Recipe for Delight

1 empty plastic juice or soda bottle
1 wooden chopstick
birdseed
wire

Poke the chopstick through the bottom of the bottle and out the other side. This is a perch. Cut small holes above each end of the stick in the bottle. Fill the bottle with birdseed. Attach feeder to a tree branch with the wire. Hang it near a window so you can see it well. Watch closely.

This was Liana's science project in her study of birds. (Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.) Within an hour of hanging the feeder we had a flock of white-breasted nuthatches zipping around our huge lilac tree. (Yes, tree. It's almost as tall as the house!) Then we saw a bird I never in all my years have seen before--a tufted titmouse! The next day dozens of tiny black-capped chickadees arrived. The girls and I sat right under the tree on the deck for a good half-hour one sunny morning and still the birds came. They seem to have no fear of us. How enchanting they are! We are so much enjoying these beautiful, cheery creatures. And this is school? Liana is logging each bird in the chamois-covered explorer's journal we made.

Field Trip

On a beautiful October day we headed off to camp once again. Twice a year this camp holds an Outdoor Education Day for homeschoolers. The kids go off with counselors to learn something new about God's creation and moms get some down time to chat. This season the children learned about atoms and were able to observe some experiments on chemical change.

We came together for lunch and then the rest of the afternoon it was free time on our own. We took a long hayride through the property and then explored the woods. We once again tried the rowboats. Arielle and I just get frustrated when we go in circles. It is not our thing. We couldn't wait to get back to shore. My friend Connie went back out with her daughter, and Liana wanted to go with them. Connie said Liana was pretty good at rowing.

A suspension bridge crosses the shallow creek and it is a favorite of the girls. They criss-crossed it several times. We are studying the Oregon Trail right now and a covered wagon sits right out in the middle of the field, so the girls were able to explore that too.

We have all been working hard the past month and this was the perfect day to just enjoy the lovely weather and get together with friends. We leave tired, but refreshed.