely man at the local ITM took the plan from the school book and cut all the wood to size while we were entertained by two older builders who were building a small frame inside the ITM store room.
 

DD8 works out how to put the pieces together

DS5 trying too

Phew this is hard work....6 pieces to fit together and the slope of the roof was not a great angle to really see

I think I've got it...no I don't want help...no I don't want to pre-drill

DS5 was quite happy to pre-drill and bash with Daddy's hammer his nails.

DD8 very proud to of done this whole project on her own.

Birds and finger prints

Dd8 is looking closely at finger prints. Not sure she really got the idea of using the jewellers loup but painting big is new

I would love to show DD some more art like this which has more depth...maybe we should do a longer study on this...which layers the paint rather than just splat it on and finished.

DS is panting Rio the bird
First time in a long time he seems very fixated on something. Very cool.

Bird feeder 2015

Yuck

It smells

Is it ok for the birds to eat...Google the ingredients.

Is this amount of peanut butter ok for a bird.

Why do we have peanut butter? (To feed the mice on the trap)

Oh the questions. DD is very concerned about the welfare of the birds if they eat this stuff. This was an activity for DS from his OM lessons but DD seemed to be more into it that he.

DS has issues with somethings which smell strongly or feel funny - touching peanut butter is just a bit much for him.

We've hung them up in the cabbage tree outside the kitchen window...but no birds will touch it.

:-( oh dear

Early morning anthropology

We've had a dirt pile since building the house. I've been meaning to design...then build a retaining wall for 9 years.....

Humm landscapers house never done?

But this has been the play pit since they could walk

Water...mud...hammers....slides...I've even put the shade tent over it too so they could play longer.

Cob building. Drying. Balancing. Bug discovery...that was a bit scary for ds5 to find crawling up his leg...a black cricket.

Lots of talk goes on in this play. Minecraft, animal questions... What happening during that week at computer club, who has new chickens, music/ singing....odd place but lots of learning going on here.

Foot prints learning story

We started off DS5 and I grabbing hold of the cat and a cup of water.
We took the cat outside and dunked his foot in the water then stamped it on the concrete...the cat was most patient. We finally got a good print and let him go...he proceeded to drink the rest of the cup of water while DS5 and I carried on.
We traced our own feet. DS5 pointed out how BIG my foot was in such a tone that I sounded like an elephant...lol.
Then we went onto the OM website and clicked through to the links to follow some more tracks. (I do have a tracking book but can't seem to lay my hands on it when I needed it...argh!)

We started off with the cat then the dog...DS5 hates dogs. We looked at pigs, cows and possums.
We drew the chicken foot and laughed about how it looked.
DS5 was starting to look grumpy and not wanting to draw and foot prints....
Then DS5 took over the computer controls and started to fall down the rabbit hole so to speak.

He wanted to see what a Huhu bugs foot prints would be like (we have a dead one on the nature table at the moment)...we spent ages looking at the various photos of the Huhu.
DS5 didn't seem all that fazed with the idea of people eating them as he referred back to the "rot squad" with magic school bus. Had I eaten one - No - but Daddy has...then there were more bug photos with wasps and bees with nests in the ground...which lead him to looking at cicadas which he was most fascinated with.

He spent ages looking at the colours and types.
He clicked on a few with trout eating them and questioned a little about that then went back to looking at more colours.
He clicked away on a drawing and ended up looking at old photos of railways being built..then discovered the back button and went back to cicada.
He looked at the lifecycle but which time DD8 had joined in and they both started talking about how the freshly hatched 'bug' looked like a fish. They talked about the shells they had found (the latest one from h/s camp I had to wear as a brooch)
They spent a few more minutes looking over the cicada and then onto the birds eating them.
Swallows seem to be the main interest.
DD8 from her studies on animals this week wondered how many eggs/babies were in the nest...they pondered over the colour and shape of the nest...laughed about how they looked like some movie they had watched in the past....

Then in was morning tea.

Building fairy houses

Ds5 is not all that keen on photos 

Dd8 explaining what they had collected for 'Fantailie'...

There are also 'nuts' for the animals too

Some art and some work

The idea for the art project was to blend to make a circle....DD8 gets a bit frustrated with art some times but she couldn't let DS5 show her up.

Both of them did really well.

Both kids now have display boards of their own and some weeks we seem to fill them up on the first day and others we are spending so much time outside and doing stuff that they stay empty. We each have a shelf top to display crafts or other 3d objects as well.

My bounce

A great home ed gathering heaps of kids all jumping in a really hot room.

I think this will be a great winter time activity

Passing of animals

Poor DD8 is having a bit of a hard time with her animals.

First she's lost her chicken Coconut. Coconut is the first chicken she ever brought with her own money many years ago. She was pretty old but its always sad when you loose an animal. DD8 spent many hours before Coconuts death giving her hugs and talking to her.

Then we had little Rabbi to stay for a few days. Yes its a pest but its a baby and children need to learn about life and love.

We tried very hard with Rabbi but in the end it just gave up. Sadly we've been given Rabbi's brother or sister now too which I don't think anyone is very pleased about.

Poor little thing.

DD8 is very angry with the vet for not taking the rabbit and she just does not understand. She's informed me when she is a vet she will take any animal that needs her help.

Steve the crocodile hunter

Oh wow...how did we get onto this?

Late one night we started watching Steve with Komodo dragons. Kids are totally hooked.

We the got countdown cards from granddad...Ds5 found the Komodo dragon in the pile...very excited!

So now they are watching again about African crocodile.

The talk about the Komodo dragon has gone of for a while...really made an impact 

Rabbit

So we were trying out the minecraft homeschool when I popped out to put on the washing and found this!

Eek!

Dd8 is straight into looking after it. She told me the other day she wants to be a vet...which is continuing on from our last visit to the bird recovery unit.

Ds5 not so sure ... Is it a rabbit or a rat?

Vet says it's a pest...sigh

Argh do I really want to have peter rabbit in my house?If it's a rabbit and not a rat!

My girl friend managed to get some milk into him so it's still alive.

The endless field trip day

We were heading to Auckland to the dentist. When doing something like that I like to make a fun stop too.

My mum was also coming into Auckland from Thailand....and her plan was late and late and really late...so we had to keep extending the day.

Fish market was great.

DS5 got to see a flounder which the cat sole from the fishmonger in his latest book.

We got to see eels...just like they caught with grandpa.

They were totally amazed by crayfish and spent 10mins watching the live swim around...this followed on into the wearable arts show we saw later at the museum...they were very excited to see the outfit. 

The water front gave us hours of fun.

The container with books and piano were interesting to...Dd8 wants to bring down some old books next dentist visit.

Water play...oh every child's dream

DD8 was so excited to see this 'sky bridge'...it's just like I made in minecraft...let's go and see!

Totally loved it!

This matches our social studies know your place and 'our tree'

Lots in the news at the moment so not their greatest love...

So we were stuck in Auckland late with two tired kids playing games on their iPads...had to laugh as they started playing 'scratch' computer club...and maths fish.

Gym

Both children have loved gym off and on for a few years now.
Last year both of them got very board with the large amounts of waiting and big classes. So this year I've tried to get smaller less waiting for a tern and both classes running at the same time to cut back the waiting in that part.

DS5 is the smallest of the group but is not put off

DD8 has moved into a floor routine group which is really working well for her

DS5 first time in a bridge...makes my stomach curl just watching