...and we are beginning to hit our stride. The first meeting, on Wed 11/30, was a bit chaotic, though homework got completed and I think everyone had some fun. (Kids went home with a bird feeder made from a coffee can. My own coffe can feeder has yet to see a single bird--but I bet they'll have discovered it by the time we have snow on the ground!) A better feeder is a cheap tube-type feeder (I bought one at Lowe's for about $6). Keeping squirrels away can be a challenge--on the other hand, squirrels are facing a tough winter, since the acorn crop is small this year.
On our second meeting, Wed 12/7, kids learned to tie a square knot and two half-hitches, and they began to learn to identify some common birds.
This week, Wed 12/14, kids practiced birds and knots, learned to tie a taut-line hitch, and made a decimal ruler that they can use to measure rainfall, using any straight-sided, flat-bottomed container as a rain guage.
On the Wednesday to come (12/21) I hope to watch the International Space Station pass over New Bedford. (Did you know you can see it easily if conditions are just right?) Then we will learn moon phases, have a peek at Jupiter through a telescope, and add a constellation or two to our night sky observations--all this IF we have a clear sky. If the sky is cloudy, we will begin learning about animals with a ball-toss game.
I am determined that the kids will have the opportunity to observe birds this winter. Soon I plan to begin platform feeders with the kids. A platform feeder is a large (about 189 inches on a side), flat platform with low edges that, usually, sits atop a post. The kids will build and paint their own platform feeders, taking them home probably sometime in February. I'm not sure how materials will be paid for; I may ask parents to chip in two or three dollars apiece. Having a feeder is a bit of a commitment: the feeder needs room outdoors, and the bird food costs money. Of course, you only put food out as often as you wish.
Finally, I am dreaming of Saturday field trips! I would like to get the kids to Brooklawn Park for a couple of hours in January if we have good enough weather. If there is snow, maybe we could share sleds and go sledding on a nearby hill! Either way, I will post notice here, send emails to parents, and telephone any parents I do not have email addresses for.
On our second meeting, Wed 12/7, kids learned to tie a square knot and two half-hitches, and they began to learn to identify some common birds.
This week, Wed 12/14, kids practiced birds and knots, learned to tie a taut-line hitch, and made a decimal ruler that they can use to measure rainfall, using any straight-sided, flat-bottomed container as a rain guage.
On the Wednesday to come (12/21) I hope to watch the International Space Station pass over New Bedford. (Did you know you can see it easily if conditions are just right?) Then we will learn moon phases, have a peek at Jupiter through a telescope, and add a constellation or two to our night sky observations--all this IF we have a clear sky. If the sky is cloudy, we will begin learning about animals with a ball-toss game.
I am determined that the kids will have the opportunity to observe birds this winter. Soon I plan to begin platform feeders with the kids. A platform feeder is a large (about 189 inches on a side), flat platform with low edges that, usually, sits atop a post. The kids will build and paint their own platform feeders, taking them home probably sometime in February. I'm not sure how materials will be paid for; I may ask parents to chip in two or three dollars apiece. Having a feeder is a bit of a commitment: the feeder needs room outdoors, and the bird food costs money. Of course, you only put food out as often as you wish.
Finally, I am dreaming of Saturday field trips! I would like to get the kids to Brooklawn Park for a couple of hours in January if we have good enough weather. If there is snow, maybe we could share sleds and go sledding on a nearby hill! Either way, I will post notice here, send emails to parents, and telephone any parents I do not have email addresses for.
