Why Oh Why Are Deserts Dry?

We started the day outside working on upper and lowercase b, after which Creed played in the rocks. He spent a looooooong time talking about writing the letter b, instead of doing much work this morning. So, we took a break, ate some snacks and had art class. I watched as Creed told me a story while painting a picture. With every color and every brush stroke, his imagination let loose - beautiful arches of rainbows and dark rain clouds with rain drops. Near the bottom he painted a lion with one leg and a tail that beat the rainbow. It all made perfect sense to him and as he described it, it made perfectly perfect sense to me as well. It was nice to relax and listen before a quick bath, promised by a longer bath later this evening, where we washed off the ruckus from the rock bin, before nap time.

Talking about writing the letter b.

One of the books we read gave us much pleasure in learning, "Why Oh Why Are Deserts Dry?" by Tish Rabe, one from the series The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library, that I didn't know existed until this afternoon. I've always known "Cat in the Hat," and the silliness that ensues, but really delighted in this edition. We learned that a mesquite tree has roots that reach 40 feet down for water, how plants, insects and animals survive in the desert. One of the most interesting facts was about the crowned sandgrouse. This bird flies miles and miles to find water. He soaks his feathers until they are wet and his babies, upon return, drink from his feathers, which dry soon and then he must take to the sky to find water again. We learned how sand dunes were made and the crescent shapes they leave in the sand. Did you know that in the Mojave Desert, there are lilies, primroses, and sunflowers? We also read of mirages and oasis'. An interesting fact is that not all deserts are hot! You'll find ice and snow in the Gobi desert. Where there's also a Bactrain camel with two humps, which store fat, not water. They can drink 30 gallons of water and then go an entire week before drinking again. The longer they go without eating or drinking the smaller the humps get. Surprisingly Antarctica is the largest desert of all. For anything and everything Seuss visit www.seussville.com. It's amazing what's available there from books, videos, games & activities, to everything you've ever wanted to know about Dr. Seuss, plus a link for parents and educators and of course, everything imaginable Seuss paraphernalia. I've been reading so many Dr. Seuss books, I'm thinking in rhymes.

We resumed the upper and lowercase b in the afternoon, taking turns making b's, also going on to the number 4, shapes, sequence recognition and finally games. Tic, Tac, Toe isn't as much fun, turns out, when you can't tell the other person where you plant their target! It's all about learning the game, and mostly having fun.

We drove the tractor around for a while before retiring to pick some plump blackberries. Creed's getting a hand at the wheel and quickly learning to maneuver left to right. While we picked berries, I asked him if he remembered why we didn't pick all the berries and he said, "Because we leave some for the birds." "That's right," I agreed. "Do you know who takes care of the birds" I asked. "God," he replied. "Yes," I said, "God loves the birds so much he makes sure they're taken care of. Can you imagine how much he must love us, if he takes care of the birds so well!" "God also told the people not to pick all the grapes, vegetables and grain, so people visiting would have something to eat when passing through. That's how God takes care of us," I added. We walked along the path moving to another blackberry bush. "It's getting dark," I said. "Let's get some of these berries and get in before the bugs start biting." "Do you know what kind of animals are out at night," I asked. "Nocturnal," Creed answered. "Can you tell me some nocturnal animals," I asked. At this point he started naming the ones listed in the Dr. Seuss book we had read earlier, owls, foxes, bats, coyote, rabbits, mice, deer and kangaroo rat. Just when I'm not quite sure he's really listening he parrots something back that stumps me again! I love it.

First caterpillar of the season.

We came back inside and enjoyed some blackberry and chocolate chip muffins we had made last night from the berries we picked yesterday, before the long promised bath. He wanted to hold the caterpillar we had found before reading our night time stories. And so begins another life cycle of a butterfly or moth. We so enjoyed them last year. We've never seen the eggs or larva, but have found plenty of caterpillars. 

The last BSF (Bibles Study Fellowship) meeting we had the speaker told us how disciples are learners and how we are to disciple others. I looked up the definition and behind a personal follower of Jesus, the second meaning said a follower or student of a teacher, leader or philosopher. Creed's a great imitator, especially things I don't realize he's taking in, which is everything! He looked at me one day and said, "Mama I crack you up!" and started laughing. I say that a lot to him. Every day now I think, have I talked to him about Jesus today? I'm very aware of getting the word into his heart, while we walk by the way, sit in the house and lie down at night. If this is all I ever do, it would be a life well lived. Deuteronomy 6:5-9