Wetland Wonders

Walk through the wetlands with me.  

We are surrounded by sloughs and pot-holes of many sizes.  With a borrowed camera around my neck and thunder clouds looming, I was out walking this afternoon.  I visited 5 different sloughs and caught a few of the water birds with the camera.  I had hoped for less common varieties, but it seems they have not all returned from the south.  I was surprised to find a few grebes mixed in with the common ducks.

Red-winged Blackbird, a sure sign of spring, always one of the first birds to return.

Seagulls!  'nuff said!

Seagulls again with canvas-back male and female.

Male mallard in flight.

Male Northern Shoveler.

Mallard again.

Canvasback pair and a red-necked grebe.

And another common spring sight -- boys in their Sunday best trying to launch a raft!

Poetry

April is Poetry month.  I always try to do at least a few poetry forms with my students.  

This year, 'Fancy Nancy -- Poet Extraordinaire!' was available through Scholastic Book orders.

http://www.amazon.ca/Fancy-Nancy-Extraordinaire-Jane-Oconnor/dp/0061896438

I ordered it and was pleasantly surprised to see some lessons forming in my head as I read it the first time.  If you haven't read these books, you should.  I shied away from them for a while, as I thought they were just another set of princessy books for little girls.  The books are eye-catching, fancy, and actually are the greatest books for vocabulary development.  This little girl likes everything fancy including fancy words.  She uses the greatest words and then the author goes on to say what the words mean.

Like this... It's a song, and the lyrics -- which are the words--also count as poetry.   And this... (Anonymous means nobody knows who wrote this.  There are lots of fancy words in poetry!)

The book introduces different poem forms, some which we have done in my class this month.  My students love Fancy Nancy and this book was no exception.  There is a poetry club such as Fancy Nancy has, which meets after school.  Yes...I have had the pleasure to read some of the poems:)

Following are student samples of what we have done with name poems and diamonte poems, all around a Spring theme.

For this poem, the background was a separate art lesson.  It is a fun technique, very easy and adaptable.  I put the finished product through the photocopier to copy the flower acrostics on it.  The lesson can be found here.  http://kidsartists.blogspot.com/2009/09/beautiful-anemones.html

Diamonte Poems -- the shape of the finished poem worked nicely for the kite!

More name poems, this time with  the word 'spring'.  I used a foldable to display this one.

Today we try limericks.  That should be fun.

Wordless Wednesday

Spring's New Life

Enjoy a collection of photos taken on a Sunday afternoon walk. I never thought to find pussy willows out yet! ...And I was pleasantly surprised to also find leaflets emerging on some trees. There are always some kind of mosses to be found, always the most emerald green.








A garter snake; I saw one skidding across a puddle in a ditch this week as if it was slithering over sand.


I was diverted, this is from the greenhouse, which is always on the agenda when I go walking these days. I like going through, small and cramped as it is, and see what is happening there.


Cushion spurge, finally got a piece from one of my sisters last year. It has shown itself alive and well, for which I am very thankful. It has the most beautiful colouring through the year, starting with a brilliant yellow in the spring.


Seagulls are worth noting, they are one of the first birds back in the spring and once here, you can hardly miss them. Noisy, and a bit of a nuisance, they do however clean up any food scrap left at the dump so credit must be given them.

I am in search of the prairie crocus. I have never seen any around here, but there is always the possibility.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Herbal Ointments

Anything herbal interests me. Years ago I was introduced to Maria Treben and her herbal book and remedies. Her name kept coming up by people who believed in healing herbs. I finally found her book, Health from God's Pharmacy, and was hooked. I know many of her stories seem far-fetched to some people, but I admit, I believe what she is saying and like trying her herbs. I would like for someone to introduce me to all the plants. I'm sure they could all be found locally.

Yesterday afternoon I made an ointment from calendula. This has been put off too long and should have been done ages ago. Well here it is. The herbs have been standing on the kitchen window for a while now infusing in the warm sun.



Beeswax is from our own beehouse. I like using ingredients that are accounted for locally. Here is the recipe for any adventurous soul who wants to dabble in cosmetic making naturally and chemically free.



For a write-up on the healing powers of calendula, check out the Maria Treben link in my side bar -- Common herbs and their uses.

http://www.mariatrebenherbs.com/


Herbal Ointments

Use dry herbs only

1. Cover the herbs in olive oil and let them stand in the sun for two weeks. Shake two times every day. In two weeks time, pour the oil through a clean cotton cloth and squeeze out the oil.

2. For each quart of infused oil, use 4 oz beeswax.

3. Preheat beeswax. Warm herbal mixture to 120-130 degrees F, add melted beeswax, stir well and pour into containers.

The mixture may be re-warmed if it isn’t the right texture.

Use throw-away items as much as possible.