Nuremburg Zoo Trip

"We are sure to see curious things, and for the last two months we have not had time for dullness. The last marvel is always the most astonishing; and, if we continue this progression, I do not know how it will end. It is my opinion that we shall never again see the like. I think then, with no offence to master, that a happy year would be one in which we could see everything."

-Conseil, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, chapter 19

We've been forgoing regular lessons in favor of travel a lot lately. I find tremendous value in real-life experience, and favor it over book learning almost any day. 

Being that we have such a short time in Germany, we try to make the most of it by seeing as much as possible. After all, we just learned that next summer we'll be moving back stateside. It's not what we want to do, but it's what the Army needs from my husband. 

We have ten months left in Europe. We intend to see, not everything, but as much as possible this year. So, expect lots of travel schooling over the next ten months. 

Today, we visited the beautiful Tiergarten der Stadt Nurnberg: The Nurnberg Zoo. Zoos here are different than zoos in the United States. Barriers between human and animal are more natural and less obtrusive. Landscaping is interactive: you climb, you step, you pull yourself up rocks and tree roots. You navigate rope bridges. 

This was a fantastic zoo. 

 Also, the Autumn colors in full splendor added to the pleasures of the zoo. The air was crisp, the breeze refreshing, and the sky blue, mostly. We even had sun today!

 This was a group trip that I set up for our homeschool group. Only two other families could make it, but I think that actually worked out for the best. The kids were all terrific and were wonderful to one another. And the other two moms there were awesome, too. It was great to get to know two homeschool families over the seven hours we spent at the zoo. We all had a lot of fun together. 

 We got to take in a sea lion and dolphin show. There was something special about seeing this show with the October colors in the background. 

 Tuna (and the other kids) loved the show. Watching her expressions was just as rewarding to me as watching the show itself. 

The petting zoo with its requisite goat herd was ...intense. The goats were aggressive in their per suit of grain, headbutting me and cornering Tuna on the rocks. Still, she's like the goat whisperer and they didn't give her any trouble at all. 

It was a splendid Autumn day. I'm thankful for the chance to explore new places like this zoo, practically in my backyard. The zoo's impressive animal collection was a great treat. We learned a few new things along the way, and made friends, and had fun. I couldn't have planned a better school day. 

Tomorrow: We're visiting a volcano!

Picking Pumpkins in Germany

Tuna, Bay, and I visited Jerry's Pumpkin Patch in Litzlohe, Bayern, Germany this afternoon. Jerry is an American living in Germany. The field is huge and full of pumpkins of every shape and size. We got to lug a wheelbarrow around the field to choose our pumpkins, then cut them from the vine ourselves. 

Did you know: pumpkins turn orange due to warm weather and sunlight? Those two things are a precious commodity in Bavaria, so our pumpkins are mottled green and orange. 

We like them that way. It's fitting, in a way. Different pumpkins in a different country. 

 Sameness is appreciated, sometimes, too. Like picking pumpkins at a pumpkin patch: same experience on whatever side of the globe you call home. 

Autumn Nature Study: Mushroom Prints

Yesterday, before geology co-op, Tuna and I went to the nearby nature trail to collect some things for nature study and our seasonal focus. We collected a bag full of mushrooms and carefully transported them home. 

 

I found this idea for mushroom spore prints from Martha Stewart. I knew better than to expect perfection a la Martha, but thought it would be worth a go to make some prints of our own for our nature journal. 

I'm not sure what kind of mushrooms we collected. We didn't bother identifying them aside from poisonous/nontoxic. We talked mostly about the gills and spores of the mushrooms, and how some of the mushrooms were spongy while others were gilled. 

Of interest to me was the fact that the color of the prints didn't match the color of the mushroom. We didn't pick anything remotely yellow, yet yellow was one of the prominent colors displayed. 

If you click on this image, you might find two little hitchhikers. See them?

We did the one-hour sample test Martha recommends with terrible results. There were no spores on our papers after an hour. Not willing to give in so easily, and not having anything to lose anyway, we made new prints on fresh paper and pressed our mushrooms overnight under some heavy dinnerware. We woke this morning to these bright prints. 

The spores are delicate, so a spritz of hairspray to keep the print still is recommended. Additionally, we put ours in page protectors for our nature journal. 

post linked to hip homeschool moms

Sunday Strolls

New habit: Go somewhere every Sunday and take pictures. Fresh air, nature, and family. Can't beat it. 

Today's Sunday Stroll: Wildpark Hollöhe in Schwandorf, Germany. For no admission fee, you can stroll the nature paths, picnic, play at the playground and the barefoot park, use the toilets (Free, clean, toilets are scarce in Europe!) and see all the animals. For a meager €0,50 you can feed the animals, too. 

It was today that it occurred to me that weekends can be schoolish days, too. Walking around the nature trails, discussing sap, pine cones, acorns, water levels, leaves changing, animal calls, and poop identification: That's nature study! 

It's also excellent bonding time. 

I look forward to our next Sunday Stroll. I wonder where it'll find us. 

Seasonal Homeschooling

I enjoy including seasonal lessons in our days. Autumn is our favorite season (and seems too short), so our days are filled with seasonal activity. 

Today, we took a bike ride in the crisp breeze to pick up groceries. When we finished, we rode across the street to the pick-your-own. honor system, flower fields to get some fresh blooms, likely the last of the season. We walked our bikes home, stopping along the way to harvest apples, plums, and pears from the trees on our street. We looked for walnuts but didn't find any. 

We also made some bird feeders from squash. We hung on in the front yard, and plated one for the patio. 

Next week, we'll be waxing fall leaves, collecting pine needles & cones, acorns, and rocks for several other seasonal projects, and baking delicious fall treats. 

Here's a couple photos of our bird feeders:

Interpretive Nature Walk: Grafenwoehr, Germany

Today, we went to a homeschool group field trip to the Grafenwoehr nature trail. We were guided by two well-informed, German (English-speaking) women who made the hike a fabulous learning experience. 

Our guides were wonderful. So knowledgeable about the wildlife in the area and very much in tune with what the kids needed. Lots of hands-on, lots of demonstration, lots of patience and kindness. We had a great time. 

The guides gave all the kids little canvas bags to fill with specimens from trees on the hike, which they all pulled out toward the end to discuss and compare. 

We saw some cool plants we've never seen before, like this neat "jelly" mushroom. 

Tuna enjoyed the time with the other homeschool kids. 

Deadly mushrooms!

Our homeschool group has a lot of activities planned for this school year. We'll pick and choose which ones to attend. Today whetted our appetite for more, though. We had a great time, and learned a bit, too!

Our Hike in Pictures

We spent the afternoon hiking today and we all had a great time. We learned a little, too!