Nature Study: Robins

Robins are always one of the first signs of spring around here, and they are so easy to identify...I remember learning all about them in 4th grade Michigan History study, as they are our state bird.  This year, our yard seems to have invited many of them to come and stay a while.  I only hope they don't eat all my strawberries again!


I planned on having some time to watch the robins this afternoon when it warmed up and the other bookwork was done, but I forgot that they are more plentiful in the morning and evening!  We'll have to continue our bird watching at the appropriate time.

 This is one of the few we saw at lunchtime, and this was as close as I could get to it.  I wish we could see the white circle around its eyes and the white belly patch that we read about.

We read about the robin and watched a few YouTube clips about the robin.  After spending some time outside trying to find them, we came inside and Hannah drew a picture of a robin.  She used a bird drawing book to help, but no tracing on this one!  My aim is to develop her artistic eye and train her to be attentive to details and practice observation skills.  Whether or not a child is a very good drawer, learning to draw and observe an object allows her to see details that she would have missed, thereby becoming much more intimately involved with what she is studying.

On the first day of spring this year, it actually looked like spring!  We had daffodils and everything!

For Passover this year, I bought this set you see here from Dayspring.  I never celebrated Passover before, and I led our ladies Sunday School class through a Seder meal.  This set includes the cup, the plate and 2 candle holders.  Hannah decided that she wanted to paint the cup, and she got this all set up to sketch out the cup.  I think it turned out rather interesting.