Snails

Our snail habitat (and temporary pets for a couple days, before we let them loose)...

It was really simple...some dirt and replanted weeds in the bottom of a tupperware bin.   Some water in a soda cap so the snails had something to drink, and holes in the lid.

No big lesson plan, no videos on the life cycle of snails, just an afternoon of appreciating the little things...that are really quite marvelous.

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(If you would like to make a lesson out of this, though,
I suggest reading this great post at "The Barefoot Mom").

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Throwback Thursday

Field Trip: Seals in San Diego

So, we recently moved from Waco, Texas to San Diego, California.  I grew up in California, and it's nice to be back.  One of the best things is being so close to the ocean.  While it's a little cold for swimming right now we had a great time going to visit the seals at Children's Pool (no pool...it's just a beach that's called that where seals come when they are pupping...which I've read is Dec. 15 to May 15).

Here's some pics we got while we were down there....

Yes, yes that is a football next to that seal...

And here's a video of all the cute stuff we caught the seals doing...
(with commentary by my three boys)

These seals are Pacific Harbor Seals.   They are just one of the many seals and sea lions that can be found in California. 

And, if you've ever wondered  how to tell seals from sea-lions, there's a good guide here including a coloring page you can print:  How to Tell Sea Lions from Seals

At Children's Pool humans are not allowed to go down on the beach while the seals are pupping, but when seals come up on other beaches people can cause them real problems.   So if you are lucky enough to see a seal with pups on a non-restricted beach, give it some space, because mother seals sometimes abandon their baby seals if they are scared by humans surrounding them (and if humans pet the baby seals, the human smell can also cause them to abandon their pups). 

Seagulls however, are another matter.
(They're just as likely to harass humans as vice versus).


Not to leave them out, my eldest caught this shot.   He's still new enough to California to be amazed at getting close to a seagull...I'm not gonna kill the wonder.   And I like the shot he captured.

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Butterflies and a Big Green Spider

I love the ability to change plans on a dime in homeschool.  Because how could we plan for a beautiful day where SO MANY BUTTERFLIES visited our lantana bush (the one nature planted outside our front door several summers ago).  Here's my son trying to lure one on to onto a flower we cut.  That one didn't take his bait, but another did...a little brown jet like butterfly I didn't get a picture of, which I think was a Little Glassywing.

There were 7 types of butterflies that came to visit--the four shown here, the Little Glassywings, a pretty little yellow butterfly who I didn't catch a photo of, and a Monarch who stopped to visit for the briefest of moments, and made my sons day (he's a little obsessed with Monarchs ever since learning about them on the Wildcrats).    He drew this picture afterwards...

With the help of some friends online we found the names for most of them...

Tawny Emperor

These brown pretties are a frequent visitor to my yard.

Gulf Fritillary

This is a Gulf Fritillary...a male one, to be specific (the people in my local garden forum are amazing...that's the only reason I know this).   These have been in my garden many times before, but I just now learned their names.  Isn't "Fritillary" the best name for a butterfly?  Sounds positively Victorian.

Giant Swallowtail

The caterpillar form of these beauties LOVE my dill and parsley, and are just as fascinating to watch as they are in butterfly form.

Pipvine Swallowtail

But this blue/black stunner stole the show.  What a beauty!   She was always in motion so it was hard to get a good picture of her, though I sure tried.  And every time she moved she shimmered!    I had never seen this type before, but several have visited since.

Here's a picture of her in flight.  I didn't realize when I took the picture that this butterfly nearly became dinner.  Can you find the giant green spider in this picture?


No?  Keep scrolling...

Still have trouble seeing it?   Keep scrolling...but warning, it's creepier up close.  No, seriously WARNING...if you are afraid of spiders you may just want to skip the rest of this post.

This is a Green Lynx Spider, sitting on it's egg sack, which looks pretty close to hatch.  This one, as most I've seen, are over an inch long.  (Click picture to see it larger, if you dare!)


My son drew a picture of it too....

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Linking up at Camera Critters,  Hip Homeschool Moms, 

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