Childhood Griefs and Comforts

Yesterday we found my four-year-old's cat dead in the road. After her initial grief has abated, she began to worry about the kittens. Who would feed them? Who would protect them?

I assured her that the kittens would be fine. They are old enough now to be on their own, which is why we have been trying to find new homes for them. But she was still worried, especially about Cherry Dumplin', the kitten we had told her she could keep as a substitute.

As we were putting things away and closing the house up for the night, I noticed my oldest son carrying a wooden box out to the back of the house. He had spent the afternoon building his sister a cat house out of scrap lumber. She was absolutely thrilled.

Someday she may appreciate the fact that she has brothers who protect and care for her. But for now, she is content knowing her kittens are safe.

Creating a Cloud Notebook And Growing Birds' Nests

I found a couple of neat ideas in a library book I was reading today and thought I would "file" them here, so I don't forget about them. 

The first idea was to create a cloud diary using cotton balls stretched out to show how the clouds look each day. I thought this would be a great idea to use in a notebook or lapbook on weather to show the different types of clouds.

The second idea was to place an abandoned bird's nest in a shallow pan with 1/4 inch of water. After a few days, any seeds that were left in the nest will grow, and you will be able to see what the mother bird fed to her babies. I'm guessing this would only work with certain types of birds' nests, but it sounds fun anyway.