Science in the School Room (literally!)

Well, if you've been a longtime reader of my blog, one thing you know is that my children love caterpillars! It hasn't just been a phase; every year they look forward to this (even Caleb at 13!). Check out this post from 3 years ago (look how little everyone was!). They like to capture them and build houses for them, decorate them (see below), and do other things I won't list on here in case there are any earth-worshipping, pantheistic pagans browsing by. I've lost count of how many butterflies and moths we have seen "born" in our house, right before our very eyes, ones that the kids have captured outside and brought in. It really is a fascinating testimony to the glory of God how a worm-like creature can wrap itself in tissue-like substance and emerge as a beautiful, winged, 6-legged flying insect! When you come to my house, you come to expect the chirping of crickets in the background (frog food), and don't be surprised if the carpet appears to be moving, as those little crickets are sneaky and can escape from almost any container! If you come at the right time, you might hear hatching chicks chirping from the back closet (it's a long story....). Obviously, there is always Frogger, our tree frog to see, and it's rare that there isn't some captured creature like a toad or turtle that Seth has been stalking. As of right now, there are 6 bullfrog tadpoles sitting on my hearth, splashing like kids playing in a pool. You will occasionally find a few sea monkeys too (my kids love those....okay, I love them maybe a little too much for my age...). A huge cocoon with an amazing leaf pattern design on it which Bubbie found on an oak tree outside, sits in a "bug tent" on top of my cabinet waiting to emerge. And as I type, I'm listening to the squeaking of 7 new little kittens on our carport. I said all that to say this. We've been through a lot of nature projects, but THIS is a first!

This is a desk in our school area. One of the boys' caterpillars escaped and cocooned right underneath the desk! Sis found it when we were cleaning up after cutting out our history timeline figures. We can't wait to see what happens next!