By henryjn, on April 27th, 2009%
we discovered another catepillar the other week. it was very large and light greeen in color. i was excited because we’ve only found monarch butterfly catepillar’s in the past and this one was different. we grabbed it and gave it a nice little home in an old spaghetti sauce jar, added some leaves and sticks and some holes in the top. once we put it in it’s new home, it made a cocoon almost immediately. after two weeks, i opened the jar and noticed a noise coming from the container. it was shaking and twisting. we got excited and thought it was ready to come out. we’ve never been able to see and butterfly come out and thought this was it. we gave it a little help and cut it out of the cocoon. it was a dark brown color and it was twisting around constantly. by then we thought we ruined it. so, we put it back in the jar and let it be. after a week or so, we checked occasionally and then it stopped moving. i was going to throw it away and when i picked up the jar i noticed there was a moth in there. some how even though we tampered with it, he managed to transform into a moth. it is a luna moth. it’s very rare based on the information i found on the web. it’s very large and light green with a few markings. i love these kinds of experiences. i’m learning right along with the kids and actually i get more excited about it than they do.
By henryjn, on April 24th, 2009%
we have a great group of friends that come over during the week. it is something that the boys and erin really look forward to. they play non-stop and explore the outdoors, hunting lizards, sippin’ on honeysuckle and swinging.
last week, they met the chicks and picked wild blackberries.
this week we made cobbler with the blackberries and shared it with our friends. sorry, no picture of the cobbler, it was just too good and was gobbled up before i had a chance to take a picture.
we love our friends, thanks for spending time with us.
have a great weekend!
By henryjn, on April 23rd, 2009%
Every child is born with creative potential, but this potential may be stifled if care is not taken to nurture and stimulate creativity. Creativity shows one’s uniqueness. It is the individual saying: “I can be; I can do.” Isn’t this what we want for our children? Creativity is the ability to see things in a new and unusual light, to see problems that no one else may even realize exist, and then come up with new, unusual, and effective solutions to these problems.
::a little production by the henry players- a story of a king, a princess, a knight and a dragon.
One of the best ways children have to express themselves is through creative dramatic play. Here they feel free to express their inner feelings. It occurs daily in the lives of young children, as theyconstantly imitate the people, animals, and machines in their world. It helps them understand and deal with the world. Stimulate this spontaneous kind of drama by providing simple props and encouragement.
Marilyn Lopes Extension Specialist, Family Life Education Cape Cod Cooperative Extension University of Massachusetts
By henryjn, on April 20th, 2009%
playing around some more with PS and following erin around outside.
love the boots, the curls and the ruffles.
By henryjn, on April 16th, 2009%
We read this book and it had a recipe at the end. Since we happened to have nothing planned after a very busy weekend, we baked ourselves a very large cookie and ate it.
It served many purposes:
- One – it gave us something to do.
- Two – it fed us until way after lunch time.
- Three – it gave a certain 6-year old the motivation to write. (What Mother of a 6-year old doesn’t like that?)
He copied the recipe onto a card so we could have it whenever we felt like we needed another Massive Cookie.
Yes, I suggested it, yet he went with it. A little nudge and bam, off he went to writing. He didn’t finish right away, he had to go back a few times and I don’t think it’s quite done yet. But, it’s there waiting for his return. Maybe we need to bake another. Wait, we could get on the heavy side if he figures me out.
Some practical (from our life) tips on beginning writing:
- Ask a friend or family member that writes to write to your child and become their pen pal. We made a notebook to keep all the supplies needed for writing letters, including envelopes, stamps, pencil, return address printed out and addresses of friends and family.
- All my little ones have had access to a white board, dry erase markers and eraser as soon as they can reach them (it can get messy, but for the most part it’s all wipeble, except for fabric and carpet, and pets, but don’t let that stop you). From my experience, it gives them their space to draw and they stay away from the walls. Also, I’ve never had to “teach” them to hold a crayon or pencil.
- I haven’t stressed the correct way to write or draw just yet. I want them to be excited about it and have just used non-traditional methods to give them practice.
What does it take to motivate? This little activity was a perfect example of a little nudge and then the child’s excitement of the project carried it on. I’m not an expert obviously, but I’m learning everyday to watch, listen and encourage a little here and there.
By henryjn, on April 15th, 2009%
::Photographs by Ian
By henryjn, on April 14th, 2009%
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My little chicks had their first babysitting job. They took care of Grammie’s baby chicks after they arrived via the Post Office. I discovered that the boys did not remember how to hold them. They were actually very timid with them and Erin flat out screamed everytime one popped out of the box, as if it was an attack chicken. Back in 2006, we had about 50 chickens and the boys were not timid see here and here. It’s interesting how they change as they get older.
They are all cozy now in their new home in the barn under a heat lamp and acclimating themselves quite nicely- all 27 of them.
The kids like to go out and check on the chicks often and Jay has gone at least a half dozen times since their arrival. He just has a heart for those birds. As for me, I think it’s cool and I’ll help eat some fresh eggs as long as I don’t have to take care of them. (Bad memories of being very pregnant and moving a really heavy chicken tractor, but we won’t go into that.)
By henryjn, on April 14th, 2009%
We had fun on Easter.
We celebrated at church, we did some eating, some swimming and then some hunting!
That little girl up there in the pool is one fearless swimmer. Splashing and jumping all over the pool and takes a little time for a relaxing float every once in a while.
By henryjn, on April 14th, 2009%
Since I started blogging, my love for taking pictures has increased by a million percent. I take pictures almost daily of the children, our projects in the kitchen, outside and around the house. For me, photos are a way to document not only memories but a way to journal our life. It is much easier for me to capture a photo of the moment than to write about it. I have never been a writer. I am visual, thus the many pictures and very few words.
In order to take my pictures to the next level. You know, in order for them to look way better and to be able to actually get a shot of a bird or say a child running through the yard. I needed to upgrade from a point and shoot to a digital SLR.
I picked this camera. Yahoo! Yep, a new tool for keeping track of all we do. I’ve saved up my pennies and waited for this new little beauty and boy is she a beauty! It was like Christmas today and I was 5 again and so very excited when that Fed Ex man rang the doorbell. I about peed my pants, okay maybe that’s an exageration. She’s all setup and over 100 pictures have been taken and uploaded and touched up.
So far, I love her. She is lightweight and easy to set up. I don’t know what half or even most of the buttons do, but I can’t wait to find out!
There is an amazing woman that has shared some photography tools on her blog, which make editing photos in Photoshop really fun for a beginner like me. I spent some time with my new photos and this is what I came up with:
By henryjn, on April 13th, 2009%
:: Hello, I’m Mister Marker Mustache Face. I come around when Mommy is on the computer during the day. I don’t like crayons or colored pencils. Markers are what I prefer.
:: Now I’m saving a tree from a premature demise; since my parents’ can’t decide where it should go.
:: Time to mix up the filling for the rolls.
:: Well, isn’t it obvious what I’m doing now?
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I’m sure there will be many more adventures of Mister Marker Mustache Face to come. Stay tuned…
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Welcome I am Nancy Henry, mother to three really cool children, wife, designer, crafter, camera girl and a struggling writer. I share some of our life here when I get the chance. The focus is on the everyday and the beauty it beholds. Enjoy your stay and let me know you stopped by!
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