Family Photo - Sneak Peek

We had a great family photo shoot at Government House in Victoria a couple of weeks ago. There is a "sneak peek" on the photographer's website. Poppy Photography - scroll down to the second photo on the page.  I can't wait to see the rest!

If you love them, let them go....

We released our butterflies today. It has been the most wonderful experience watching their metamorphosis.  Here's their journey in pictures...

It's funny to look back and see how small and skinny they started out!

Viewing the chrysalis daily to see if there is any change...

After the first butterfly emerges we quickly set-up a flight centre!

Pictured moments after emerging.

Today's trip to the deck to gently go into the world.

Joyfully inspired,
Caz.

Our New Daycare Babies

Our daycare is excited about raising our new babies! The shipment of 6 little caterpillars arrived yesterday from our Child Care Resource and Referral program.  We created a habitat for them today and are looking forward to observing their metamorphosis up close.  I find myself reciting The Very Hungry Caterpillar all day long:)

George and Muffin Mouse are taking more detailed observation notes and are working collaboratively on a science report - we wonder if the size of the caterpillar will correspond to the size of the chrysalis, and whether this will impact the butterfly's development....

 

 Some quick facts on Painted Lady Butterflies:

• They are one of the most common butterflies in the world and undergo their complete life cycle under controlled conditions - all stages are easily observed.

• The larvae (caterpillar) builds a webbed nest on Canada Thistle, mallow or another of its preferred food plants.  We expect the first chrysalis 5-14 days from now.

• After the chrysalis is formed we will create a "flight house" with netting and expect to see our butterflies in 7-10 days.

• We will plan to keep the butterflies in the flight house for a few days (feeding them orange Gatorade!) until releasing them.  5-7 days after emergence female butterflies will start searching for host plants on which to lay their eggs.

Joyfully observant,
Caz.

Right Ideas and a Shiny New Bike

Muffin Mouse is the proud owner of a new bike today!  The way the purchase came together was a nice reminder that a right idea has the resources necessary to make it happen.


Muffin Mouse and I have been sharing a bike with her Dad (three bikes for two people) for the past year.  For most practical purposes this works well - there is generally a bike available when you want to ride one. But this sharing did limit our opportunities for family bike rides (and although, perhaps romantic, I am not so inclined to double-up on one bike!)

The inaugural bike ride today.

Our family has been actively working to limit our material wants and have resisted the temptation to run out and buy a new bike on a whim. We set a modest budget last year, but did not find a suitable bike.


We received an email a couple of days ago from family asking if we would be interested in a beautiful bike - it exceeds our specifications and was the price we were planning to spend:)  We are all so delighted with it, and grateful that we will have the opportunity to ride our bikes as a family all summer this year.

Oh, and it included the helmet she needs too!

The statuesque shot so you can see the bike clearly!

Joyfully active,
Caz.

Track and Field

We are so fortunate to have a local homeschooler Track and Field team in our community that is run by VCHA.  Each Friday afternoon from April - June George and Muffin Mouse train for two hours. There are about 75 students from K-12 training together in shot put, long jump, distance runs, sprints and relays.  We use a highschool track with great facilities and rubberised track so Muffin Mouse can try barefoot running which has always interested her.

The practices run like clockwork with parent volunteers (and a wonderfully organized volunteer coordinator) and the students participate in the track meet at UVic in June with the private schools.

Banana Bread and I enjoy some free-time in the sun making daisy chains and rolling down the hill (generally her, not me!)

Muffin Mouse training for the 800m (2X around the track.)

George waving as he runs by!

The Gr4/5 boys

My three summer kids:)

Joyfully outdoors,
Caz.

Preschool Days

Although largely unplanned, a preschool curriculum has unfolded this year for Banana Bread. She has an opportunity to enjoy the sensory activities designed for the toddlers, and the exposure to a larger world with the homeschoolers.  As her daycare friends mature into their preschool years next year I think our daycare days will be more structured too.

Schooling in the car outside music lessons

I did make a conscious effort in the New Year to introduce a preschool literacy curriculum as she was showing an interest in print and learning to read (she would find "her letter" everywhere, and told stories as she 'read' them aloud in her play.)  Twice a week while we are waiting for the big kids to finish their activities we take a portable homeschool kit on the road with us.  We work on a preschool curriculum book (picked-up from Costco) until it exhausts her interest, she reads me some beginning readers, and then I read her a couple of stories.  We usually school this way for about 30 minutes at a time, but it is more structured than her other play - it is important to follow the directions, and complete the work neatly :)

Schooling outside dance class.

Here is a little glimpse into Banana Bread's life.....

Beach Day Fridays

Feeding the neighbourhood ducks

Play outdoors.

Play indoors.

A favourite - water in the sandbox.

Discovering a snail.

Art - dinosaur stamps.

Joyfully parenting,
Caz.

Science Experiment Ramblings

Here's an new update on George's current science activities. We've posted our results below. 

It was an interesting experiment  - for the first week there was little difference in the plants and I was starting to wonder if the articles I'd seen about 'the myth of phosphate concerns' were true. However, by the end of week 2 there was some significant data....

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George Grade 5

May 01, 2012

Science Report: The Effect of Water Pollution On Living Things

B.C. Science Probe 5. Pages 194-197.

1. Introduction: Most soaps contain phosphates. Phosphates help soap clean better. Some of these phosphates, however, cause water pollution when they go down the drains into the water supply.
   
   
   2. Question: Which seedling will grow better? The ones with phosphate or the one without?

3. Prediction: I think the seedlings will grow better without phosphate.
   
   
4. Materials: Three groups of seedlings, three spray bottles, ruler, measuring cup, trisodium phosphate powder, and water.
   
   
5. Procedure:

1. Put the seedlings in three grouping. Label one group 'water only', one 'diluted phosphate water', and one 'concentrated phosphate water'.
    
2. Measure the height of seedlings.
   
   
3. Record the measurements in the observation chart.
   
   
4. Water the seedlings with equal amounts every second day for three weeks.
   
   
5. Measure the height of the seedlings at the end of the trial and record the data.

Watering

6. Data and Observations:

Seedlings Group Number	Amount of Soap in Water	Average Height at the Beginning of Experiment (May 01st 2012)	Average Height at the End of the Experiment (May 14th2012)	Other Observations
1	0.00%	143mm	154mm	It looks like the plant is doing much better than the rest.
2	10.00%	121mm	60mm	It looks like this one is the worse one of them all it's looks ok.
	40.00%	120mm	100mm	This one looks horrible it's looks so old and crumpled its not the shortest but its the ugliest.

 

1. The seedlings which grew the most were Group 1. The seedlings which grew the least were Group 3.
   
   
2. During the experiment the seedlings which had phosphate added start to turn brown.
   
   
3. The phosphate in the water definitely affected the seedlings because the group with the most phosphates died. The group with no phosphate are healthy.
   
   
4. Conclusion: My prediction was correct. The seedlings grow better without phosphates.

7.  Apply & Extend 

1) Based on my experiment I think plants that grow in ponds that have phosphates will die.

2) Any animals in a pond with phosphates may die if they eat the phosphates. Pond animals that need plants to eat will starve.

3) Some manufacturers now make soap without phosphates because it is proven that phosphates kill plants. Some manufacturers care about the environment.

Joyfully aware,

Caz.