Curious Creatures

Some of the creature discoveries we have been stumbling across and searching out; tree frogs, garter snakes, foxes (one of whom enjoyed eating two of our chickens), porcupine, grouse, deer, american kestrel, blue heron, tadpoles to name a few.

Peter Pan

My kids love the opportunity to enter a contest; colouring, photos, the fair, baking, drawing. I think in part because of the possibility it holds and in part because they have reaped wonderful prizes. Aria recently entered a coloured picture of TinkerBell into a contest at the grocery store. We were thrilled to have her win four tickets to a matinee performance,the kids and I loved the production.

Maple Syrup Festival

We took a little road trip to a small town about an hour north of us for their annual Maple Syrup festival. This year was unseasonably warm, sandals and shorts a common outfit, compared to the normal below zero temperatures, snow or freezing rain, it was a welcome change for the day. The festival did have lots of vendors selling maple syrup, a tour of a near by Maple Syrup production, with over 11,ooo trees being tapped with lines, it was really only a small part of the event.
There were lumberjacks demonstrating their skills, competing against each other for speed and accuracy. Science North had a tent, giving kids the chance to build with K'nex, make giant bubbles, guess different types of animal scat and skulls. The local astronomy society had many telescopes out for people to look through (something I had never done during the day time), ask questions and pick up some great info for star gazing. The streets were lined with music, food and crafts. We loved chatting with a local goat farmer who uses goat's milk to create soap and cream. The farmers brought a mama goat and her two four day old kids- instant love. The local fire department had all their trucks and equipment out to look at. It was a fun filled day of entertainment and sunshine.

Shearing Sheep

There was a sheep shearing demonstration at the festival. Something we were all excited to see. The person doing the demonstration took us through a bit of history, explaining how sheep were first sheared with razor sharp clippers, and still are in many places. The one year old sheep was brought out to have her coat trimmed first with a 100 year old crank operated pair of clippers. I was amazed at how still the sheep was, despite the large crowd. The clippers worked incredibly well, if it wasn't brought to my attention I would have guessed they were electric. The audience member who was turning the crank got tired quite quickly, it required that he keep a steady constant pace.

After using this older model the rest of the sheep was sheered with a pair of modern day clippers. In less then 10 minutes the sheep was sheared. And look quite handsome. The fleece was offered to people, and we were one of the few to take some home. We have plans to wash, card and use it.
The farmer gave a great talk afterwards about food security, the importance of buying local, the impact on the price of lamb and wool because of the world market and multinationals. Unfortunately before long we were the only ones listening to him speak, slowly everyone else left. We chatted for a little while about everything from the drastic drop in the price of raw wool in the last ten years, to agricultural awareness in education, to the local market for local food. I left a little more aware and thankful for crossing paths with someone who is passionate and inspiring. Since this demo there has been lots of chatting going on about sheep.....

River Time

A friend recently wrote her own blog post about how hiking with her kids has changed over time. That as they are now older, they are more able to explore further away from her. Her role has changed for them, being there for them to touch base with, provide snack, hear what discoveries are being made. She is now able to take photos along the trail, follow a little more what catches her eye.

It got me thinking about how hiking for me and the kids during the week is always changing. From having Shai in the backpack chatting about what he saw, to walking at an incredibly slow pace to accommodate his tiny legs and his big plans, to insisting that he join the bigger kids off the trail. I find myself exploring off the trail with him, partly to help him out a bit and partly to give the bigger kids free hands. I am loving the discoveries we are making, the situations I am getting into (literally) and the new perspectives I get to see. Shai is enjoying sharing every discovery he makes with me, insisting I fully stop to take it in. The worms, the ants, the flowers, the leaves, the birds. He is also insisting that each one gets a photo, including a photo of him at his favorite stops.

Happy Earth Day

After joining in a town clean up we headed to one of our favorite hiking spots to mark earth day. Everyone explored their favorites parts along the trail. We enjoyed discovering the newly opened trilliums, seeing caterpillars, woodpeckers and signs of green growth. Just past the falls there is a bend in the river. It was here we spent a few hours skipping rocks, sorting through beautiful drift wood and building alters.

Recently we saw pictures of Hindu alters made from leaves, flowers, incense, then they were set to sail on the ocean as an offering. As we scoured the edge of the river the kids collected treasures. It didn't take long for these treasures to mount and creations to be made. With inspiration taken from the Hindu alters the kids built their own alters out of bark, pine cones, alder cones, flowers, twigs, needles, rocks. With their own prayers for the earth they set them sail down the river, and the water fall. It was such a big hit, a few boats were attempted as well. The kids ran along side their creations to follow them to the bottom, laughing with joy.

Kub Kar Races

The boys were so excited to be participating in the Kub Kar races through Cubs again this year. Last year was such fun they had been anticipating this event all year. As with last year I wasn't able to attend, this year Aria, Shai and I had our own exciting even to attend; a special day for my niece. The details and excitement with which the events were relayed and enough enthusiasm that I don't really feel as though I missed out much more.

It was a full day of racing cars, friends, oiling up at the pit stop, comparing designs and individual details. The only stop for the day seemed to be for lunch. Then there was judging for best designs and awards to the top racers. Elias didn't hesitate with his creation. He was clear as to what started as a block of wood was to become. After cutting out the body, he covered it in silver heat tape (carefully cutting out each piece to fit perfectly), painted the windows and adding a few metallic stickers for a little more pizazz. The cars all have to enter the races weighing the same. To ensure this, the cars after they are full constructed are weighed and then lead weights are added either onto the body in a decorative way or drilled into the body underneath. Elias' car had a wing down the centre of the tail end acting as a weight.

Ben's vision of a car wasn't as clear. He had originally wanted to create a pick up truck, but the original cut out of his block wasn't the way he envisioned it. He temporarily abandoned the idea of a truck and went in a completely opposite direction seeking out a unique and humorous option; the Oscar Meyer Hot dog car. With new wood in hand he headed over to a family friends down the street for some wood cutting expertise. He cut out the hot dog car and a new truck. The hot dog came together quickly. But something didn't seem quite right. The hot dog car was put on the shelf, and for fun Ben started to paint and design his truck. Perhaps with the pressure off he that allowed him to create the masterpiece he was hoping for. Painted pink, with a Lego piece glued on for an engine, spider sticker and weights for the truck bed, it was just the way he wanted.

Racing was a blast. The day ended for Elias with a trophy for 1st in design in his age category and for Ben a trophy in 2ND for design and 3rd in speed in his age category.

In a few weeks they are attending a rain gutter regatta. I am starting to hear ideas flying around as to what they might look like.

On the Book Shelf

Today our read aloud were taken outside with a blanket, to enjoy the beautiful sunny afternoon in between swimming lessons and meetings. We have lots of books on the go right now that are being enjoyed.
As a family we are reading The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting , sometimes even grabbing Shai's attention for a few pages. The adventure, imagination, and silliness appeal to everyone.
The audio version of Kathryn Lasky's novel Lone Wolf, the first(and only to be published so far) in a series Wolves of the Beyond had my kids gathered around the CD player enthralled in the story. It does have some intense moments as the main character struggles with loss, although the kids thought it was a fabulous story.
After feeling disappointment at not being able to get the next book in the series yet, Elias decided to try a different series by this author. He is flying through Guardians of Ga'houle, his love of owls and magical worlds are both found in these.

Ramona Quimby age 8, by Beverly Cleary brings me back in time. Aria's equal love of reading and writing her own books is awesome, an insatiable hunger at the moment.

For Shai, anything by this author is a sure favorite. The baby animals, ducks especially, steal his heart. We return one book and bring home another, cycling through the libraries stash, I am sure to just begin again.

Our library has just brought in MP3 players with a single audio book on them. When you sign out the book it comes on an MP3 player that you use. The selection has been quite small for the kids, most of the titles are for adults. Ben has been recently listening to Peter Pan, a repeat favorite. I have also signed out a few, hopefully giving me some more book time during dishes or sewing. In cue for me is The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy, part of the Canada Reads books.

I have found memories of read a thons as a kid. I was sharing the experience and the purpose of them to the kids today, without any motive. Then I stumbled upon this article, very inspiring.

Under the Microscope

insect exploring the pollen on a daisy

a wasp eye

fungus

sugar crystals

more sugar crystals

The kids were having fun magnifying some of their treasures under the microscope. They love searching out things to look at and surprise me with the photos.

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Music

.....Well they aren't hills, it's our yard.

And you can't really see me as Maria can you?

But the music part is totally accurate. The outdoors is alive with sounds, music. I am in awe of the stark contrast between the winter and the spring. Perhaps I am so aware of it because the mild winter meant lots of time spent outside at night this year and really take in the quiet of those nights. The type of winter quiet where you feel like if you strain your hearing just a little bit more you could hear those incredible stars twinkle. The snow underneath the snow shoes crunches loudly, echoing off the trees as you walk. Your breathing sounds loud against the silent backdrop.


This past month the spring music has been like an orchestra. A different instrument, voice being added every few days, at different times. The ravens, the robins, the cardinals, all chiming in. A pair of ruffled grouse making noisy appearances, our chickens clucking as they lay their eggs, the splashes of kids exploring the pond. The tree frogs singing loudly enough they can be heard through closed doors. It's marvelous. I really feel like I connect with the idea of the earth waking from a winter sleep, that I have witnessed this awakening as opposed to being caught off guard that spring arrived. One of the kids commented when we were talking about how beautiful this process has been for us, that it is like watching a flower open in slow motion, stop photography is it called? Seeing the details of the flower petals pull open, revealing each part of its growth as opposed to coming across a beautiful grown flower.

More Sibling Love

I over heard Elias asking Shai to stop growing so fast, sharing with him that he will miss carrying him. That he loved holding him, putting him in the sling when we was little. gulp. How sweet is that.

Sunday Afternoon Hike

We took a new route to a favorite spot with a large quartz deposit; it's hard not to love with so much sparkle! Along the way there was lots of flowers, budding trees, fungus, trees to climb, and life to chat about. We often remind the kids that part of enjoying the natural world is not scaring it away with loud voices when we hike. It's a difficult task for some. Today we mentioned we didn't have this concern because there have been bears in the area and so to enjoy the space and keep us a safe distance apart the kids could be loud. Shai especially enjoyed singing at the top of us lungs- lol! I am sure the mama bears were more worried for their babes!