Ants on a Farm

Owen wanted an Ant Farm for his birthday.  Jeremy's parents lovingly obliged--the problem was the company wouldn't send out ants during the summer, because it was too hot for them to survive in the mail.  So last week they finally arrived. . .  Owen tells:

I was worried because I was scared that my ant farm wouldn't be ready.

But we found them one day.  We had to put the sand in first.  Then we had to put some water in to get the sand damp. 

When we put put them in some of them tried to escape.  And one ant climbed to the top of the windmill and got to the edge of the thing on the back and then it fell.  Funny huh?

When we first fed them one of the ants was on the top and tried to escape.  Funny huh?

WHen I first saw them they were just in the ant farm that you see.  I wonder why.  But the next day they discovered the other one, but some of the ants died in the other one. 

So now the ants have made a tunnel.  Cool huh?  Also they are making a plan to escape.

Do you see the tubes?  And that hill?  That's their plan to escape.  So they're taking the sand out from the bottom to the top. 

I have a Life and Times of the Ant book and it tells me about all the different kinds of ants.  My ants have little beards.  Cool huh?



***Editor/transcribers notes:  I am just glad that of the whole experience Owen wasn't traumatized by the three (3) different times when I let out involuntary screams while trying to get the ants in the farm and keep them from escaping. Apparently they weren't even memorable enough to add in here, so all's well. 

Fall Wind and Leaves Circle Time

Another three weeks have passed so we finished up with our next circle time.  Here are our poems:

Autumn
In autumn when the trees are brown
The little leaves come tumbling down
They do not make the slightest sound
But lie so quietly on the ground
Until the wind comes puffing by
And blows them off towards the sky.

Five Little Leaves
Five little leaves falling at my door,
Along came a breeze and then there were four.
Four little leaves falling from the tree,
Along came a breeze and then there were three.
Three little leaves falling on my shoes,
Along came a breeze and then there were two.
Two little leaves falling in the autumn sun,
Along came a breeze and then there was one.
One little leaf falling on the pond,
Along came a breeze and then it was gone.

We also had three little songs we sang.  If I can get the boys to cooperate we may sing them for a video again.  Then again--maybe not!

Applesauce

For the conclusion of apple week we made homemade apple sauce.  This year I bought a hand crank apple peeler,slicer, corer.  Umm. . .  we have gone through a LOT of apples since then.  I had to make a decree that you can't peel, slice, core a new apple until you've eaten the last one

 

 We had a fun time and with the hand crank--it is WAY faster than doing it all by hand. 

I decided quarts are the only way to go for applesauce in this house.  The boys love it.

Here's a video we took of the boys demonstrating the apple peeler, corer, slicer.  The random chaos cracks me up.  (don't miss the interaction between Jeremy and the baby at second 41.)

Owen's note: i  likt  it.