Pearls farm of funny animals

 I live on a farm. A farm full of animals. They are really cute and weird. But most of all, funny. 

#1 boba. She is a bantom chicken that used to be the sweetest little chicky! But then she sat on a nest for 3 months and became the second most terrified chook on the farm.

#2. The Jellybean crew. They are a group of triplets, or should I say chicklets.

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#3. Ebbie and Scribble. They are both dogs, and both naughty in different ways. Ebbie steals food off the table, and Scribble bites and dosen't let go.

#4. The ducks. They are grown now, and just as funny as before. When they try to run, they trip and fall. When they are angry, they bite you and lock on. It's only happened once.

#5. The pigs. When we come home, they dance. 

Lemonade Stand

 The local homeschool group organized a market down at the beach for the kids. Pearl has really wanted to have a lemonade stand for some time now.  She finally got her wish and enjoyed every minute of it. She was able to make enough money to buy a few things from the market for herself as well as friends and family. It was a good way for her to learn about money, plan for the event, make independent choices around budgeting. 

Dire wolves

 Dire Wolves 

1. Fought over meat with the famous saber-toothed tiger. 

 2. They were (just like dogs today) hyper carnivores. 

 3. The Dire Wolf was 25 percent bigger than the American mastiff.

 4. They used their strong teeth to crush bones. 

               ready for 

5. THE FINAL FACT:

Dire wolves became extinct animals in the last Ice age BUT scientists are trying to de-extinct it with a small piece of DNA from a museum.

Information found from:

https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-the-dire-wolf-1093336

The Hut

The hut 
by Pearl Loomis

A pile of wood and logs stood in front of a muddy landscape. Jessica pulled 2 pallets out of the pile.

She stood them up to make corners. A uneven piece became the doorway and some more the wall. A hole was left and filled with a dog crate. A mat, blankets and pillows covered the dirty ground. A box became the table and the hut looked like this.

The hut still wasn't complete. Insulation covered the walls. Mesh hung from the doorway. A brick and sawdust pathway decorated with plants sat outside. Staples held a tarp on the wood. It looked like this.

Writing Every Day

Pearl is an amazing writer. She reads a great variety of books and we read together. This gives her great knowledge and understanding of the features of different types of writing as well as extends her vocabulary. I find she is the most free with her writing when I don't put too many parameters around it, and it is viewed as something that is a part of every day life verses an assignment. For example, at the moment, Pearl is writing a book. Her goal is to write a chapter book about two girls who turn into dragons. She has written about five pages single spaced on the tablet and is nowhere near finished. I have given her very little feedback. But I do expect her to write ever day. When she is finished, she will edit her work. This is where she will learn about paragraphs, indentations quotations, and varying her word choice. She wants to turn it into a book and have it printed. Then she wants to donate a copy to the library.
If she does not want to write her story, she can journal and write about her day.
I also try to find way to incorporate writing into every day life. Today, the kids and I sat down and researched kid friendly dinner ideas. Pearl made a list of what sounded good. Then we had her little brother underline everything that they decided would be good for this week's menu. It was great seeing her use her writing in an everyday context. Because it was also informal, Pearl didn't feel any pressure to spell correctly, which means she didn't get stuck when she wasn't sure about spelling.

Learning From Animals

Part of the reason why we moved to a more rural environment was to give our children the opportunity to have and look after animals. Pearl has always loved birds and for her eighth birthday she was finally allowed to have her own Cockatiel. This has been a great learning experience for her. She has been researching how to care for her bird for quite sometime. Before getting her a bird, she had to make a list of all the things she needed for her bird, as well as what type of food it ate, and write about how to care for it. Now that she has her bird, it has been such a great experience. Her little cockatiel Tori, (which means bird in Japanese) is a very good first pet because he is quite an assertive little creature. So it is easy to understand his needs and wants. He lets you know when he is hungry, wants cuddles, and wants to be left alone. At times it has been a bit disappointing for Pearl, as she has been bitten. But it is good for her to learn that he is not a toy, and he has his own wants and needs. I feel that this is helping her to learn empathy and better understand relationships with other people as well. We have talked about it a few times, and while it is hard, she is learning to be patient, and respect what her little bird is trying to communicate.
Pearl is also now doing riding lessons with our neighbours at the North River Horse and Humanship Centre. At the centre, students, learn how to better understand their horse and as they say, "become a better person for your horse." They teach in a non traditional way, not using bits or stirrups, and using alternative, non forceful methods to get horses to cooperate. Pearl is also learning how to groom and care for horses. She has to carry her own saddle and tack bag, and brush down her horse at the beginning and end of each session. It has been good for her to learn these responsibilities and it has also given her confidence.

She has also been looking after a sick chicken, who she has lovingly named Boba. Boba has had a sniffly nose since we got her. Pearl insisted that we take her to the vet. So she caught Boba and came to the appointment. She did the talking and all of the handling. The vet was very good and even let Pearl listen to Boba's heart beat.

All of these experiences are helping Pearl grow respect and feel responsibility for the natural world. She is learning Kaitiaki, which means guardianship, or stewardship.

Dairy Farm

        I  went to the farm a few days ago with my family and a homeschool family and I saw lots of animals. 

• Cows
• Parrots 
• Cockatoos 
• A turtle 
• 2 swans
• Geese 

I saw a milking machine there too.

We went to the calf shed and the cows sucked on our hands,

then went and saw the older calves and watched the farmer give them milk.

We ran down a hill and startled a flock of geese. They took to the air and flew away.