The Circle of Life

Let me stop you right there.  No, we haven’t been watching The Lion King.

We’ve started our science curriculum! 

Which does not include a viewing of The Lion King.

I decided that this year we’d do an overview of the various general scientific areas. A One-size-fits-all sort of thing.  Including my size. This year (among other things) we are going to learn how to identify different plants and animals and constellations and such. You know, basic life skills that are actually useful. So by next summer when we are walking along the canal and one of my kids asks me, “What kind of tree is that?” I will be able to tell them. Strike that. They won’t be asking, because they will know, too.

ANYWAY, today was science day. It started (before I planned) right after breakfast when Wombles started calling us all to come see the praying mantis. Right on our back door! What a great start. I grabbed the camera and ran out, snapping away.

That’s when Wombles said, “Hey Mom, I bet you don’t know what you are standing on.” And I looked down.

My kids are still imitating my resultant heebie-jeebie dance and laughing hysterically.

 We adopted two cats along with the house. Lolita has persistently avoided us. Caesar is a tyrant for affection who leaves “gifts.” Regularly. At the back door. Ewwww.

I did not take a photo. But the two big kids came back and inspected the still-intact extrails (is that a new word? Did I make that up?).

More formal science took place during our daily “flex” period just before lunch. Today it was “Backyard Detective,” except I thought we would venture to the canal tow path. The kids had checklists of things to look for. Clipboards. Snacks. Water bottles. What could be better?

Me getting lost on the way, that’s what, so they could have their snacks and water in the car. No way they could hold all of that with the clipboard, too. PERFECT. As we drove through the countryside on a crisp and sunny early fall day, I had my first little stomach somersault of ready-for-adventure and anything-can-happen. It’s been a while.

We had a blast, finding everything from crickets and grasshoppers to poison ivy.

Wombles was the first to spot the turtle sunning out there.

“Mom, is that an oak tree?” “What does your checklist show that oak leaves look like? Because there are different types of oak.”

 Duh. See what I mean? I need to learn this stuff.

When it was time to head home the kids pleaded for just a little bit further down the path. We went the exact extra distance and Charlie yelled, “HEY, everybody! Come and look!”

 There was a fawn curled up at the side of the path.  It wasn’t alive. It looked exactly like it was sleeping.

The kids were unsure whether it was living or dead. They didn’t believe me that it was already dead. I did not want them to poke it. I reminded them of our tromp up Mt. Hough earlier this summer; we were driving back down the mountain and came across a fawn born within the last two hours. I reminded them of how protective the mama deer had been, and how it had seemed as if she would charge the van if necessary. We looked around. No sign of mama deer.  I think that was what finally convinced them.

Pixie wanted us to take it home and bury it. Bud and Nutmeg wanted to pray. Bud to himself, but Nutmeg in her classic style of saying “Thank you for” and then saying what she was asking for. “Thank you for you make the deer alive again.”

Amen and Amen. And that everything sad is coming untrue.