Eclectic Unschooling
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Please recommend a microscope ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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We have an inexpensive microscope purchased at a big box store a number of years ago. It's difficult to focus and isn't standing up well to use. The lighting is never sufficient, even though we've tried to devise different methods for supplementing the lighting. We also have a digital microscope (the Intel QX3) but the drivers don't work in newer computers so we can no longer use it. Please leave your suggestions in the Comments for both conventional and digital microscopes! |
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Saturday, May 26, 2007
Contest at NatureBackpacks.com!
Posted in Exploring Creation
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Come visit NatureBackpacks.com between now and June 30, 2007 and you can sign up to win your own copy of the book Fun With Nature! Please share this contest with your homeschooling friends. |
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Monday, April 16, 2007
Some photos to share ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
The signs of Spring are popping out all over the place. Most of the trees have budded out. Lilies and daffodils are coming up in the yards. We're anxious to plant, though we have another six weeks to wait for the danger of frost to pass. We had the opportunity to watch a pair of nuthatches preparing their nest. They took possession of a woodpecker hole in a birch tree. As we watched, they would disappear into the hole and emerge with a mouthful of the inside wood. The bird would fly up to a nearby branch and drop all the shavings out of it's mouth, then return for more. We are looking forward to seeing babies, if they don't abandon the nest.  We have seen the same type of butterfly on the Trail the last two times we've walked there. It's the only kind we've seen so far. Our oldest daughter wanted a picture so she could more easily identify it. This is when a good zoom lens comes in handy.  A creek parallels the Trail where we walked today. A lone duck was paddling his way upstream, sometimes walking more than swimming because of the shallows. He took to the far bank when he passed us, but soon resumed paddle-walking his way upstream.  I couldn't resist taking pictures of a pretty cardinal and he was kind enough to sit still for the photo session. The scrub will soon be leafed out making this type of picture more difficult to capture.  This crabby fellow meandered his way across the road and into the brush, obviously annoyed with our presence. Thankfully our pictures of this porcupine were snapped from the Suburban along the highway, rather than on foot on the Trail.  |
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Saturday, March 17, 2007
Backyard Visitors ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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The outdoors comes alive each morning with the sounds of chirping, squabbling birds. It's a glorious time of year! This is our first Spring in this area and we have been treated to a new group of backyard friends. Cedar Waxwings have found our treeline and taken up residence. They hop about constantly, always in motion, so I can only guess that there were at least a dozen while I was out snapping pictures. They freely mingle with the robins. I believe they are picking at the remaining elderberries on the ground. We placed a berry-based suet cake in the tree outside the living room window in hopes of attracting them to our direct line of vision. I imagine it may take them a few days to discover it. Particularly when there are elderberries available 'free choice" at the moment.  |
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Making use of the time remaining ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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Cold weather is on our doorstep. More
often than not it is too nippy outside to go for extended walks.
Snow flurries have been almost a daily occurence, though none has
stayed around for long. A few days ago the temperature climbed above 45 degrees, so we took to the Trail knowing it might be our last trip. We were enjoying the birds and other natural sights when we saw a deer! She was grazing near the creek. This woodsy park is located in the center of our city, so we were very surprised to see her there. We took quite a few pictures while she alternated between staring and eating.  After a while she seemed to have had enough of our staring and made her way off into the deeper brush.  I told the children to proceed quietly, because the Trail loops past the spot where she had disappeared. As we approached the corner we were nearly run over by, suprisingly enough, two wayward golf carts! They had lost their way on the nearby golf course and had taken a very wrong turn onto a foot-traffic-only trail. I'm thankful we had stopped to watch the deer, else we might have been in that corner when they sped around it.  After the golf carts whirred on their merry way, I told the children we had probably lost the chance to see the deer again. She would have been spooked by the loud golf carts. We were surprised to find her a short distance off the trail, watching us. This time she was with her twin fawns. I'm sorry the picture isn't better but at this time of year the deer truly blend into the dying foliage. If you look to the left of the tree, you can see one of the fawns. The other fawn is hidden to the right of it's mother.  |
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Audubon Bend in the Fall ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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We revisited Audubon Bend and took pictures on Saturday. If you visit my post dated August 17th,
you'll see the photograph we took then. In less than two months
the change has been significant. Bare trees and dying grasses
have replaced the lush vegetation of summer. There's a lot more moss on the trees and fungi growing from cracks and crevices now. The leaves carpet the Trail and make the hills a bit treacherous, particularly after a rain.  Considering visiting our state to see our brilliant fall colors? Click the picture below to see a current Fall Color report.  |
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Fly-over ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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We took a walk down the Trail a few days
ago. My sister-in-law joined us with her five children. We
were quite a sight, the two of us with ten children in tow and her
obviously expecting another blessing. I live in a very friendly
small town and as we passed the few blocks between our house and the
trail, lots of "neighbors" greeted us with astonishment and smiles at
the size of our collective brood. I have told them about the animials and birds and other interesting things we see along the Trail, but this was their first opportunity to see if for themselves. Not long after we reached the trail, an osprey flew downriver just above the treetops in that slow, soaring fashion they have when they're watching for fish in the water below. We shared what little we knew of ospreys, such as the fact that they will fight with eagles over their catch. We are on a quest to learn more!  |
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Friday, October 13, 2006
There's a fungus among us ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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For some reason, our 7 year old daughter has become deeply interested in fungi. What an odd choice! If anyone can recommend resources for learning more about common (outdoor, natural) fungus, including identification, I'm sure she would be pleased. Here is a little photo montage of our recent discoveries.   |
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Thursday, October 12, 2006
Our favorite spot ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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There is a drive that we love to take
as a family. It takes us through a portion of the nearby State
Forest. Along the way is a scenic overlook from which you can
view many acres of prairie, forest and flowages. We have been making it a point to drive there every Saturday night in recent weeks. According to the DNR, hundreds of birds stop there on their migratory flights south at this time of year.  We have seen heron, egrets and eagles, as well as more common birds. We have heard loons, though we haven't sighted any as of yet. On our walk to the overlook, we've seen the tracks of deer, cougar, wolves and bear. I snapped a picture at the end of our last visit. It's really a beautiful spot.  |
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Saturday, October 7, 2006
A beautiful walk!!!
Posted in Exploring Creation
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The Trail that surrounds our little
community has a lovely, landscaped section that follows along the
Creek. We recently walked there and were surprised to find a bend
in the trail with birds everywhere we looked! I don't know what
draws them to that spot, but we found many familiar types and a few we
could not identify. How many species can you identify?  The bunny hopped across our path and, since I didn't have enough bird photos to fill up the image, I let him sneak into our collage. I highly recommend the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds both for the Eastern Region (which we use here in Wisconsin) and for the Western Region. The bird guide and our binoculars are essentials wherever we go, whether by car or on foot. |
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Saturday, October 7, 2006
Introductions are in order ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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Please meet Mr. Walker. In
mid-August, we found him hanging around the corner of the old grocery
store downtown. I asked Mr. deMoose for permission to invite Mr.
Walker back to our home. Mr. Walker was reluctant to join us, but we eventually coaxed him to come along. He didn't prefer our menu choices and we found we could not tempt him with any green thing, so we said our goodbyes after a day and a half. A few days ago, one of Mr. Walker's relatives stopped by to chat for a while. It was a short visit because we already knew we had nothing to offer for the next meal. Here is a picture we took of Mr. Walker before we invited him to stay with us.  Learn more about Walking Sticks and all manner of other creatures at eNature.com. |
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Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Saturday evening (Part 3) ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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On to the beaver dam! As I related in my entry dated August 16th, we've been watching the progress on the beaver dam we discovered earlier this summer.
I am so thrilled to see a live porcupine. They're very interesting creatures. We greatly enjoyed watching him amble up and down the road. He ignored us most of the time. He was greatly annoyed, however, when he found trash on the side of the road. His nose touched it and he reacted as though he was very upset.
Thus ended our outing for the day. Perhaps we'll catch another glimpse of Mr. Ouch at a later date.
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Monday, August 28, 2006
Saturday evening (Part 2) ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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Warning to the squeamish: There is talk of animal droppings in this blog entry. We decided to take a bit of a side trip before proceeding to the beaver dam. While Mr. deMoose was working one day, Grandpa (my father) took us out for a drive. We found quite a few tunnels or dens dug into the sand along the sides of the road. Outside of one den laid a dead porcupine. We have wanted to find more evidence of what lives in these dens. Porcupines certainly make such dens, but so do badgers and fox. On our side trip, we found one such den that had not been attended to since the most recent rain. Outside of the den we found animal scat! Could this be the clue to discovering who lives within? The scat was older and looked to be about 4 to 6 long. Of course, it would be drier due to laying in the sand. Anyone who has any suggestions as to what animal might have left behind this deposit is welcome to leave your guess in a Comment below. We don't necessarily believe the scat belongs to the den's resident.
Here are more examples of the dens or tunnels that we often see. Any thoughts?
(To be continued ...) |
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Sunday, August 27, 2006
Saturday evening (Part 1) ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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When Mr. deMoose was finished with work
last night, we picked up some burgers at the drive-thru and went on an
excursion. Now that his business is in full swing, our
opportunities for exploration outside of simple walks are limited. Our goal was to see the progress on the beaver dam. Along the way, we passed some cranberry bogs and saw a pair of sandhill cranes. Of course, this was the perfect opportunity for a picture, so I stood on the running board on the far side of the truck to snap a few photographs. Our 7 year old daughter loves to whistle and mimic bird calls. She is very good at this! She whistled to get the attention of the birds, but they didn't respond. Mr. deMoose felt this was his chance to attempt a bird call of his own and let loose with a loud "BAAAAAWK". "Bawk?" said I! "That will *not* work". "RllRllRllRllRll" came the deep-throated response from the male crane. He did not like this new male encroaching on his territory! Each time my husband would "bawk" the crane would respond with this odd trilling sound. None of us could duplicate it. The crane finally became so annoyed with my husband that he began to put on a display of protection for his territory and wife.  We continued to watch them until they descended into the next bog and we could only see their heads peeking up at us. Score: 2 animals sighted for us and we haven't even reached the beaver dam yet! (To be continued ...) You can read more about cranes in Wisconsin on the DNR's website or at the site for the International Crane Foundation. If you visit Wisconsin, I highly recommend taking a drive through the Sandhill State Wildlife Area on the Trumpeter Trail. It's beautiful! |
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Thursday, August 17, 2006
Audubon Bend ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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As I mentioned Tuesday in My dogs are barking! my children have been naming their favorite spots along the Trail and the River. The Trail follows the edge of the River for a mile or more. There are several resting points with benches placed at natural openings in the vegetation, allowing a good look at the River. One such spot is located at a bend in the River that the children have dubbed Audubon Bend. Of course, the name is in honor of John James Audubon, author of Birds of America. This picture was taken from the bench. We sat and sipped some water and just enjoyed the view.  |
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
The Beaver Dam ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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A few weeks ago we discovered a beaver
dam under construction. It seemed to be fairly new. There
wasn't much water backed up behind it and there was a steady stream of
water flowing over the right side. We returned a few days ago to discover that our beaver has managed to plug the leaks and he has a nice little pond now. The vegetation has responded to recent much-needed rain and is quite lush. We stayed a while to listen to the bullfrogs sing. The children were hoping to catch a glimpse of the beaver, but I think he has plenty of places to hide and we may never see him.  |
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006
My dogs are barking!
Posted in Exploring Creation
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Isn't that what some people say when their feet hurt? Argh! Our community is surrounded by a 4.5 mile trail. A small portion of it follows city sidewalks, but most of it is a paved path. Two blocks from our home, the Trail follows the edge of the river. We've walked a short section of the Trail a few times. Yesterday we walked a little over a mile. Today the children wanted to tackle a large goal. Three plus miles later we returned home. Not three level miles, either. Our city is situated on two "shelves". The lower shelf is next to the river and is where our home is located. The upper shelf includes a large part of the city including the Park and Fairgrounds. We had only been walking a few minutes when a bald eagle flew overhead. We watched him fly over the city and begin to soar on the air currents. He had been flying over the same part of the river where we saw an osprey fishing a couple of weeks ago. Our walk today was so arduous that I am quite done-in. We plan to return tomorrow and thereafter with our Field Guides and nature notebooks so we can observe, identify and record the creatures and plant life that we've been enjoying. The children have taken to naming different points along the Trail. A bench is situated overlooking a turn in the river's path. The spot has now been christened Audubon Bend. Picnic Point is located up a long, steady climb and we plan to take a picnic lunch there soon. Just beyond Picnic Point is Killer Hill. It is aptly named and I don't intend to retrace my steps there ever again! Argh! |
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Wednesday, February 22, 2006
In awe of God's creation ...
Posted in Exploring Creation
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I am amazed at the information in a FoxNews.com article today. (Link)
It was a great conversation starter for geology, perspective, current
events, international politics ... and we're still rolling! LOL At first the children guessed that the cave opening was large enough that their Grandpa (6'3"+) could stand up with a little room above his head ... until I pointed out the military helicopters on the cave floor!  |
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