A Net In Time Schooling
Follow me on Social Media
  • Home
  • A Net In Time Blog
  • Reviews
  • Homeschooling Organizations
  • Freebies
    • Free Education Sites
    • Curriculum Reviews
    • Blogs
    • Canadian Content
  • Art, the arts
    • On-line Art Instruction
    • Crafts and More
    • Music
    • Just drawing pictures
    • Paper Crafts
  • Bible
  • Geography
    • Social Studies
    • Continents
    • Countries
  • History
  • Language Arts
    • Books
    • Reading
    • Writing
  • Math
  • Science
    • Plant/Animal Science
    • Chemisty
    • Physical Science/Physics
    • Earth Science
  • Links
    • Puzzle and Page Makers
    • Christian Studies
    • Special Needs
  • Specific Grade Level
    • Kindergarten
    • Elementary 1-4
    • Middle School 5-8
    • Highschool
  • Curriculum sources
  • A Net In Time Store

Animals help us learn

4/13/2016

 
This month the Canadian Homeschooling community is doing a round on on Conference Chats (goes live April 27).  We're to pretend we have to give a speech on ANY topic we want and then write what we would talk about.

When I first heard the topic I thought BUNNIES, I can talk about Bunnies and then hmm.. but how can I tie that into homeschooling.   As much as I love to talk about bunnies, I need to honour the group that I am working through right?  :)  

It got me to thinking about how the bunnies have helped in many different ways with schooling and just with general life topics.
Picture
Let me present for your consideration ways that animals are helpful in learning about life in a spiritual scope.

1. Why do just these mice always try to jump out of their cages?
     Watching what animals do is so enlightening.   We have house of mice, that the mice are always able to get out of.  It's given my son a reason to observe them and realize how mice are able to use other things to get to where they want to.   How, just like a cat does, they look at what is around them and learn to measure distances.

     People learn and grow too.  We see what is around us and use it, hopefully for our betterment.  Not all will do this though.  Just as one group of mice is filled with explorer mice, the rest of our mice are very content to stay where put.   People are no different, God made us all different.  Many are content to be led, while others are leaders, there is room for both.

2. Look how nice Milo is, keeping me company while I read!
    The companionship that animals provide can be an excellent distraction and a way for a boy to keep busy with his hands while he's busy using his eyes.  

    The different ways God meets the needs of his people amaze me.   When my son was learning to read, his cat was always there with him.  Settling his heart and body so his mind focused.

3. Why do I have to take care of the mice before breakfast?
     Learning to put the needs of others before himself is an important lesson for any child to learn.   It's also a good talking point about what responsibility means.  

     The Lord God gave us dominion over the earth.   Told us to take charge and care for all that he provided us with.   That's a responsibility we need to take seriously.

4. Why do they talk so much when we have the guinea pigs all alone?
      Did you know that guinea pigs don't like to be alone, and that what one guinea pig does, the rest of them will often copy?   This means that if one is alone, it will call for the rest of the herd.   If the herd is all together one one notices a favourite food is coming, it'll call out and the rest of the herd will join in?

     God calls us to be in fellowship with each other.   Just like guinea pigs do best when part of a herd, God's people do best if they are part of a body of believers, encouraging, teaching, strengthening each other.
Picture
We learn other things from the animals as well.
1. Financial responsibility.   It costs money to house, feed and protect animals.  Choices need to be made about what is the wisest way to spend dollars.
2. Entrepreneurial skills.   Talking to customers, managing your business, selecting for temperament, colour, and type, advertising, and more.   Creating care sheets and learning great communication skills.
3. Life starts and ends. Animals are born, animals die. animals get sick.  How does one manage this?    Vet care, do it yourself care, watching healthy animals points the way to knowing what an unhealthy animal looks like, good observation skills are a must.
4. Not everyone is caring.  Sadly in our years of caring for animals we have need to rescue some animals.   It's saddens our hearts to see how uncaring some folks are about their animals.   Sometimes it's deliberate, other times it's simply lack of knowledge, either way it just very sad when animals are treated poorly and need to be brought back to good health.
Picture
Picture
To help you learn about bunnies and how to care for them I put together this ebook for you.   

Just click on the image to the left.

Giant Forest Hog

4/6/2016

 
Picture
Giant Forest Hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni)is a HUGE hog... I tell yah..... My lad and I wanted to see what this shaggy hog looked like and were amazed at the sheer size of some of these hogs. 

The males are bigger than the females, they are a dark brown or black in colour covered with hair, this hair becomes more sparse the older the hogs get.   They have swellings below their eyes, which can get quite large in the males.  They have a bristle like mane which they raise when alarmed or excited.  They also have tusks.

Check it out:
This video below gives some good information about them.   Did you know that these wild hogs prefer to live in areas with a dense understorey, a large variety of plants and a good water source?
Giant Forest Hog is large wild hog weighing from 100 to 275 kg.  They are found only in Africa.   
There are three recognized subspecies, each with distinct ranges. The forest hog H. m. ivoriensis inhabits the area near the Ivory Coast, H. m. rimator lives in two areas near the west and central equatorial zone and coexists in the east equatorial zone with H. m. mienertzhagheni, the "true" giant forest hog. A potential fourth subspecies exists to the north of H. m. mienertzhagheni.  (source)
Picture
Unlike most wild hogs, the African Forest Hog primarily eats grasses, sedges and herbage.   These plants may contain carrion or eggs, but they mostly eat the plants.   They engage coprophogia, which is the eating of feces.

They live in family groups of 6-14 animals, with a dominant boar.  Boars will fight when they first meet to decide heirarchy, thereafter they won't fight anymore as the loser will make himself scarce should the family groups meet up again.
In forested environments, forest hogs communicate with quiet grunts to maintain group coherence; a barking call serves to locate individuals at a distance. Males produce a long grunting call. In competing for females, males fight like wild sheep, charging at each other from 20-30 m apart and ramming heads together. This combat may cause skull fractures, although this is often not fatal. (source)
Picture
click image to go to source
These hogs are not threatened despite being localized in their populations and well-hunted.   Their numbers are not declining and they continue to create crop damage, carry swine fever and are part of the cycle for sleeping sickness.   Though according to this site, more people are starting to hunt them for food and so they are starting to disappear more quickly.

Even though these giant hogs damage crops, through their activities they help with dispersing plant species.   They keep to trails that connect their grazing grounds, latrines, wallow holes and anything else they use regularly.

If you click in the image below it will take you to a worksheet directly connected with this blog post.
Picture
Sources:
ICUN.  Animal Diversity. Ultimate Ungulate.   National geographic.  Wildscreen.

Marsupial Gliders

3/28/2016

 
As my son and I were reading in our mammals book tonight we learned about a group of animals called "Marsupial gliders" of which there are three types: Sugar, pygmy and greater.    My son asked "are they like flying squirrels mom?"  We looked up all three before he settled to bed and we both though the faces of the greater were funny looking with their big ears so.. Let's learn about the Greater glider.
Picture
The greater glider, like other marsupials (barring the opossum) lives in Australia.   They are the largest of the marsupial gliders...they can be up to 1 metre long, and of all the gliders are the most varied in their colour.    Their colour can range from white to sooty grey, the northern greater gliders have brown with a tan belly.

The greater glider (also known as the greater gliding possum) is restricted to eastern portion of Australia.
Picture
A marsupial is an animal that carries it's young in a pouch, they live primarily in Australia.   They can also be found in North and South America.  They range from small four-footed forms like the marsupial mole to the large two-legged kangaroos.
The greater marsupial glider is classified differently than the rest of gliders being more closely linked with the ring-tailed possum.

It is a folivore, dining predominately on the leaves of the eucalyptus trees.  It prefers to be live in old growth forests where it can hide among the leaves.  Their scientific name is Petauroides volans.   To learn more about the Greater Glider, please download the document below.
Picture
click on image to download
Sources.
Wildlife of QLD.   Britannica. Berkeley Ed.  Animal Diversity. IUCN Threatened Species.   Wiki.

    Who Am I?


    Loved by God and family - these things center me

    Writer, Poet, Hiker, Reader - these things make me smile

    Educating, Raising a child, Involved with Critters, Pastor's wife - These things make me grow

    Picture
    Team Member

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required
    Blog Roll

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Subscribe to A Net In Time Schooling - A Net In Time Blog by Email
    My Joy-Filled Life
    Click here to sign up for SchoolhouseTeachers.com
    Visit Annette's profile on Pinterest.
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    Team Member

    Subscribe to A Net In Time Schooling - A Net In Time Blog

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Adventus
    Affiliate
    A Journey Through Learning
    Animals
    Ants
    Art
    Art Books
    Atutorsoft Math
    Bible
    Biography
    Birdcage Press
    Blast From The Past
    Blog Hop Or Cruise
    Blog Hop Or Cruise
    Blog The Alphabet
    Blog The Alphabet
    Book Club
    Book Review
    Book Review
    Books For Children
    Books Read Lately
    Book Work Day
    Brainfood Learning
    Canada
    Carnival
    Chess House
    Child Led Learning
    Child Led Learning
    Christianity
    Christianity Cove
    Christmas
    Circle Time
    Cleaning
    Coding For Children
    Community Service
    Computer Work
    Contest
    Conversation Jar
    Cooking Class
    Crickets
    Critical Thinking
    Curriculum
    Day In The Life
    Days Of November
    Devotion
    Devotional Time
    Doctrine
    Earth Science
    Educents
    Email
    Encouragement
    Esl
    Essentials In Writing
    Europe
    Experiment
    Faith Issues
    Family
    Field Trip
    Five Day Blog Hop
    Five Minute Friday
    Five Minute Friday
    Five On The Fifth
    Flyby Promotions
    FoodBank
    Foreign Languages
    For Sale
    Freebies
    French Essentials
    Games
    Gardening
    General Update
    Geography
    Giveaway
    Global Art
    Guest Post
    Hands Of A Child
    Hands On Learning
    Handwriting Without Tears
    Healthy Living
    History
    Holidays
    Homemaking Skills
    Homeschooling
    Homeschooling A Singleton
    Homeschooling Essentials
    Homeschooling Helps
    Homeschool In The Woods
    Homeschool Issues
    Hope
    Human Body
    Hymn
    Insects
    International Student
    Issues In Homeschooling
    I Won It
    Joyce Herzog
    Kick
    K'Nex
    Knights And Castles
    Language Arts
    Language Arts
    Language Study
    Legal Issues
    Lego
    Letters To Pastors Wives
    Mammoth Math
    Math
    Middle School
    Miscellaneous
    Missionaries
    Missions
    Movie
    Museum
    Music
    Nature Study
    Nature-study
    On Line Learning
    Online Learning
    Ontario Science Centre
    Organization
    Outer Space
    Parenting
    People Of Faith
    Philosophy
    Phys Ed
    Pinterest
    Play Dates
    Poetry
    Preschoolers And Peace
    Printable
    Random Five
    Reading
    Reading Kingdom
    Recipe
    Resource
    Review
    Sale
    School Planning
    Science
    Scienceandmathcom
    Series
    Sight Words
    Sponsored Post
    STEM Activities
    Student
    Study Aid
    Sunday School For All Ages
    Supercharged Science
    Taking Time To Think
    Target The Question
    Thinking Out Loud
    Thinking Tuesday
    Time4learning
    Tools
    Tos Review
    Ultimate Bundles
    Vacation
    Vendor Sales
    Website News
    Week In Review
    Westminister Shorter Catechism
    Whats-in-my-browser
    Word Blog Hop
    Wordless Wednesday
    Word Prompt
    Youtube

    RSS Feed

     photo 9c2d3d39-9e5d-4351-b060-d6251ee13eaa_zpseda17cd5.jpg
    Follow on Bloglovin Follow my blog with Bloglovin

    2013 TOS Reviews

    IXL.com
    if you were me
    Chess House
    YWAM
    Seed Sowers
    Time4Learning
    Family Hope Center
    Reading Kingdom
    Bible Study Guide for all ages
    Bird Cage Press
    Christianity Cove
    Math Mammoth
    Joyce Herzog
    Homeschool in the woods
    SuperCharged Science
    Adventus
    LoneStar Learning
    A+tutorsoft Math
    Wet, Dry, Try App
    Schoolhouse Teachers
    French Essentials
    Dogwood Mudhole

    Circle Time
    Gryphon House
    Essentials in Writing
    In the Hands of a Child
    A journey through learning
    Ed Douglas
    Picaboo Yearbooks
    VocabularySpellingCity

    2014 TOS Reviews
    Science4Us.com

    Egglo Entertainment.
    ScienceandMath.com
    Supercharged Science.
    Philippians in 28 weeks.
    CTC math
    The Brinkman Adventures.

    Maestro Classics.
    Logic of English.
    Learning Breakthrough
    Go Science DVD's
    Veritas Press
    Happy Kids Songs
    Wizzy Gizmo: In his image
    UberSmart Software.
    Essential Skills Advantage:

    Other Reviews

    My Beloved ..
    Homemaker's Mentor
    Don't Miss the Boat
    Tokens of Promise
    Biff and Becka's ....
    A Child's Geography
    Homeless at Harvard
    30 Days of Bible Study...
    Topaz and the Evil Wizard
    Alone yet not alone
    Lead me Home
    I am Second
    Can't wait Willow
    Hey God....
    This is Our Time
    What I wish I knew at 18
    Classical Composers
    Seeking Christmas.
    Raising boys by design.
    The Ruby Ring.
    Knowing God By name.
    The Jesus Bible, NIV. 
    One Realm Beyond.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.