Vultures

On our way to church the family spotted a huge bird with an unbelievable wing span. It had just left a carcass in the road and retreated to a nearby tree. Ken slowed the car, and we were able to get a good look at a giant buzzard.

Name That Bird Day

Today was impromptu test day, where Grace was tested on sight recognition and the names of some birds we have studied (and some we have not). Mom was very impressed! 40+ Bird cards were laid out before her, with over half of them being filler and decoy since we have not reviewed these as of yet. Grace successfully pegged and named 15 of the the 18 birds we have gone over heavily. This was good for mom, as now that we are in mid-trimester we can focus on the ones we haven't gone over, knowing Grace feels confident with naming the ones she sees in her backyard every day.

A New Find

Grace is delighted to inform Mom that she has spotted a mourning dove in the back yard.

The Game Is On

Degas Memory has become a household word. :) To make the teaching work, every time a wood card is flipped over I say the name of the painting, so Grace associates it with the painting on the card. Degas' thankfully is very simple in the naming of his paintings so this is an easy task.

The Dawn Of A New Game

I've been searching for a way to nonchalantly introduce Grace to the paintings and the titles of Degas' work using a Montessori angle. Today, I figured it out. A hearty game of Degas' Memory. Using 2 sets of Degas stickers I purchased from Dover Publications and pressing them onto 2in x 3in. wooden rectangles I purchased from WoodWorks Etc. I instantly had what I wanted. There are 16 pairs of paintings.

Going into this I knew my 5 year old was a worthy opponent. All parents know that the one game their kids can fairly beat them in is usually a decent game of memory.Once it was ready, (takes minutes to put together), Grace and I were off in a heated challenge. She took to it like bread on butter and fairly beat me in a 3 game match. After which she was rewarded with what we affectionately call a "tickle hug".

It Is Freezing Out Here

Perhaps the hawk from Thursday sensed a cold snap on the horizon. The last two days have been the most frigid of the season. After two days of icing and freezing conditions, the birds (and squirrels) have congregated around our very busy bird feeder for a reliable food source. Today, Mom spotted new visitors - The American Goldfinch and Dark Eyed Junco. Grace ran quickly to also take a peek, but our visitors were gone.

Get Out Your Froo-Froo

The last week of the month means dress up in whatever pretty things you like for ballet class and bring your tap shoes. We arrived to a room full of Halloween princesses with jeweled crowns and huge froo-froo dresses. Mom forgot all about the pretty things rule and the tap shoes were on order. Poor Grace...she was the only one that looked like a ballerina that day...go figure? She handled the sore thumb syndrome very well. (That is, until at the end of class when she burst into tears over her Strawberry Shortcake bracelet breaking. And then she burst into louder wails when she became embarrassed that our teacher actually fixed it!) After a few words of pep talk, she was back out on the floor...the lone ballerina amidst tap dancing froo-froo princesses.

Holy Cow - There Is A Hawk In Our Yard

It was a very exciting and unexpected birding day at our house. Just before Mom was about to wash up for the morning she spotted a huge Red Shouldered Hawk (link to best photos I've found) perched calmly on our backyard swing set. Mom was anything but calm and shouted for Grace and everyone to quickly come to the main floor, while she ran for the binoculars. We all were honored with about 20 more seconds, before the hawk took a graceful swoop off the swing set and headed back into the woods. In all our 5 years at the house, never has a hawk been spotted in our backyard!!

Return Of The Hawk

Return of the hawk! As mom was going to take a few feeder pictures, our feathered friend the Red Shouldered Hawk was caught returning to a high post (tall tree) on our property line. He DID NOT go unnoticed by a trio of screeching blue jays that made their feelings known and surrounded him by 1-2 feet on all sides. Mom, herself, was a little concerned I might be witness to a feeder snatching as the hawk was right above it and seemed interested. However, at the sound of the blue jays, all birds take cover in the trees. Below is a poor photo that I was able to take.



Alas, mom is alone again to witness the return of the hawk...which makes me aware that the hawk's favorite time to perch around our house is right around the kid's computer time 10:00 in the morning).

Her First Ballet Class

Grace finally gets a taste of what all of the dancers do in Degas' paintings - her first ballet class. The girl cannot stop jumping! I'm beginning to wonder if gymnastics is more her style. :) Nonetheless, she is thrilled to be in a frock of all pink with 7 other girls in pink.