First Day of School 2013-2014 School Year

We are so excited to start another year of homeschooling with My Father's World!  This year we have a first grader and a Kindergartener.  Here are the very exicted students!  

It was slow going, getting back into the routine.  So, we added something new to the mix for fun.  I put together "Explorer Bags" for the kids to take outside for nature hikes or observation walks.  Inside I put a new pen, notepad, a magnifying glass and binoculurs.  Queenie got serious about her exploring right away and went out to examine the dill plants up close, and look for new caterpillars, I suppose :) 

We started out pretty tidy but by the afternoon things had gotten a little messier in the kitchen...

and in the living room as well! 

All in all though, it was a great start to our year. 

Raising Swallowtail Caterpillars

8/16 This is the day we found him on our dill plants. 

8/20

Another view of the caterpillar and his shed skin.

Here you can see the skin that the caterpillar shed. 

Later the same day...he looks bigger already! 

For perspective, here he is, shown with the entire container in the picture. 

8/24

Four days later, he was very active and eating.  This was the first we'd witnessed this much activity.

In these pictures (above and below) you can see a smaller caterpillar that was more recently hatched. He was actually smaller than this when he was hatched. He's the dark brown line to the left of the big caterpillar.

I didn't know a caterpillar could poop so much!

Look very closely.  My little Queenie's quick eye found this teeny tiny hatchling swallowtail! 

Here's a really cool photo of the caterpillar settling into chrysalis mode. 

Here are two smaller ones. 

You can see just how small they are when they first start out.  It's amazing the rate of growth these caterpillars have. 

8/26

CHRYSALIS The pupa stage

On 9/7 at my daughter's birthday party, we had a very special guest join us!

The wing pattern shows this one is male. 

The butterfly rested briefly on my daughter's finger before flying away!



In November we got a startling surprise, from one of our wintering chrysali emerged a butterfly!  I was afraid to release her since it was so cold.  I made a solution of sugarwater and offered it to her, but I am not sure she ate much.  She lived for two weeks.  However, I know she wouldn't have lived long outside either, as late emerging butterflies only live a few weeks anyway.  We certainly had fun experiencing a butterfly up close.  Such a beautiful creation of God!  

This one is a girl!