Nope, not opening any school books. Yup, slacker mom all the way.  You see, we've just been too busy to do school.  First there was the tiny praying mantis we captured.  He had to have food so that required a cricket hunt.  Have you ever seen a praying mantis eat a cricket?  I haven't, fortunately. My husband and son got to watch that one all on their own. LOL!

Then there was the bullfrog grandma captured, finally after a full summer of trying.  She used a clever trick to achieve this long sought goal.  She set up a wire spring loaded trap usually used to catch small varmits!  So my son got to hold a live (and very large bull frog) and he also got some crickets for his dinner. (The bullfrog, not my son). 

Did I mention we have a pet turtle?  For the record, we did not go out and buy a turtle.  We already had a habitat set up in our home for two larger turtles that had been rescued as infants from a dried up pond.  The pond refilled and we set them free.  About the same time, one of our friend's had a step-child that received a turtle as a gift.  It came in one of those tiny little cages that just aren't big enough to keep a turtle happy.  Needless to say, mom and step-dad did not love this gift.  So we adopted their little friend and now "Scooter" lives happily in a 75 gallon tank.  She got to eat quite a few crickets yesterday as the container from the bait shop came open in grandma's purse and there were crickets everywhere!

(If you are beginning to think my kids have the best grandma ever- you are right.  She bakes them dairy, soy, egg and wheat free cookies too.)   

Oh, then there's the harvest.  Tomatoes, corn, sunflowers.  We really aren't harvesting the sunflowers though.  Those are for the birds.  We have been watching an adolescent cardinal molt this week and two gold finches set up housekeeping in the fruit trees.  Last week there were two male goldfinches vying for territory.  This week we observed that there was a victor and he closely guarded his new mate as she sampled our garden delicacies. 

Um, lets see, then we had to ID a new caterpillar.  I think it is a cabbage something or other (considered a pest, but it will turn into a pretty moth).  My son is hoping it's the orage something or other that will turn into a lovely yellow butterfly.  We have compared the two pictures at What's This Caterpillar and they are pretty similar.  Though due to habitat constraints, I think I'm correct.  If it creates a chrysalis and transforms- then well find out.

Speaking of chrysali (hmmm... how do you spell that?)  Anyway, did you know that several breeds of wasp lay their eggs in the back of living caterpillars who then unwittingly form their chrysalis with these tiny parasites already eating away at them???!!  So what you get from your lovely caterpillar experiment is a chrysalis with a big hole in the side and a wasp in a jar!  My son's reaction- "At least we have a baby wasp to look at!"  LOL!

So as you can see, we've just not had a lot of time to "learn" anything in the last week or so.  Ah well, maybe we can do some math next week.