Our duckling story part II

After we rescued our little duckling I was careful not to let the children hold the duckling because I wasn't sure if that would affect its ability to be released into the wild again. However, when we arrived at the animal sanctuary, the receptionist immediately picked up the duckling and carried it back to the veterinarian in her hand, without using a towel as I had done.


After seeing that, I asked if the children would be able to hold the duckling and say good-bye. Which they were. We are still sad that we weren't able to rescue the other two ducklings, however at least we know this one is safe and sound!



Maybe one day we can try hatching and raising ducklings of our own, but until then, we have this lovely memory and the warm feeling that comes from doing something good.

D is for Duckling

This afternoon we rescued an abandoned (Mallard?) duckling. Its mother was nowhere to be found and another neighbor saw one duckling wandering around last night alone in her driveway. No one can recall seeing a mother duck with ducklings in the neighborhood.

Sadly, the other little duckling got away from me while I was catching this one. I remain hopeful that we can find it before we take this baby duckling to the wildlife rescue tomorrow morning. Until then, it will sleep in a Rubbermaid tub in a 78-80 degree room along with our 2 clutches of Leopard gecko eggs.

It is definitely SPRING at Passport Academy Homeschool.

Writing

Bear is starting to write me notes---just like the books said he would!

Over the past two years I have read numerous books on early childhood development and education. Some of my favorites were those that included illustrations of the various stages of writing to watch for, such as when scribbles turned into recognizable images, then letters, etc. It's always exciting to watch the next stage of development and see my children use the skills they are learning in their every day life.

I think it's time to break out our writing journals next week!

Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge

I'm so proud of G-man and Bear for participating in the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge with their homeschool P.E. Co-Op. We are holding off on celebrating until their Daddy gets home but here are their results:

G-Man (age 5)
11 Partial Curl Ups (55%)
13.7 Shuttle Run (40%)
3.5 V-Sit Reach (85%)
2:54 1/4 mile (15%)
4 Pull ups (90%)
* percentages based on 6 year old stats*

Bear (age 5)
22 Partial curl Ups (85%)
15.2 Shuttle Run (10%)
3.1 V-Sit Reach (80%)
2:44 1/4 mile (20%)
1 Pull-up (80%)

Great Sunflower Project part II

Our sunflowers from the Great Sunflower Project arrived in the mail today along with our instructions. The seeds they sent us were Lemon Queen Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) and we planted them right away.

While we were planting the boys told me they had decided to plant some of the sunflowers from our birdfeeder on their own and they were pleased that they had sprouted. When I went over to look I was surprised to see that they had indeed done well with their independent gardening project, while I'm not sure the location was ideal---the plants seem to be growing and I think this will make a nice little side experiment for them. Regardless of where they chose to make their flower bed, I think it's fair to say that they have a much greener thumb than I do.




The Great Sunflower Project takes place all summer long. Join us in tracking and recording bumblebees, honeybees, and carpenter bees!

Trapper Nelsons @ Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Today we took a field trip to Jonathan Dickinson State Park where we boarded the Loxahatchee Queen II for a tour of the scenic Loxahatchee River. While we were cruising down the river we saw a variety of bromeliads, leather ferns, red mangroves, slash pine, and Sabal Palms. Along the river's edge we saw quite a few alligators, a Peninsula Cooter, and several birds including: nesting osprey, herons and great blue herons. While on the river we learned that they used to use Spanish Moss as a mattress and car seat filler. Because Spanish Moss is known to carry small bugs it is also believed to be where the saying, "Don't let the bed bugs bite." comes from as a reference to the bugs that were inside the mattress and car seats!


We stopped off at Trapper Nelson's Interpretive Site where we learned more about the of the Wildman of the Loxahatchee as we toured his zoo, gardens, guest cabin and personal cabin. The children enjoyed seeing the cabins, animal cages and traps he had on the property and our ranger tour guide was extremely kid friendly and enthusiastic. During our tour he showed us one of Trapper Nelson's pineapple plants and told us that it takes three years for a pineapple plant to produce fruit. Did you know that? We didn't.


Once back at Jonathan Dickinson state park the kids finished their lunches and played at the playground. Then, it was onto our learning lectures were the children had an opportunity to use microscopes in an air conditioned lab and see the parks personal insect collection up close.


We had a great time and it was a wonderful way to kick off our school week. To read more about what we are doing regarding this study please visit my other blog, Young Florida Naturalist's Guide, and click on Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Loxahatchee River, or Trapper Nelson Interpretive Site.

Heart of the Matter Magazine Spring Issue

I'm a proud writer and contributer to Heart of the Matter Magazine.
Check out the Spring Issue and read my articles and reviews on pages 28 and 46-47.
You may also download a PDF of the April issue.