Cute Condor Couple Moves In

One of the perks of living in Idaho is the amazing bird watching opportunities and the fact that we are the home to a large population of birds of prey. If you have never seen a hawk soar and scream or seen a peregrine falcon perched along the road, you are truly missing out. Idaho is home to the World Center for Birds of Prey (it is on the south end of Cole Rd in Boise and well worth the drive).

This past weekend they hosted a Grand opening for the new Condor Habitat. I am a Condor fan, I think they get a bad rap because of their humble looks. Condors are very interesting birds. They are extremely helpful in eliminating waste from carrion ( think about how you love to see road kill on the side of the road..eww.Thanks for taking care of it Condors!!). They are also huge! They have the largest wingspan of any bird of prey-at 9 feet. They are larger that the bald eagle and way smarter! The most important fact is they are a endangered species so the work at the Center is very important.

The two birds now housed at the center will be used to bred new Condors to release into the wild. It is all very exciting!

If you'd like to learn more about Condors or other birds of prey check out the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, ID. Admission is only $7 General and $5 for kids. It is a great family outing or homeschool fieldtrip. They also have some great educational programs you can schedule for school, homeschool, or scout trips.

Also check out the educational resources provided on their website.

Below is our FAVORITE Condor book, the illustrations are incredible.

The Hagerman Fossil Beds

We enjoyed a field trip in the Magic Valley Area today (Twin Falls). We went to the Hagerman Fossil Beds Visitor Center and saw the state fossil, "The Hagerman Horse." This was a fun little field trip, but I wouldn't recommend it until spring time at least. Included at the Visitor's Center is all the information that you need to tour the area and see fossil beds, views of the Snake River and the Oregon Trail. The Visitor's Center is free.

While you are in Hagerman stop at the Malad Gorge and enjoy what I consider one of the "7 Wonders of Idaho." They have a lovely park nearby perfect for a picnic. There is a $4 car fee.

This is a great thing to do if you have a 4th grader studying Idaho History. Happy Field Triping!

Did someone say fieldtrip?

I just love a good fieldtrip. Don't you?

I sometimes wish we never had to learn math and reading and writing and instead all we needed to do all day was go to really neat places and have loads of fun. I could get used to that.

SIGH.

Today we went on a great field-trip organized and hosted by the homeschool charter school we are part of-IDEA.  It was incredible.

First we visited the Boise Art Museum and got a great art lesson about quilts. We learned about several elements of design, including contrasting color, symmetry, pattern, and texture. We were able to study some beautiful antique American quilts. Quilting is truly an amazing art form.

Then the kids got to make their own quilts, using sticky board and fabric scraps.We were short on time for that activity. I thought the kids did great whipping up quilts so quickly. It was surprising to see after all the talk on symmetry and pattern that a majority of the kids preferred to make crazy quilts.

Crazy Quilts are pretty fun to look at!

Here are Josef and Ian's quilts.

After the Boise Art Museum we headed over to the Idaho State Historical Museum. There we got a very entertaining talk on the story artifacts tell us about history and human progress. The kids participated in an activity were they had to try to identify the use of unknown artifacts. This was fun! Some of the interesting ones were

an atalatal, 

old pot scrubber, 

an ox lead,

(which went in their nose and looked like a clamp with a leather strap attached-OUCH!)

a laundry scrubber ,

and some pressed tea bricks. 

 

Overall, it was a day well spent learning new things.

The bonus was we received free tickets to come back the Art Museum as a family. Maybe when Levi is back in town we will go again. They are setting up a new exhibit-Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon. Who doesn't LOVE robots?!