Weekly Report: Leprechauns, Birds and Eggs! Oh My!

Our week began with Leprechaun traps and ended with a nice Easter dinner. Celebrating two holidays this week kept us busy.

My creative brother and sister-in-law came up with this fun tradition for St. Patrick's Day. The kids make traps and try to catch a leprechaun. If I remember correctly, their's is a little more involved. We just made traps in the morning and waiting all day to see if we caught anything. We didn't, but they left a nice note and dropped some of their "gold". Elise's trap has a rainbow lure and pot smeared with sticky honey. Claire's was a pretty flower that looked like a perfect place for a leprechaun to take a nap. Samuel use the flag of Ireland as a lure and dug a tiny hole. He wove a net out of paper and put a tiny trigger in the hole then used camouflage to hide it. The idea was that when the leprechaun stepped on to the trap after being lured by the flag the net would fall on top of him. These are entirely their own ideas. I didn't help one bit and I was very impressed with their creativity.


We also read a good deal about Ireland and St. Patrick. We watched some River Dancing and listened to a few Irish Jigs. We also learned about Limericks and tried our hand at writing some. Here's Sam's:

There once was a rabbit named Moe.
All he said was, "What do you know?"
He went to bed
With a man named Ed.
The man woke up with an "Oh!"

Here's Elise's: (with some help from mom)
I grew a garden of clover
They were as green as grass all-over
the flowers died
then I cried
I guess I have to start over.


We also enjoyed our Green Hour walk this week. I got a message from amazon last week that my Nature Study book has been shipped. Yippee! It's amazing how much more I hear the birds now. In the morning, at night, in the store parking lot, and everywhere!

We went to the Hutchings Museum's "real" egg hunt on Friday. In each room you had to find the display of real eggs and correctly identify them. We found Raven eggs, Gray Cat-bird eggs, Emu eggs, Golden Eagle eggs, and Prairie Falcon eggs. Then we got to see some amazing birds at the bird show they had. We were fascinated to learn that the falcon can travel at speeds up to 300 miles per hour! We were impressed that the very large Golden Eagle can hunt a deer! We learned so many amazing things about our fine feathered friends. Can you identify these birds?


We also studied Chapter 29 of SOTW, Rome's war with Carthage. We wondered how Hannibal trained his elephants to fight fierce battles. We all agreed that using the elephants is what helped him win the Punic wars. We thought it was sad when Scipio attacked Carthage and Hannibal poisoned himself. So much fighting, always fighting.

So much reading this week too. Sam wrote a fine book report that you can read here. He is also excited about the data he is collecting for his survey. Thanks to all who voted.

Elise is reading SO much too. Her current favorite is a National Geographic Science Chapter book, Amazon Journey--Cruising the Rain Forrest, by Gare Thompson. She is also enjoying, Buffaloes Before Breakfast, a Magic Tree House book, by Mary Pope Osborn.

We are also making progress in piano and math. Sam is dividing double digit numbers and Elise is subtracting double digit numbers. I'm pleased that they both like to play piano. Playing organ at church has forced me to practice more too!

On to the Easter festivities. We dyed eggs. We hid eggs. We found eggs. Fun, eh?


Claire gave her first talk in Primary today. She did great! She wore the reminder bracelet all week and was so happy to sit in the front of the room during closing exercises in Primary. She amazes us with her confidence and understanding. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is only three years old!

It was also nice to take a walk by the temple Sunday afternoon and take pictures in our Sunday best.
Scripture Study: Matthew 21-28
It was just so wonderful to read these chapters with my children. Of course Anna and Claire didn't understand everything, but I could see the comprehension growing in Sam and Elise. They asked good questions and were able to narrate back to me the things we read. It's interesting that for some it is so easy to believe in bunnies that deliver brightly colored eggs, but harder to believe that the Son of God died and rose again on the third day. We know that He did. We also know the the true miracle took place in the garden. We can repent. We can learn and try again. We can live with the ones we love forever and continue to progress after this life because of the incredible love and sacrifice of the Son of man. I hope one day to be among those that, "...came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."
A few of the scriptures that we discussed:

"And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matt. 21:20-22)

"And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, an buy for yourselves." (Matt. 25: 8-9)

"And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him." (Matt. 26: 49)

"Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? (Matt. 26: 52-54)

"Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?" (Matt. 27: 17)

"He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." (Matt.28:6)

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the son and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt. 28: 19-20)