Golden Ratio

Or "That Fibonacci Thing"?

While walking on a trail, we found these beautiful tree cones on the ground. My son takes a look at one and says, in a breathless, awe-inspired voice, "Ohhhhh, it's a giant Fibonacci thing!" My smile was felt all the way through to my toes. It's definitely one of those moments where you feel that all you are doing is making a positive difference in your child's world. And you are reminded that they actually do listen when you're talking.

We also revisited Newton's Laws of Physics while visiting an amusement park. These explanations came in handy when realizing why we didn't need to worry about falling out of the restraints on some of the scary rides!

Moms' Day Out

Follow the Leader

Spring fever is here and any chance we get, we are outside enjoying the sunshine. Today we walked around the local ponds again. This time we went with friends and had a great time looking for turtles. It was great to see a mama duck leading her ducklings in the pond, just as we were leading our "ducklings" around the pond (but to be honest, we didn't really lead our "ducklings" as much as they ran ahead!)

Walking the Wetlands

Another timely opportunity

Today we went on a guided walk though our local wetlands program. The last time we visited the wetlands, it was a hot, early, October day and the wetlands were dry. This time, temperatures was near freezing, the wind was a bit nippy, and the wetlands were... wet. I had our new family binoculars to try out and the guides handed out binoculars to anyone who needed a pair, so the kids each had their own pair to use.

We are currently studying birds and migration for our thematic unit. So this field trip was perfect in its timing. There were six kids total on the trip, several retired persons, and many volunteers from the program leading the walk. I am still in wonderment as to how homeschooling (and living in a smaller town) has slowed me down as a person. I still remember the rush of being in a constant hurry, never having a minute to stop and talk. I still find moments where I behave this way. But more and more, I am learning to stop and listen. There were so many experienced bird watchers on this walk, all willing to share their knowledge with us and our children. And all forgiving when the kids ran ahead, skipping and making loud, happy, child noises.

I continue to enjoy learning alongside my children. One fact I learned today? This beautiful species, Anna's hummingbird, stays local throughout winter. Many do not migrate south along with the other species of hummingbirds as Anna's hummingbirds tollerate the cold very well. I hope this guy finds enough to eat, as I have brought in our hummingbird feeder for feer of freezing at these low temperatures. Perhaps we need to rotate feeders so we can always put out a warm one for those who stay in town.