Books and Barefeet: Clouds, Eagles, Clocks, And Garden!

On the way home from a picnic last week, the kids were asking about clouds in the sky. This led to a discussion about what a "gas" is and we talked about how when we boil water we can see the water evaporating into a gas into the air as steam. After our talk, we drove pass a gas station and I, not thinking of any connection, asked if the kids remembered where gas we put in the car comes from. I was thinking back to when we talked about fossil fuels and was wondering if they remembered about it. Instead, they both yelled "I know I know, from water!" So I quickly realized I had to back step a bit and clarify about what was meant by gas. Plus then we could use the idea about how the gasoline in the car starts out as a liquid and so on...I love how the real world connects the dots for us!

We also had a playdate with my cousin Jen and her little girl Liv last week. I had put a bunch of beginning reading books by Ava's seat in the van before we left. I heard her sounding out the words and repeating the sentences back to herself. She seems to be having a lot of fun with reading the books now.
When we arrived, we went on a walk to see a giant bald eagle's nest in one of their neighbor's yards. Apparently, the people who live there have to abide by certain rules because of the nest's location. For example, they can't have loud noises like four-wheelers or saws, etc. According to the DNR, human disturbances can cause an eagle to abandon the nest leaving their young vulnerable. We had thought maybe we saw some little ones in the nest but couldn't quite catch a glimpse for sure. We also went looking for turtles in nearby pond.

Since she has been working on telling time and counting by 5s, John had gotten Ava a clock that she could paint and put together herself. She painted it one day and then the next day stuck on all the numbers and we helped her get the hands on it and battery. It turned out great! She loves it and it's going to look so cute in her room too.

The kids are helping John make a raised garden bed (my gift for Mother's Day!) in the back yard. We had a very small garden last year, so this will be our second year and we're hoping to get a lot out of it. Plus, it's such a great experience for kids to work in the garden. They're going to be great helpers. I loved watching how excited they got last year watching things come up, waiting for tomatoes to ripen, and picking them themselves and eating them fresh off the plant. I'm looking so forward to that again!

And more fun outside on one of the few hot days we've had pictured below!