Blog - The Happy Housewife™

Attracting Birds To Your Backyard

By contributing writer Marci

At our house, each morning starts with nature watching. We sit at our breakfast table and look out the window into our backyard, which is usually bustling with activity. It’s a homeschool unit study all in itself.

This morning we have watched squirrels digging for hidden nuts, rabbit munching on dandelions, a deer eating it’s way through the underbrush at the edge of the woods, and many different species of birds getting their breakfast or flitting from branch to branch. Wildlife abounds here. We happen to have a great environment that invites animals in. We are blessed to have a yard that nestles up to woods and a small stream.

If your yard is far from the woods, you can still invite wildlife into your backyard. You just need to attract them. The easiest and safest animals to attract to your backyard are birds. With some simple additions, you’ll be viewing wildlife out your window, too.

Bird Feeders

Putting up a bird feeder to attract birds is so easy. You can start with a basic house-type feeder from your local hardware or home improvement store. Buy an all-purpose seed mix and you are good to go. Hang the feeder from a tree branch or from a hook or mounting pole in your yard. Make sure the feeder is where you can spot it from your favorite window or outside seating area.

If you are trying to attract a certain type of bird, you can get a specialized feeder such as a finch feeder, a hummingbird feeder, or a suet cage. The type of feed necessary is often printed on the package. AllAboutBirds.org has a helpful article on choosing bird feeders.

You can even turn your bird feeders into a science experiment for your kids! Set up various types of bird feeders with different types of bird food and keep track of which birds go to which feeder.

Bird Baths

Birds need water for drinking and for bathing. Setting a bird bath in your yard will attract many different species. You can get many different types of bird baths at local stores. There are the traditional concrete ones, as well as bird baths made of glass or ceramic. Birds are also attracted to small fountains and ornamental ponds. Just make sure the baths have a secure spot for the birds to land on and that the bottom is not too slippery.

Place your bird bath in a shady spot so the water doesn’t get too hot and so the birds can retreat into the trees or bushes when danger is near. Make sure the bath is placed where you can easily see it.

When filling the bird bath, try to keep the depth no more than 2 inches deep in the deepest part of the bird bath. Keep the water fresh by refilling it every couple days.

Landscaping

If you don’t have any trees, shrubs, or flowers in or around your yard, you probably won’t see many birds there either. Birds need these plants for nesting, protection, and food. Planting even a few can attract birds to your yard.

Different species of birds utilize different types of landscaping. If you want a variety of birds, you need a variety of landscaping types. For instance, fruit producing trees, such as cherry and mulberry, attract robins, waxwings, cardinals, and grosbeaks. Nectar producing plants attract hummingbirds. Oak and hickory trees provide good nesting habitat.

Attracting birds to your backyard is easy. Follow these tips, grab your bird guide, and enjoy the view!

How to Make Sponge Water Bombs for Summer Fun

by Toni Herrbach

By contributing writer Colleen

It’s almost summer! After the long winter we had, I am so ready to send the kids outside and leave them there for a few months to soak up the fresh air and sunshine. And I’m already planning lots of things they can do to beat boredom when they’re outside and clamoring to come in and play on the computer.

When I was at the Dollar Tree the other day, I saw a big bin full of multi-pack sponges, and I snatched them up. I’ve seen all sorts of crafts and activities using sponges around the Internet, and I knew that they’d come in handy. And, since my kids love playing war with the neighbors, I figured we’d start with a fun alternative to water balloons–sponge water bombs.

These cool sponge water bombs are colorful, soak up a ton of water, and make for some great water fights. And, they’re super simple to make. When you’re all finished making your water bombs, you’ll want to have a big bucket of water available–and then take cover.

Supplies Needed

3 sponges per water bomb
scissors
string

Instructions

1. Cut each sponge into five even strips lengthwise, and stack the strips on top of each other.

2. Tie tightly in the center with the string, and then tie into a double or triple knot.

3. Fan the strips out so it looks like a tentacle ball, and make some more.

Once you have enough sponge water bombs to have a water fight, soak them in a big bucket and call the kids over to play.

The absolute best thing about these water bombs is that they’re inexpensive to make and reusable. You won’t find pieces of broken balloons all over your yard, and you’ll always have something on hand to break up those hot summer days.

Are you inspired to give these a try?

What other inexpensive and fun boredom busters do you rely on during the summer to keep your kids active and outside soaking up the sunshine?

Comet 209P/LINEAR Meteor Shower

by Toni Herrbach

By contributing writer Marci

Meteor showers fascinate me. I remember heading outside in the middle of the night with my dad to try and catch of glimpse of meteors streaming through the sky.

Most meteor showers are predicted events based on observed comets in orbit around the sun. Comets are icy solar system bodies that release dust and gas when they get close to the sun. As comets travel through space, they leave a trail of this debris behind them. When the Earth passes through this debris trail, a meteor shower occurs. Meteors are simply cosmic debris that enters the Earth’s atmosphere at a high speed.

On the night of May 24, 2014, we will have the opportunity to see a meteor shower from a relatively newly discovered comet, Comet 209P/LINEAR. This comet was discovered by scientists in 2004. It passed near the sun in 2009 and again in early May, 2014.

Astronomers predict that on May 24th, we will see an amazing meteor shower caused by Comet 209P/LINEAR. Most astronomers are predicting between 200 – 400 meteors per hour, but there are a few who think the show will be even more spectacular.

To see the Comet 209P/LINEAR meteor shower, find a place with few lights and look toward the north. The shower will radiate from the obscure constellation Camelopardalis just beneath the North Star.

Star Trails Hands-On Activity

by Toni Herrbach

By contributing writer Marci

Have you ever noticed how the stars move across the sky at night? The constellation you found in one part of the sky early in the evening is somewhere else later that same night. Have you ever wondered what makes the stars spin in the sky?

Actually, the stars are not the ones moving. The Earth is the one doing the spinning. As the Earth rotates on its axis, it appears as if the stars are moving across the sky.

The axis is the invisible line on which the Earth rotates. When we gaze at the stars, we can see a point in the northern sky that the stars appear to be rotating around. This is called the North Star. This Earth’s axis points directly at this star that never moves. It is always in the same place in the sky. This is why finding the North Star is so important to navigation and finding your way when you are lost.

Photographers and Astronomers use long exposure photography to capture the apparent movement of the stars across the night sky. You can see how they move in an arc. These are called star trails.

You can recreate star trails with this easy project.

Star Trails Spinner

Supplies Needed

Black circle of paper
White chalk or crayon
pencil

Instructions

Use the chalk or crayon to draw 6-8 “stars” on your paper.
Find the center of your paper and poke a pencil through it. This is your North Star.
Spin the paper around the pencil fast enough that the stars that you drew appear to be streaks or trails.

Go outside tonight and find a favorite constellation. Next, find the North Star. Head back out an hour or two later. Did they move?

Searching for Micrometeorites

by Toni Herrbach

By contributing writer Colleen

The earth is constantly bombarded by objects and dust from space. Most people think of meteorites as large chunks of rock and metal that fall to our planet, burning through the atmosphere, crashing and leaving large craters wherever they fall. While large meteors do make it through our atmosphere to the earth’s surface from time to time, that’s the exception rather than the rule.

photo credit: scienceatlife via photopin cc

However, tons of rocky and metallic micrometeorites fall from space to our earth every day. A micrometeorite is space rock or dust that is smaller than 2mm wide. Since you’ll likely never have a large meteorite land in your backyard, you might want to focus your search on these tiny pieces of space.

Collecting micrometeorites can be a fun little hobby to try your hand at. But, while collecting them is actually quite easy, identifying them is another matter altogether.

When you’re ready to search for micrometeorites, gather the following materials to make it easier. Keep in mind that you need to set your collection container outside for about a week.

How to Find Micrometeorites

Supplies

large pan or bowl
glass beaker of distilled water
strong magnet
plastic bag
stove top
needle
tongs
microscope with slides

Instructions

Start by setting a large pan or bowl outside for a few days. The larger the surface area of your collection pan, the better. It also helps if you leave it outside for a while–about a week is good.
Put your magnet inside the plastic bag.
Drag it through your collection pan. (Note: If it rained while you had your pan outside, that’s fine. This will still work.)
Place your bag into the beaker of distilled water and shake it gently after removing the magnet. Any particles should sink to the bottom.
Holding the beaker with tongs, heat it over the stove top until the water has eveaporated. Let it cool.
Once it’s cooled, drag the needle 50-100 times in the same direction across the magnet to magnetize it.
Gently swirl the magnetized needle across the bottom and sides of the beaker.
Tap the needle onto a microscope slide.
Observe the sediment under the microscope.

Micrometeorites will look metallic or black. They’ll be glassy and probably spherical, though they could be found in other shapes. Not everything you find will actually be from space but a good portion of your collection will be.

Keep your micrometeorites in a small glass jar, and pull them out from time to time to look at under the microscope. And keep collecting.

Do you have any unusual collections already? What do you think of this hobby?

Solar System Worksheets: Free Printables

by Toni Herrbach

By contributing writer Lauren

This month’s free worksheet packet contains printables that focus on the solar system. They are the perfect complement to your unit study!

Each worksheet in this 4-page packet is geared towards 1st-3rd graders.

In this Solar System Worksheet Packet:

Solar System Word Search
Solar System: Who Am I? – Determine the correct planet from the given clues.
Remember the Planets! – Create your own mnemonic to remember the order of the planets.
Solar System Trivia – Solve the multi-digit math equations to answer the trivia question.

Solar System Printables for 1st-3rd Graders
May 2014 Solar System Printables HH.pdf

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Find More Worksheets from Lauren or view all of our Free Printables.

5 Rainy Day Activities for Kids

by Toni Herrbach

Who says a rainy day means you need to stay indoors? There are plenty of family fun activities that can be enjoyed on days such as this, when the clouds are out and the rain is coming down! If you don’t have lightning in the area, then throw on some raincoats, grab the umbrellas, and head outdoors with these rainy day activity ideas.

5 Rainy Day Activities for Kids

Make Your Own Rain Gauge

Take a clear pasta sauce jar or similar jar and rinse it out well. Take a ruler and tie it to the jar with string or yarn. When the rain begins to come down, place the rain gauge outside to catch it. Make a prediction of how much rain you think there will be. When the rain stops, check your gauge and measure.

Gather the Drops Game

Pass out small sandwich baggies to each child. Have the children head outside and see who can catch the most rain in five minutes. Bring the baggies back in and pour them into a measuring cup to see who was able to catch the most.

Rain Drop Art

Put some generous dabs of water color paint or food coloring on a piece of paper. Set the paper out in the rain and let the rain do the rest. It will smear the colors and cause them to run, creating a unique piece of art!

Wash Bikes

Give children sponges and a little dish soap. Let them lather up their bikes and take them through the rain for a fun rinse!

Wet Nature Walk

Give each child an umbrella (kids love holding umbrellas!) and go on a wet nature walk. Look for the rings as the raindrops fall in puddles, look for worms coming out, and look for mud forming. Nature is lovely when it rains, so go outside and take a peek.

See how easy it is to enjoy the rain in a way that is fun and frugal? Give these five rain activities for kids a try this spring and see how rainy days can be just as enjoyable as sunny ones! By the way, there are some seriously CUTE raincoats for kids on Amazon here!

What’s your favorite outdoor activity to do on rainy days?

Some Indoor Rainy Day Activities:

Teaching Children to Meet Deadlines

by Toni Herrbach

By contributing writer Tabitha

One of the criticisms of homeschooling that hits closest to home for me is that of homeschooled students being unable to meet a deadline. In other words, time management. Why does this hit close to home? My children are often unable to complete tasks on time, whether it be by a certain time of day or by a date on the calendar. I get frustrated with this even when it’s not important.

Just this month my oldest two boys have had trouble with not completing writing assignments by their deadlines. And this was a special privilege to study with a family member who was helping them improve their writing skills. Also, my daughter neglected to clean up her room in time for friends to come over. Younger children didn’t finish their lunch in time for us to go to the zoo for the afternoon.

Teaching Children to Meet Deadlines | The Happy Housewife

Learning the value of time!

So what do we do when this happens? I have some things that have helped, but this is definitely still a work in progress at our house.

Teach them how to tell time. This is obviously an early step in the process, but if they can’t tell time later on, they aren’t going to be on time. This awareness of the passing of time is helpful for their own internal clock and how to pace themselves.
Teach them the days of the week and months of the year. Again, this knowledge is an early step and helps them be aware of the seasons and years passing. Any small child loves to know when their favorite holiday is or to be able to find their birthday on a calendar.
Give them their own calendar. As they grow, they will learn to keep track of their own events and things they need to remember. This will be helpful when they are the ones responsible for getting somewhere on time.
Help them keep track of what they need to get done. It might be for each day or week, however your household does things with schoolwork, etc. If lists help, teach them how to make a list. If a schedule is what works, show them how to keep track of it. This is a process. Some things work better than others. There are a lot of resources out there that can be printed, purchased, or designed to help everyone manage time better. Make sure they aren’t wasting time.
Remember to be spontaneous. We all need surprises and pleasant things to look forward to. There are times when that clock or calendar is NOT important.
Reward being on time when appropriate. Have consequences for being late with assignments or making the family late. However, positive reinforcement seems to work better so keep that in mind.
Especially when your children are older, make sure you let them suffer the consequences of their own choices. If they are late to work, don’t make excuses for them. If they miss something important because of their failing to do something, don’t make it up to them. Both of these have happened to one of my children this past year, and it made more of an impact than anything I ever tried to tell him.
Most important of all, teach them respect for other people’s time. Whether it be someone you have an appointment with, your family members, friends, work, co-op, church classes, or a date, you don’t make them wait for you. It shows a lack of respect for their time and their preparation and shows that you don’t care.

He’s all ready for his first day at work

My children do not have this skill yet. They are improving. However, I know as I try to keep instilling that respect for time passing and for other people, we will reach our goals. Yes, time can be well spent in doing nothing together and just enjoying the day, but we all have time that we can’t afford to waste on those other days. Be an example, and I keep telling myself, keep trying!

Multiplication Worksheet Printable

by Toni Herrbach

Does your child need help with their multiplication facts? Some of my kids really struggled learning their 0-9 times tables.

We’ve created worksheets (with the answer key) for multiplication facts 1-9. Each worksheet pack includes seasonal themed pages including Christmas, spring, and summer. There is also a plain version if you have a child who gets distracted easily.

Spring Activities for Fun and Learning

by Toni Herrbach

By contributing writer Colleen

Spring is here! This has been the longest winter ever, or so it seems to me.

We’re all a little stir crazy, and I’m trying to get my kids outside as often as possible over the next few weeks. While I don’t want to abandon our homeschool routines completely, I want to get them excited about all the discoveries waiting for them outside.

It’s really easy to incorporate a little learning into fun spring activities. Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

Plant Flowers

There is nothing more spring like than flowers sprouting in your home or yard. Pick up some flower seeds – marigolds, cosmos, calendula, or zinnia – whatever you like. Put some soil in old egg cartons and plant the seeds inside. Watch them grow with your kids. Have them draw their daily observations in a journal. Ask them to measure the sprouts each day, and plan where they should be transplanted once they get big enough.

Then, take the whole operation outside and transplant.

Or grow some Sunflowers and try these easy math activities with them!

Raise Butterflies

Butterflies are my favorite sign of spring, and, despite raising them every year since my 11 year old was two, my kids don’t tire of this springtime tradition. We reuse a butterfly habitat from Insect Lore and order new larvae every year.

This year, we are growing milkweed inside and ordering monarch larvae, and we will be participating in Monarch Watch as citizen scientists. The kids are super excited to tag monarchs themselves.

Stomp in Puddles

There are not many kids that would turn down an invitation to get their boots on and head outside to go puddle stomping. It’s just one of those things all kids naturally want to do when they see a puddle on the sidewalk or in a parking lot.

Stretch it a little: Trace around one puddle with a piece of sidewalk chalk on a sunny day and stomp in the others. While you stomp with your kids, ask them to predict how long it will take for the circled puddle to shrink perceptibly.

Hypothesize and then observe. It’s science in action.

Go on a Bud Walk

Take to the neighborhood or a nature center and work with your children to notice signs of spring. Compare buds from different trees. What is similar about them? What is different? Are there trees that are flowering already? Are there others that haven’t budded yet?

Spring is a great time to shake off the doldrums that may have taken over your homeschool as winter makes its last stand. Take those kids (and yourself!) outdoors. You’ll all be better for it.

What are some of your ideas for taking your homeschool outside this spring?

You might also like these Spring Science Ideas!

Platforms:	Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Date:	April 20, 2014

Bird Feeders

Bird Baths

Landscaping

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Supplies Needed

Instructions

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Star Trails Spinner

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Instructions

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How to Find Micrometeorites

Supplies

Instructions

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In this Solar System Worksheet Packet:

5 Rainy Day Activities for Kids

Make Your Own Rain Gauge

Gather the Drops Game

Rain Drop Art

Wash Bikes

Wet Nature Walk

Some Indoor Rainy Day Activities:

You might also like…

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Plant Flowers

Raise Butterflies

Stomp in Puddles

Go on a Bud Walk

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