Wed 8 Oct 2008
Ant Farm Frenzy
Picture this in mind.
Since Tuesday, these two kids have been building an ant farm as part of their study of insects. And since Tuesday, their eyes were locked into the ants tunneling through the sandy soil inside the jar. Talk about one-time obedience but this is really pushing me over the edge as I have been trying to get their attention many times to focus on lessons for the day but since ants are pretty magnetic (i didn't know that!) to children this age... I guess, I have to let it go for awhile and go unschooling until the weekend at least or until this infatuation to crawly creepies dissipates, whichever comes first. Whew!
Anyway, just allow me to post the proof of this recent addiction of theirs.
It took a jar, some sandy soil, an old drinking jug with water, piece of sponge, bread with jam, black construction paper and of course, trapped ants.
Without a queen, this farm will not last long, so we plan to release the poor ladies - yep, the workers are female we learned from our study, in the near future. But for the meantime, the kids are just so into it they have read about formicarium and ants already.
Here is a great book on how to keep pets in jars.
This is one of our favorite books on nature study. We dug it from the BookSale pit for P30 pesos.
A treasure!
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Mon 21 Jul 2008
C is for cashew, cinnamon...
Two of our favorite things are abundant in Sri Lanka.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Anacardium
Species: A. occidentale
Binomial name: Anacardium occidentale L.
The first one is the cashew nut from the cashew apple. Though we are not so keen on the fleshy pulp of the fruit, the nut, which is technically not a nut but a seed, keeps us munching endlessly once we grab hold of a bagful. It has a milky taste if eaten raw or half roasted. But i prefer to have it really roasted or quite burnt. Smells nice, too. Isn't it amazing how God has designed this fruit so differently? I remember eating a lot of cashew apples as a kid back in the province. We called it "kasuy". My aunt had a big shady tree which bears down heavily in season. They had to cut it down when they renovated the house. I never tasted the pulp again until I came here. I remember it to be mildly sweet yet pungent.We dipped it in native vinegar with rock salt. But this one was just too pungent, I didn't care much for it. My kids neither. But at least they tried and have learned that the seed is definitely tastier and better! So, the roasted cashew nut, "caju" in Sinhala, comes as a family fave treat - as well as the other nuts like pistachio and pecan, only a way cheaper and easier to find here. Well, that is why we like it =) Next fave? Of course, C is also for cinnamon... It took me all these 39 years to learn that cinnamon doesn't come only in those nifty small green lidded jars labeled McCormick as dark brown powder with lovely aromatic fragrance which draws in your mind a picture of your grandma's kitchen. Hmmm. I just love the smell of it. You could imagine how I went crazy when I saw them in packets as abundant as "laurel" (bayleaf) in our talipapa (small neighborhood market stalls) back home. I never used the powder in jars since. They come in quills, dried barks from the tree rolled in sticks. The best quality cinnamon quills can only be found in Sri Lanka. If you don't believe me check this one out =) So now, I put cinnamon on my coffee, tea, cooking, baking and even hot bath! You should try it. And there numerous health benefits from using cinnamon. Google it and you will definitely be overwhelmed.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Cinnamomum
Species: C. verum
Binomial name
Cinnamomum verum
J.Presl
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Mon 2 Jun 2008
Birdwatching as nature study (and a freebie!)
When it comes to birding, Sri Lanka offers a fascinating array of species for the avid birdwatcher. Colombo, despite being crowded and a bustling city, is a favorite home and often visited by migrants (birds and birders alike - ha!). Well, you have the pesky crow for one but they are all over anyway ruthlessly pecking on garbage bags dumped on the street corner. Not a lovely sight, mind you. What we are talking about here are the ones that arouse interest and satiate your appetite for nature study like the Common Mynah which usually come in pairs, the "Seven Sisters" - low flying Yellow-Billed Babbler which come in a group of sevens with their lovely melodic songs, the Magpie Robin, the White Throated Kingfisher (they were our friendly neighbors two years ago), Pale-billed Flowerpecker (the smallest bird in the island), the Rose-ringed Parakeet (that flocked near our veranda last year), Blue-Tailed Bee-eaters, Asian Koel, Red-vented Bulbul and the Greater Coucal. No kidding, these we spotted all from our west and east facing verandas. This is nature study and we didn't have to step a foot outside the door! The birds were either flitting on the mango tree fighting it out with the scurrying chipmunks over ripe mangoes, above the rooftops of low-leveled houses (we are in the 2nd floor), perched on TV antennae, satellite dishes, or poles jutting out from houses, etc.
Many times we were lured by their calls and songs in a middle of a book or a math lesson. And so often, we would put our books and chores down, and grab our binoculars, even our cams (but seldom we were able to capture them as they fly away due to the commotion we were making!), then we would put notes on our field guides, identify and date it. At times, we search the internet to for more information.
Outside the house, we would just take a tuk-tuk, a tri-wheeler, to the city's small lakes and we find the endangered Spot-Billed Pelican, herons, terns, an occasional cormorant or darters. Right here in the city!
Hmmm, have I mentioned it already that we have wild foraging monkeys, too?
We are studying through Jeannie Fulbright's Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. It is a marvelous book. The cheapest I have found so far is from Rainbow Resource.com. My two children have just started making their own Life List of Birds they have spotted. I am making one too - for me =) This is the third book written by Ms. Fulbright that we are studying. We have finished Astronomy and Botany, both are excellent!
To take this hobby a little further, I just visited this site as I also would like to find out about birdwatching in the Philippines, my home. Check out the gallery and you will be amazed. They have a downloadable free ebooks 10 Reasons for Birdwatching AND Birding for Beginners on the right sidebar. We are looking forward to joining their activities soon.
Families who would want to start on this hobby as a way to enjoy nature study should drop by The Homeschool FREEBIE of the Day and download the ebook offered. Make sure that you click that link right away because it will be just there for a day. |
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Wed 21 May 2008
Kandalama for Kids 3: Of plants and other critters.
These are Toque Macaques which are endemic to Sri Lanka. They forage in the nearby jungle but has become friendly to guests (and have sadly become beggars). We are not supposed to give them food and my children know that. Too many guests are not aware of this especially the locals or they just intentionally ignore the signs. We took a photo of this mother and infant anticipating a big chunk of bread from one couple.
A warm welcome from furry friends. Toque Macaque - Macaca Sinica Sinica
Here is a YouTube video on the Toque Macaques of Sri Lanka.
Resident antelope.
and a Spotted Deer (Axis Axis). A common sight in the national parks. 
Lichen as biomonitors of our environment. Click here to read a study on this. Fuzzy here checking out the lichen on a rock at Kandalama. He says that a bigger healthier lichen represents a healthier and cleaner air. Thanks, Fuzzy! Savor then the fresh air while we are here.
Now this cactus is not from here. Actually the same kind is now considered a pest
and has grown and spread uncontrollably in many national parks. The rangers are
working double time culling out the plant where it has grown the thickest. 
Wild aubergines or brinjals... sa atin pa "talong". Solanum melongena
This is commonly known in the Philippines as Katakataka - or maybe you have a more
accurate name for it. It is known to have medicinal value. This plant can grow new plants of its leaves and is also known as an air plant. It is extraordinary.
Creepy critters too are everywhere. Just got lucky with this one as they are so evasive.
A common lizard.
More macaques.
More jackfruit! We miss turon and ginatang bilo-bilo. 
Lil Ruffin resting on an elephant skull. Tired after the walk. 
That's all, folks! Until our next nature walk, see ya!  |
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Wed 21 May 2008
Kandalama for Kids 2: Of nests and birds.
On our last day at Kandalama Tank area, we started out early in the morning to meet with Mr. Piyasena, bird guide and Kandalama's resident naturalist for the day. Mr. Piyasena is a 79-year old avid bird watcher who used to be a farmer. I consider him a very competent expert in this hobby having more than 50 years of bird study up his sleeve. He came with around 5 binoculars dangling from his neck, a bird list and a ranger's hat. We brought 2 cameras, notepads and pens, hats, and our only pair of binoculars so the extra ones were a quick welcome. The air was still deliciously cool and crisp yet a sleepy humid breeze set in by mid morning. We hurried up to avoid the bearing hot sun.
Before our trip to this place, I had printed out copies of the nature scavenger hunt list on page 20 of Jeannie Fulbright's book Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. These they kept in their notepads. Oh, we actually had some good finds! In fact, we also found other creatures and plants not on the list. So here are the treasures we uncovered..
1. We found 4 kinds of nests.
This is a nest of a Red-vented Bulbul. The bird decided to build it's nest in a back of a wrought iron bench on the lobby. The staff decided to put a sign so that the guests will not disturb it. We were allowed to take a photo only after the mother went off to look for food. Below is a close up of the nest. You can see the red-flecked eggs inside.
Another nest we have found is of a Pale-billed Flower Pecker. When we found this nest, 2 chicks jumped out and hid. We were as startled as they were and enormously guilty for intruding. We hate to think that they might not return. Mr. Piyasena assured us however that they will be back once the coast is clear. 
Here is a bird's nest clinging to some branches which looks like just some clump of old dry twigs and branches. We did not see the resident, the thorns and bushes were too thick for us to get near to it. Thanks for the new zoom lens!
We all agreed that the best find of the day is a big swift tail's colony. Of the 4 swift tail's colony on the area, this one is the biggest and most established. We found it under the ground floor. Since the building stands on rocky side of a mountain, part of the ground floor is supported by sturdy concrete posts. This nest clung secure on the ceiling of one of the posts. 
2. Birds on the area. We saw 24 bird species! Most are so elusive we were not quick to capture on lens. But we have the bird list and identified them all.
A Black Hooded Oriole was one of the early birds to sing a welcome when we hit the bush.
This is not a clear photo of a Blue-faced Malkoha but it is there alright. If you can see the tail with white markings, then you can definitely see it. Part of the body was concealed behind the tree. 
The White Rumped Shama - Mr Piyasena said we were "lucky" today. This bird is rarely seen in this vicinity. It took me awhile before i was able to take a shot... hmmm, still not good but this would do. 
Here is an Indian Robin, a close relative of the Magpie Robin which is quite common in Colombo.
Same bird from a clearer angle.
Well, it wasn't easy spying and attempting to catch these magnificent creatures on camera.
So I hope this chart would do. Do you see the checks on the birds we spotted this morning? It was a delightful experience. We were so famished after, yet breakfast had to wait...actually, brunch.
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