Monday, we decided to get the praying mantis egg case ready (I ordered a hatching cage online at a discount) and we are going to keep a close eye on it with a journal and weather temperature tracking chart (it is supposed to hatch in 3-4 weeks when the weather is over 65). I am going to leave it outside on the front porch in the mesh cage, in hopes that it will hatch in its own natural temperature, but we will see what happens. If it doesn't hatch by the end of April, I can order one that is guaranteed to hatch. Cross your fingers... Ethan is so excited!!
Tuesday, Polk County Conservation was having a mammals program at Jester Park. Ethan, Everett, Grandma Huffey and I attended and learned a lot about Iowa mammals. The woman that lead the program was EXCELLENT with the kids and was VERY knowledgeable. We got to see 5-6 stuffed mammals and touch over 2 dozen animal pelts. She also let us know where we could visit a real beaver dam and lodge after the program. Of course, this was top on our list!
Ever since we first started reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Ethan has been interested in beavers and how they live. (We started this book a few months ago as a bedtime story to help get Ethan interested in listening to stories and using his mind to create a picture of what he was hearing. It is also time that he and I get to spend together, snuggled in the chair. I know we probably could have started with any other book, but this is one of my favorites and it involves children and animals, so I figured it would be an interesting book for a 4 year old too. He looks forward to our reading time together.)
Our outdoor adventure was a little muddy, but well worth the trip. We even picked up a few burrs and other seeds on our clothing, and from that experience, talked about how plant seeds are disbursed. It was a great day outside!
Ethan standing next to a beaver lodge.
Beaver dam
Wednesday was a beautiful day too, and we meet a local nature group down at Grey's Lake to do some bird watching. The man leading the group didn't give us much info, but he did show us an eagle in his telescope, and that was fun to see.
Bald Eagle
The kids liked playing in the sand and playground a lot more than looking for birds, but we did hear and spot a woodpecker and we discussed the differences between male and female Mallard ducks when we saw them swimming near by. (This was great since we had read Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey a few days prior to our outing.)
Downy Woodpecker
The wind started to pick up while we were at the park, so we decided to eat our lunch at Smokey Row Coffee Co., a cafe up the street from the park. The kids enjoyed eating with friends and even had an ice cream treat after their meals.
Thursday was St. Patrick's Day, and we attended the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown. It was a bit of a windy day, and we arrived early to eat a picnic lunch with friends in the skywalk, so we decided to sit over Locust Street and watch the parade from a "birds eye view". It was a great decision and everyone had a great time!
Friday we stayed home. I had a haircut, so Grandma Huffey came over to watch the boys in the afternoon for a few hours. They had fun playing games and keeping Grandma busy. When I got home, Ethan rode his bike for a bit and then we went looking for materials for building bird nests. With Everett strapped to my back, Ethan and I picked the best nest making material in the neighborhood, consulted a few of our neighbors for advice (dryer lint and shredded paper were a few new ideas), and created a "Menards for the Birds" in our front yard tree. Ethan was very excited, and as we hung it outside, we had a few interested 'shoppers' watching. Hopefully they will find it useful.
Stuffing the nesting materials into the twig ball.
Our finished "Menards for the Birds"
It is so much fun spending time with friends and family! This has been a great week and I look forward to the weekend. I hope you have a great weekend too!
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