Backyard Science
Ever the busy family…
Aden's soccer team is now one for two. They won their first game 5-0 and lost the second 6-0. Mostly, the kids just follow the ball around on the field. Few kids on his team have good control of the ball or strategy at this age. Still, they’re fun to watch.
We have been taking the kids to one of the mega home improvement stores in town, once of month, for a free craft project for kids. So far, Aden and Danielle have made a wooden racecar, wooden sailboat, and Danielle made a birdhouse last weekend. Aden missed out on the birdhouse clinic because it conflicted with his soccer game. Since he really wanted a birdhouse of his own, Danielle and I missed the soccer game in order to go to the building clinic and pick him up a kit. He barely noticed we weren’t at the game and was so excited to have his kit when he came home. Each month when the kids make something new, they get a project patch to sew on the free apron they received the first time (similar to patches earned by scout troops). My kids think it is so cool and it’s a great activity for the whole family.
Last Saturday we went to a magic show birthday party for one of Aden and Danielle’s best friends. The kids were enthralled and both were participants in the show. Of course, nothing compared to the grand finale with the pulling a real rabbit out of a hat. The magician was very amenable to the children petting his rabbit after the show.
Scott took down the inflatable pool last weekend and found a black widow spider hiding in one of the cinder blocks. With the kids were safely inside, Scott carefully captured her by using the tweezers that came with a bug collecting kit we had. He made a spider killing jar with a medicine bottle and rubbing alcohol. We plan to preserve her in liquid acrylic so you can see both sides of her body. She has some of the most beautiful blood-red spots on her back and the tell-tale hourglass on her belly. I don’t have arachnophobia, which is fortunate, but I can tell you I was a little apprehensive about Scott capturing her. Usually, I leave spiders alone as long as they leave me alone. We only captured her as a science lesson to our kids. Aden loves spiders. We wanted to let him know not all spiders are okay and some could really hurt you. We wanted him and Danielle to see what a black widow looks like, so they can stay away from one, if found.
We use backyard science as teaching tools for our kids. Several months ago, we found a 4-foot long snakeskin, completely intact! Normally, when snakes wriggle out of their skin, they wind up shredding it because they shed under shrubs or leaves for protection. Leaves and sticks usually wind up tearing the old skin during the process. The skin we found is completely intact from the mouth opening to the tail. You can even see the holes where the eyes were. I’m not exactly sure what type of snake it was. What has amazed us was the fact the snake had to have been in our yard, in the open, for quite some time while it was shedding. (Probably while we were at work.) Apparently our old pit-bull/lab mix was sleeping in one of her favorite spots and never bothered it. I may not be squeamish about spiders, but I do hate snakes. Luckily, the only thing we found was the skin, which is now tucked safely away in a gallon zip-lock bag on top of a shelf. When Aden is much older and can carefully handle the skin, it would make a great show-and-tell object for science class.
This weekend, I went to Tot Trade, a mega children’s consignment sale. Because I volunteer 8-hours of my time during the sale, I received a pre-sale pass which allowed me entry a day before it was open to the general public. I bought all of Aden’s fall/winter clothes for around $100. I did not need to buy anything for Danielle this season (except a coat I picked up for $8) since one of my girlfriends passed along clothes her daughter outgrew. Aden used to be able to wear hand-me-downs from another girlfriend of mine who has older boys until Aden started wearing the same size as her sons. I’m sure by the middle school years, buying clothes at consignment sales will be out of the question. But for now, my kids are so excited and grateful when I come home with their “new” clothes.
Aden's soccer team is now one for two. They won their first game 5-0 and lost the second 6-0. Mostly, the kids just follow the ball around on the field. Few kids on his team have good control of the ball or strategy at this age. Still, they’re fun to watch.
We have been taking the kids to one of the mega home improvement stores in town, once of month, for a free craft project for kids. So far, Aden and Danielle have made a wooden racecar, wooden sailboat, and Danielle made a birdhouse last weekend. Aden missed out on the birdhouse clinic because it conflicted with his soccer game. Since he really wanted a birdhouse of his own, Danielle and I missed the soccer game in order to go to the building clinic and pick him up a kit. He barely noticed we weren’t at the game and was so excited to have his kit when he came home. Each month when the kids make something new, they get a project patch to sew on the free apron they received the first time (similar to patches earned by scout troops). My kids think it is so cool and it’s a great activity for the whole family.
Last Saturday we went to a magic show birthday party for one of Aden and Danielle’s best friends. The kids were enthralled and both were participants in the show. Of course, nothing compared to the grand finale with the pulling a real rabbit out of a hat. The magician was very amenable to the children petting his rabbit after the show.
Scott took down the inflatable pool last weekend and found a black widow spider hiding in one of the cinder blocks. With the kids were safely inside, Scott carefully captured her by using the tweezers that came with a bug collecting kit we had. He made a spider killing jar with a medicine bottle and rubbing alcohol. We plan to preserve her in liquid acrylic so you can see both sides of her body. She has some of the most beautiful blood-red spots on her back and the tell-tale hourglass on her belly. I don’t have arachnophobia, which is fortunate, but I can tell you I was a little apprehensive about Scott capturing her. Usually, I leave spiders alone as long as they leave me alone. We only captured her as a science lesson to our kids. Aden loves spiders. We wanted to let him know not all spiders are okay and some could really hurt you. We wanted him and Danielle to see what a black widow looks like, so they can stay away from one, if found.
We use backyard science as teaching tools for our kids. Several months ago, we found a 4-foot long snakeskin, completely intact! Normally, when snakes wriggle out of their skin, they wind up shredding it because they shed under shrubs or leaves for protection. Leaves and sticks usually wind up tearing the old skin during the process. The skin we found is completely intact from the mouth opening to the tail. You can even see the holes where the eyes were. I’m not exactly sure what type of snake it was. What has amazed us was the fact the snake had to have been in our yard, in the open, for quite some time while it was shedding. (Probably while we were at work.) Apparently our old pit-bull/lab mix was sleeping in one of her favorite spots and never bothered it. I may not be squeamish about spiders, but I do hate snakes. Luckily, the only thing we found was the skin, which is now tucked safely away in a gallon zip-lock bag on top of a shelf. When Aden is much older and can carefully handle the skin, it would make a great show-and-tell object for science class.
This weekend, I went to Tot Trade, a mega children’s consignment sale. Because I volunteer 8-hours of my time during the sale, I received a pre-sale pass which allowed me entry a day before it was open to the general public. I bought all of Aden’s fall/winter clothes for around $100. I did not need to buy anything for Danielle this season (except a coat I picked up for $8) since one of my girlfriends passed along clothes her daughter outgrew. Aden used to be able to wear hand-me-downs from another girlfriend of mine who has older boys until Aden started wearing the same size as her sons. I’m sure by the middle school years, buying clothes at consignment sales will be out of the question. But for now, my kids are so excited and grateful when I come home with their “new” clothes.
posted by Jen at 1:34 PM
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