Meet the Creature

Every few weeks or so, the Environmental Education Building in Chandler has a "Meet the Creature" day for kids. There were many guinea pigs of course.... so used to going into their little bags for the kids to pet... that they just run in when you hold the bag close to them. There were also chickens with diapers on... a good idea. The chickens were so used to being petted that they didn't even move... just sat in one place. There was also a lizard used to being carried around by children.. but Jazzy wouldn't pet him. The woman who has the class is a professional wildlife rehabilitator. She brought in "Quinn" the Patagonian Cavy... kind of looks like a cross between a jackrabbit and a kangaroo. She also had a little 7 day old Patagonian Cavy that she was bottle feeding. There was also a ringtailed cat... which apparently has their densest population in Maricopa County, AZ. An African fox- retired from the zoo due to age and because his wife died... also visited. He was blind due to taurine deficiency as a "kit'. Now he eats a specially formulated "fox food" and his favorite is blueberries and cranberries.

Jasmine and Quinn.
lots of guinea pigs in their little pouches for the kids.
A little chick with some type of neurological damage from a dog.

Me and My Gal Day at School

I spent the day at school with Jazzy yesterday. We had music class, played on the playground, made crafts, had a snack, and each child was interviewed about their mother. Since I forgot my camera, I took photos with my new phone camera, but somehow cannot get them to transfer to the computer.

The questions were: How old is your mother? ages ranged from 7-79. I am 10 yrs old, even though Jasmine has asked me how old I am and I have told her. What is the best thing she cooks? vegetables. I guess because we have been eating alot of stir fry lately. What is your mother's favorite thing to do? play Candyland. What do you like to do with your mother? Hang around on her:) At least she didn't say "watch Dancing with the Stars" which is what she said last time. Very embarassing. What does she look like? just a Mom. What is the nicest thing you mother does for you? She helps me clean up. Then she drew a picture of "Me and Mom working":)
Later we made a little heart craft.

last Karate Class for awhile...

Practicing punches
Sense Brad pretending he is a stranger grabbing onto Jasmine
5 push ups for knocking over part of the obstacle course:))
Meditating after class.

Suzuki recital

The Arizona Suzuki Association had it's yearly recital at Katzin Music Hall on the ASU campus. Kids from all over Arizona who are in the Suzuki program came to play. The little kids 4yrs and under came to watch..... although, some of the kids who played onstage looked like they might be around 4. Ms. Karen Nalder, the President of Az Suzuki Association... and Jazzy's teacher, was the "Master of Ceremonies". We had to leave early and forego the post-recital party because Jasmine was misbehaving:(. It was cute to see all the little kids dressed up in formal dresses and 3-piece suits for the boys. They had a little formal "tea party" after the recital.... which uh-hum.. we didn't get to attend.

Ms. Karen starting the recital
Jasmine in the audience.

Pond Life

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Studied pond life today at Seedlings.
Singing a song.
Collecting pond water and examining it with a magnifying glass.
Separating vertebrates from invertebrates.

FCC/FCV Chinese New Year....

Chinese New Year party at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. I had to work part of the time at the raffle table, so Jasmine hung out with some of the Chinese ASU students. Lots of martial arts demonstrations, dancers, the ever present dancing dragons, arts and crafts, and Chinese lunch.

Hummingbirds and Chuparosa

At DBG Seedlings, the topic today was Hummingbirds and the plant they like the most- Chuparosa (which is spanish for hummingbird). The long flowers are tubular so that the hummingbird can get his beak in... past where the bees can go. Hummingbirds hearts are proportionately larger than those of any warm blooded animal and they have to eat every 10-15 minutes. They mostly drink nectar, but they one of their favorite foods is spiders! They eat the spider then take its web to contribute to their tiny little nest so that the eggs and hatchlings don't fall thru. Their wings beat 80 beats per second and their heart rate is 1300 beats per minute when they are active.

We took a long hike looking at the chuparosa-- which grew profusely in the backyard of our old house... as well as everywhere else in Arizona.
Then we made a little hummingbird craft out of clay, glitter, and feathers.