Brrrr...November is certainly here! We didn't see any snow today, but flakes were spotted in various parts of the state, and flurries are in the
forecast for tomorrow. The landscape has changed drastically in the past week, bare branches everywhere, gray skies are the norm. I've always loved November -- the crisp leaves underfoot, the nip in the air. But I've come to the realization that it's time to buy a warmer coat! The one I've worn fo
r years is pretty much shredded from catching it on fences, and the one I wore as a substitute today was entirely
inadequate for freezing temperatures. So a shopping trip is in my immediate future.
We went over to
Northwest Park in Windsor, CT again today, along with some homeschooling pals, and the kids had a blast playing in the nature center (it's small, but cozy, and just right for blossoming imaginations) and exploring the grounds a bit. Here they check out a really cool sculpture of various birds made out of "junk", as J calls it.
The kids take a look at the "painted pony" that was donated after a nearby town's Parade of Painted Horses. It depicts the Tobacco Farming heritage of the CT River Valley, which Windsor is in the heart of (in fact, the Tobacco Museum is on the Northwest Park property). There are many old tobacco barns on the property, including the building that now houses the nature center.
Zoo Boy feeds the goats a treat. This is actually the exact type of goat he wants to get in the spring (well, he'd rather get it NOW, but I've pushed it off until the spring!), an
Oberhasli. What can I say, the boy loves livestock! He was born to be a farmer.
The kids explore the herb garden. I can imagine how beautiful it is in the summer when everything is
green and in full bloom! But there's a certain magic to it even at this time of year, with everything brown and dormant. In a nearby area, the boys startled a white-tailed deer which we watched bound through the woods.
In the nature center, the boys had fun using a guide and these forms hanging from the ceiling to identify various birds of prey from underneath. What was cool is that this ties in with our viewing of a Turkey Vulture circling overhead on our walk here last week, as we talked then about how to tell which bird of prey it was by the shape of the
silhouette and the colors of the belly and undersides of the wings.
We went over to Northwest Park in Windsor, CT again today, along with some homeschooling pals, and the kids had a blast playing in the nature center (it's small, but cozy, and just right for blossoming imaginations) and exploring the grounds a bit. Here they check out a really cool sculpture of various birds made out of "junk", as J calls it.
The kids take a look at the "painted pony" that was donated after a nearby town's Parade of Painted Horses. It depicts the Tobacco Farming heritage of the CT River Valley, which Windsor is in the heart of (in fact, the Tobacco Museum is on the Northwest Park property). There are many old tobacco barns on the property, including the building that now houses the nature center.
Zoo Boy feeds the goats a treat. This is actually the exact type of goat he wants to get in the spring (well, he'd rather get it NOW, but I've pushed it off until the spring!), an Oberhasli. What can I say, the boy loves livestock! He was born to be a farmer.
The kids explore the herb garden. I can imagine how beautiful it is in the summer when everything is green and in full bloom! But there's a certain magic to it even at this time of year, with everything brown and dormant. In a nearby area, the boys startled a white-tailed deer which we watched bound through the woods.
In the nature center, the boys had fun using a guide and these forms hanging from the ceiling to identify various birds of prey from underneath. What was cool is that this ties in with our viewing of a Turkey Vulture circling overhead on our walk here last week, as we talked then about how to tell which bird of prey it was by the shape of the silhouette and the colors of the belly and undersides of the wings.
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