Summer Adventures Part 5: Science!

 

We have had a lot of science happening at our house this summer!  And we are loving it. 

FROGS

 My nephew Daniel found some tadpoles in the grass lake behind our house while hanging out with the boys.  We were soo excited since Preston and Clint learned all about tadpoles and frogs this year in school.   It’s pretty cool that they’ve been able to observe them all summer.  They are currently mostly all frogs, some of them still have a tiny bit of tail, and then we still have 2 tadpoles with only back legs.  Cara has surprised me at her intense interest in playing with them.  She loves to spend her outdoor time bent over the frog habitat examining and catching them over and over. 

 This is our frog habitat.  Try to see if you can spy the 5 frogs in the corner.

 

BUTTERFLIES

My mom sent us caterpillars with a butterfly habitat!  Preston and Clint learned about metamorphosis this year in school also, and they were excited to observe all they had read about.  The caterpillars arrived and we watched them eat and eat, then they formed their cocoons and we anxiously awaited their change.  All 5 of them made it, and we kept them for a few days before releasing them. 

 They came with all the food they needed in the container.  After they formed their chrysalises we moved them into the butterfly habitat.

 The Painted Lady Butterfly

 

LADYBUGS

Mom also sent ladybug larvae with a ladybug habitat.  We hadn’t learned about these during the school year, but I’d never known how a ladybug becomes a ladybug, and the kids hadn’t either.  We started with 15 larvae, and ended up with 8 ladybugs.  They started as larvae, made a sort of cocoon, changed and became ladybugs.  Very cool!  While the caterpillars were cocooned for a week, the ladybugs only took 2 days.  We couldn't get any clear pics of the tiny little things.

GARDEN

Learning about the work that goes into reaping a harvest of veggies is a great learning experience.  We’ve all enjoyed taking care of the garden, and we’ve been able to harvest lettuce, radishes, and spinach so far with lots more to come!

CHICKENS

Yes we’ve had the chicks for a while, but the kids have learned a lot about what they need and how to take care of them….more science!  Sadly, this past Sunday a Great Horned Owl killed 4 of our 6 chickens while we were at church.  We now have 2 of the brown Leghorns left.  We had heard of Ravens killing chicks, but hadn’t considered an owl as a possible threat.  The chickens were in a well-covered- as in trees- area, but I guess we needed more than that.  We were so sad to say good-bye to our Brahma chickens (White).  They were extremely friendly and all our favorites because of their fun personalities. We’ve ordered a net for better protection over the top of the area and are keeping the 2 chickens locked safely in the coop unless we are out with them.  It was a good reminder that we do live in the wilds of Alaska, and there is a food chain happening.  We are planning to get some new chickens from a friend that raises them in the Soldotna area. Pics to come if it is a successful plan.

We love our chickens!!!

The white ones loved to perch on your shoulders or head when you squat down on their level.  They enjoyed catching all the mosquitoes swarming around you head too.

Didn't Chris do an awesome job building their little arctic coop?  I think its pretty amazing.

Here's the inside featuring the survivors...