These are exciting days around our house. With the evidence that spring is on its way, the boys have started adventuring outside again. Sometimes even in the rain because fresh air and adventure is calling to them. Our property is next to a tree farm. The tree farm has public access, so Jeremy has been wandering into the woods with little shadows following behind him to explore new territory.
These expeditions have been very educational for the Scott boys. They have discovered a path that leads down to the nearby creek. This creek has beaver dams all over it. With the supervision and help of my husband, the boys have started disassembling pieces of the dam system to see if the beavers will repair the damage. After some research, we learned that beavers will often repair their main structure while waiting to fix secondary dams that they deem of less importance. Interesting, right? They boys have also “befriended” a pair of owls who they have named Berry (short for Raspberry) and Owly. These owls hoot back and forth to each other and the boys. Jeremy and the boys have made frequent visits to the creek over the last few weeks. Each time they come home with stories to share.
Graham exploring the beaver dam and creek with Jeremy.
Love how much the boys can learn by adventuring outside.
Now when I put bobcat in the title of this post, did you expect me to share a story about a bobcat sighting in nature? Well, the bobcat that I am referencing is a certain Lintott Bobcat in kindergarten. Owen was selected as a Bobcat of the Month for the month of February. He was nominated by his classmates for exemplifying teamwork. This last Friday, we attended his school assembly where he and other students were awarded for this honor. It was definitely a proud mom moment. I know that awards aren’t necessary for me to know that Owen is a good kid. But they are fun! To celebrate after school, we let Owen decide where he would like to go out to eat for dinner. We even got ice cream for dessert! It was a special time for our family.
So proud of our Bobcat of the Month!
On to astronomy… This is the new thing in our household. Owen has declared that he loves space more than trains these days. This declaration is a huge deal considering he has been obsessed with trains for over five years. When Owen is interested in something, he goes all in. We’ve been watching YouTube videos about our solar system for weeks now. His favorite series is called Crash Course Astronomy. It’s produced by PBS and has 10 minute episodes where the host gives a quick lesson on different elements of astronomy. The amount of information that Owen has absorbed is amazing. Our whole family is learning alongside him.
Reading a space book from the library.
Owen was saving his money to buy a new train, but with his new love for space, his mission changed. Jeremy and Owen started researching backyard telescopes. In order to pay for this new telescope, Jeremy and I got the chance to teach Owen a valuable lesson. Jeremy and I frequently sell items around our house that we are no longer using or that we want to upgrade. We’ve purged and sold items to raise money for a new interest or a household project. Since Owen doesn’t earn an allowance at this point, his options for making money are limited. Jeremy suggested that we sell some of the wooden trains that the boys no longer play with. It took a few months, but the toy trains finally sold. Jeremy has also been selling LEGO sets from his childhood. With his last sale, he decided to combine efforts with Owen to get a telescope for the family.
Super excited for the new telescope!
Currently, the telescopes has only been used a few times. The PNW is still a bit on the cloudy side these days. We are looking forward to the summer months for stargazing. We had friends suggest a stargazing app that allows you to identify the starts in the night sky. We’ve put that app to good use over the last few weeks. I also ordered a solar powered rover kit from Owen’s latest Scholastic book order. Jeremy helped Owen assemble the rover. We had to wait a few days before the rover actually worked, though. It needs very direct sunlight to operate, which is something we are lacking right now. The rover had it’s first spin around the back deck yesterday. There was much rejoicing because we honestly thought the kit was a dud.
Our new solar-powered rover!
I know that spring isn’t even officially here yet, but I can sense our family is more than ready for this new season to arrive. In fact, summer is already calling to us. We are ready for longer days, more sun, and more free time to explore and play. We have many adventures ahead!
Amy Scott's Thoughts 