Baby Ducklings & Frolicking Turtles

The weather has been so beautiful lately. While walking the trails at our favorite park, we spotted eight little ducklings and their mama. What a wonderful surprise!

After swimming for a bit, they headed into a low and muddy area to walk around. So ADORABLE! How could we not stop and watch these little precious creatures?

Horace the Honker on baby safety patrol

A big brown goose we call Horace was intently trailing the little ones. We think he's a boy because he is quite aggressive and dominant. 

Horace is very protective of all the ducks and geese at the park! He always seems to be on safety patrol, keeping all the other fowl safe and well watched over.

We counted a total of eight ducklings!

Sophie and Madeline were so enamored with the ducklings, they decided to sit on the rocks at the edge of the pond for a while. 

From the walking path, we could see the turtles everywhere. We counted well over twenty! Lots seemed to be hiding in the moss and grasses close to shore.

These turtles kept on the move, diving and resurfacing.

One is sunning on a rock. Can you find the other two?
They are well camouflaged!

After walking around the pond and spotting turtles, we headed back to the trails. What is it about bridges and ramps? Kids just love them. Sophie and Madeline went over this little set of bridges about five times before continuing the walk.

What a fantastic morning! It's days like this that I am so thankful we homeschool. And we still had plenty of time for lessons in the afternoon :)

Homeschool Holidays ~ Egg-stra Fun Egg Hunt

I am SO THANKFUL for my homeschool group! Today we had a blast celebrating Easter a little early :)  

All the younger siblings had their own egg hunt separate from the bigger kids. Sophie was psyched to start the hunt and put some eggs in her basket!

Excitement before the hunt

Woo-hoo, I found two eggs!

Of course, the little ones got distracted. Sophie got so excited finding dandelions that she forgot about the eggs.

We counted down for the bigger kids and they ran like cheetahs to find their eggs. Not a chance to capture any good pictures, just blurred figures running from one point to another. 

Watching the homeschooled kids interact is such an eye-opener. One older kid was slower in finding his eggs. The thought of teasing or poking fun did not cross anyone's mind. Instead, all the other kids immediately rallied to help their friend find his eggs. No one rushed to eat their own candy either. 

Everyone waited until the last homeschooler found all his eggs. Only then did they head as a group to the potluck table! And no words from the parents either. That's just the choice the children made on their own. Such a proud moment to see friendship and compassion come first :)

Interestingly, during free play the older kids decided to form a type of government. A bit like a student council perhaps. Madeline and another homeschooler both wanted to be the President, so they decided to let everyone vote. The result? A tie! 

Since he is two years older, my daughter decided she would let him become President. Her reasoning? Older people are more wise. 

He promptly asked her to be his Vice-President. What that means in reality, I have no idea. 

The other parents and I are thinking we should encourage their leadership goals and design some student-led activities in the future. If you have any ideas, please share!