Home Spun comic strip #722

They may not know they are learning, but I have to, for the purpose of reporting their progress. The one benefit that has come out of reporting to our school district is that I recognize the need to be aware of what they are doing at any given moment. I also need to figure out how to convert this raw learning into education speak. It's not always easy as recognizing they are playing with the hardness scale of minerals. Sometimes it's discovering surface tension with bubbles, or exploring microhabitats in the backyard or park. And the trick is to write it all down before I forget.

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If you enjoy my comics, the first collection, No School Today? is available from these sellers:

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Carnival at Homeschool Bytes

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: Creativity edition is up at Homeschool Bytes! Please stop by and find something to inspire those creative juices. Happy Spring!

Home Spun comic strip #721

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If you enjoy my comics, the first collection, No School Today? is available from these sellers:

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Spot the Salamander

 March has brought unusually warm weather to our area. Because of this, several events have happened earlier than usual. My crocus and daffodils are popping up all over the yard, the pussy-willow catkins are already starting to flower, I saw my first robin, and the spotted salamanders began their annual migration.
 
According to our local park ranger, Taro, every year, the salamanders leave the woods and make their way to the vernal pools where they were born. I had a chance to see these pools teeming with life on a warm night. Of course, when we came back for our homeschooling class, the temperature had dropped about twenty degrees. This made it much harder to find the salamanders.


Sometimes you have to lift up logs and stick your hands in stinky muck so that your child can marvel at the wonders of the natural world. 


I happen to think it's worth it.

And then I had the chance to marvel at my child. I suggested she go wash her hands so that she could take a picture of the salamanders we found. When she came back, she brought a wet towel for my own hands. I didn't even have to ask her to do it.

Home Spun comic strip #720

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If you enjoy my comics, the first collection, No School Today? is available from these sellers:

CreateSpace
Amazon.com

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Home Spun comic strip #719

We always heard such wonderful stories about raising caterpillars. My own reviews of the experience are mixed. The first time I tried it, before Sierra was born, all of the caterpillars reached cocoon stage. I was so proud I tried to pick up the flimsy cardboard box to show grandma. I did not know that Marina had put several large rocks at the bottom. The box collapsed in my hands and several of the cocoons were crushed. Only two butterflies emerged. One had a crumpled wing and would never fly. We released the other.


Our second attempt went somewhat better. The only problem was that one caterpillar was much faster than the others. It formed a chrysalis while the others were still fattening up. By the time the last caterpillar decided to make its way to the top of the cup, the first had started to emerge in those cramped quarters. We found out too late. It lay on the bottom of the cup of caterpillar food on its back, unable to maneuver and dry its wings properly. The others four emerged properly in our new pop-up butterfly habitat. No more cardboard for me.


The last time we did it, it was because Sierra was old enough to beg me to do it. Things worked out much better. Mainly because I stepped back and let the kids handle things. My only contribution was to hang the butterfly habitat over the lights to keep the caterpillar cup out of reach of our curious cats. After so many attempts, we were finally able to release all of our butterflies. I admit, it is a nice feeling. And maybe we appreciate it more because of all the failed attempts before it.


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If you enjoy my comics, the first collection, No School Today? is available from these sellers:

CreateSpace
Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

~~~~~~~~~~

Home Spun comic strip #718

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If you enjoy my comics, the first collection, No School Today? is available from these sellers:

CreateSpace
Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

~~~~~~~~~~

Home Spun comic strip #717

I bought the skull one year after Halloween. Little did I know how prominent it would figure in our life. He would be named Yorick, after Shakespeare's most famous bonehead. Yorick always seems to pop up in the most unusual places. See if you can spot him below in the picture of Sierra sleeping. I didn't even see him when I took the shot. Obviously, he enjoys photobombing. For that matter, he likes being the topic of art. I've used him when I taught watercolor, and more recently he found himself the subject of a sketching project for Marina's drawing class. She even knitted a cap for him. I'll let you ponder that.

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If you enjoy my comics, the first collection, No School Today? is available from these sellers:

CreateSpace
Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

~~~~~~~~~~

Home Spun comic strip #716

It's amazing how you can go to a park for years and still not know everything about it. The park we frequently hike in used to be a quarry for a nearby dam, but it took years of hiking before I actually stumbled across the old quarry. (The day our usual trail was flooded and we got lost.) It took a couple more years before I found the piece of old track along a trail that runs over the top of the quarry. This week I learned yet another new thing while hiking. I ran into a small, funny looking bird that looked like a cross between a wood duck and a kiwi. It passed in front of me and settled into the leaves within an arm's distance of me. Turns out it was a woodcock. I had heard the name, but I had never seen one before. Another new experience in our favorite old park!

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If you enjoy my comics, the first collection, No School Today? is available from these sellers:

CreateSpace
Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

~~~~~~~~~~

Home Spun comic strip #715

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If you enjoy my comics, the first collection, No School Today? is available from these sellers:

CreateSpace
Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

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