Bobcat Sighting!!!

This is the animal I am scared to meet up with on my morning run. Fortunately, this one had an appointment with a taxidermist before I saw him! It is on display at the Dixon Mounds museum in Lewistown. We met up with a group of area home school families for a field trip this morning. We had a wonderful guide who led us through a pottery program, ending with the children making their own clay pot. Check it out!

We started the tour with Kim, who was extremely knowledgable about the history of the natives that once lived on our land. She was very patient to answer questions and share interesting facts with the children. 

Kim gave us a tour of the "back room!" We saw a lot of pottery artifacts that aren't currently on exhibit. She taught us what an animal effigy is. Fancy name, simple definition. An animal effigy pot is a jar, bowl, bottle or vessel made int he shape of animals.

All of them priceless, a piece of history. Yes, I said a little prayer that our curious 3-year-old son would NOT BREAK ANYTHING! We kept our distance from the open artifacts trays, and everything remained intact. 

On our way upstairs to the very cool timeline exhibit, we ran into Mike, one of the archeologists on staff at Dixon Mounds. One of the students brought two spearheads he found in the last month, and Mike was kind enough to take time to examine them and give us more information on them.

I didn't get a photo of the timeline room. This display illustrated how the lifestyle of the native Americans changed as they learned to grow crops and eventually develop a trade system. Kim sent the students on a scavenger hunt to find three different artifacts, and to open up discussion about their social developments.

Next, each of the children made a pot made of clay. Kim explained how to make a pinch pot, a coil pot and animal effigy bowls. 

After our program was finished we toured the museum on our own. There is a skydeck, a video display, a darkroom exhibit and a hands-on exploration room. 

A favorite was this table where the children set up their own tribal camps along the river and learned what was needed to survive and thrive as a tribe.

Native Americans meeting around the fire.

Check out these canoes carved from trees!

If you have time to make the drive over to Lewiston, it is worth it! Admission to the museum is free, but donations are always welcome!

Learning About Fall Fruits!

On the way to church yesterday I saw a beautiful fall display in front of a house and chuckled to myself. If I were from another country, particularly one where food was scarce and the convenience of a garden was not available, I would think it especially odd to see people decorate with vegetables and fruit. Who would think of decorating with edible squash? Especially when their children are hungry and need nutrition. 

We see the beauty in the colors and appreciate the unique shapes. It reminds us that the harvest is bountiful and that God has blessed us with more than we need. We certainly live in a land of plenty and have no room for complaining. 

We took a little field trip to Harvestville Farms in Donnellson, IA. We met up with another family to spend a beautiful fall afternoon. We learned a lot, as well as had some time to play! 

I had no idea there were so many different varieties of gourds, pumpkins and squash! We brought home a few new varieties of squash to try out, and a few gourds to make into birdhouses this spring.

These Pink Banana Squash are said to resemble pumpkin once cooked. After you bake it, you can use it in any pumpkin recipe, or freeze for later. Looking forward to some pink banana squash pie this fall! But -- shhhh -- don't tell my kids. They don't think they like squash!

This is such a unique pumpkin -- a peanut pumpkin.

Making our way through the corn maze. 

Emily searched high and low for her perfect treasure. 

Ezra liked the bumpy ones too!

Megan like the "roller" slide. I thought it looked a little rough, but she didn't seem to mind.

This little guy can't turn down a ride on ANYTHING with wheels. 

Facial Hair -- Already???

All I can say is that they are all getting razors for Christmas!

Apple Picking Fun

"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why."  

I was more than excited when Annetta called and asked us to pick apples. She is always fun to hang out with and I am so thankful for her generosity. We have had fresh apples and applesauce or apple crisp or baked apples every day since apple picking. 

Thank you  Annetta! We appreciate the delicious fresh fruit so much!

Rhett inspects a Red Delicious apple.

Eli got in on the picking . . .
and the eating!

The yellow delicious tree has an abundant crop!

Emily was always in search
of the "perfect apple."

And there was some climbing!

Rachel shows off her apple picking skills!

Annetta takes a minute to chat with Eli.

Julie gives her seal of approval.

Along with apples, we picked up English walnuts!

Dodge Milestone

Four years ago we bought our Dodge Caravan. It was our first van and I wondered if we would love it. And, honestly, we have loved it. 

We love the Stow 'n Go. Use it all the time. I love that the seats fold down and pop up easily. I love the extra storage and the roomy trunk. I love that it has been reliable and that we have had only minor replacements and repairs. 

This weekend we hit a milestone and turned over 100,000 miles. Looking forward to the next 100,000 miles in memories! 

Illustrating the Feudal System

We have been studying the Middle Ages, or Medieval Times. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to it, but have been surprised at how much I have learned! It was an exciting time period. Rising and falling dynasties. Kings and assassinations. Castles. Robin Hood and Genghis Khan. The Crusades. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. 

When studying societies we learned about the feudal system. It was a very new idea introduced by William the Conqueror. 

Basically, it said this: 

The king owned all the land.

The king gave the lord land and castles. 

The lords gave the king service in his army and paid taxes.

The lord gave land to the knights.

The knights promised to serve the lord.

The peasants (or farmers) gave the lords food.

The lord gave the peasants land.

So we used a pyramid of Polly Pockets and other various small figurines and white chocolate chips. The peasants started out with all the chocolate chips and then we redistributed the chips to illustrate how the wealth trickled up the feudal pyramid.

Please Pass the Parmesan!!

So this is what happens when your 3-year old gets the 

Parmesan cheese on spaghetti night!!!

Skeletal System Anatomy

I love playing games. And our girls love learning by playing games. Here is Bone Bingo. As the girls correctly label a bone, they can cover it on their bingo board with a Cheerio. 

Hedgeball Harvest

Anyone have a hedgeball tree? There is one out in the pasture across from our house. For some reason, one afternoon we decided to go pick up hedgeballs. I don't know why. I have never taken the kids on a hedgeball harvest before, but over the fence and across the creek we went. 

Those things are kinda pretty. They are weird -- for sure. Bright green and covered in a texture that reminds me of a brain. A very green, round, softball-sized brain. And we discovered that, although one hedgeball isn't very heavy, a bag of 40 hedgeballs is a lot of fun to carry through the pasture. And even more fun to lift over the gate. Lots of fun.

When we got home I piled them next to the house, and next thing I know they are in a window well. I was telling Matthew that the hedgeballs are believed to be a natural and safe insect repellent. He asked if I noticed fewer insects around the house. Grin. My reply: "Not in the window well!"