Last week’s visit to Drumlin Farm was a bit odd. We talked about opossums, which are a huge pest in New Zealand (where I’m from), but protected in Australia and here in the USA.
But this possum actually quite cute it didn’t scream at me like the last major experience I had with an opossum – which is a whole story in and of itself
This last event occurred in New Zealand on New Year’s Eve 1999. Josh and I had hiked into the Rock of Ages in Aspiring National Park in New Zealand. We had made an accidentally unusually spicy curry for dinner and had left the pot outside with the food. This you can actually normally do in New Zealand. You might get some opossums coming by to investigate, maybe they will try to take something, but nothing dangerous every happens. This time however the possums apparently really dislike the curry. They started screaming and hissing and smashing into the side of the tent. And we were surprisingly scared by this. But maybe it was because we had watched the Blair Witch Project a few months earlier. Suddenly what we thought was a funny, cheesy movie seemed quite plausible…
Anyway the opossum at Drum Farm just wanted to eat some grapes and go back to sleep.
We did look in on the chickens and the tiny piglets after a walk around the forest. The pigs were still very cute and a little bit bigger.
And for the second week in a row, we scored some of the supremely free-range eggs from Drumlin Farm. Woot!
I’m sitting in the backyard watching Alex ride his Strider bike, which he wanted last year for potty training. It took him awhile to get used to that one, but now he is zooming around the backyard with out any problems. Unfortunately he is almost too big for the Strider bike, so I’ve been looking for a replacement bike – one with real pedals. Unfortunately, most of the children’s bike are made out of wrought iron as far as I can tell.
I’m putting a call out to the community if anybody can tell me about a children’s bicycle that weighs less than 30lbs. His Strider bike only weighs 9 pounds and Alex can lift it in and out of the car himself and I think this hugely increases his enjoyment of the bike.
<3 I need to find more emoticons to, like, really gush over how cute they are LOL
anyway, last Wednesday was another class at drumlin farm. We read a story about pigs and then walked down to the pig barn. The pig had had piglets three days and they were tremendously cute. Hence the gushing earlier. Alex and Jen got to give the piglets some extra hay and some food. And even though this was apparently quite nerve-racking they talked about it for days afterwards.
We also got to do some digging in the vegetable garden and found some grubs that needed to be given to the birds.
Last Wednesday was the first of the Mass Audubon Family Exploration Class. Tomorrow is the next class, so I thought I’d better catch up with myself and post some pictures ASAP.
The class involved reading a story about sheep shearing, carding some wool, and walking down the hill to the farm. There the kids (and me) got to feed the goats, their kids, the sheep, and the lambs. We got sneezed at by a goat, at which there may have been some scared crying, and we got to go into the sheep paddock with the instructors. Then we checked out the big red barn, where Alex mostly wanted to make dust cloud.
After class we had lunch at the picnic area, and then went back to visit the chickens, the fox, rabbit, and owls.
Both children fell asleep on the way home and napped for 2 1/2 hrs. Woohoo!
Hey – where are all the pictures? Turns out posting pictures is not such a good idea after your husband tries to “fix” your computer. He wanted to fix a sticky key that had some apple juice spilled on it, but he had two screws left over when he was done. The computer is currently in intensive care at a local computer repair place, so for now I will only post the couple of pictures I can scrounge off my phone and Facebook. One photo of the chicken Alex talked with for aaaaages, and one of the lambs we got to try and touch since we had staff.
Instructor: Drumlin Farm Staff Audience: Family (suitable for children ages 0 – 7 yrs) Fee: Adults $72.00m / $87.00nm, Children $72.00m / $87.00nm
Spring is here! Let’s go exploring! When will the bluebirds and bobolinks return to make their nests? Which animals will have babies during this season? Do the sheep like their new haircuts? Find out as we meet different animals – both farm and wild, and participate in a variety of hands-on and outdoor activities. Bring your curiosity and excitement as we wander through the farm and the sanctuary
Might be time for a disclaimer about how I make ZERO money from this blog. I write to have a sporadic record of what Alex, Jen and I get up to. I write because I want to be part of a parenting community. And I write because occasionally I want to share our crafts. Though I admit that’s mostly for my family’s benefit, since we all live on different continents.
I HAVE put up links to Amazon.com and a couple of other affiliate programs. Those affiliate links bring in on average $20 a month, which I always donate to the Rebuilding Rounds project, or to a few random strangers who needed a Christmas miracle in 2010. And I do admit that a couple of years ago a friend gave me $50 to place an advertisement. These links are there just in case someone cares to support (more emotionally than anything else) a woman raising kids and starting a few ventures from home. When I asked the Mass Audubon Society if they would renew my membership for free after I had written a bazillion posts on how great their programs were, they said they couldn’t afford it, but would I like one of their lapel pins.
So, really, no financial gain for me from this blog. Several hundred people visit the website and read my posts each month though, which is why I make all of it public. I suppose that with some of my narcissistic leanings, I like it when my friends comment on the blog or on Facebook. It makes me feel connected and not quite so stuck-at-home-with-little-kids.
And I do get remarkably excited every time someone new “likes” the Playground Hunt Facebook page, or follows me on Pinterest. So, so sad
That being said, if there is anyone out there who has a similar blog (and read this far), I would love to update my links list with the brightest and shiniest (alight, that should be dirt and glue-covered) websites out there.
I got a couple of small, cheap paper lanterns in the dollar section at Target. They were too good to pass up on to make a cute craft with some construction paper and glue.
I did all the cutting, Jen and Alex told me what animals they wanted to make, and which body parts they needed. They were able to glue a fair amount of the pieces on themselves. And no one broke their paper lantern for at least a day!!! Alex was very adamant that he needed a flying Easter Bunny. There may have been some wing jealousy after Jen attached the purple wings to her owl – ha.
Hope you’re all sufficiently rested after lovely weekends to feel up to tackling this gorgeous little project that we found on www.candletech.com. So simple to make, and so gorgeous for any party or wedding, these little wax lumieres can be made in any size (depending on how big you make the balloons), so we’d suggest making lots and lots of all different dimensions and group them together to create glowing, organic centerpieces. Also, if you’re feeling braver, mix some colour into the wax and play around with different shades and tones – we’re going to try milky pinks and peaches for a soft, romantic feel… we’ll keep you posted on how we get on!! Enjoy, Aoife & Deirdre xx
Now for the ‘How-To’… we’re giving you the pretty pictures first, and the instructions below ;0)
You will need : High Melt Paraffin Wax (try most good craft stores), party balloons, a double boiler, non-stick cookie / biscuit sheet.
1. Fill balloon with tepid water.
2. Melt your wax. Optimum working temperature for this project is 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Try to maintain this temperature for your wax while working by keeping it on a double boiler.
3. Slowly dip your balloon into the wax to just below the water level in the balloon. Warning: Do not dip the balloon into the wax past the water level. This could cause the balloon to pop.
4. Hold the balloon in the wax for a few seconds, and then slowly lift it out of the wax. Dip the balloon a few more times, allowing some time between dips to let the wax cool.
5. While it is still quite warm, carefully set the balloon down onto a piece of paper or a cookie sheet, making sure it is level. This will create a flat bottom for the lumiere.
6. Dip your balloon a few more times until it is the desired thickness. A good target thickness is 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch.
7. Set the balloon on the paper or cookie sheet again and let it cool.
8. When the wax is completely cooled, hold the balloon over a sink or bucket, facing away from you. Carefully pop the balloon with a skewer or knife and let the water drain out. Throw away the balloon shards.
9. To level the top of the lumiere, heat a cookie sheet on the stove and place the lumiere top-down onto the hot sheet and carefully melt the edges until it is level.
10. Place a tea light or votive inside the lumiere and burn on a candle holder in a dark area…. gorgeous!
This time I’m reporting a TOTAL craft fail. (Hey, as a scientist I feel it’s my duty to report failed experiments too)
I’ve been eyeing up slime recipes. As a touchy-feely exercise for Alex to stop being squeamish about touching things. Nothing to do with me wanting to play with that stuff myself. Nope
So. Slime.
The recipe called for 1 part Elmer’s Glue ($10 for a gallon at Discount School Supplies), 1 part liquid starch, and a bit of food coloring to make it pretty. Of course I have plenty of glue, but no liquid starch. I tried to make some from scratch. FAIL.
Now I’m recalibrating the starch recipe, cooking up different versions and experimenting. Just thought I’d share that supreme bit of science geeky-ness.
Liquid Corn Starch Recipe
Put 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
While waiting for the water to boil, dissolve 2 – 3 teaspoons of cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of cold water in a cup or small bowl. Keep mixing the cornstarch while waiting for the water to boil.
After the water boils, pour the cornstarch mixture into the boiling water and stir for a minute or so. The liquid will be clear or slightly cloudy.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
If anyone has a better recipe, let me know. Otherwise I might be some time.
And here’s a link to the very pretty slime I wanted to copy…
I HAVE put up links to 
