Olivia Has Worms!

No, really. She has worms.

We put the worms in a plastic cage with some dirt, sand and oats in layers and them put them down in the basement. Over the next few weeks, we'll check on them and watch as they gradually mix the layers together into a uniform soil. They are already beginning to tunnel and mix the soil. Olivia enjoys going to check on them.

Our science for My Father's World is ecology this year. For the last two weeks, we read about how all living things interact in their enviroments and we talked about how they each have a niche or niches. That is the job they do or the role they play. We also discussed the oxygen cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the water cycle.

We have incorporated nature observation into our school year too. This is part of the MFW curriculum and then I added some resources. We have talked about what you need to take with you to help observe nature, safety guidelines, and where and how to look around. We have started to draw pictures, write about what we observe, and collect some materials. We staked out a 9 sq ft area in our back yard to watch and observe throughout the year. We are taking more nature walks. This has worked well for the boys too. They can explore and get dirty and keep busy while Olivia and I do some school. And actually Gabe is getting to participate when he can. It is lots of fun for all of us Well, certainly the kids and I'm learning to enjoy the outdoors and all that it holds more and more. :) It helps that the weather is cooling down a bit here.